The CycleChat Helmet Debate Thread

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ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2
Although I'm a confirmed skeptic when it comes to the pro-helmet research out there, I don't discount all of it. What I do sometimes wonder is, how many of us make a decision based on studies, and how many on gut feeling/peer pressure/dressing the part/worried loved ones etc.

Judging by the amount of people on this forum who trot out the 'its better I wear one as it's less earache' line, quite a few I would say. That way it's easy justification for them.
 
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bozmandb9

Insert witty title here
I'm surprised that people can seriously doubt that helmets afford protection. I can accept that people may prefer not to use them, but to me, when your hurtling down a hill at 50 miles an hour on a bike, it's pretty obvious that if you hit something, there's a fair chance you'll be propelled head first. Again, I may be wrong, but if I'm going to hit something hard with my head, I'd rather have protection. I can't quote sources to state that it's less harmful to whack your head on tarmac wearing a helmet than without, but I'm willing to participate in trials, so long as I'm the one wearing the helmet, in fact, I'll place a substantial wager with the chap without helmet, than my head will hurt less than his.

I fell down a hill many years ago, hit some rocks with my head, had around 50 stitches, maybe this makes me soft in the head, but to me, whilst I totally support personal choice when it comes to helmet use (and I'll not bother if I'm pootling around, I would not be without one when riding fast. Just my two penn'orth though.
 

martint235

Dog on a bike
Location
Welling
I'm surprised that people can seriously doubt that helmets afford protection. I can accept that people may prefer not to use them, but to me, when your hurtling down a hill at 50 miles an hour on a bike, it's pretty obvious that if you hit something, there's a fair chance you'll be propelled head first. Again, I may be wrong, but if I'm going to hit something hard with my head, I'd rather have protection. I can't quote sources to state that it's less harmful to whack your head on tarmac wearing a helmet than without, but I'm willing to participate in trials, so long as I'm the one wearing the helmet, in fact, I'll place a substantial wager with the chap without helmet, than my head will hurt less than his.

I fell down a hill many years ago, hit some rocks with my head, had around 50 stitches, maybe this makes me soft in the head, but to me, whilst I totally support personal choice when it comes to helmet use (and I'll not bother if I'm pootling around, I would not be without one when riding fast. Just my two penn'orth though.
Really? 254 pages in and we have to start all over again?

Any evidence to support your wager or are you going to go with the "bang your head on a wall while wearing a helmet then do it again without one" nonsense?
 

RedRider

Pulling through
What the hell, it's Saturday night.

I'm surprised that people can seriously doubt that helmets afford protection. I can accept that people may prefer not to use them, but to me, when your hurtling down a hill at 50 miles an hour on a bike, it's pretty obvious that if you hit something, there's a fair chance you'll be propelled head first. Again, I may be wrong, but if I'm going to hit something hard with my head, I'd rather have protection. I can't quote sources to state that it's less harmful to whack your head on tarmac wearing a helmet than without, but I'm willing to participate in trials, so long as I'm the one wearing the helmet, in fact, I'll place a substantial wager with the chap without helmet, than my head will hurt less than his.

I fell down a hill many years ago, hit some rocks with my head, had around 50 stitches, maybe this makes me soft in the head, but to me, whilst I totally support personal choice when it comes to helmet use (and I'll not bother if I'm pootling around, I would not be without one when riding fast. Just my two penn'orth though.

It's your brain sloshing about inside the skull that's deadly and if your head hits the floor at 50mph a helmet will not prevent this. At 12 mph it might help a bit but at whatever speed you travel you're more likely to hit your head when wearing one.

You must have read/heard that before?

I choose not to wear one because I can imagine as many circumstances where a helmet is as likely to harm as protect and also because cycling is relatively safe.
 

bozmandb9

Insert witty title here
Really? 254 pages in and we have to start all over again?

Any evidence to support your wager or are you going to go with the "bang your head on a wall while wearing a helmet then do it again without one" nonsense?
No. I don't bang my head against a wall without one. The person who doubt's their value, does this, after making the substantial wager with me about who's head will hurt more!
 

martint235

Dog on a bike
Location
Welling
No. I don't bang my head against a wall without one. The person who doubt's their value, does this, after making the substantial wager with me about who's head will hurt more!
Really sorry but if you can't be ***** to read the thread and engage in evidence based discussion I can't be ***** to engage with you
 

bozmandb9

Insert witty title here
What the hell, it's Saturday night.



It's your brain sloshing about inside the skull that's deadly and if your head hits the floor at 50mph a helmet will not prevent this. At 12 mph it might help a bit but at whatever speed you travel you're more likely to hit your head when wearing one.

You must have read/heard that before?

I choose not to wear one because I can imagine as many circumstances where a helmet is as likely to harm as protect and also because cycling is relatively safe.


I see. So when I come off, let's same like Froomy yesterday, hitting a white line on a descent at 55 kph, my lightning reflexes will take hold, and unlike Chris, I will manage to contort my body to allow my head to be under me as a slide to a halt, because of the 'helmet factor'. I see. I think. Does this theory not work for pro's?

I get the bit about your brain sloshing around inside the skull, and it's never great for it to be bought to an abrupt halt, but I would have thought anything which cushions this, would have been a good thing, and also ensuring that it all remains sloshing around inside the skull, rather than exiting, is probably a good thing too?

As I said before, I have nothing against freedom of choice, and I do on occasion ride 'helmet less'. But I must confess, my imagination fails me when I try to think of how my helmet might harm me in the event of an accident.
 

martint235

Dog on a bike
Location
Welling
I have to read 254 pages of a thread before contributing?

Sorry but life's too short. I prefer my banging head/ wager challenge! Anybody up for it?
No you have to come up with something we've not covered 50 times before

Otherwise you're just boring
 

RedRider

Pulling through
I see. So when I come off, let's same like Froomy yesterday, hitting a white line on a descent at 55 kph, my lightning reflexes will take hold, and unlike Chris, I will manage to contort my body to allow my head to be under me as a slide to a halt, because of the 'helmet factor'. I see. I think. Does this theory not work for pro's?
I'm not quite sure what you're contrasting between your imagined and Froome's actual spill.
It's unclear from the helicam whether Froome's head strikes the ground but yeah, I think we do have an instinctive awareness of our bodies' boundaries and both you and Chris Froome are less likely to hit your heads wearing say, a close-fitting cap.


I get the bit about your brain sloshing around inside the skull, and it's never great for it to be bought to an abrupt halt, but I would have thought anything which cushions this, would have been a good thing, and also ensuring that it all remains sloshing around inside the skull, rather than exiting, is probably a good thing too?
Yes, I believe the minimal amount of cushioning is of some value up to minimal impact speeds in some circumstances.

As I said before, I have nothing against freedom of choice, and I do on occasion ride 'helmet less'. But I must confess, my imagination fails me when I try to think of how my helmet might harm me in the event of an accident.
As mentioned before, for one you're more likely to hit your head on the floor if it's in a helmet. I'd say it likely increases the risk of harm occurring if not necessarily the seriousness of the harm.
 
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bozmandb9

Insert witty title here
I'm not quite sure what you're contrasting between your imagined and Froome's actual spill.
It's unclear from the helicam whether Froome's head strikes the ground but yeah, I think we do have an instinctive awareness of our bodies' boundaries and both you and Chris Froome are less likely to hit your heads wearing say, a close-fitting cap.



Yes, I believe the minimal amount of cushioning is of some value up to minimal impact speeds in some circumstances.


As mentioned before, for one you're more likely to hit your head on the floor if it's in a helmet. I'd say it likely increases the risk of harm occurring if not necessarily the seriousness of the harm.

Is there any evidence for this, I mean in terms of causal evidence, to indicate how, wearing a helmet, could cause on to hit one's head more? If it's merely statistical evidence, it would merely show a correlation between helmet wearing, and accidents. (Apologies if this has been covered 50 times already, but I'm keen to know if I'm endangering my cranial health in wearing a helmet when not compelled to).
 
I'm surprised that people can seriously doubt that helmets afford protection. I can accept that people may prefer not to use them, but to me, when your hurtling down a hill at 50 miles an hour on a bike, it's pretty obvious that if you hit something, there's a fair chance you'll be propelled head first. Again, I may be wrong, but if I'm going to hit something hard with my head, I'd rather have protection. I can't quote sources to state that it's less harmful to whack your head on tarmac wearing a helmet than without, but I'm willing to participate in trials, so long as I'm the one wearing the helmet, in fact, I'll place a substantial wager with the chap without helmet, than my head will hurt less than his.

I fell down a hill many years ago, hit some rocks with my head, had around 50 stitches, maybe this makes me soft in the head, but to me, whilst I totally support personal choice when it comes to helmet use (and I'll not bother if I'm pootling around, I would not be without one when riding fast. Just my two penn'orth though.

The same helmets will be equally effective in low level impacts for pedestrians, but the majority of the pro-helmet lobby refuse to recognise this

The hit your head test also proves that all cyclists should wear melons (or other hard shell fruit) as these also reduce injury.
 
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