The CycleChat Helmet Debate Thread

[fossyant]

The story with the young lad and the rock was MTBing at a trail centre with his dad. 99% of people riding off road wear a lid for obvious reasons.

You'd be flipping stupid doing a trail centre without a lid.

The potential neck injury is always a caution when crashing anyway. Same with me when I broke my spine. You hit your head or helmet so the medics take precautions.

Sliding down a gravel path on your scalp is not going to be pleasant. I would advise the helmet haters not to pop on a MTB forum and air your views there.

 

[Profpointy]

The story with the young lad and the rock was MTBing at a trail centre with his dad. 99% of people riding off road wear a lid for obvious reasons.

You'd be flipping stupid doing a trail centre without a lid.

The potential neck injury is always a caution when crashing anyway. Same with me when I broke my spine. You hit your head or helmet so the medics take precautions.

Sliding down a gravel path on your scalp is not going to be pleasant. I would advise the helmet haters not to pop on a MTB forum and air your views there.

Your use of the term "helmet haters" is very telling.

 

[FishFright]

Isn't it interesting that you rarely find a 'helmets are woo woo' thread on MTB sites ?

 

[fossyant]

Your use of the term "helmet haters" is very telling.

And ? I sometimes wear a helmet, I sometimes dont. Depends upon what I'm doing.

I wouldn't go out doing some proper off road MTB without a lid. Gravel rash to the thin skin on my head would not be pleasant. Not so fun on a fleshy backside but not on My head. I dont at anypoint say one of these can save your life but mine have saved me from nasty gravel rash a few times.

 

[mjr]

I wouldn't go out doing some proper off road MTB without a lid. Gravel rash to the thin skin on my head would not be pleasant. Not so fun on a fleshy backside but not on My head. I dont at anypoint say one of these can save your life but mine have saved me from nasty gravel rash a few times.

Yeah, and that's the sort of magnitude of protection one seems able to rely on, but it's almost as readily available from lighter garments which don't put such loads on the neck.

MTBers should be livid that so few manufacturers now use the Snell standards that include testing an impact on a rock-shaped anvil, but no, it seems like most people keep on pretending that helmets tested only for standing falls onto flat roads or kerb edges are relevant to MTBing

 

[growingvegetables]

The BBC have jumped on yet another "helmet saved my life" story:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-40774974

Bottom line?

It's how helmets started ... protection while one is MTB-ing. Protection against injury against (stationary) trees and boulders? Fair enough. Don't have a problem. I choose to wear a helmet on that kind of riding.

But "always wear a helmet"? *u***r *ff. I have yet to see a tree or a boulder doing 50+mph down Dewsbury Road in Leeds. Audis, Qashqais, BMWs? They are NOT trees or boulders! The b@st*rds see a helmet, and think the cyclist will bounce, with utter invincibility.

 

[fossyant]

We all know helmets are only there to reduce bad knocks, with nasty cuts and abrasions - I'd rather that MTB'ing than nothing - name me a garment for my head that offers breathability what will stop small stones gouging my head, I this case, the lad went arse over head, as is usually the case with MTB crashes.

I've unfortunately had enough crashes to know where a helmet helps - they certainly reduce gravel rash and concussion in the event your head and shoulder hit the ground (I've had 3 accidents like this, two caused by cars and one on the MTB). My helmet wasn't necessary when my spine was broken as that broke when the car hit me - deceleration and rotational forces did that before I even hit the car and the floor.

We all know press articles are massively biased - they need to make a story. It's our own heads and we have to go of riding experience, and the type of riding you do. Pottering about on a shopper is less likely to result in a bad injury in a fall when you are riding at speed, either on or off road. I don't always wear mine, and neither do my kids. If we are doing something risky, like careering down a black run, or on an MTB pump track, then we wear one.

 

[mjr]

I've unfortunately had enough crashes to know where a helmet helps - they certainly reduce gravel rash and concussion in the event your head and shoulder hit the ground

Not sure about the concussion. I thought anti-concussion helmets looked rather different:

 

[fossyant]

I don't get my knickers in a twist. Compulsion is very unlikely and my current helmets do what I expect them to - i.e saves me from gravel rash or getting smacked on the bonce by low branches whilst MTBing.

I don't get worked up by it.

 

[fossyant]

Not sure about the concussion. I thought anti-concussion helmets looked rather different:
View attachment 367120

Ha ha thread derailing. Not you naughty boy

 

[benb]

saves me from gravel rash or getting smacked on the bonce by low branches whilst MTBing.

Ironically, the only time I have ever hit my head when cycling was when I was mountain biking, had a helmet on, and tried to duck under a low branch. The branch hit me on the top of the helmet and really jolted my head and neck. If I hadn't been wearing it, I would have got under the branch without contact.

 

[david k]

We all know helmets are only there to reduce bad knocks, with nasty cuts and abrasions - I'd rather that MTB'ing than nothing - name me a garment for my head that offers breathability what will stop small stones gouging my head, I this case, the lad went arse over head, as is usually the case with MTB crashes.

I've unfortunately had enough crashes to know where a helmet helps - they certainly reduce gravel rash and concussion in the event your head and shoulder hit the ground (I've had 3 accidents like this, two caused by cars and one on the MTB). My helmet wasn't necessary when my spine was broken as that broke when the car hit me - deceleration and rotational forces did that before I even hit the car and the floor.

We all know press articles are massively biased - they need to make a story. It's our own heads and we have to go of riding experience, and the type of riding you do. Pottering about on a shopper is less likely to result in a bad injury in a fall when you are riding at speed, either on or off road. I don't always wear mine, and neither do my kids. If we are doing something risky, like careering down a black run, or on an MTB pump track, then we wear one.

Seems a very reasonable approach @fossyant

 

[growingvegetables]

https://www.headway.org.uk/news/national-news/strike-the-helmet-project/, and https://www.theguardian.com/environ...-grayson-perry-jake-dinos-chapman-in-pictures - screaming quietly to myself.

 

[Mugshot]

https://www.headway.org.uk/news/national-news/strike-the-helmet-project/, and https://www.theguardian.com/environ...-grayson-perry-jake-dinos-chapman-in-pictures - screaming quietly to myself.

Good grief
On a more positive note I saw an advert on tele last night for a Mini, and there was a chap in it that was riding his bike and not wearing a helmet. It's a shame that that is so unusual that I should notice and I expect the advert has been banned by now, but it was there and I saw it

 

[mjr]

https://www.headway.org.uk/news/national-news/strike-the-helmet-project/, and https://www.theguardian.com/environ...-grayson-perry-jake-dinos-chapman-in-pictures - screaming quietly to myself.

"The artwork will be on display from Friday 1 September 2017 at Look Mum No Hands, a cycle cafe in London. The project aims to raise awareness about cycle safety and the importance of wearing a helmet by uniting prominent and underground figures from the UK’s creative industries - from artist Grayson Perry to fashion brand Shrimps - to decorate the same canvas: a bike helmet."

I assume that's the one in Old Street. Anyone like to pop in and ask them to stop promoting cycle helmets and raising money for anti-cyclists Headway? Those are dangerous modifications to helmets, in many cases - worse than useless!