The CycleChat Helmet Debate Thread

[snorri]

When will they learn?

Now that is just cruel.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

You do realise that no one here is disputing that helmets may be of some benefit in some circumstances?

I'd love someone to quantify the benefits and identify the circumstances regarding the current technology.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Isn't it lovely to cycle around Copenhagen when all these **** tourists have gone home, perhaps?

Possible. Japanese tourists on the city e-bikes are a definite hazard, though rarely found on the main commuter routes peak time at any time of year. Peak hours, apart for the ever present risk of rider listening to music on headphones, whilst texting, and smoking and carrying outsized luggage on a bike with bad brakes, the major threats to one's well being on two wheels in cph appear to be:

badly driven cars
lycra louts, nigh on always wearing helmets, going twice as fast as the shoal and bullying their way through
rlj'ing cyclists

but for all that you're gazzillions safer there than in any large town in England of equivalent size, let alone our capital city.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Indeed, and to ask some hard questions about the lack of any significant improvement over time.

Given, iirc, a higher test standard was once available but has since been dropped, a question is begged.

 

[Profpointy]

So you are now arguing that you can prevent accidents, despite claiming that you can't prevent accidents

You really need to make up your mind

I'd love someone to quantify the benefits and identify the circumstances regarding the current technology.

I think I can justify the "some benefits sometimes view" by reversing my earlier good / balance argument. Here goes: it' unarguable that a helmet makes your head quite a bit bigger (simple geometry) therefore some near.misses will be turned into hits. In Australia no safety improvement has been demonstrated, ergo some benefit must arise in some circumstsnces to balance out the extra hits. Whilst this might sound like a smart arse argument it is valid.

 

[Justinslow]

You do realise that no one here is disputing that helmets may be of some benefit in some circumstances?

Really, that's not the impression I get at all.

Quantify the difference wearing a ceiling tile on your head would make to the injuries you'd sustain in such a high speed crash please....

 

[Mugshot]

Really, that's not the impression I get at all.

You do understand what is meant by some circumstances don't you?
Are you going to answer @GrumpyGregry question?

 

[Justinslow]

You keep saying this... but may i remind you that the title of this thread is not "The Great CycleChat Cycling Helmet Debate" but is "The Great CycleChat Helmet Debate". Of course you'll disregard this comment as it doesn't fit with your very narrow view of what the debate should be about.

Sorry, my mistake, I just figured as we are in a cycling forum we are talking about cycling and not "cooking" or "golf" or any other subject. And as you mentioned it yes that is the title, it is not " come here to agree with the anti- cycling helmet lobby".

 

[Justinslow]

[QUOTE 3944912, member: 45"]666 replies.[/QUOTE]
Is it a record for a helmet thread?

 

[Profpointy]

this is going down hill now - from both "sides"

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Really, that's not the impression I get at all.

I accept that helmets will confer some benefits in some circumstances.

I merely wish to know the scale of the benefit and the range of circumstances.

Then I can make a better informed choice.

Because if the answer is "Grumpy, because of your size, and the way you ride, it is likely that this helmet will fail, catastrophically, in nearly every circumstance in which you might need it to protect your skull and its contents" then I'd rather continue to spend the money on beer.

You brought up some or other high-speed crash scenario. So. Quantify/define/explain the difference to the severity of head injury, any kind of head injury, that wearing a contemporary cycle helmet would make in a high-speed crash scenario.

Please.

 

[Profpointy]

I accept that helmets will confer some benefits in some circumstances.

I merely wish to know the scale of the benefit and the range of circumstances.

Then I can make a better informed choice.

Because if the answer is "Grumpy, because of your size, and the way you ride, it is likely that this helmet will fail, catastrophically, in nearly every circumstance in which you might need it to protect your skull and its contents" then I'd rather continue to spend the money on beer.

You brought up some or other high-speed crash scenario. So. Quantify/define/explain the difference to the severity of head injury, any kind of head injury, that wearing a contemporary cycle helmet would make in a high-speed crash scenario.

Please.

now that's better :-)

 

[Dan B]

"come here to agree with the anti- cycling helmet lobby".

You realise that can be parsed two ways, right?

 

[Mugshot]

this is going down hill now - from both "sides"

Well, you could be right in some respects however this is what you said 10 pages ago with reference to Justin side stepping;

yes, but he's pulled back from rudeness when things were deteriorating and continued in a civilised way, helping this thread to not degenerate which given the lenght and history of similar threads is astonishing

People who are wrong but act in good faith are what debates are anout.

Justin has failed to answer almost all questions put to him (reasonably or not), he has not responded to any of the links which posters have taken the time to put up for him and when it came to your questions regarding Australia he completely glossed over all and any results from that countries MHL because Australia isn't the UK. It makes for a pretty difficult debate.

 

[MontyVeda]

Sorry, my mistake, I just figured as we are in a cycling forum we are talking about cycling and not "cooking" or "golf" or any other subject. And as you mentioned it yes that is the title, it is not " come here to agree with the anti- cycling helmet lobby".

There's no such thing I'm afraid. You've stated that you're pro-choice, and so am I. You chose to wear a helmet sometimes, I choose not to wear one. I'm yet to be convinced that utility cycling is dangerous and PPE should be adopted.