The CycleChat Helmet Debate Thread

[mjr]

I suspect because after 9 years and nearly 400 pages very little can be added that hasn't already been discussed and maybe a tincy bt because not a single person has ever changed their mind because of what was written here.

I changed my mind partly after being challenged in a similar thread on another forum.

That and a Chris Boardman interview.

 

[classic33]

I suspect because after 9 years and nearly 400 pages very little can be added that hasn't already been discussed and maybe a tincy bt because not a single person has ever changed their mind because of what was written here.

I'll admit, my stance on the subject of helmet wearing hasn't changed in the last 1/4 century.
I'm pro choice, my choice to wear one whilst cycling or not. I don't want mandatory use to be forced onto us, as cyclists.

I'm also willing to admit that I've done more damage to my skull, whilst not wearing a helmet. Also not cycling at the time either. But the triple figure mark for cracking my skull open was reached over half a lifetime ago, if not longer.
You may recall seeing the old style leather cycling helmets. Their use is still pursued for some of those living with the same condition as myself. In recent years, relatively speaking, the use of inflatable helmets has been pushed as replacement. I'm not keen on wearing a collar that has a small explosive charge in it, so I declined to take part in the trial.

 

[Slick]

I changed my mind partly after being challenged in a similar thread on another forum.

That and a Chris Boardman interview.

Must have been some time ago.

 

[Slick]

I'll admit, my stance on the subject of helmet wearing hasn't changed in the last 1/4 century.
I'm pro choice, my choice to wear one whilst cycling or not. I don't want mandatory use to be forced onto us, as cyclists.

I'm also willing to admit that I've done more damage to my skull, whilst not wearing a helmet. Also not cycling at the time either. But the triple figure mark for cracking my skull open was reached over half a lifetime ago, if not longer.
You may recall seeing the old style leather cycling helmets. Their use is still pursued for some of those living with the same condition as myself. In recent years, relatively speaking, the use of inflatable helmets has been pushed as replacement. I'm not keen on wearing a collar that has a small explosive charge in it, so I declined to take part in the trial.

Yeah, I sometimes forget there are some for whom this issue is much bigger than cycling.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Basically there is not point in wearing a helmet - it does you no good at all and just makes you hotter in hot weather


Unless, of course, you have an accident of some kind where your head hits something - or something hits it

so, you only need to put the helmet on just before you have that kind of crash
the rest of the time you can save weight and ride better without one



so basically the same as air bags in cars

we do all get the air bags removed and just get them re-fitted just before we have a crash - don;t we????

 

[derrick]

They will if they're well informed. Biased journalism is not information, it's opinion.

I mean common sense.

 

[mjr]

so basically the same as air bags in cars

we do all get the air bags removed and just get them re-fitted just before we have a crash - don;t we????

Not quite the same as car airbags. They are a much smaller % of the vehicle weight, go off accidentally much less and don't make us hotter.

The problem with helmets is that they are worse than doing us no good, until there's a relevant crash. Some drawback/s is/are negating the impact benefit to make the effect on injury too small to detect reliably in real-world data. Which leaves the non-injury-related costs of price, cumbersomeness(? of carrying and storing it correctly when not riding) and plastic as good reasons to reject use.

 

[MontyVeda]

Basically there is not point in wearing a helmet - it does you no good at all and just makes you hotter in hot weather


Unless, of course, you have an accident of some kind where your head hits something - or something hits it

so, you only need to put the helmet on just before you have that kind of crash
the rest of the time you can save weight and ride better without one



so basically the same as air bags in cars

we do all get the air bags removed and just get them re-fitted just before we have a crash - don;t we????

Replace the word 'crash' with 'fall' and consider all the times a pedestrian would have benefitted from wearing a helmet. If there's a slight risk of serious head injury whatever you're doing, then surely you're better off with one.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Replace the word 'crash' with 'fall' and consider all the times a pedestrian would have benefitted from wearing a helmet. If there's a slight risk of serious head injury whatever you're doing, then surely you're better off with one.

Apparently one of the common injuries caused by side collisions in cars is a head injury

and a thing like a bike helmet would greatly reduce the problem caused by this

Now - who is going to tell that bloke in his new Discovery who cut everyone up on the M57 today - that he now has to wear a helmet when driving his car

 

[Alex321]

Now - who is going to tell that bloke in his new Discovery who cut everyone up on the M57 today - that he now has to wear a helmet when driving his car

Probably the same idiots who would tell us we *have to* wear a helmet on the bike.

Which is a very small proportion even of hose (like me) who think helmets are overall a good thing.

 

[MontyVeda]

Apparently one of the common injuries caused by side collisions in cars is a head injury

and a thing like a bike helmet would greatly reduce the problem caused by this

Now - who is going to tell that bloke in his new Discovery who cut everyone up on the M57 today - that he now has to wear a helmet when driving his car

which is precisely my point. I don't get the obsession around protecting your noggin for just one activity, when other common activities present a similar or greater risk.

 

[Profpointy]

I suspect because after 9 years and nearly 400 pages very little can be added that hasn't already been discussed and maybe a tincy bt because not a single person has ever changed their mind because of what was written here.

I changed my mind, OK not from this thread per se, but from similar discussions in cyclingg news groups and from following up more academic papers.

I was an early adopter so to speak, and was even more convinced after a helmeted accident my first wife had (several days in hospital with concussion, cracked cheek bone etc). However after reading actual numbers, and seeing the flaws in some of the earlier "research" it does rather seem there's little or no benefit on balance, so stopped wearing one. Clearly they must help sometimes, so it follows from the stats that they must make things worse other times.

I no longer wear a helmet

One thing I do find frustrating, and frankly peculiar, is that a good few of those who have the opposite view (in and of itself nothing wrong with that) aren't interested in the reasons and just resort to insults and preaching to the extent they are actually quite offensive on occasion. I find this bizarre

 

[classic33]

which is precisely my point. I don't get the obsession around protecting your noggin for just one activity, when other common activities present a similar or greater risk.

You wear them climbing, caving, canoeing and skydiving.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

You wear them climbing, caving, canoeing and skydiving.

Sometimes, not always

 

[Profpointy]

You wear them climbing, caving, canoeing and skydiving.

Yes, but not as a car passenger or walking up and down stairs.

Interesting the caving example as you certainly do hit your head a lot more wearing one, which does indeed jar your neck on occasion. Nevertheless it is worthwhile, and would certainly help a lot if someone kicks a rock loose, albeit not one the size of a television !
I was told on reasonably good authority that on submarines they stopped getting workmen from wearing helmets as the increased prevalence of neck jarring injuries outweighed the head protection. Given the stats such as they are I'd suggest cycling may well be similar

I wear goggles if using a grinder or power washer. I was not wearing goggles when I poked myself in the eye with a credit card paying for my dinner in the works canteen necessitating a trip to casualty and the painful incident did not get me to wear goggles for everyday credit card transactions