Wiggins is now pro-compulsion it seems .... Nobber.

[Milkfloat]

My opinion - I wear a helmet when commuting and 'proper' rides on my road bike. When MTB'ing I always wear one. I also make my kids wear one. A helmet has certainly lessened damage many times in both accidents I have had and my kids. Would we have died/brain damaged without one? - I have no idea, but fairly sure a couple of my big 'offs' would have ended up in casualty.

I personally don't think they should be made compulsory.

What does wind me up is incorrectly fitted helmets like this..........

Also, maybe someone can help me out here. We all know that the problem is the head decelerating too quickly, so why is the polystyrene inside the helmet not softer to slow that deceleration down a bit on contact?

 

[w00hoo_kent]

Also, maybe someone can help me out here. We all know that the problem is the head decelerating too quickly, so why is the polystyrene inside the helmet not softer to slow that deceleration down a bit on contact?

What, you mean like it is in motorcycle helmets where you get multiple layers? Probably because it'd be too hot and so no-one would buy them.

To be fair, pictures of helmets that seem to have worked do have compressed polystyrene in them, so what seems 'too hard to help' is still softer than bone or tarmac, so will deform a bit when the big impact comes in and we're talking high forces over very quick durations to save people serious injury.

 

[User33236]

I had an off recently when I hit by a car exiting a road to my left to turn right.

Almost the first question I was asked by the police officer, NWAS first responder, ambulance crew, A&E consultant and the lawyer was "were you wearing a helmet?".

 

[benb]

A helmet has certainly lessened damage many times in both accidents I have had and my kids

Again with the certainty.
You know what they call certainty without evidence? Religion.

 

[Dayvo]

Dayvo, as an old GIT on CC you should know by now it's not the names of cyclists or how many you pass in a lifetime that's important, it's how many you wave to before reaching the pearly gates. That's all that St Peter considers.

FTFY.

So, a nobber just needs to wave a lot (with his/her fingers crossed, of course) and finds his/her stairway to heaven!

I'm happy to wave (and wear a helmet ) but will politely say to Saint Pete 'thanks but no thanks - I'll take my chance without the nobbers, in the other place.'

 

[Milkfloat]

Again with the certainty.
You know what they call certainty without evidence? Religion.

Short of going out and slamming my head against the rock or the tree again at exactly the same speed and angle, no of course I have no evidence. However, I can assure that that both times there would have been a lot of claret spilt. Both times the outer skin of the helmet was split and the polystyrene gouged. I would much rather have that happen to the helmet than my head. I cannot comment as to if the helmet caused rotational damage, but in both incidents to me the only damage was pride, a shopping trip for a new helmet and a reassessment of my abilities. In addition, the falls suffered by my kids have been relatively slow speed onto tarmac which would have ended up with at a minimum bad bruising and some pretty decent road rash.

Seeing as there is no evidence that not having a helmet would have made the outcomes better, I will stick with common sense and generally wear helmets. If that upsets the zealots then so be it.

 

[benb]

Short of going out and slamming my head against the rock or the tree again at exactly the same speed and angle, no of course I have no evidence. However, I can assure that that both times there would have been a lot of claret spilt. Both times the outer skin of the helmet was split and the polystyrene gouged. I would much rather have that happen to the helmet than my head. I cannot comment as to if the helmet caused rotational damage, but in both incidents to me the only damage was pride, a shopping trip for a new helmet and a reassessment of my abilities. In addition, the falls suffered by my kids have been relatively slow speed onto tarmac which would have ended up with at a minimum bad bruising and some pretty decent road rash.

Seeing as there is no evidence that not having a helmet would have made the outcomes better, I will stick with common sense and generally wear helmets. If that upsets the zealots then so be it.

Ah, so you're not certain then after all.
Have you considered the possibility that without the helmet you wouldn't have hit your head at all? (due to the helmet increasing the size and mass of the head)

 

[Milkfloat]

Ah, so you're not certain then after all.
Have you considered the possibility that without the helmet you wouldn't have hit your head at all? (due to the helmet increasing the size and mass of the head)

I am certain. And the speed I was going over the handlebars with the rock crash I would have to decelerated in a 2 inch space as I was flying through the air. All my offs where I think the helmet saved injuries were direct strikes into objects or the ground. I have scraped objects whilst riding trails with my helmet that perhaps would have had enough clearance without a helmet, but I don't count those as 'hits'.

 

[srw]

Once again the petty use of insults and playground name calling makes this post immature and pointless

Be fair. Taking the piss out of Evgeny Lebedev is simplly tapping into an open goal. He's a complete and utter Russian ex-pat billionaire looking for a role in life.

(And apologies for the swear words. I struggle to describe a squillionaire newspaper without using them.)

 

[srw]

a lot of claret spilt.

Not a decent premier cru vintage, I hope?

Returning to seriousness for a moment, the thing about superficial head inuries is that they bleed a heck of a lot. @GrumpyGregry left a very large stain on one of our local roads, even though he was (it turned out) very lightly injured.

as there is no evidence that not having a helmet would have made the outcomes better, I will stick with common sense and generally wear helmets. If that upsets the zealots then so be it.

It's interesting that "common sense" is that protection is required, even though there's no evidence that either having it or not having it makes the situation better.

 

[ufkacbln]

Be fair. taking the mickey out of Evgeny Lebedev is simplly tapping into an open goal. He's a complete and utter Russian ex-pat billionaire looking for a role in life.

(And apologies for the swear words. I struggle to describe a squillionaire newspaper without using them.)

As in most cases petty name calling contributes absolutely nothing

In a recent thread on politics the height of discussion on Cameron' s policies was to call him "Bumface"

Hardly the epitome of reasoned political debate?

But if that is all the poster can manage ........

 

[Milkfloat]

It's interesting that "common sense" is that protection is required, even though there's no evidence that either having it or not having it makes the situation better.

In the absence of evidence either way, my common sense says that in a minor collision I would prefer to have some kind of protection rather than none. In the same way, I choose to wear a seat belt, drive a car with airbags, wear shin pads when playing hockey, wear a helmet skiing, safety glasses when using power tools, long trousers when doing a knee slide across a polished floor etc.

 

[Milkfloat]

Interesting use of the word zealots to describe a group of people who don't want to make other people do stuff..

It is the zealots who are attacking me for saying I choose to wear a helmet and why I choose to wear one. If you look at my original post, I said that wearing a helmet should not be compulsory. To be honest, it does not matter what others think, on my Saturday and Sunday rides I will be wearing a helmet as will 90% of the cyclists I will see.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

What does wind me up is incorrectly fitted helmets like this..........

All my helmets have done the same, regardless of how I adjust the straps or position the helmet on my head. It will always slip backwards to expose my entire forehead.

 

[Milkfloat]

By 'attacking' you mean disagreeing with you? Lots of us do. I can't see any attacks on you here.

Maybe I am just super sensitive without my flame suit on.