Imagine the scene – a sunny evening, you’ve just finished work. You jump on your mountain bike and speed off home. The iPod is on, there’s totty on the streets. No helmet on, shorts and white t shirt stretched over your ample frame. Feelin’ good. Flying along the pavement, jumping off kerbs, going too fast and taking a few chances. You’re hurtling towards a big traffic intersection that you are going to whiz straight across aaand SLAM you lose the front big style. Jump up quickly you try to act as if all is well but the massively pretzelled front wheel means it’s going to be a long slow walk home. Still, at least everybody waiting to cross the road got to see it.
I was sat in a car waiting to go by and it made me wince.

I was once all Lyrca’d up on my Trek y22 (years ago). I was clipped in & saw a crowd, wheelied & slap – straigh back on my ass…

That did hurt! 😳

It would have been better if you had landed on your head, that way you may have learnt something.
Why do people ride without helmets?

Why do people ride without helmets?

Because they have freedom to choose.

But that freedom can be taken away in a split second if they come off and hit their head. I understand it’s a personal choice thing but surely it’s a no brainer of a choice? I believe helmets should be compulsary by law.
Either way i’m glad the OP did walk away fine from this crash but hope it makes them think about what might have been

Erm,wasn’t the op “sat in his car” nit the rider? If you’re going to be a holier than thou twunt, get it right.

Already a helmet argument after 2 replies?

Was on the bike properly for the first time in like 3 months yesterday, and coming down one of the nastiest descents in this area – steep, fast, gravelly, and stupidly designed speed bumps – the guy in front of me lost it and went down really, really hard. Really shook up, lots of bleeding. Had to get him into a farmhouse and call for someone to come and pick him up, he took about half an hour to stop shaking. He’s ok now though.

roddi18 – what transapp said.

An ipod??! On the pavement?

You should have driven over his head.

Perhaps a neck brace and body armour as well, just in case.

And he was wearing a helmet

The iPod is on, … No helmet on … Flying along the pavement, jumping off kerbs, going too fast and taking a few chances. You’re hurtling towards a big traffic intersection that you are going to whiz straight across

You missed out “running a few reds to keep your flow” – THEN we’d be talking