[Closed] Helmets. do you wear one, on road? off road? at all?!

Always have a lid on whatever I'm doing. I can't ride without one as it feels very odd.

I wear one on road this time of year, but tend not to when it gets warmer.

Kettles on:-D

[img] [/img]

No, I dont really ever wear one.
But I've got things to do for the next couple of days, and, together with the other Dawkins-style skeptics, am not sure even I want to do this again so soon after the last stushie! 🙂

depends on the level of risk... 😉

Where's TJ?

Most valuable part of the body that has the greatest exposure = Brain.

Hard concrete, tarmac, rocks under you while on a bike and you fall off at speed, you are almost guaranteed to hit some part of your head.

If you are on a bike, wear a helmet simple, why take the risk?

i need to get one been saying so for ages too must pull my finger out! and stop buy bits for my bike instead!

I wear one all the time, it's my choice and to be honest it feels strange riding without it. However it is [b]*NOT*[/b] a legal requirement and as such is up to the individual.

If you are on a bike, wear a helmet simple, why take the risk?

Because there are some studies that show if you fall off a helmet can cause injury, similar to seatbelts in cars...

no I am scared of rotational injuries and offending TJ 😉

Wear one all the time now on both road/off road, after a friend of a friend got knocked off and now needs to be fed, possibly could have got away with it if he had been wearing a helmet.

Yep if im riding seriously or in some anger I will. But if im out on like a family ride where im not going faster than like 15mph I havent used one. I didnt feel comfortable with out one though

(No offence, drinkmoreport)

Please, if you have to answer this thread, just answer the original question with a 'yes' or a 'no'.

And please, please, for the love of all that is unholy, don't get all huffy and try to justify your position to other people who WILL NOT change their position no matter how amazingly well-structured, and backed-up with peer-reviewed evidence collected over the course of the last six millenia of helmet use, your arguement is.

Well, I tried.

Always on road. Tarmac is hard, so is steel. And from experience windscreens are pretty solid objects too.

Offroad, all the time, except on dog-walking rides.

But each to their own, so not sure why you're asking the question, really.

(yes, what bananaworld said)

I only wear one when I am planning having a serious accident.

I'm hopeless at remembering which day I have set aside for accidents, so I end up wearing it all the time just in case 🙂

Snow, ice, slippy tarmac, bad weather conditions, I hope you, Dimmadan are protecting the most valuable part of your body when you are driving, or even walking .
(The most valuable part of my body is probably my bank card.)

When ever I ride on or off road, unless I'm nipping to the shops which are 1/2mile up the road in the middle of the day.

Most, but certainly not all of the time. Depends on perceived risk.

Yes, yes and yes.

Anything else is like saying that I wear my seatbelt on local roads but take it off when I get on the motorway.

Curiously I feel no compulsion to at all when I'm in Amsterdam though.. Strange how the brain works!

Seatbelts on bikes make absolutely no difference, on local roads, or in Amsterdam.
Just thought I should clear that up, bikewhisperer 😉

On mountain bike; yes. *

On road bike; about 30% of the time.**

(* mainly to stop the 'why aren't you wearing a helmet? questions)
(** usually when riding with other, less predictable riders)

Is Bananaworld a forum policeman, or, have they just had a bump to the head and think they are?

Seatbelts on bikes make absolutely no difference, on local roads, or in Amsterdam.
Just thought I should clear that up, bikewhisperer

I got so bogged down in the simile they sort of blended together as one in my mind..

OK, I am now REALLY worried. This thread has been open an hour or so and TJ isn't here.

[b]SEND OUT A SEARCH PARTY![/b]

I dont know which side of the argument bananaworld is coming from, but lets be honest, we can all remember how entrenched this all gets.

Most often I don't wear one. More likely to put one on for off-road with jumps and drops and so on though.

i only wear a helmet to view this forum

Always.
Riding without a helmet just feels wrong. Plus it's kind of a handy place to mount my light as well.

LOL at RA29erBNBATAI, like your post 🙂

Off - road, yes.

On - road, no.

Because thats just the way it happened. I was riding on the road, decades before I started this off-road malarky and didn't wear a helmet then. No body around my town did, you only saw riders in helemts on TV, back in the day.
🙂

Back in the 70s helmet thingys made you look like your were balancing a bunch of bananas on your head and were strictly the preserve of the weekend warrior, pro racer.

Its all been pre-determined anyway.

As [i]they[/i] say,
"[i]wear a helmet if you wish, but you won't live one moment longer[/i]".

S.

yes

CaptainFlashheart - Member

OK, I am now REALLY worried. This thread has been open an hour or so and TJ isn't here.

SEND OUT A SEARCH PARTY!

Don't worry - I am here now. I was in the pub

I wear a helmet when appropriate. Wheels off the ground = helmet - wheels on the ground no helmet.

Cycle helmets are good at protecting you from the one in thousands minor injury ( scalp lacerations etc) They are not so good at protecting you from the one in millions chance of a major injury.

I wear one when appropriate - if the risks of crashing are high. cycling is a safe pursuit - so I only wear one when cycling dangerously

Recently I have been wearing one a fair amount - even with studded tyres my chances of crashing must be higher right now.

So - no helmet required.
[img] [/img]

So - offroad I probably wear one 50% of the time - depending what I am doing. On road perhaps 25% of the time. Look at the risks. Look at teh science. Understand how to assess risk. Then make an [i]informed[/i] decision based on reasonable parameters

Why?

Mostly off road, I've smacked more low hanging branches than i care to remember. On road, rarely, in Winter I prefer a beanie, and in Summer I just find them too uncomfortable. Although I will when riding in a group

Yes always.

Everyone to there own, but after you've had a high speed crash and broken a helmet, it soon makes you think its a good idea. Broken helmet/skull. I know which i prefer

Chew - its a long argument and its been done many timnes - however:-

Sometimes its a low speed low risk ride - look at my picture above and look for nasty rocks and stuff.

Risks are very low - literally millions to one

research shows you are more likely to crash, more likely to get head injury the more often you wear a helmet.

There was no epidemic of head injuries before helmet wearing becamne common

The science is contradictory, counterintuative and does not show any benefit [i] accross population[/i] for wearing helmets - infact he reverse is true

90% of the time i do.

if i am going to the pub i wont - there is a much higher chance of the helmet getting damaged, under the table/ on the bike/ fall off the table then there is me crashing.

if i am going for a ride i wear it.

could say it goes with outfits - if i am going for a ride wearing riding gear helmet goes on - if i'm in jeans and trainers it'll be at home - not cos i'm vain mind 😉

Jeremy - I'm not saying that you should wear a helmet, just from my own experience, i wouldnt go without one.

I dont think the science in contradictory. If you wear a helmet you have protection in case you have an accident. If you fall off and slam your head on a rock, like i did, then i'm sure the helmet saved me a greater injury.

Its probably more the case that people feel "safer" wearing a helmet, and therefore take more risks, therefore more accidents.

Its your head so you make your own choice.

Wearing something that weighs **** all,doesn't impede, and may save ur head is a no brainer...

research shows you are more likely to crash, more likely to get head injury the more often you wear a helmet.

90% of the time.

When touring I don't, doesn't seem to go with the feeling of freedom.

Always now, ever since the Bell Tomac really.

I could show you the gaps from loosing three teeth on the tarmac, or the big lump in my nose though you wouldn;t guess I'd ever broken my jaw.
All done during the leather hairnet helmet period, which no one ever wore whilst training.

I always wear one.
I refuse to ride with anyone wot don't.

SB

Oh god not this again!!!!!! my postion is clear and iam not getting dragged into this.