My friend had a crash this morning on his road bike. Luckily he had a helmet on ‘specialized vice’ which happen to own.

Appart from a lot of blood and a huge cut he is mostly ok, but more importantly walking and talking!

Both him and his friend came off on the same corner…

Good title, I thought it was the other one.

can’t see your pic tho.

Ouch!

What did his face collide with?
Who’s the other guy in the hospital?

He face planted the floor and subsequently knocked out i believe

The other chappy is his mate who came out a lot better

Oh no… ‘he’ will be along in a mo.

good to see he was dressed for going out!

LOVE the pineapple shirt!

As devils advocate the helmet looks as though nothing has impacted it. If it hasn’t been hit it hasn’t done any good.

Should have been wearing a full-facer.

Look at the helmet again. Bottom left.

Oof! Glad they’re ok.

What happened?

A peaked helmet on a road bike 😯

Glad everyone is ok ish.

The helmet has cracked on the botom left of image clean through!

So the helmet failed and the rider got injured. To get the cut where he did the helmet must have moved. Straps too loose?

Anecdote is not evidence

Surely the force that the helmet dissipated causing the damage would have had to been dissipated elsewhere if it hadn’t been there?

Maybe wearing a helmet encouraged him to risk going faster on a dangerous corner than he otherwise would have. Just saying …. things are not necessarily as straightforward as they seem.

Maybe wearing a helmet encouraged him to risk going faster on a dangerous corner than he otherwise would have. Just saying

……… and maybe the sun being out encouraged him to go out in the 1st place………… and maybe being with his mates made him more gung-ho?

I think the discussion is about whether a similar crash [same speed etc.] would have had the same or a better outcome sans lid

Here we go again…….

OP, glad your mates are OK. Looks like a nasty crash!

He face planted the floor and subsequently knocked out i believe

So the helmet didn’t prevent the head injury then?

Glad to hear he’s Ok.

Is it possible to tighten helmet straps enough so it won’t move?

If the helmet wasn’t there.

The force that cracked the helmet would have been direct onto his skull.

Anyone who can’t (or refuses to) understand that, must have head injuries themselves 🙄

Is it possible to tighten helmet straps enough so it won’t move?

Anything can be moved if sufficient force is applied, except peoples opinions of course 😉

cynic-al – Member

Is it possible to tighten helmet straps enough so it won’t move?

Its one of the factors. A helmet that moves on impact does less to help. Having the straps done up and adjusted properly helps retain the helmet. Its a shame that only some riders actually do this. I look around and most riders wearing helmets do not have the straps done up properly or the helmet is ill fitting in other ways.

@ hilldodger 😛

I guess that means they must be right…

I agree TJ but I think it’s impossible to guarantee the helmet won’t move in a crash.

I look around and most riders wearing helmets do not have the straps done up properly or the helmet is ill fitting in other ways.

The workings of your mind as you’re out and about are truly a marvel,
if only you could write about everything you see and attempt to portray yourself as a learned expert on everything, if only ……..

If the helmet wasn’t there. The force that cracked the helmet would have been direct onto his skull.

So he got knocked out (concussion) and got a nasty cut on part of the head the helmet should have covered? Doesn’t seem like the helmet being there was much good.

I think the protection helmets give is over-rated. At the end of the day it is just a thin layer of polystyrene. As this crash proves they do not always prevent head injuries even in the bike only crashes they are supposed to work in. All else being equal I’d wear a helmet if I thought I had a serious risk of crashing but I don’t.

If anyone chooses to wear them that is their choice but having been riding for over 30 years without a head injury or serious crash the option of riding within your limits and avoiding crashes is equally valid.

We don’t know anything about what caused this crash but I’m guessing there are factor involved which made it an avoidable accident because almost all accidents are avoidable.

if only you could write about everything you see and attempt to portray yourself as a learned expert on everything, if only ……..

…….all this knowledge and wisdom could be put to some constructive use, so many global problems could be resolved at the stroke of a key 😉

Nah, far better just to witter on a relatively obscure bike forum instead. 🙂

And just where do I “attempt to portray yourself as a learned expert on everything” NO more so that those who mock

Really – questioning the orthodoxy on here gets funny reactions and everything I say on helmets can be backed up with good data.

TRL for this one for example along with snell

I look around and most riders wearing helmets do not have the straps done up properly or the helmet is ill fitting in other ways.

Anecdote is not evidence.

And just where do I “attempt to portray yourself as a learned expert on everything”

I said “if only”

It was just idle ramblings about what a perfect world be like, that’s all

If anyone chooses to wear them that is their choice but having been riding for over 30 years without a head injury or serious crash the option of riding within your limits and avoiding crashes is equally valid.

Crashes can be avoided by staying indoors. Many of up want to have fun while riding, pushing ourselves etc.

Even if all a helmet does is avoid a number of stitches I’m happy to wear one.

Chapa I don’t think TJ is saying it is evidence.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JUCfX1P1ik[/video]

Hahahaha!

Those who want to wear a helmet should wear one, those who don’t should not 😉

For me I go through quite a lot of helmets, full face, jump, XC and quite a few other lids, some of my fullface helmets have been left unusuable and if I’m honest without the helmets or armour the crashed would have stood a good chance of cripling or killing me!

Anyone saying that helmets are unnecessary, what kind of riding do you do? that you don’t feel like you need a helmet, if it’s just pootling along or road riding then cool, but I would never ride on the road without my helmet, I might be a competent rider but I have my doubts about the competence of a great many drivers.

That said no point owning handbags if you don’t use them.

So swing away!

Were they wearing those clothes to ride in? 🙂

So he got knocked out (concussion) and got a nasty cut on part of the head the helmet should have covered? Doesn’t seem like the helmet being there was much good

Ok.

So as I said before.

The impact snapped the helmet clean through, and concussed the rider.

So if the helmet wasn’t there, none of the force would have been absorbed in snapping the helmet.

All of the force would have been directly onto the riders skull. Causing far worse injuries.

.
Pick one :

A- He was better off wearing a helmet.

B- He would have been less hurt without one.

C – no one knows as its far more complex than your simplistic analysis.

His head would / could have hit at different angle / place / level of force or not at all as the helmet increase the size of the head significantly

Plus a whole load of other factors that you simply will not want to consider.

Doesn’t look like a glancing blow to me.

I’d go as far as saying any impact that can break a helmet will move it, no matter how tight the straps are (as long as they’re not stranglign the rider!)