I’ve never really cared much for giving the world my 2p worth of ill informed opinion/real world experience, but as I’m immobile for a while with a fractured clavicle

What do you expect cycling without body armour. Never go out without wearing one of these:

[double post deleted]

Ah, helmets: quickly being added to lists of what not to talk about at dinner parties, along with sex, politics and religion.

Conclusive research would be nice but, until a credible meta-analysis shows strong evidence one way or another, I’m going to err on the side of caution and wear my helmet.

So is my little boy. I’d never forgive myself if he bashed his bonce badly and I had even the slightest worry that it was reasonably preventable.

. Badly flawed in that there is no allowance made for the missing people – Ie those who don’t get head injuries

I love those posts by TJ where the inability to prove a negative, i.e. how many times something didn’t happen is used to right off any research that doesn’t agree with his point of view.

Vive le casque debate … where would we be without it

Simple helmet effectiveness test :

Take your head and drag it along the road at 15mph, press it into a belt sander, or run at a wall head first. Do this with a helmet and then without, and compare and contrast the damage to your head between having the helmet or not. Pretty conclusive hey? Hope you still have some scalp left.

I don’t think anyone has the right to tell a third party not to wear a helmet unless they have experienced themselves and can show proof of why you shouldn’t.

Statistics about effectiveness of helmets at 30mph or whatever are tiresome, how often do you go that fast. Personally when I had a cycle computer my average speed was something like 9 – 10 mph where I rode, I would say I very rarely reach 30mph, I don’t even know if my gears allow me to pedal that fast.

Take your head and drag it along the road at 15mph, press it into a belt sander, or run at a wall head first. Do this with a helmet and then without, and compare and contrast the damage to your head between having the helmet or no

I just performed this this under the TJ clause. ie. I just sat at my desk. My head is unscathed, therefore your test is useless.
That’s how it works, just ask TJ.

Pretty conclusive hey? Hope you still have some scalp left

Put helmet in a 12 tonne press. Apply 12 tonnes.

Pretty conclusive. Don’t cycle on the road. You might encounter a 12 tonne lorry.

All I know is that I can’t conceive the outcome of my accident being improved by me NOT wearing a helmet. How much worse could it have been? Who knows. Severe concussion? A fractured skull?

I think most pon here know someone who has cracked/fubard a helmet at some point and been uninjured. Yes we would all have probaly lived but it would have hurt a lot more.
Always wear one for the reason above by Binners
just out of interest what other PPE do you think is poor?

Statistics about effectiveness of helmets at 30mph or whatever are tiresome, how often do you go that fast

TJ “spins out” at 30mph in his 36/22 11-34 (for teh win) set up, traffic cone mudguard swaying in the slipstream, bouffant head of hair billowing in the breeze with an airbag of self righteous indignity ready to cushion any potential impact with reality……