# Do You Wear a Helmet & Why?



## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

Without fail, no sense to me no to.


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## TraumaARNP (Oct 13, 2005)

This is a simple poll to answer a burning question many in my group ask during our rides and during commutes; some of us do, some don't, and some on occassion, depending on circumstances.


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## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

TraumaARNP said:


> This is a simple poll to answer a burning question many in my group ask during our rides and during commutes; some of us do, some don't, and some on occassion, depending on circumstances.


I wear for health and safety reasons.

And that's in addition to being in the E.M.S. field.


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## ryball (May 14, 2007)

I always wear a helmet without fail. I just don't see why people wouldn't. The common complaints are that helmets are hot or heavy. I just don't see helmets being too hot or too heavy to justify risking my brain.


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## JackRabbitSlims (Sep 9, 2010)

*Seriously.......*

I can't believe this is even a question for all of you......

Here in NZ, it is illegal to ride a bicycle on the road / footpath etc with out a Helmet on. (this does't seem to stop a wee collection of try hard, D-Bag, hipster, winkers sporting a mustache, cycling cap and latest steel SS rig they bought complete online to fit into a lame @rse subculture that is soooooooo 2000 Bra) Sorry, don't mean to hate, but C'mon you know who you are 

Many folks i ride with can pedal a Bicycle between 25 - 50 kmhr on the open road

Have you seen a cyclist hit a car at 25kmhr, 30 kmhr, 35kmhr?? or a solid object, or clip wheels with another rider??

I have,and it's a bloody big mess at that speed......at 40, 45, 50 kmhr - you will be incredibly lucky to walk away without a very serious injury, or even walk away at all

Bones mend, flesh heals, scars look cool and have bragging rights, bikes are insured and can be replaced.
Smash your head open on the road at 20 - 50kmhr because you choose not to wear a helmet and you are looking at serious life changing consequences, quite possibly death.

There is a reason why laws are in place - to protect you!!
IMHO - riding a bicycle on the open road, on the footpath, on the trails.....wherever, without a proper helmet is just plain stupid!!

Just Sayin - do what yah like - 

WEAR A HELMET.


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## kapusta (Jan 17, 2004)

What would I check for "almost always"?


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## dysfunction (Aug 15, 2009)

JackRabbitSlims said:


> Have you seen a cyclist hit a car at 25kmhr, 30 kmhr, 35kmhr?? or a solid object, or clip wheels with another rider??
> .


I've been that cyclist, was hauled off in an ambulance to the local trauma center. Helmet was completely destroyed, but other than a bunch of road rash, bad bruises and some torn muscles and ligaments.. well and a minor concussion.. I was OK.

So, I always wear one


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## mtbxplorer (Dec 25, 2009)

Yes, I wear a helmet. I have been unable to find a reasonably priced roadside/trailside brain surgery course offered in my area.


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## JackRabbitSlims (Sep 9, 2010)

Ok - 

Thanks for contributing to the topic - interesting thoughts.

ATB.


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## JackRabbitSlims (Sep 9, 2010)

*!!*

informative, educational, helpful, inspiring - outstanding reply, thanks for your contribution.

just wondering how you gauge wether or not a ride is "hairy enough" or not?? - you must be SOME rider if you have the ability to control all the variables that can account for you not coming off your bike - truly remarkable - :thumbsup:


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## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

Jack Rabbit: "you choose not to wear a helmet and you are looking at serious life changing consequences, quite possibly death."

Or even EXPELLED! (Harry Potter tribute). I think death is 'life changing'' sort of by definition. Made me smile.  

My tale in detail is too long for here. Suffice it to say, I have had and used a helmet since way back in the days of the Bell white 'glass? hemispheres with red reflective stripes and NACA shaped air vents. Nobody but profs on three or five speed Raleighs wore them. Very uncool. Bought my current Mercian to replace a bike I totalled into a Chrysler and the shop owner tried to sell me one. In two weeks with a cyclist riding out of a 1-way street into me and an OTB after something fell into my front wheel, (that one a very near thing head damage wise), I had an epiphany insurance-value wise (only took three incidents). I figured cool sucks if you're dead. It also mounts my mirror, which in the traffic here is the second best safetry device. 

IMHO wear one, or if you don't make sure your organ donor card/info is up to date. Save your own life or save several others. Your choice. 

YMMV. The opinions in this post are not necessarily the opinion of the OP or any other MTBR member, but remember, the OP asked.

Ride safe. Ride on.:thumbsup: 

Brian.


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## bigpedaler (Jan 29, 2007)

JackRabbitSlims said:


> I can't believe this is even a question for all of you......
> 
> Here in NZ, it is illegal to ride a bicycle on the road / footpath etc with out a Helmet on. (this does't seem to stop a wee collection of try hard, D-Bag, hipster, winkers sporting a mustache, cycling cap and latest steel SS rig they bought complete online to fit into a lame @rse subculture that is soooooooo 2000 Bra) Sorry, don't mean to hate, but C'mon you know who you are
> 
> ...


They just implanted the PSA in your head so you could regurgitate it, didn't they?

Please -- scare tactics went out with Hitchcock.


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## bigpedaler (Jan 29, 2007)

BTW -- I wear mine when I feel like the ride will be hairy enough to warrant it. Off-road, yes; bad weather, yes. Group rides, yes, required.


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## Leopold Porkstacker (Apr 21, 2010)

Yes. If I get hamburgered by an SUV, at least my brain will still function, while I sit there, a drooling paralysed paraplegic. :skep: I’ve had plenty of falls/crashes, not once (yet) have I landed on my head, and I hope I never do. If I ever do, I will be wearing a helmet when it happens. Oh, and most of the trails where I ride require helmet use.


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## jmmUT (Sep 15, 2008)

I've come to find my brain useful at times and would like to keep it around for awhile. 

With that said, I sometimes slip up when I'm riding only a very short distance on residential streets.


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## ratmonkey (Feb 10, 2011)

Always. A degloving tends to bring a little perspective into your life.

I can deal with gravel rash, having my skull shining in the sun is uncomfortable.


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## newfangled (Sep 13, 2010)

I wear one all the time, but I also ride with gloves and eye protection all the time too. On the trails I've been smacked in the head by enough trees that I don't know why anyone mountain biking wouldn't wear a helmet, if only because getting a branch in the head ruins the flow.

For commuting though...everyone should have at least some familiarity with the concerns on the other side of the debate:

http://bicyclesafe.com/helmets.html
http://www.cyclehelmets.org/1068.html
http://www.vehicularcyclist.com/lobby.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_helmet#Criticism_of_current_standards.3B_new_designs

The gist being (these are all from the first link):



> Bicycle helmets probably have some protective value, but not nearly as much as has been claimed, or most people seem to think.
> Wearing a helmet does nothing to prevent you from being hit by a car.
> Real bicycle safety involves learning how to ride properly.
> Crash helmets could easily save more lives for motorists than bicyclists.
> Helmet laws restrict freedom of choice, may result in the targeting of minorities, discourage cycling, make cycling more dangerous for those who remain, and shift the blame in car-bike collisions to helmetless cyclists even if it was the motorist who was at fault.


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## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

I crashed and broke a helmet in half once... that was enough to keep me in one on every ride since. 

I have kids learning to ride now too... the example factor is another reason.


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## newfangled (Sep 13, 2010)

Just to add to what I said above, I'm iffy on helmet evangelism because of two specific incidents that happened here a little while ago.

In one, an SUV illegally ran a red light, plowed into a car, and then both vehicles crashed into a cyclist who was killed. The first newspaper headline was something like "Cyclist not wearing helmet in fatal crash" which is ridiculous - we have no legal requirement for cyclists to wear helmets, and a helmet would have done nothing to protect them. It was discovered later that the cyclist actually _had_ been wearing a helmet, but that the helmet was in pieces 100' away. But the first thing the media did was to blame the dead cyclist (who shouldn't have been on the roads in the first place, obviously).

Another time some jackasses strung fishing line across a multiuse trail, and a cyclist was nearly garroted. The first response from everyone I talked to was "Were they wearing a helmet?" Which is also ridiculous.

So I wear a helmet whether commuting or on the trails, but the cult of the helmet has grown well beyond reason.


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## TraumaARNP (Oct 13, 2005)

I'm one of those "SOME" riders; wearing a helmet is optional for me, and when I do, it's because it's required by either club rules, or because the situation is "HAIRY" enough warranting its use. Taking a spin and neighborhood tour on a Sunday morning provides very little, if any risk, judging by the near abscence of automobiles on the streets, and so I go sans helmet. While riding on a hard packed trail along the beach, the only risk to my noggin' in a fall is that white mound of soft sand or "elephant" grass that wants to cause great trauma to this hard head. I believe it's a personal choice, and I don't judge others for wearing or not wearing a helmet. Somehow, my generation grew up riding those 50+ lb Schwinn's and Columbia's and survived the many disasters that befall wild and crazy kids of that era; the only helmets we ever saw was in a newspaper article about those guys in Europe wearing "hairnets", who rode some crazy, long, and drawn out race in Europe on those sleek "English" 10 speed racers we wanted so bad.


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## TraumaARNP (Oct 13, 2005)

newfangled, great post with sources, BTW.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

I wear one for the most part. I`ll toodle around checking adjustments without one and from time to time I`ve found myself helmetless a few blocks after leaving for work, just keep going. You`d think that the 99+% of the times I take off it`s WITH a helmet that pedalling without would feel strange and it would be impossible to not notice being without, but it does happen to me.

My reason for wearing one used to be that I don`t want to be a bad example for the kiddies who either seee me go by or whom I`m taking along. I did have one helmet busting mtb crash a few years ago that gave me another reason to wear one, at least for the trails.

Short trips around home? Like I said above, I often take little spins without, but I do remember the pics that some guy posted from the last time this topic came up. He was a "usually wears" type who took his dog out for a pee/walk with no lid and rode straight into a trench (utility repair), ended up with a nasty Frankensteinish set of stitches on his temple. You guys remember that story? I forgot his name.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

BrianMc said:


> Or even EXPELLED! (Harry Potter tribute). I think death is 'life changing'' sort of by definition. Made me smile.


How `bout "Death sometimes changes people for the worse." 
Joseph Heller tribute (from one of the characters in God Knows).


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## webtwo (Nov 8, 2010)

I once forgot mine in the morning and didn't realize it until I was coasting down a hill and wondered why my head felt so cold. On the way home I got a ticket for running stop sign by a newbie officer and his handler. At least for me, it was bad karma to not wear one. (Plus all the aforementioned reasons.)


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## kapusta (Jan 17, 2004)

I just cannot any reason why I would NOT. I just don't see any downside, other than maybe helmet-hair If I have been wearing it a while. 

I guess there might be the rare circumstance when I don't want to carry the helmet with me when I get where I am going, and think there is a real chance of it being stolen if I leave it with the bike.....


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## newfangled (Sep 13, 2010)

TraumaARNP said:


> newfangled, great post with sources, BTW.


Yeah, it comes up often enough with family and friends that I like to keep the information handy.

This is another good article on what helmets are and aren't good for: http://www.cyclehelmets.org/papers/c2023.pdf

And from that:



> For instance, younger children might well derive the greatest beneﬁts from wearing cycle helmets, because of their lower riding speeds, lower falling heights, and lack of riding skills generally.
> Among adult cyclists, helmets likewise have a greater potential beneﬁt in incidents that take place at lower speeds and without any third party involvement. So in circumstances in which the cyclist is more likely simply to fall off, there is a stronger argument for helmet wearing. Such circumstances might include icy roads or off-road cycling.


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## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

rodar y rodar said:


> How `bout "Death sometimes changes people for the worse."
> Joseph Heller tribute (from one of the characters in God Knows).


How 'bout: Death usually, but not always, changes people for the worse. Hilter, Stalin, and Saddam Husein, come to mind for 'not always'.

Now you mention it: 10 reasons not to wear a helmet:

1. I needed the money to upgrade (name part of bike here).
2. I sweat too much under it on climbs when it is 90+ * F out.
3. I can't wear my backwards baseball cap to best effect.
4. My bald pate is a solar panel for a sex machine: too much shade.
5. I hate cramming my Afro into one.
6. I ride nude and it clashes with my skin.
7. I would wear it if I could find it.
8. I have broken three of them on impact, enough's enough!
9. It makes my face look fat.
10. I don't expect any crazed soccer moms, texting teens, over tired truck drivers, drunks, sociopaths, or incompetents on the roads and the trail has no hazards whatsoever. / I am the luckiest guy on earth and it would jinx me.

No claim that they are GOOD reasons.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

"6. I ride nude and it clashes with my skin."

Funny you should mention that. I saw a group of picures from one of those Ride Naked Day events and happened to note that very few people wore helmets. EVERYBODY wore shoes.

I`m pretty much with Kapusta- not convinced that it`s really all that much use on road, but the downsides to wearing one are so minute that I might as well. YMMV, especially if you`re a sweat monster.


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## Glide the Clyde (Nov 12, 2009)

cda 455 said:


> And that's in addition to being the the E.M.S. field.


How does this along with your helmet protect you in any way?


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## mattskn (Jun 6, 2008)

I was ridding home from work last summer and came up on a middle aged man ridding a comfort bike on the bike path, sparked up a conversation, he said to me glad to see you wearing a helmet i asked why, He told me he was ridding about 5mph and got his front tire stuck between a sidewalk and a lawn took a tumble. 9 moths later he learned how to walk and talk again enought said closed head injury . I always wear mine.


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## Dogbrain (Mar 4, 2008)

I wear one all the time. I'm not under any delusions that it's going to save me if I get hit by a car at speed, but I also know how it feels to hit your head with and without one even when you don't get seriously injured. I have avoided stitches at least 3 times and once was while I was JRA in the bike lane. It rains a lot in Oregon so the roads are often slick. I have no hair to worry about. I own comfortable helmets due to my enjoyment of long MTB rides. I also knew a dude who died after falling off a skateboard. Sure he had some speed, but with a helmet he most likely would have walked away without even going to the ER. He just smacked the back of his head wrong. All that plus zero negative impact on my ride enjoyment means I put it on.


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## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Malibu412 said:


> How does this along with your helmet protect you in any way?


Treating cyclists who have crashed and seeing the 'with and without' helmet carnage.


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## dysfunction (Aug 15, 2009)

Well, since I didn't mention it previously and I was thinking about it on my ride today. My last crash was at about 30mph, without the helmet I would have certainly had more issues that some minor difficulty writing a cheque two weeks later (concussions, it would seem are cumulative and unfortunately I've had a few.. could explain some things). The doctors in the trauma unit were visibly concerned when I came in with a totally destroyed helmet and road rash all over my face (would have been far worse had I not slid on the helmet). This all happened quickly enough that (from what I've been told, since I don't remember it) the time between my front wheel hitting what ever it hit and my body impacting the ground was less than a second. Just something that I happened to think about, bombing downhill today about 35 miles from home. The penalty for wearing one? Well, it keeps my head cooler in the sun that it would be otherwise.

That all being said, I am not in favor of any legal requirement to wear one. You don't want to, I got no problem with that. It's your call. I would say though, since people have mentioned that they only wear them when they think the ride will be 'hairy', some of my worst crashes and injuries on a bicycle (road and mountain) have been on rides that I would not consider hairy in the least, on hairy rides I rarely have any incidents at all actually. Go figure.


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## paul29er (Jul 6, 2009)

This is a no brainer.. no pun intended.


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## rkj__ (Feb 29, 2004)

I always wear a helmet, just in case my head hits something hard. Brain injuries suck.


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## GFAthens (Sep 10, 2009)

Like rodar mentioned about, the post where the guy totally messed up his head on a short ride around the neighborhood inspired me to start wearing a helmet everywhere I go on my bike. 

I went about a year riding and commuting every day without a helmet, but eventually I just heard too many horror stories and got freaked out. I can't believe now I went almost a year without wearing a helmet, when I go out of the house without a helmet now it just freaks me out.

The way I see it, even if helmets aren't as helpful as they are purported to be, they certainly can't hurt. Sometimes mine gets a little hot, but thatd the most harm it's ever caused me.


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## marzjennings (Jan 3, 2008)

I almost always wear a helmet off road (99%), most of the time on long roadie rides, but never for commuting or local rides to the shops.

I've yet to see ANY recent research that show's helmet's save lives. Oh they'll spare your head from the odd bump and scratch, but save lives, sorry no.


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## Thor29 (May 12, 2005)

I always wear a helmet when I ride mountain bikes off road because I like to go full speed and push my limits on the trail.

I almost never wear one on the street.

If not wearing a helmet means automatic death like you guys seem to believe, then Heinz Stucke must have a gazillion lives! www.heinzstucke.com


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## ratmonkey (Feb 10, 2011)

Those of you that don't wear a helmet all the time. Have you ever been in a situation where wearing a helmet has or would have saved yours or a companions life or prevented a grievous head injury?


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## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

ratmonkey said:


> Those of you that don't wear a helmet all the time. Have you ever been in a situation where wearing a helmet has or would have saved yours or a companions life or prevented a grievous head injury?


As I define grievous, yes.

We don't process low probabilities well. Our brains aren't made that way. We have computers for that!. Combining a small chance of mishap that have very serious outcomes is difficult for us to assess and act on. Yes, some high mileage cyclists could ride their entire lives helmetless and have no incidents. While some leisure cyclists with low miles could have several or be killed in a car-bike accident where a helmet might have saved their lives. Most of us can't foretell the future so we take actions against low risks that potentially have severe outcomes. There is also a 'fear' gene. I don't know if that enteres into this assessment of possible risk or not.


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## CarolinaLL6 (Apr 12, 2010)

My brother had a bad OTB that smashed his helmet several years ago. I'm sure if he hadn't been wearing a helmet someone would have to wipe the drool from his mouth.

So when I took up the sport again last year that was one of the first accessories I purchased.


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## newfangled (Sep 13, 2010)

In the further interest of providing information: A helmet saved my life!



> The principal protection mechanism in a cycle helmet is the polystyrene foam, or styrofoam, that covers the head. When this receives a direct impact force, the styrofoam is intended to compress and in this way spread and reduce the force that is passed onto the skull, thus reducing linear accleration of the brain.
> 
> However, it is common for helmets to break without the polystyrene foam compressing at all. A major helmet manufacturer collected damaged childrens' helmets for investigation over several months. According to their senior engineer, in that time they did not see any helmet showing signs of crushing on the inside [1]. Helmet foam does not 'rebound' after compression to any significant extent. If the styrofoam does not compress, it cannot reduce linear acceleration of the brain. The most protection that it can give to the wearer is to prevent focal damage of the skull and prevent minor wounds to the scalp. It is not likely to prevent serious brain injury...
> 
> *The next time you see a broken helmet, suspend belief and do the most basic check - disregard the breakages and look to see if what's left of the styrofoam has compressed. If it hasn't, you can be reasonably sure that it hasn't saved anyone's life.*


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## kapusta (Jan 17, 2004)

BrianMc said:


> As I define grievous, yes.
> 
> We don't process low probabilities well. Our brains aren't made that way. We have computers for that!. Combining a small chance of mishap that have very serious outcomes is difficult for us to assess and act on. Yes, some high mileage cyclists could ride their entire lives helmetless and have no incidents. While some leisure cyclists with low miles could have several or be killed in a car-bike accident where a helmet might have saved their lives. Most of us can't foretell the future so we take actions against low risks that potentially have severe outcomes. There is also a 'fear' gene. I don't know if that enteres into this assessment of possible risk or not.


Our brains are HORRIBLE at processing risk. However, we often err in the opposite way, by spending way too much time and resources worrying about extremely low probability events with dramatic consequences, while ignoring high probability events with less dramatic consequences. A perfect example is that far more people are scared of flying than riding in a car.

I think fretting TOO much about a head injury in the course of commuting does not make sense. However, there is really no downside or cost (other than buying it) to wearing a helmet, so it seems like a no-brainer to wear one. What I think WOULD be a little irrational would be not commuting one day because you lost your helmet (of course this could change depending on where you live).


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## mtec (Sep 23, 2010)

This is one of the most pointless threads and polls ever. 

Do you wear a seatbelt & why?

Do you drive with your eyes open & why?

:skep:


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## TraumaARNP (Oct 13, 2005)

mtec said:


> This is one of the most pointless threads and polls ever.
> 
> Do you wear a seatbelt & why?
> 
> ...


Then why respond, if not for, perhaps, your addiction to trolling? Think about what you're saying before you make yourself the ass you already have, since seat belt use is pretty much mandatory nation wide....not so bicycle helmets, or any helmet, for that matter. So, the next time you run across a thread you don't like, ignore it as I will ignore you from this point on.


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## jeffscott (May 10, 2006)

Wife said she ain't taking care of no vegatables.


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## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

^^ jeffscott, you're always telling me to open my mind... Crashing without a helmet isn't what you meant?


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## TraumaARNP (Oct 13, 2005)

jeffscott said:


> Wife said she ain't taking care of no vegatables.


Wifey is a vegetarian, so she'll just eat me.:drumroll:


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## jeffscott (May 10, 2006)

CommuterBoy said:


> ^^ jeffscott, you're always telling me to open my mind... Crashing without a helmet isn't what you meant?


Ha ha.....

If the helmet fits????


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## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

kapusta said:


> I think fretting TOO much about ...injury in the course of commuting does not make sense.


Agreed but not limited to head injury. More concern about safety and watching for the unexpected.



kapusta said:


> What I think WOULD be a little irrational would be not commuting one day because you lost your helmet (of course this could change depending on where you live).


I likely would not in my traffic. Mine carries my mirror, and front and rear flashing lights/high beam head light. The front light when aimed at them seems to have caused five drivers to cease their rollout into me or my imminent path. Unknown how many stopped ans waited would have without it. Acitve safety.

Helmets...they're not just for minor skull injuries/decoration anymore. 

Still has the Sheldon winter tape job:










And yes, I notice a weight differnce if I don't don it.


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## 245044 (Jun 8, 2004)

I wear a helmet because I don't want to dent the Earth if my head hits the ground.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

Helmets are cheap, I've taken gauges out of a few that, while not life-threatening without it, would certainly have hurt a lot, and I figure it offers me a second chance not to suffer a serious brain injury. I'm not looking for it to make me invulnerable (nice as that would be.)

Sure I'd rather spend the money on something fun, and I like to think I'm good at falling. But every now and then, things can happen way too fast to react adequately, on the road or trail.

I'm not really interested in selling other people on wearing helmets, though. I don't believe I'll actually cause someone else to change his attitude about this, so I'll save myself the unnecessary argument.

Almost always wear gloves too. I put my hands at much higher risk than my head, so if I'm going to wear a helmet, it seems a little silly not to. Getting little bits of asphalt pulled out is incredibly painful, even with a numbing agent. I might not bother if I'm riding from my car to the porta-potty at the trailhead.

I do own shin guards, and I have a pair of forearm guards somewhere. Those never come on rides anymore.


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## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

BrianMc said:


> *Still has the Sheldon winter tape job:*


So does mine :thumbsup: !


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## thomas20 (May 2, 2010)

Well I started last year after my friend Mike ate it in my drive way and was air lifted out of my yard. he was on a in line skates and just lost his balance standing ther talking to us Well he was in a coma for a few weeks and came back as him self witch is lucky as hell considering. he did lose his sense of smell and tast. I know for a fact he would have been fine if had a squash guard on his head. So yes after 25 years of riding I were a helmet all the time even just to get the mail at the end my drive way!


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## mtbxplorer (Dec 25, 2009)

dbl post


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## mtbxplorer (Dec 25, 2009)

^^ Wow, that's a wild story. Did your neighbors think you were a **really important** V.I.P. when a helicopter landed there?


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## lew242 (Aug 7, 2008)

Sorry, I never wear a helmet for my single speed commuting. However I always wear a full face for riding my motorcycle and on my AM FS bike.

Seems bonkers how some countries use the law to force people to wear a helmet for cycling a bicycle (massive infringement of personal choice IMO), yet wearing a helmet is optional on a motorcycle in other places!


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## thomas20 (May 2, 2010)

I don't now what the People next door had to think at the time Mike has x-rays catscane pics I'll try to get a copy of them and post


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## theNomad (Dec 27, 2010)

JackRabbitSlims said:


> I can't believe this is even a question for all of you......
> 
> Here in NZ, it is illegal to ride a bicycle on the road / footpath etc with out a Helmet on. (this does't seem to stop a wee collection of try hard, D-Bag, hipster, winkers sporting a mustache, cycling cap and latest steel SS rig they bought complete online to fit into a lame @rse subculture that is soooooooo 2000 Bra) Sorry, don't mean to hate, but C'mon you know who you are
> 
> ...


All I can think of is....

You have bicycle insurance???!!??


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## JD1 (Feb 1, 2011)

I wear one because I have children. I need to come home tonight and go to work the next day for a really long time. In other words, I protect my noggin because I have people counting on me for the next few decades.


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## curtboroff (Sep 21, 2010)

Yes, I always wear a helmet, I'm not immortal and someone has to feed my family.


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## paul29er (Jul 6, 2009)

hear hear


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## qkenuf4u (Jan 24, 2009)

never wore one for 38yrs (33yrs on a bike) then this happened... never seen it coming.... 2-3"" gash in forehead about 70-100yrds from the house.... not doing anything stupid etc. must have hit a rock and rolled the front tire right out from under me.... kinda makes me happy my nervous system doesnt work normal or im sure i would have been in a LOT of pain... bled like a stuck pig for a few minutes then stopped, my girl is a PTA so she came home and flipped the flap back and cleaned the dirt/rocks out.. i didnt feel a thing.... its 100% healed w/ no scar really..


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## stinsonian (Apr 28, 2011)

In Los Angeles, a helmet is absolutely necessary for street riding. The roads are unmaintained, bike paths are scarce as hen's teeth, and the drivers SUCK, which means you have a great chance of ending up as car food even if you are careful. I never leave home without it.


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## palndrm12 (May 2, 2005)

*Seriously?!?!*

Yes - Always, without fail. (Personal Choice)

Reason = I enjoy my brain plus I like the cool pattern the helmet makes when I slam my head into the ground.

Thats a mighty crazy head injury qkenuf4u. Looks like a good reminder to some and if that doesn't make you want to wear a helmet I don't know what would.


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## qkenuf4u (Jan 24, 2009)

palndrm12 said:


> Yes - Always, without fail. (Personal Choice)
> 
> Reason = I enjoy my brain plus I like the cool pattern the helmet makes when I slam my head into the ground.
> 
> Thats a mighty crazy head injury qkenuf4u. Looks like a good reminder to some and if that doesn't make you want to wear a helmet I don't know what would.


 thats whats so crazy about this accident.... wasnt doing anything crazy,, wasnt going fast, wasnt going thru a rock garden/over a big jump .. nothing just riding down the hill to the bike path.. one second im rolling along and the next im plowing dirt with my face.. 
im all healed up now and ya really cant even see the scar... i heal up very well and very quickly and 98% of the time with no pain at all... :thumbsup: 
only started wearing a BICYCLE helmet after this wreck.. ive been a motorcycle rider since i was 5 and have ALWAYS worn a helmet... (has saved my life a few times)


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## palndrm12 (May 2, 2005)

qkenuf4u said:


> thats whats so crazy about this accident.... wasnt doing anything crazy,, wasnt going fast, wasnt going thru a rock garden/over a big jump .. nothing just riding down the hill to the bike path.. one second im rolling along and the next im plowing dirt with my face..
> im all healed up now and ya really cant even see the scar... i heal up very well and very quickly and 98% of the time with no pain at all... :thumbsup:
> only started wearing a BICYCLE helmet after this wreck.. ive been a motorcycle rider since i was 5 and have ALWAYS worn a helmet... (has saved my life a few times)


It's always the times when you aren't doing anything crazy at all isn't it. I think the last time I did a full face plant I wasn't doing anything crazy either. I was standing up and peddling super slow through my yard just waiting for this car to pass my house so I could just ride up through the ditch and onto the road after it passed. Well I wasn't paying attention to the small hole in front of me and before I new it I was already over my handle bars into the grass. Good thing half the neighborhood was standing across the street to laugh at me. Luckily it happened in slow motion and I didn't get hurt...well except for my ego but I don't think they sell a helmet for that.


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## mechBgon (Jan 28, 2007)

I always wear a helmet, it was a hassle having to stick the reflective tape and rearview mirror directly to my head :thumbsup:


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## Jonesy33 (Mar 18, 2008)

mtbxplorer said:


> Yes, I wear a helmet. I have been unable to find a reasonably priced roadside/trailside brain surgery course offered in my area.


If you find one, let me know. I'll probably still wear a helmet... but good info to have!


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## mrbigisbudgood (Apr 4, 2011)

Without fail. My brain is how I make my living. If I go to the store for a bulb of garlic or to the local watering hole for a .5L of Staropramen, the helmet is on.


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## snajper69 (Mar 6, 2011)

Few years ago I didn't believe in safety or helmets, that was till my wife had an accident (not bike related) she felt down a staircase at her work and bumped her head on the way down pretty hard, after the accident she lost sense of smell and taste, as well seizure start happening, and been happening every since. Now for the rest of her life she will live with a chance of seizure at any given time, just few days ago we were at work together and she out of nowhere had a seizure, than went into hard sleep I could not wake her up, it looked like she was sleeping, even snoring, but there was no way for me to wake her up. Now I know it's normal for someone with a head injury, and history of seizures, and I should get used to. Funny, how can you get “used” to being not able to help someone that you love. If you don't want to wear a helmet for your own protection wear one for people that love you, there is no worst feeling than seeing someone you love going through something like that and you not being able to help. No one is indestructible, and guess what there is no pill or drug that will fix your head to the way it was before once everything goes south. Not wearing a helmet dose not proves that you are tough, only proves that you are ignorant, and selfish. If something can go wrong walking, and doing every day task at no more than 5mph trust me something eventually will go wrong, once you doing 20mph or more is just a matter of time, why not be ready for it? “If you want peace prepare for war”.


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## nachomc (Apr 26, 2006)

I do. It would be pretty effing stupid not wearing a helmet, to fall off my bike, hit my head and die (or vegetable-ize myself) leaving my wife and infant daughter behind. It's my responsibility to take the necessary safety measures.


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## simons2k (Mar 30, 2011)

Always on the trails. Hardly ever if I'm riding to the local market to grab a few items. I don't have to cross any streets to get there. Plus, the community I live in has designed the local paved bike paths away from the streets. If you need to cross a street, the path can take you to a bridge to do so, avoiding cars that may or may not include non-attentive drivers 

I almost never ride on the streets. Too dangerous no matter how careful you are or how much safety gear you have on. Drivers making a right turn at an intersection very rarely look to their right to watch for bicyclists or pedestrians. They just look left for oncoming vehicles/traffic. 

Again, on the trails, I wear a helmet, protective sunglasses, full finger gloves, knee/shin guards, and elbow pads. If I crash and hurt myself on the trails well, that's my dumb arse fault.


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## rashidkpc (Oct 18, 2010)

Absolutely, always. I've been knocked out cold with a helmet on, I can't imagine the shape I'd have been in without it. Granted, that was on the trail, but my commute is treacherous in places. I rarely go a day without having a driver surprised that I'm nearly stopped 10ft away because I know they didn't see me coming.


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## s0ckeyeus (Jun 20, 2008)

I always wear mine when riding seriously. I haven't had a severe blow to the head yet (although I have been nailed by a car). I was riding behind my sister a few years ago on a charity ride. She hit some uneven pavement, lost control of her bike and ended up on the pavement. Her hip hit the ground first and whipped her head into the pavement. Fortunately, she was OK. We sat out the rest of that day's ride but finished the next day's ride. My sister was scraped up and bruised pretty bad. She had some cuts on her face, but overall she was fine. That scene always comes back to haunt me whenever I'm tempted take my bike out for a spin without a helmet.


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## A_Alfa (Jul 17, 2009)

It's just like when I ride my motorcycle, I have get used to it and it feels strange without it.


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## ae111black (Dec 27, 2008)

cause I'm no dummy


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## Mountain Cycle Shawn (Jan 19, 2004)

I'd be dead if it wasn't for my helmet.


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## black-tom (May 9, 2010)

I always wear a helmet when riding my mountain bike, but I rarely if ever wear a helmet while commuting. But, I generally deal with residential/light traffic on my way to work/ university so I would consider it as a lower risk than it seems.


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## mattfromohio (Jun 6, 2009)

*Always wear my lid.*



CommuterBoy said:


> I crashed and broke a helmet in half once... that was enough to keep me in one on every ride since.
> 
> I have kids learning to ride now too... the example factor is another reason.


Only once? The helmet I have now is the first one that didn't come after a major crash and total destruction of the predecessor. Must be getting old.:skep:


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

I've become a bit of a helmet skeptic in recent years, but I still wear one anyways.


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## riiz (Jul 8, 2010)

Always, and in the last few rides, my helmet has been tested, hehe. Riding on the road by myself I wear a helmet, since I'm more likely to be hit than fall and hit my head that way.


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## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

If I had an accident, was not wearing my helmet, and sustained a head injury, and did not die, Kathryn would likely kill me, or make me wish she did. Fear is a powerful motivator.


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## mattfromohio (Jun 6, 2009)

___:madman:


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## Mountain Cycle Shawn (Jan 19, 2004)

biketech4051 said:


> you must wear a helmet.it will save your life one day.if you dont want to wear a helmet then sell your bike and walk.


+100%


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## Mountain Cycle Shawn (Jan 19, 2004)

mattfromohio said:


> No need to get preachy. Clearly almost everyone on this thread already wears one.


No need to tell people here what they can say!


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## JUNGLEKID5 (May 1, 2006)

*yes all the time*

considering that i hit the black top hard today and had ahelmet on.. i allways wear a helmet...


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## bmf032 (Sep 8, 2010)

When I was a kid I didn't know anyone who owned a helmet. I bought my first helmet when I bought my first mt bike. I didn't think I needed it unless I was on the trail. Once I had children the light bulb came on. I don't want them riding without theirs so why would I ride without mine? Like so many have already said, there's no down side. And it is much cooler not having he sun blazing on my grape.
I don't waist any energy worrying about whether someone else is or is not wearing a helmet though.


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## AlmostQuick (Jan 18, 2010)

I always wear a helmet on my commute, not so much for the meager protection it offers but because I want to see and be seen so I can better avoid a crash. My commute is on busy roads during peak periods and my helmet sports a rear view mirror, reflective and hi-vis tape, and a PBSF blinkie. 

On neighborhood, or even off road rides I often go without as I feel less need for the mirror / or increased visibility equipment. 

I'm quite a mild off road rider so I consider the chance of sustaining a head injury there even less likely than on the road. YMMV.


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## SSSasky (Mar 17, 2004)

marzjennings said:


> I almost always wear a helmet off road (99%), most of the time on long roadie rides, but never for commuting or local rides to the shops.
> 
> I've yet to see ANY recent research that show's helmet's save lives. Oh they'll spare your head from the odd bump and scratch, but save lives, sorry no.


This is basically my exact perspective. Helmets for MTB, not for commuting.

*The single most effective way to increase commuter cycling safety is to increase the number of cyclists on the road.

The single biggest deterrent to increased cycling numbers in western countries is mandatory helmet laws (see Australian numbers, for instance).*


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## ZmyDust (May 13, 2011)

Helmet on the trails always. Usually not on the road unless I'm traveling a very long way. Usually when I road ride I'm on a sidewalk with grass on each side.


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## AlmostQuick (Jan 18, 2010)

SSSasky said:


> *The single most effective way to increase commuter cycling safety is to increase the number of cyclists on the road.
> 
> *


While it may help a little, I don't think you can accurately say increasing the amount of cyclists is _the single most effective way_ to increase cycling safety.

Adjusting one's own behavior (following best practices) will net much more in the way of personal safety than simply having more cyclists riding about. I see plenty of cyclist behavior that I consider quite questionable as far as safety goes. Simply having more of them will never increase your safety as much as taking the responsibility and necessary steps for keeping yourself safe can. Your behavior is much more important than how many cyclists are around you I'd say&#8230; and of course way more important than wearing a helmet.


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## smilinsteve (Jul 21, 2009)

Wearing a hemet makes sense. But sometimes I take it off going up very steep hills it very hot weather. I figure the speeds are so slow there is little risk, while the risk of heat exaustion is greater. 

I drove an hour and a half for a ride yesterday, and forgot my helmet. I wasn't going to skip the ride after all that driving. I just kept in mind to be a little more conservative in the tricky sections. I don't mind getting off my bike rather than risk injury. 
So, I would say I am in the "almost always" category.


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## smilinsteve (Jul 21, 2009)

marzjennings said:


> I've yet to see ANY recent research that show's helmet's save lives. Oh they'll spare your head from the odd bump and scratch, but save lives, sorry no.


But is there research to say they don't save lives?

You won't always find good data to answer every question. That's when common sense is useful. You can hit your head, a helmet would absorb some of the shock, less shock means less chance of brain injury, etc. Connect the dots.


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## smilinsteve (Jul 21, 2009)

marzjennings said:


> I've yet to see ANY recent research that show's helmet's save lives. Oh they'll spare your head from the odd bump and scratch, but save lives, sorry no


It looks like there is some data for you after all:

*A Case-Control Study of the Effectiveness of Bicycle Safety Helmets*
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM198905253202101

Also:

In Ontario, Canada, they studied the injuries before and after helmets became mandatory for those under 18:

"If you just look at that, then the average of deaths pre-[legislation] and average number of deaths post-[legislation], there is a significant reduction. ... *And it turns out it's a 52-per-cent reduction*," said Patricia Parkin, senior author of the study and director of the Paediatric Outcomes Research Team at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children.

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/te...lmets-save-lives-or-do-they-hurt-cycling.html


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## [email protected] (Dec 3, 2008)

My first big crash wasnt due to anything particularly crazy, but a stem bolt wasn't sufficiently tightened and I lost 3 weeks of memory from otb on a few foot drop. Glad I was wearing a helmet.... yes.

Two days ago i was riding along the grass on the side of the road on the way back from trails, and I didn't see a large branch as it was obscured by a smaller leafy one. My helmet took the impact and cracked straight through in 4 places... I felt like an idiot, but it shows how easily nasty accidents can happen.
I wouldn't like to see what the branch would've done to my head if the helmet was left with 4 cracks


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## newfangled (Sep 13, 2010)

smilinsteve said:


> "If you just look at that, then the average of deaths pre-[legislation] and average number of deaths post-[legislation], there is a significant reduction. ... *And it turns out it's a 52-per-cent reduction*," said Patricia Parkin, senior author of the study and director of the Paediatric Outcomes Research Team at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children.
> 
> http://planetgreen.discovery.com/te...lmets-save-lives-or-do-they-hurt-cycling.html


I couldn't find exactly what study that is citing, but here's a critique of stats from Ontario. It sounds like they might be talking about the same thing?

http://www.vehicularcyclist.com/wesson.html



> An article published in the September 1, 2008 edition of the journal Pediatrics (abstract) claimed that a decrease in child cyclist fatalities may be attributable in part to helmet legislation and therefore, the authors conclude, Ontario's helmet law should be extended to adults!
> 
> The only fact underpinning the finding is a decline in per capita child cyclist fatalities which occurred after Ontario's helmet law came into effect. The report fails to show a link between helmet use and cyclist deaths - a link that is essential to show that helmets save lives. The authors' conclusion is based on an assumption that helmet use increased. But evidence doesn't back that up.
> 
> ...


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## newfangled (Sep 13, 2010)

smilinsteve said:


> *A Case-Control Study of the Effectiveness of Bicycle Safety Helmets*
> http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM198905253202101


This one has been widely debunked.

http://www.cyclehelmets.org/1068.html



> This paper (TRT89) is by far the most frequently cited research paper in support of the promotion of cycle helmets. It is referred to by most other papers on helmets. In fact, many other papers, and nearly all helmet promotion policies, rely fundamentally upon the validity of its conclusions. The claims that helmets reduce head injuries by 85% and brain injuries by 88% come only from this source, yet are quoted widely as fact...
> 
> In this study, a comparison was made between 145 children treated in hospitals in Seattle for a head injury (the 'cases'), and a 'community control' group of 480 children who had, in one way or another, simply fallen from their bikes. A comparison of the two groups based mainly on helmet use of children under 15 years (21.1% of 'control' vs 2.1% of 'case' children) leads to the frequently quoted claim that the reduction in head injury due to helmets is 85%.
> 
> ...


It's just a really bad study that helmet advocacy groups have latched onto because they like the numbers in it.


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## newfangled (Sep 13, 2010)

This is a good one too:










From https://www.vehicularcyclist.com/fatals.html



> It is apparent that mass helmet use is not contributing to the reduction in cyclist fatalities, at least not in any measurable way. The results suggest that traffic authorities should refocus to put their efforts into other proven measures. Programs aimed at motorist behaviour over the past 20 or so years have been effective in reducing fatalities among all road user groups, including pedestrians and cyclists. Pressure on aggressive drivers to change their habits should continue. However, targetting the behaviour of only one of the parties would be short sighted. Cyclist-specific measures are also needed. *There are two important factors in cycling fatalities which currently get insufficient attention - cyclist behaviour and night lighting equipment.* The vast majority of cycling accidents involve cyclist error or inappropriate practices...Over 90% of bicycles involved in night time fatalities have inadequate lighting [6]. Violaters increase their risks of being fatality statistics by a factor of four [7]. Data from Ontario show 20% to 30% of fatalities occur at dusk or during the hours of darkness [7-9].


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## terrasmak (Jun 14, 2011)

Never wore one as a kid, rode day in, day out for years. My wife and I are both going to be wearing a helmet at all times now. Just not worth it.


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## Nonjay (Jun 8, 2011)

After concussion nr. 3, I cannot imagine _not_ wearing a helmut...


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## Fix the Spade (Aug 4, 2008)

I bet after concussion number 3 you can imagine very little these days!

That looks like it hurt Nonjay, hope you're alright (besides the obvious).


OT, wear a helmet out of habit, have had several painful encounters with immovable objects like planet earth, they tell me it's a good habit.


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## Nonjay (Jun 8, 2011)

Fix the Spade said:


> I bet after concussion number 3 you can imagine very little these days!
> 
> That looks like it hurt Nonjay, hope you're alright (besides the obvious).


Thanks FTS. It put me out of school for 3 months (happened sept.'10)... Thankfully, brain is back on track...


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## smilinsteve (Jul 21, 2009)

newfangled said:


> This one has been widely debunked.
> 
> http://www.cyclehelmets.org/1068.html
> 
> It's just a really bad study that helmet advocacy groups have latched onto because they like the numbers in it.


I wouldn't call it debunked, and I find the rebuttal unconvincing. 
From the abstract:
"_Seven percent of the case patients were wearing helmets at the time of their head injuries, as compared with 24 percent of the emergency room controls and 23 percent of the second control group._"

If helmets had no effect on head injury rate, then we would expect the head injury group to wear helmets with the same frequency as the controls. But that's not the case, and the conclusion that non-helmet wearers increase their risk seems valid to me.

The biggest question from the rebuttal is why did the control groups wear helmets so much more frequently than the children in the Seattle study? For one thing, the control groups and the head injury group did not look only at children, as the Seattle study did, but regardless, the controls were valid controls and appropriate for comparison.

In the Ontario statistics, I agree correlation does not prove causation, and without knowing more about it, I can't say whether the conclusion is valid or not, but it may be that the injury decrease was coincidental to the helmet law.

It looks like the proof may not be iron clad, but there is some evidence, that, not surprisingly, goes along with common sense. On the other hand, there is zero evidence of the contrary view, that helmets do nothing or helmets cause more harm than good.

It seems it would make more sense to require proof that helmets did NOT help, before believing it, and until there is some data to support that, the _preponderance of evidence _supports the common sense view that helmets reduce risk.


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## newfangled (Sep 13, 2010)

^ Sorry, I said "debunked" mainly because the 88% number is so widely quoted, but is also so baseless. So if it's not 88%, then the question is what is it? And unfortunately no one seems to have an answer to that.

Just a few months ago a new meta-analysis came to the conclusion:



> According to the new studies, no overall effect of bicycle helmets could be found when injuries to head, face or neck are considered as a whole.


There's more about it here: http://road.cc/content/news/34527-c...ury-risk-much-its-thought-claims-new-analysis

And the full article is here: http://www.cycle-helmets.com/elvik.pdf

(the article is working off data from other studies, but it has some interesting info on head vs face vs neck injuries)


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## newfangled (Sep 13, 2010)

And just because everyone should know, this is how helmets are tested to meet the typical standards:










More info on testing here: https://www.bhsi.org/testing.htm
And on the various standards here: https://www.bhsi.org/stdcomp.htm


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## smilinsteve (Jul 21, 2009)

newfangled said:


> ^ Sorry, I said "debunked" mainly because the 88% number is so widely quoted, but is also so baseless. So if it's not 88%, then the question is what is it? And unfortunately no one seems to have an answer to that.
> 
> Just a few months ago a new meta-analysis came to the conclusion:
> 
> ...


After a quick glance, this meta-analysis says that the estimate of protective effect is reduced, not eliminated, so there still is a protective effect shown. That, is unless head, face and neck injuries are all lumped together, because helmets seem to increase risk of neck injuries. But should they be all lumped together? Should a case of whiplash, a scraped face, and brain damage all be considered equivalent incidents?


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## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

Newfangled: How old is that picture? The monitor behind him looks like my Zenith 386 circa 1988, the other looks my Gateway 486 with maybe 5 1/4 and 3 1/2 floppy drives from 1991!


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## newfangled (Sep 13, 2010)

^^ I quoted that sentence straight from their conclusions. But really the whole discussion section is worthwhile reading. Picking and choosing from that:



> Do bicycle helmets reduce the risk of injury to the head, face or neck? With respect to head injury, the answer is clearly yes, and the re-analysis of the meta-analysis reported by Attewell et al. (2001) in this paper has not changed this answer. As far as facial injury is concerned, evidence suggests that the protective effect is smaller, but on balance there does seem to be a slight protective effect. The risk of neck injury does not seem to be reduced by bicycle helmets. There are only four estimates of effect, but they all indicate an increased risk of injury. When the risk of injury to head, face or neck is viewed as a whole, bicycle helmets do provide a small protective effect. This effect is evident only in older studies. New studies, summarised by a random-effects model of analysis, indicate no net protective effect.
> 
> These ﬁndings raise a number of issues. In the ﬁrst place, why do recent studies show a smaller protective effect of bicycle helmets than older studies? In the second place, should a meta-analysis include all studies or just studies that satisfy certain selection criteria...In the third place, why are the ﬁndings of some studies that have evaluated the effects of laws mandating the use of bicycle helmets apparently inconsistent with the ﬁndings of
> studies of the protective effect of bicycle helmets for each user?
> ...


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## newfangled (Sep 13, 2010)

BrianMc said:


> Newfangled: How old is that picture? The monitor behind him looks like my Zenith 386 circa 1988, the other looks my Gateway 486 with maybe 5 1/4 and 3 1/2 floppy drives from 1991!


No idea. I just grabbed it from bhsi which is a helmet advocacy site. The standards haven't changed much though, so even if the IT gear has been updated the apparatus should be the same. Basically there are drop tests, and there are separate bouncy-strap tests.


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## Mad Chemist (Jul 17, 2007)

Always wear a helmet mountain biking. However, on long hot climbs, I will get nauseous (to the point of vomiting) and it goes away within minutes if I take it the helmet off and doesn't return if I keep it off. Rarely wear one on the street. Never when jogging, or walking across the street to the market or when driving a car to Vegas. 

From the time I was 6 to 18, I rode BMX and skated daily. We had insane off road tracks, half pipes, pools, skate parks. Road a bike to school daily. I personally don't know anyone who experienced head trama during those activites. And yes we crashed a LOT. Always pushed it. I do know more than a few friends who have been killed in cars due to head trama. I'm sure using a helmet when driving would be much more statistically significant than when biking but no one is getting all preachy about that. Seems like if we are all going to be in love with our brains, we should were a helmet all the time.


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## Mad Chemist (Jul 17, 2007)

Always wear a helmet mountain biking. However, on long hot climbs, I will get nauseous (to the point of vomiting) and it goes away within minutes if I take it the helmet off and doesn't return if I keep it off. Rarely wear one on the street. Never when jogging, or walking across the street to the market or when driving a car to Vegas. 

From the time I was 6 to 18, I rode BMX and skated daily. We had insane off road tracks, half pipes, pools, skate parks. Road a bike to school daily. I personally don't know anyone who experienced head trauma during those activities. And yes we crashed a LOT. Always pushed it. I do know more than a few friends who have been killed in cars due to head trauma. I'm sure using a helmet when driving would be much more statistically significant than when biking but no one is getting all preachy about that. Seems like if we are all going to be in love with our brains, we should were a helmet all the time.


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## 96p993 (May 21, 2011)

Ive ridden motorcycles for 11 years...Have always worn my helmet on those bikes, guess it just automatically transferred to the MTB.


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## Mountain Cycle Shawn (Jan 19, 2004)

Mad Chemist said:


> Always wear a helmet mountain biking. However, on long hot climbs, I will get nauseous (to the point of vomiting) and it goes away within minutes if I take it the helmet off and doesn't return if I keep it off. Rarely wear one on the street. Never when jogging, or walking across the street to the market or when driving a car to Vegas.
> 
> From the time I was 6 to 18, I rode BMX and skated daily. We had insane off road tracks, half pipes, pools, skate parks. Road a bike to school daily. I personally don't know anyone who experienced head trauma during those activities. And yes we crashed a LOT. Always pushed it. I do know more than a few friends who have been killed in cars due to head trauma. I'm sure using a helmet when driving would be much more statistically significant than when biking but no one is getting all preachy about that. Seems like if we are all going to be in love with our brains, we should were a helmet all the time.


Why would a helmet make you nauseous?


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

I'd wear a helmet if I drove cars anywhere near their limits. At least, if I did it on purpose. I do wear a seat belt.


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## smilinsteve (Jul 21, 2009)

Mountain Cycle Shawn said:


> Why would a helmet make you nauseous?


Heat exhaustion/heat stroke. For me, when I lived in Tucson, a headache was the expected outcome of summer rides, and advil was the routine after ride nourishment. Nausea usually means excessive salt depletion:

http://firstaid.webmd.com/heat-exhaustion


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

Maybe I need to change my vote. I did 10km last night helmetless, my longest ride without a helmet in at least 15 years. 

I used front and rear lights and reflective gear. The two other cyclists I saw had helmets, but no lights. But I'm not gonna cast judgement on the appropriateness of their safety equipment.


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## SSSasky (Mar 17, 2004)

ghettocruiser said:


> Maybe I need to change my vote. I did 10km last night helmetless, my longest ride without a helmet in at least 15 years.
> 
> I used front and rear lights and reflective gear. The two other cyclists I saw had helmets, but no lights. But I'm not gonna cast judgement on the appropriateness of their safety equipment.


Seeing people riding at night with no lights or reflectors, but wearing a helmet, always makes me think of the 'superman' effect some people associate with helmet use. I always have good, bright lights on my bike at night, and reflectors of some sort visible most of the time. I think preventative safety measures like that are much more likely to reduce accidents and injuries than a harm-reduction safety device like a helmet.

In terms of the 'think of your loved ones' argument, I get much more nervous about my GF riding without lights then without a helmet. A helmet doesn't reduce the likelihood of you getting hit, and may in fact increase it, according to some of the studies kicking around. I think cyclists would benefit more by focussing on behaviours and equipement that reduces the likelihood of accident, rather than the likelihood of injury.

Of course, my opinion here is heavily influenced by a number of studies (some cited here) that bring into question the actual benefit of helmets in most collisions. For instance - don't underestimate the significance of helmets increasing the likelihood of a neck injury. A neck injury can far exceed whiplash. Paralyzation and death are just as debilitating as a brain injury.

All that being said, I never try to convince my helmet-wearing friends and family not to wear helmets. I just want them to respect my choice not to.

My real passion is to get as many people on bikes as possible. The Australian model shows a very clear reduction in adult cycling as a result of mandatory helmets, which inherently endangers the remaining cyclists on the road. As with the Canadian statistics posted above, any reduction in head injuries was mirrored in pedestrians, meaning the injury reduction was because of stricter driving controls, rather than helmets.

Anyways ... I just want to ride my bike, and I want you to ride one too.


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## Guerdonian (Sep 4, 2008)

My wife went down on her commute last fall. She got her skinny road tire stuck in a crack in the pavement and the front wheel wouldn't pop out when she leaned for a turn, whammo, head to pavement. She was wearing her helmet thank God. Even with the helmet, she still had a concussion, couldn't remember if she lost consciousnesses, and had to call her sister because she couldn't remember where we lived! Resulted in a lovely trip to the ER. 

I used to not wear my helmet on the occasional ride to a bar, or to something a couple miles away, now i do every time. Even with a helmet you can get hurt, i don't even want to think of what could have happened if she wasn't wearing it that day.


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## mtbxplorer (Dec 25, 2009)

*Helmets reduce head injuries for cyclists *
From: AAP June 23, 2011 2:14AM

BIKE riders wishing freedom from the nanny state and the choice to ditch their helmets should think again, university experts say. 
Australia became the first country to introduce mandatory helmet legislation in 1991, but calls to reverse the legislation persist.

In an effort to clear up the debate, researchers from the University of NSW and the Sax Institute compared the rate of head injuries to arm injuries after the helmet legislation was introduced.

The study, released today, found that head injuries fell by 29 per cent after the legislation was introduced.

"What we found provides compelling evidence that the legislation has served its purpose in reducing bike-related head injuries and any repeal of the laws would only put lives at risk," Dr Jake Oliver, author of the study, said in a statement.

However, while the findings support the mandatory law, Dr Oliver said helmets were not the only solution for bike safety.

"Cyclist safety is a complex issue driven by a range of factors," Dr Oliver said.

"Additional research into the diverse and changing risk profiles among cycling subgroups could facilitate further safety improvements," he said.

The authors have called for more research into other areas, such as whether wearing a bike helmet discourages younger riders from cycling.

The University of Sydney released their own data last year which found that the biggest drop in head injuries among bike riders occurred before mandatory helmet use.

Author of that study, Associate Professor Chris Rissel, said the case for continued mandatory helmet wearing for adults was "questionable", as the requirement could act as a hurdle to encouraging more bike use.


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## zmu98 (Jun 23, 2011)

To be honest I usually don't wear a helmet when taking a leisurely stroll on asphalt. But I would always where one on a trail, I try not to get my skull bashed in by a rock.


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## 96firephoenix (Mar 26, 2010)

when I was younger, my parents forced me to. then I had one accident that demolished a helmet, but left my head intact. after that, its my choice to wear one.


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## monzie (Aug 5, 2009)

On the trail: Always.

On the road: Almost never. I will if I'm on a RUSA ride( they require it) other than that, nope. Brought one with me when I rode from Raleigh, NC to Athens, GA incase i felt like I should wear it, never did. 

Been hit a few times. Went through a windshield head first one of those times. Had to walk two miles home and was on a bike the next day, albeit sore as all get out; sans helmet. 

At the risk of bringing up another sore subject for some: I think seatbelt laws are dumb yet wear one all the time in a car. It's a law that-- if neglected --only hurts the person ignoring it( as far as injury goes) so in my opinion is non- sensical and enforces someone else's view point on what we can assume is an adult who can make their own decisions regarding their safety.


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## zskolb (Jun 25, 2011)

ya i almost always wear mine, unless its real close.


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## fireball_jones (Mar 29, 2009)

monzie said:


> At the risk of bringing up another sore subject for some: I think seatbelt laws are dumb yet wear one all the time in a car. It's a law that-- if neglected --only hurts the person ignoring it( as far as injury goes) so in my opinion is non- sensical and enforces someone else's view point on what we can assume is an adult who can make their own decisions regarding their safety.


Insurance. If every person who got into a car accident died in the accident, I'd agree with you, but when the majority suffer greater injuries that require more extensive care that the insurance company pays for, it ups the rates for everyone.

As someone said above, one cracked helmet and you'll never leave the house without one. Occasionally I'll skip it if I'm cruising down a bike path, but if there's cars or I'm going to go fast, I have one on.


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## lucienrau (Nov 7, 2010)

I wouldn't for short errands, but most of my rides are with my daughter and I want to set a good example. Now it's just become habit.


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## Mountain Cycle Shawn (Jan 19, 2004)

monzie said:


> I think seatbelt laws are dumb yet wear one all the time in a car. It's a law that-- if neglected --only hurts the person ignoring it( as far as injury goes)


What about the psychological injury it can cause? What about the family members that are left behind? What about the little child that is driving by an accident with his parents and sees a guy hanging half way out the windshield and is bleeding to death because evertime he moves, the glass cuts further into his body. Let me correct myself: bleeding to death because he was to stupid to do something as simple as putting a seat belt on. You don't think that causes injury?

It's unfortunate that our government has to make laws that force us to do things, because we are to stupid to do them ourselves.


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## monzie (Aug 5, 2009)

My parenthetical is my negating of that( although perhaps I should have further clarified with the term physical injury) . I say as far as injury goes. I understand those are all forms of psychological injury; my concern was with the physical. Also, even if there were no seatbelt laws those are all instances that should come to the persons mind when making the decisions. 

Unfortunately, I can't seem to phrase response to your last sentence without invoking political discourse and since this is neither the thread nor forum for that, I won't. And, like I said It's another one of those sore subjects that I feel the majority of people are sharply contrasted on and will not budge no matter the arguments.

( Sorry if my responses seem stiff and unfriendly, I don't mean them to; it's my writing style when discussing these types of debates.)


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## poundCake! (Jun 28, 2011)

I just can't. I feel dorky wearing one. I ride in the city and I draw comparisons to Amsterdam anytime a discussion on wearing a helmet comes up. No one uses a helmet there and to me its the meca of cycling in the city. Mind you, the biking culture is quite a bit different in my city where we don't have nearly as many bike lanes.

Never say never though, but I'm not using one now, nor am I considering it.


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## poundCake! (Jun 28, 2011)

monzie said:


> It's unfortunate that our government has to make laws that force us to do things...


I completely agree. If I get into an accident, I will take full responsibilty for it but I shouldn't be forced into doing something against my will unless its puts others in harm. I hope I'm not taking it out of context


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

fireball_jones said:


> As someone said above, one cracked helmet and you'll never leave the house without one.


Actually, it was after a concussion-inducing crash with a helmet on that I started to question their effectiveness. I sometimes leave the house without one, although rarely.


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## zmu98 (Jun 23, 2011)

ghettocruiser said:


> Actually, it was after a concussion-inducing crash with a helmet on that I started to question their effectiveness. I sometimes leave the house without one, although rarely.


They way I see it is either a concussion or permanent brain damage; your choice.


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## schmoab (Nov 16, 2006)

I think the decision rests entirely on whether there's anything worth protecting inside the helmet. Therefore, the choice to wear one or not is perfectly reasonable on either side of the argument. You're just showing off how much you value the contents of your own skull by the choice you make. I live in a college town with very heavy vehicle and bike traffic, and I'm stunned by how many people I see riding without helmets.


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## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

Ive picked rocks out of my helmet more than a couple times now. I was fairly uninjured (sans some scrapes), but picking a jagged sharp rock out of your helmet is alarming.

Id rather not find out what picking a jagged rock out of my skull feels like.


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## Mountain Cycle Shawn (Jan 19, 2004)

One Pivot said:


> Ive picked rocks out of my helmet more than a couple times now. I was fairly uninjured (sans some scrapes), but picking a jagged sharp rock out of your helmet is alarming.
> 
> Id rather not find out what picking a jagged rock out of my skull feels like.


You would think that everyone would feel that way.


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## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

zmu98 said:


> They way I see it is either a concussion or permanent brain damage; your choice.


They are not mutually exclusive. 

Brian


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## pinkrobe (Jan 30, 2004)

I wear one out of habit.


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## AlmostQuick (Jan 18, 2010)

schmoab said:


> I live in a college town with very heavy vehicle and bike traffic, and I'm stunned by how many people I see riding without helmets.


Are you also stunned by how few cyclists incur serious head injuries?


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

zmu98 said:


> They way I see it is either a concussion or permanent brain damage; your choice.


The circumstances of my accident led me to question if the helmet had anything at all to do with that "choice".

I mean, virtually no one wore helmets prior to the early 90s, myself included.

I guess it's just incredibly good luck that everyone over the age of 30 isn't being fed with spoons.


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## rbrandow (Oct 14, 2010)

I've bounced my head off plenty of rocks and roots trail riding. A helmet is a no-brainer. I've never gone over the handlebars onto a sharp chunk of stone and thought "damn, that would've been a lot comfier if I'd left my lid at home."

Commuting I'm not as good. I have had a couple decent speed get-offs and been lucky to land well. I'm man enough to own the risk factors I choose to internalize. XC riding, it's a 100% requirement 100% of the time.


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## richde (Jun 8, 2004)

poundCake! said:


> I just can't. I feel dorky wearing one. I ride in the city and I draw comparisons to Amsterdam anytime a discussion on wearing a helmet comes up. No one uses a helmet there and to me its the meca of cycling in the city. Mind you, the biking culture is quite a bit different in my city where we don't have nearly as many bike lanes.
> 
> Never say never though, but I'm not using one now, nor am I considering it.


Would you say the conditions in Amsterdam are comparable to commuting in the US?

Sure, if you're just cruising to the store on a city bike, in a place where cyclists are respected on the road (when they actually have to share the road), don't wear one. When sharing lanes with inattentive American drivers, it's a completely different situation.

Somehow, those of us above a certain age survived riding without helmets for years, but then again, at one point car seatbelts were optional equipment, and race cars didn't even have them. Does that mean it's still a wise decision?


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## CodyMCP (Mar 24, 2011)

I wear a helmet 100% of the time without fail, whenever I'm on any bike, even if I'm just riding around on the street in front of my house.

My question for those people who don't wear one all the time is, why don't you? I'm curious, because to me the only reasons I can think of are the heat, looking goofy/uncool, or the inconvenience of putting it on or whatever if it's just a casual ride around town or something.


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## smilinsteve (Jul 21, 2009)

Me no ware helumut. Crash not hert me. I no problum me.:headphones:


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## lidarman (Jan 12, 2004)

A couple years ago I was riding to work on a cold winter morning. I was on a path along Boulder creek--a path I have ridden for about 15 years. I came around a curve and what I thought looked like a small layer of normal white frost on the path-- It was actually ice covered with frost.. 

I hit it and time slowed down as the bike slid left under me. No problem as I prepared for the fall. 

Suddenly I felt the jolt on the side of my helmet of two-foot retaining wall on the edge of the path. The strike was sudden and stunning. I staggered up and spoke to a walker who saw the accident. My helmet was crushed on the left side. I composed myself and finished my ride, all the time thinking about the laceration and trauma I would have had sans helmet.

Just like all accidents, it happened unexpectedly and afterward, I was so glad I wore that helmet. Although after 15 years of commuting, this was the first time I fell and hit my head, it was the most critical and made those other 2000+ rides to work worth wearing the helmet habitually.

It's like the lottery in reverse.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

richde said:


> Somehow, those of us above a certain age survived riding without helmets for years, but then again, at one point car seatbelts were optional equipment, and race cars didn't even have them. Does that mean it's still a wise decision?


I'm sure double side-curtain airbags will soon be required equipment as well, but I'm not going to hand out darwin awards to guys driving without them.


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## Arcktik (May 31, 2011)

Why would you not wear a helmet!?


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## sortie39 (Jul 14, 2011)

personally i hate it but the law states....


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## Speedjester (Jul 14, 2011)

I know I should always wear one... But tend to only when I feel the terrain requires it..


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## SConaP1 (Jul 13, 2011)

yes. been laid down on my Harley 2 times over 3 decades - neither were my fault, never saw 'em coming.

bike crashes aren't an if - they are a when. 

I don't mind dying...I'll be in a better place...just don't wanna be a vegetable.


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## newfangled (Sep 13, 2010)

Arcktik said:


> Why would you not wear a helmet!?


So remembering that we're in the commuting section of a mtb forum, and that not all cycling is mountain biking:


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## gunner76 (Jul 17, 2011)

I am alive because I wear a helmet. In 1991 while commuting to work a truck turned in front of me and I did a 2 and half header into the road, The helment was split in half, my bike was trashed but I walk away with a few broken bones and major road rash. The ambulance crew and doctors all kepted asking if I had lost consciousness at any time. I told them that no, unforturnatly I was awake the whole time and remember every bit of it.


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## Ihateme27 (Jul 17, 2011)

First thing I picked up before my bike was a helmet. I hadn't rode in years and years and was so worried about crashing I felt it was the right thing to do. 

I was talking to some friends about how when I was a kid you got beat up for wearing a helmet. Where I live now you hardly ever see people without one on funny how times change. I guess as we get older you think about how deadly or how bad something is going to hurt a lot more!!


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## critterstalker (May 1, 2011)

I always wear a helmet . We went riding yesterday on a advanced trail 4 foot drops , rockgardens , up and downhill. It had started raining lightly and on a very short 2.5 foot hill , lost traction just past the top in a left hand turn and ate it at maybe 3 mph. The way I went down my head hit first , dazed me pretty good . Got checked out , small concussion but could have been a whole lot worse . 3 miles a hour was enough , not a lot more needed to hurt you or worse . If you won't wear a helmet for yourself do it for you family and friends , no one should have to see you bust your pumpkin all over the trail !!!!


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## TraumaARNP (Oct 13, 2005)

I never get off the ground without it....






​


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## spartacus001 (Aug 2, 2011)

Always have and always will.
Its just now worth the risk not to.


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## OmaHaq (Jun 1, 2010)

I wear a helmet in traffic, on a busy trail, and always on single-track. I do not wear a helmet riding around the neighborhood or running down to the local mart. I, like many here, grew up never wearing a helmet. Frankly, I think if you are on a trail or road that is quiet and debris free, I think it is fine. 

That said, we have a weekly beer run we do that is about 22miles round trip. There can and has been thousands of people on a 6 foot wide, limestone trail at once. Everyone normally rides back in the dark on this secluded trail. Helmets and lights are a must, but still 40% of rides do not wear helmets and 30% do not run lights. Every season you can count on two or three huge accidents because of both.

So it comes down to where you ride and your situation.


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## axelbaker (Jun 17, 2011)

I stick with the calculated risk method. Tuesday at 11 am and I am going 5 blocks while in the burbs and don't expect to see any cars at all, no helmet. Commute hours, going downtown, off road, ride more than around the block. Helmet.

Logical? No.


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## marchone (Aug 16, 2011)

JackRabbitSlims said:


> IThere is a reason why laws are in place - to protect you!!


BS. They may very well protect you but that's not why they exist. Look to the insurance industries for the plausible origins.


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## newfangled (Sep 13, 2010)

This is from my neck of the woods, so I find it interesting.

From Alberta Traffic Collisions Involving Bicycles 2004-2008










So in 1473 casualty collisions where a helmet _was not_ used 1.0% were fatal, 14.5% involved major injury, and 84.5% involved minor injury.

And in 1070 casualty collisions where a helmet _was_ used 1.0% were fatal, 14.1% involved major injury, and 84.9% involved minor injury.

(There is selection bias in the helmet/no-helmet populations. Notably of the 1070 helmeted collisions 45% were for persons under 18 years of age, compared to only 27% of the 1473 non-helmeted collisions. Since minors are more/less risky and are more/less fragile than adults this skews things somehow, although I couldn't say how)


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## mtnbean (Jan 5, 2010)

Always. Used to occasionally not wear it, until my foot popped off my pedal and I went over the bars, almost got run over, did get a decent concussion out of it.


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## Mountain Cycle Shawn (Jan 19, 2004)

newfangled said:


> This is from my neck of the woods, so I find it interesting.
> 
> From Alberta Traffic Collisions Involving Bicycles 2004-2008
> 
> ...


That's in Canada. When your head and helmet are frozen, it's like not having a helmet on. That why the numbers are similar. Lol!


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## Mountain Cycle Shawn (Jan 19, 2004)

newfangled said:


> This is from my neck of the woods, so I find it interesting.
> 
> From Alberta Traffic Collisions Involving Bicycles 2004-2008
> 
> ...


That's in Canada. When your head and helmet are frozen, it's like not having a helmet on. That's why the numbers are similar. Lol!


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

The oft-quoted stat in Ontario is that since the introduction of the under-18 helmet law, head injuries among cycling minors have gone down while head injuries among cycling adults have gone _up_.

Because... _less_ adults wear helmets now than in the 1990s?

Don't think so. Way more.

Yet the newspapers and the safety committees all parade this statistic around without looking at it and wondering WTF is going on.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

The useful statistic would be one that's normalized to accidents or cyclist days. Cyclists could be a lot safer but still experience more head injuries in a year if the number of cyclists increased enough.


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## paleh0rse (Jun 20, 2011)

I am absolutely convinced that my helmet saved my life two weeks ago -- a pretty intense fall in the woods on a normally very easy/fast section of trail. It was so intense, in fact, that I thought it must have broken my helmet (it didn't). The helmet absorbed a full-speed impact with a fairly large rock. My head would have cracked wide open if I wasn't wearing it, and I probably would have died right there on the spot.

I will never ride without a helmet. Ever.

God bless Bell Helmets!


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## newfangled (Sep 13, 2010)

^ you've thrown that helmet away and purchased a new one?


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## paleh0rse (Jun 20, 2011)

newfangled said:


> ^ you've thrown that helmet away and purchased a new one?


Actually no... I can't find anything wrong with it... at all. I was thinking about sending it in to Bell for inspection. Is that something they do?


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## smilinsteve (Jul 21, 2009)

paleh0rse said:


> Actually no... I can't find anything wrong with it... at all. I was thinking about sending it in to Bell for inspection. Is that something they do?


I think they would just tell you to buy a new one.


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## saint urho (Aug 24, 2011)

I wear a helmet because I'd feel like a fool lying in the ditch with a perfectly good helmet on the closet shelf at home. I also wear eye protection and gloves.


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## newfangled (Sep 13, 2010)

paleh0rse said:


> I am absolutely convinced that my helmet saved my life two weeks ago...





paleh0rse said:


> I can't find anything wrong with it... at all. I was thinking about sending it in to Bell for inspection.


As may be evident from the links I've posted in this thread, I'm pretty skeptical about the ability of helmets to actually save lives (as opposed to just limiting scrapes, bruises and stitches all of which are also worth trying to avoid).

But if the helmet saved your life then it should be replaced. They are one use only, and once the foam has compressed it does not measurably spring back. If you had what you believe was a severe crash then there should be no question about replacing it.


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## Mountain Cycle Shawn (Jan 19, 2004)

paleh0rse said:


> I am absolutely convinced that my helmet saved my life two weeks ago -- a pretty intense fall in the woods on a normally very easy/fast section of trail. It was so intense, in fact, that I thought it must have broken my helmet (it didn't). The helmet absorbed a full-speed impact with a fairly large rock. My head would have cracked wide open if I wasn't wearing it, and I probably would have died right there on the spot.
> 
> I will never ride without a helmet. Ever.
> 
> God bless Bell Helmets!


A helmet has saved my life twice!


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## AC/BC (Jun 22, 2006)

No, I wear a baseball cap.


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## cyclehorse (Sep 3, 2011)

*Wearing a helmet...*

...In London, it makes sense. One pundit said it was safer not to, because then cars would steer wider of the rider. But that doesn't account for the fact that you can come off for all sorts of reasons - collision with a vehicle that _hasn't _seen you, getting a wheel tramlined (happened to me twice now), or losing control of the bike when going over a pothole that you haven't seen (rare, but happened to me once).

We're always reading about people in fights who have been knocked out, hit their heads on the pavement and died - head falling just two metres onto a curb. So why wouldn't it make sense to wear a helmet when you could be coming off at 20 + mph?


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## Khai (Dec 8, 2006)

Yes, always. Well - occasionally if I'm just testing something out I'll run up and down the street without a lid - but if I'm going anywhere or "riding" I always wear a lid.

Ride long enough and you're going to crash at some point. It's not a matter of "if", but "when".


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## newfangled (Sep 13, 2010)

This may be old news to some, but it's the first time I saw it:

A swedish company has patented and are licensing a helmet technology (MIPS - Multi-directional Impact Protection System) aimed at limiting rotational acceleration due to oblique impacts.






It's a lot about marketing, and it looks like there is currently only one helmet on the market that uses this. I'll welcome any improvements in helmet design and effectiveness, though.


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## A2k Mike (Jan 11, 2010)

where do i get one at?


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## newfangled (Sep 13, 2010)

Oops.

The company's website is: MIPS | People love doing crazy things. Let's keep it that way!

Unfortunately the only bike helmet they list is the POC Cortex DH which is like $600?


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## t.h. (Jul 4, 2011)

100% without fail.


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## KAHAIKAPU (Sep 28, 2008)

I may have a small pea but its the only one i have. .i have a family member who suffered a head injury at work..caused seizures and memory lapses..not a great thing....if possible protect that pea..Aloha :thumbsup:


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## marchone (Aug 16, 2011)

Despite my resistance to helmets stemming from my childhood experiences without them, and the dreaded dork factor, I just got a Pro-Tec Wake Water helmet. They're reportedly used by riot cops.

In one day this week I had a cab cut me off and a car door fly open in front of me. I escaped each time but it made me think.

As an aside, both drivers were women talking on cell phones and both times I was in a designated bike lane.


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## CarolinaLL6 (Apr 12, 2010)

marchone said:


> In one day this week I had a cab cut me off and a car door fly open in front of me. I escaped each time but it made me think.
> 
> As an aside, both drivers were women talking on cell phones and both times I was in a designated bike lane.


I live near a campus where the main road has bike lanes separated only by thick white lines. The antics cars do both amaze and shock.


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## Wdave (Jul 26, 2010)

I guess I'll be the devils advocate for this thread.

I personally don't wear a helmet 100% of the time, the only real times I wear a helmet is if I go to a mountain bike park, or to the five borough bike tour.

I've been commuting to and from Manhattan for about 4 years now and I've personally have not worn a helmet for those 4 years. I've also had many accidents during commuting that have not shocked me into wearing a helmet.

I've found that the best piece of gear to keep you safe if you fall off a bike would be any book-bag/messenger bag. Now why the hell would I say that? Because most of the accidents I have been in have not involved me in one way or the other flipping over my handle bars, or having me thrown off my bike in a way that I would land on my head. I have been hit directly by cabs, side swiped by SUVs, had cars crash into my back wheel making me spin off my bike, and each time I would land on my bag that broke my fall.

Do I worry that a car might just hit my head on, and crack my head open. Yes I do but the likeliness of that happening is very slim, and I could move out of the way in time if something like that happens.


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## Mountain Cycle Shawn (Jan 19, 2004)

It's simply just a matter of time!


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## paleh0rse (Jun 20, 2011)

Mountain Cycle Shawn said:


> It's simply just a matter of time!


I was going to respond with the exact same thing...


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## Wdave (Jul 26, 2010)

paleh0rse said:


> I was going to respond with the exact same thing...


Lovely, Ill have my Last Will done so that someone from my family will post on this form that you were right.


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## Mountain Cycle Shawn (Jan 19, 2004)

Wdave said:


> Lovely, Ill have my Last Will done so that someone from my family will post on this form that you were right.


Just leave everything to me, minus the hospital and funeral bills.


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## ozz (May 30, 2006)

Like unprotected sex you know it's wrong but you do it anyway because it feels good and you enjoy the natural freeing sensation it gives you.

Then a few days later you find a strange rash growing and it stings when you pee...


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## Mountain Cycle Shawn (Jan 19, 2004)

ozz said:


> Like unprotected sex you know it's wrong but you do it anyway because it feels good and you enjoy the natural freeing sensation it gives you.
> 
> Then a few days later you find a strange rash growing and it stings when you pee...


Oh man, I'm sorry to hear that. I hope it was something curable! Next time, use Trojan Ultra Thin condoms, they protect and feel good.


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## pmcmtnbkr (May 24, 2010)

I started wearing a helmet 20+ years ago after a truck stopped short and I headbutted the tail gait. Split my forehead open and bleed like mad. Got it all cleaned up had a 1 inch cut and thought I really need to ride with a helmet have been ever since


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## TraumaARNP (Oct 13, 2005)

I don't use condoms 'cause I don't mess with whores; I don't wear a helmet 'cause I don't jump off of 3 story buildings; 52+ years riding loco, and no helmet....well, very, very rarely....wearing a helmet, that is.


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## Mountain Cycle Shawn (Jan 19, 2004)

TraumaARNP said:


> I don't use condoms 'cause I don't mess with whores; I don't wear a helmet 'cause I don't jump off of 3 story buildings; 52+ years riding loco, and no helmet....well, very, very rarely....wearing a helmet, that is.


You don't have to bang a whore to get an STD. Just ask ozz up there at post #187. Hey, doesn't 187 mean murder? I'll have to talk to him about that. Anyway, you can crack your head open, not even moving on your bike of you fall over and whack a curb or a rock. And I think we have all fallen over, going almost zero MPH, climbing a steep hill. All it talks is your head to smack a rock.


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## Grambinho (Aug 10, 2011)

Unless I'm riding around town


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## Mountain Cycle Shawn (Jan 19, 2004)

Grambinho said:


> Unless I'm riding around town


Well, you could accidently fall down into a whore and get an STD and whack your head completely open on the curb she was standing on. Then her pimp pops a cap in your sorry ass because you didn't pay him. Stranger things have happened. If you were wearing your helmets, you'd be fine, except for the pimp, you'll just have to pay him.


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## Mountain Cycle Shawn (Jan 19, 2004)

Oh man, I forgot about the cop that handcuffs your hands behind your back while your heads bleeding out.


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## TraumaARNP (Oct 13, 2005)

Mountain Cycle Shawn said:


> You don't have to bang a whore to get an STD. Just ask ozz up there at post #187. Hey, doesn't 187 mean murder? I'll have to talk to him about that. Anyway, you can crack your head open, not even moving on your bike of you fall over and whack a curb or a rock. And I think we have all fallen over, going almost zero MPH, climbing a steep hill. All it talks is your head to smack a rock.


Yes, this is possible; it is also possible to trip over one of those concrete barriers in your local supermarket parking lot, and strike your head against that H1 Hummer that takes up 2 1/2 spaces, and crack open the noggin'. Life is fraught with peril, and while I may not always wear a helmet, when I do, I prefer Double X...which reminds me, did ozz' weeney fall off as a result of contracting that STD?


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## Mountain Cycle Shawn (Jan 19, 2004)

Ozz, dude, did that thing fall off?


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## Buster Bluth (Sep 11, 2008)

I have chosen to stop wearing a helmet because I hate myself and I want to die.


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## TraumaARNP (Oct 13, 2005)

Buster Bluth said:


> I have chosen to stop wearing a helmet because I hate myself and I want to die.


Oh my, I do believe an intervention is in order; where's Dr. Ruth when you need her?


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## B1KER (Jul 19, 2006)

I normally wear one mt. biking or commuting. But not necessarily if I'm riding a couple of blocks to the grocery store. I realize the odds of me getting hit by a car are the same as commuting but I really don't think it's needed. In my opinion it's an odds thing. I can say a helmet has saved me from cracking my skull wide open on some fast downhill singletrack. But in all the years I've been riding bike otherwise with no helmet. Including the years of BMX riding as a kid and teen when I was completely careless and hitting serious jumps I never got a concussion or needed a helmet to save my life. So I'm ok with it if I am riding down to the party store to pick up some beer and someone clobbers me and I die. I guess that's just the way it was meant to be.


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## Solrider (Aug 6, 2009)

I always do...I've been made fun of, screamed at on the street for my choice of headwear, etc but it doesn't bother me a bit. I had a friend in junior high who died when he fell off his skateboard and cracked his head open. He was simply cruising down the sidewalk, minding his own business when some teenagers in a car thought it would be funny to swerve at him. Lost his balance and that was it. That was lesson enough for me.


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## Mountain Cycle Shawn (Jan 19, 2004)

mtbg33k said:


> I really don't think it's needed. In my opinion it's an odds thing.QUOTE]
> 
> Q: What are the odds of getting killed by a racing P51 Mustang in Nevada today?
> 
> A: Pretty slim, but it happened.


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## ncruz408 (Apr 25, 2011)

Yes, I always wear my helmet no matter what. Funny thing is one day I was contemplating on wearing my helmet for a short distance ride to the local park which is about 1 mile away. I decided what da heck and grabbed my helmet. On my way back home, I unfortunately jumped a curb and got too much air in which my right handlebar hit a bush that caused me to FLIP over my handlebars and slammed into the payment. As a result, I broke my rib and luckily I had my helmet. If not for my helmet I probably would of had a concussion. My helmet is all scrapped up and mostly like saved my life.


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## TheInsaneCyclist (Oct 12, 2011)

Yes, wear a helmet. I commute to work via bicycle 10 miles each way, I obey traffic laws, and even with flashing lights on the bike, people are constantly trying to run me over. I've been hit 4 times over a 6 year period of commuting, and in the first year I was being hesitant about getting a helmet.... big mistake. I got cut off and ended up going over my handlebars, over the hood of a car and landing on my head... an orbital fracture, a heavy concussion, and losing 15 pounds in 3 weeks is not fun at all. A helmet would have prevented all of that. 

I mountain bike as well, and having a helmet has saved me from some brain damage there too... My front wheel slid out suddenly on some gravel, and my head hit the ground hard, there was a big crack down my helmet, but other than a mild headache that went away in an hour or so I was fine.

Wear a helmet, trust me, its worth it.


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## Canonite (Oct 11, 2011)

I'm currently living in Korea, where even motorbikers (I don't mean scooters, crotch rockets and stuff) tend to ride around without helmets...scares the hell out of me. I always wear a helmet...I've seen too many people (including my dad) who have crashed and if it wasn't for their helmets they would have been toast...


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## flobach (Oct 30, 2011)

I grew up wearing helmets, have had two incidences where I would have ended up with some probable decent/serious head trauma had I not have been wearing a helmet...

As a Paramedic, I've seen the downsides from the lack of protection. You've only got one brain, may as well protect it!


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## sagitt77 (Oct 26, 2010)

I started to ride in a helmet when on one occasion I was attacked by two dogs and braked sharply. I flew over the handlebars and landed on my face . I always wear a helmet since that.


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## Ranger Radon (Aug 15, 2011)

AZ.MTNS said:


> Without fail, no sense to me no to.


can't find any valid reason not to either!
Commuting, trail- or road-riding i always bring the 'bucket'


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## Tonyandthewhale (Oct 30, 2011)

I never wear one when commuting, touring, road rides with my friends or just wandering around. 
I wear one on official club rides and races on the roads because them's the rules. I also occasionally wear one while mountain biking because of the danger of hitting my head of branches and low speed falls where a helmet might protect me from minor lacerations or bruising. 

I don't wear a helmet with the expectation that it will save my life or prevent catastrophic brain injury. Just like I don't wear a condom every time I go out on my bike so as to prevent death or serious brain injury. This is because neither product is designed with such a purpose in mind.
Helmets prevent minor head injuries provided the forces at play are low (it's a stryofoam cup for god sake, it's nowhere near as strong as a human skull incased in a layer of skin and meninges and suplemented by a layer of CSF inside). 
For a helmet to be effective it must fit properly, must be worn properly (how often do you see people with too-small helmets perched awkwardly on the back of the head, positioned perfectly so as to maximise rotational brain and neck injuries yet offering no protection to the pre-frontal cortex where all the higher order thought and personality is located?). 
It's also worth noting that a helmet cannot prevent rotational brain injuries caused by the brain bouncing and twisting inside of the skull. If these injuries don't destroy the brain themselves they lead to internal bleeding which finishes the job anyway. An external force great enough to crush or pierce the skull (quite rare in bicycle crashes unless you're struck full on or crushed by a car) is most likely going to be powerful enough to over-come the protection offer by a helmet anyway.
If you don't believe me look at the most common pathologies of brain injuries and look at the manufacturing specifications of your average cycling helmet.

Luckily I don't have to worry too much about how little protection the helmet offers me because cycling isn't unusually productive of brain injury. I don't have the stats for America, but for me here in Ireland you're only slightly more at risk of death or serious injury per mile traveled on a bike as opposed to a car (and most people drive a lot more miles than they ride). 
People are not dying at an astronomical rate on our roads and trails due to biking accidents, nor are the rates of serious injury or death significantly different for helmet wearers and non-helmet wearers. Wearing a helmet doesn't really make a difference. It can prevent minor head and face injuries but it can also cause neck injuries, promote risky behaviour on behalf of the rider and causes drivers to be less cautiaus around riders (I'm not saying wearing a helmet is more dangerous than not, just that there are downsides).

Some people said they wear a helmet because they want to be a good example to their kids. I usually don't wear a helmet mostly because I don't see the point but also because I don't like to promote the idea that every-day cycling is a dangerous activity which requires specialised safety equipment. Mountain biking is a slightly different story since it is technically an 'extreme sport' but a helmet is not a pancea and don't think you're being responsible pushing yourself and your bike to the limit on a hairy piece of trail just because you've got some stryofoam on your head. Either way you're weighing up the risk of having fun and getting some exercise which will prevent the major risk of obesity and heart disease and all that against the minor risk of injury, head or otherwise.


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## hazardousmtb (Sep 26, 2011)

i ALWAYS wear my helment because even riding in town i am ****ing around with the bike jumping **** and driving in the car lanes for turns and stuff...i still havnt checked if thats legal... the only time i dont wear it, is when i am fixing my bike and i need to ride down the block and back


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## GOTA (Apr 21, 2011)

I like life. I also like the use of my limbs and my memory. Wouldn't get on the bike without one.


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## codwater (Jan 20, 2009)

I wear a helmet thanks to a few words from a friend of mine.

"Dude, you have a college degree! There is like $50,000 worth of knowledge you aren't protecting!" Funny guy.


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## jmadams13 (Sep 28, 2008)

I do now. I was a no helmet guy for 12 years, unless I was mounting biking, till a few months ago I got hit. Long story short it was a late commute, about 2am, and a drunk driver hit me from behind. 12 stitches on the top of my head, 3 on my forehead, and two surgeries to put my eye lids back together, I always wear one now. 

Still not have found one I like, but I keep trying


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## zmu98 (Jun 23, 2011)

Now my choice to wear a helmet has just been reincforced! Got a concoussion recenlty wasn't too bad. You can see multiple parts where it got impaled with rocks, those probably would've been in my skull if it wasn't for the helemet...


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## ripstop (Mar 25, 2010)

*helmet*

yes, I do. :thumbsup:


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## wheeliam (Feb 16, 2011)

In my case and route, I usually don’t.

In Japan, we have very efficient bike lanes, people (motorists) are polite and mostly defensive drivers (they cannot drive unless they graduated from driving schools) and sometimes bikers and pedestrians share the use of wide sidewalks. 

But when I’m riding with kids, of course the helmets are a must thing.


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## Tystevens (Nov 2, 2011)

Canonite said:


> I'm currently living in Korea, where even motorbikers (I don't mean scooters, crotch rockets and stuff) tend to ride around without helmets...scares the hell out of me. I always wear a helmet...I've seen too many people (including my dad) who have crashed and if it wasn't for their helmets they would have been toast...


Haha, you don't have to go to Korea for that -- here in Utah, there is no helmet law for motorcycles! I'd estimate that about 50% of those on motorcycles don't wear helmets.

I'm in the "practically always" camp. The only time I don't have a helmet on is when I'm riding the river paths w/ the baby in the trailer, or climbing a long section of fire road on the mtb. It is so unobtrusive and comfortable to wear, the drawbacks of wearing it are minimal. Plus, I've got about $150,000 invested in my brain (grad school), and I at least need to repay those loans before I can afford to let that go!

I don't know if it is just coincidence, but the last few mtb rides, it has seemed like I've seen more helmetless people than I've seen in the past.


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## ldt593 (Nov 17, 2011)

In the woods: yes
In the street: yes
in the park: probably
in the yard: no


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## glagola1 (Feb 7, 2005)

SSSasky said:


> The single biggest deterrent to increased cycling numbers in western countries is mandatory helmet laws (see Australian numbers, for instance).[/B]


That's ridiculous. The biggest deterrent is civil engineering and urban development that was based solely on automotive use. If everyone lived in towns developed before the 1930s, there'd be more cyclists.


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## wheeliam (Feb 16, 2011)

glagola1 said:


> That's ridiculous. The biggest deterrent is civil engineering and urban development that was based solely on automotive use. If everyone lived in towns developed before the 1930s, there'd be more cyclists.


i think it's never too late to introduce bike lanes or wider sidewalks.


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## TroutGS (Nov 20, 2011)

On the moto, on the cycle - never without it. Ever.


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## LiveFreeThenDie (Mar 21, 2010)

If you have kids and live in the US, please wear a helmet. I don't want to have my tax dollars support your crummy kids if you end up a vegetable  I'm always amazed at how many families I see biking together and the adults are not wearing helmets. Seat belts don't guarantee that you'll survive a car accident, so why wear one? I feel nekkid without a helmet (and a seat belt). I see no reason to wear an inexpensive and rather unobtrusive piece of safety equipment. I also wear gloves to protect hands from road rash.


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