Do you wear a helmet?
 

Do you wear a helmet? Always or just for certain types of rides? What to keep in mind while shopping for one? Aldi has one for $18 right now. I don't usually wear one but I'm slow touristy nature looker. The meet- ups groups require a helmet for group rides. Most of you wear one all the time?

Yes, I wear one nearly all the time. I may not put it on if I'm riding a few houses up the road to call my kids home, but otherwise, I usually have a helmet on.

Besides general safety, I like it because it keeps the sun off my bald(ing) head while still allowing airflow. A ballcap gets super hot to me.

I wear one when riding a bicycle, do not wear one when riding a tricycle.

I wear one when I ride out but not for a short test in front of the house. It is also what my rear view mirror is attached too so I miss it when it is not on my head. And for me also, it keeps my bald head from getting sunburned.
Frank.

Always do.

It's up to the individual to decide. A lot of organized affairs require them and they can set their own rules. If you do want one, Walmart/Amazon has decent ones in the $20 range like the Schwinn Thrasher or if the Aldi one fits, go with that. Fit and comfort is #1 . Just an example but I prefer helmets without a solid piece in the very middle, I'd rather have two offset "beams", maybe I have a pointed head.

This thread will get interesting. :popcorn

Always wear one.

Seen enough other bikers take tumbles (even those riding at slow or casual paces) to understand it's foolish to not wear one.

Over the past 45 years of riding both my wife and I have crashed several times, Quite a few of those times our helmets ended up being cracked. I wonder if we would be still riding 30 miles a day @ 70 years old if we didn't wear them.. Oh and we replace them very 5 years as well.

I do wear one, always. I like a helmet with a visor to help with sun, it's better ventilation than a ball cap, and my head is important to me. That said, I would certainly never force anyone else to wear one - do your research, and make your choice :).

Always.

It saved me from a bad injury a couple of years ago. Was riding on a country road and got the front tire stuck in a rut unexpectedly. Lost control and fell over. The back of my head was the first thing to hit the pavement. Shook me up but no damage done. Didn't think twice about plopping down the money for a replacement helmet - easily worth the money!

I wear one primary to mount a light or camera to it.

I would say safety is first. Making sure it meets government standards. If it fits and comfortable but won’t protect the rider then what’s the point.

I’m not sure anyone actually enjoys wearing a helmet, especially in hot weather. For some it’s a sense of security and makes the ride more enjoyable.

Yes

When I was a child, in the 60s, no, I did not wear a helmet. I was raised in the pre-snowflake, knee pad, butt pad era school of hard knocks. Now and going back decades of competition cycling, yes, I always wear a helmet on my bicycle or motorcycle. On the motorcycle I wear armor. On the bicycle, gloves and a helmet, always.

https://i.postimg.cc/vBLSKF5H/PB270363.jpg

I always do because it always sounded smart...even though I was sure I'd never crash. I mostly wore it because a car driver might make a mistake...though I myself surely wouldn't....

Last week I crashed. By myself. Due to my own mistake.

Head never hit the ground. Not a scratch on the helmet. So I'd have been fine without it. But I also got lucky. The giant purple bruise on my hip today could have easily been a concussion in my head.

If nothing else it served as a reminder to me that the bumps in the road do not care how long I've been riding or how good I think I am as a rider. If the road wants to take me down, the road is going to take me down.

I also found that after wearing a helmet regularly for a month or so...I was so used to it that it feels weird not to have one on now.

I also, and I want to be very clear on this, don't judge anyone who doesn't wear one because unless it's one of my own kids i'ts none of my business what other people choose to do with their own heads.

No, I don't. I am not opposed to the idea, so someday I might get a helmet, but so far I have been fine.

Yes, I always wear a helmet, today, but I did not in the 20th century. Since June 2016, I ride adult tricycles, but in the 1970's through 1999 I rode bicycles and motorcycles.

In 1991 a car hit me while riding a motorcycle; I t-boned the car at 55 MPH, flew 100 feet through the air landing on my unprotected head. I was in a coma 90 days, a season. Living with a brain injury is both good and bad... In 1991, California did not have a motorcycle helmet law, but in 1992 they did. So I was wearing a novelty helmet in my 1999 motorcycle accident. It smashed into pieces, so for protection I'd also recommend a safety approved helmet. I did not ride since 1999, until 2016. Reasons included living in an urban city where it was not safe, in my opinion, to practice riding in the streets. When I finally started riding a bike again, my brain injury had progressed during the last 28 years, so today I ride an adult tricycle because of the balance issues. I've tipped three different adult tricycles in the past three years - they are sturdy, but require slowing down for turns, and a few times I did not slow down enough. I did not need a helmet in those tips, but I like the feeling of wearing one anyway - hopefully to prevent further brain injury.

Yes I wear a helmet. The helmet is more likely to prevent more serious injury than to cause one. Any inconvenience such as extra weight or less air flow through the hair is a small price to pay.

Always. No questions. No matter 5 minutes store run or full day trip.

Seeing walnuts fall down and bounce 6 feet back up on trails I ride, or the tree limbs falling down when no one else is around, yea, I'm wearing a helmet.

Only time I don't wear is a quick and short ride to get kids or testing of the bike.

Wifey & I have been wearing helmets ever since we started our kids on bikes. wanted to set the right example, you know? kids are in their 20s now. last July 4th Wifey & I think to take a leisurely ride on a quiet paved trail without helmets cuz it was such a hot day. 5 miles from the car, she crashes & breaks her wrist. cpl months later, after that heals, she needed carpal tunnel surgery. she never hit her head but we both felt pretty dumb after the crash, cuz it could have been much, much worse

Yes, I wear it anywhere there's cars next to me, cement or asphalt under me, or trees/rocks near me. Which only leaves the dirt or gravel trails for me to get an even tan on my bald head.

Ah helmet lines know them well. Living in FL they are a permanent part of my skull. Also have tiger stripes on my feet due to wearing keen sandals all the time. But, at 70 years old and married to the same woman for the past 48 years. who cares?

Honestly I wear one when I mountain bike or road bike, ever since I got my Hybrid bike I often find myself not wanting to wear it. I can fall down in the shower and break my head open, why does it matter if I wear one when I ride a bike or not? At least that's one of the arguments I've heard before. At the end of the day if you get hit by a car the helmet may help save some brain damage, but it ain't gonna really do much else. When riding my Dual Sport 2 around town, depending on how long the ride will be, I usually don't wear one. If I plan on going for a longer ride, I'll wear one.

Frankly, lots of the time I don't like having to haul the helmet around when I arrive at my destination so I don't bring it. I also don't really care for the look of it. Technically I'm in Canada, and it's illegal to ride without one, but I don't think people actually enforce that law lol.

Never leave home without it. When you've cracked your head as many times as I have, you don't need a database or the legal system to convince me to do otherwise."Force" them? No, but make a strong suggestion maybe.