Originally Posted by
mconlonx
Awww...
But just to summarize:
Helmets are awesome and if you weren't wearing one when you crashed you would probably have died.
Helmets suck and are a BigCorp marketing gimmick, and if you do crash, a helmet probably won't help.
But also
►As a newby I was right-hooked, over the bars, no helmet no head injury, so a helmet wouldn't have helped.
► A few months later I hit the ice in a gutter, no helmet, had a scalp cut. A helmet would definitely have helped.
► A few years later wearing a helmet, hit head on by a cyclist, went over the bars but the helmet never touched. So the helmet was no help.
► Hit a gutter road hazard at 25 mph, over the bars again, the helmet didn't impact but had some scratches this time. It might have helped.
So my personal anecdotal evidence is: No, Yes, No, and Maybe wear a helmet. And "stay away from gutters".