johjo

Awww, that's the spirit! LOL and congrats on the longevity

johjo

I started wondering about the effectiveness of various helmets a few months ago, when Google pushed an article about a revolutionary new helmet from Tek. This morning I found this June 2018 How Safe is your Bike Helmet article which linked to this STUDY from VA Tech. It looks like MIPS technology is advantageous. If I do start wearing a helmet, I'd like it to be worthwhile (as possible?).

KraneXL

While we appreciate the links, it is also acceptable to summarize the articles or provide cliffs. In any event, I would have prefer sections such as this, which would tell me all I need to know about bike helmets.

Cost wasn’t a predictor of performance. While a more pricey lid may be lighter, better ventilated, more stylish, or come equipped with a more comfortable strap system, it won’t necessarily keep you from getting concussed better than a helmet that costs significantly less. Both the $200 Bontrager Ballista MIPS and the $75 Specialized Chamonix MIPS earned 5-star ratings. (See the full list of rated helmets.)

Jakespaar

Yes, I always wear one (the only exception being 5 minute test rides around our cul-de-sac after making an adjustment on my bike) . I purchased a new one four years ago (Giro Phase), not long after I got back into regularly riding again. The liner was starting to deteriorate on my previous helmet, and it probably should have been replaced years earlier. I'm never bothered by the heat (even in temps nearing triple digits), possibly because I use a skull cap liner that acts like an evaporative cooler. The liner makes the helmet more comfortable to wear in all temps, and prevents the weird tan lines that others mentioned previously.

base2 

Do I wear one? Yes, absolutely.
Do I always wear one? Well, sort of...
The criteria for considering not wearing one is if I am on a "utility" trip where my likely speed is going to be about equal to fast running speed or a sprint. I have tripped on my own laces before & know what that's like. The occurance of a brain injury at a running pace is pretty slim...such that I deem it "an acceptible risk" for my own personal self.

I've also come off my bike at 20 & 25mph. Both cases cracked the helmet. I really had to concentrate to form sentances for a few days after the faster crash.

I had a thread about death rate vs vegetable rate a while ago. There was only about 4 actually, genuinely useful responses. The gist of the combined useful is: There just isn't any real data to make a useful conclusion because the data isn't collected. Even if that data was collected, the type of impact (trajectory, speed, etc...) isn't.

I learned from that thread: The best claim that can be made with any credibility at all requires the qualifier "in laboratory conditions" followed by "brain injury" and a statistical probability of reduction in severity under those conditions. I thought it was a good thread because I thought people were conflating the rates & were "throwing the baby out with the bath water", so to speak, when really, the "helmet freedom" crowd were making a subtle distinction the "pro-helmet" crowd glossed over.

So, in my own looking around at the situation I came to the understanding:
1) Helmets do little to actually prevent death as many proponents claim.
2) For brain injury they only knock about 15 mph off the direct head on impact.
3) At a 15 mph impact, they reduce the likely hood of TBI down about 50%
(Subject to correction, of course)

15 mph is just a little bit more than I can sprint with my Nike's, so riding that speed & under? Meh...Theres about a 50/50 chance I'll take my chances if it suits my mood lest I go down the rabbit hole of needing one to walk my dogs too.

Riding 15mph & over, no question. Always 100% of the time. Experience has shown it a reasonable precaution against what I deem an "unacceptable risk."

For now, I am Pro-helmet freedom...unless I am leading a group ride & can get sued by you. Then, you gotta wear your foam hat cause that's about protecting me.

You'd be hard pressed to find anyone argue it isn't at least a good idea to wear one even if a helmets actual effectiveness isn't proven. There has never been a double-blind, placebo controlled study regarding the effectivness of parachutes either, but convention is to accept that parachutes are an effective means of preventing injury when the Earth approaches quickly.

flieger

I've been riding again for nine months now, in desert conditions. Always wore a sun hat until two days ago, when I got a wake-up call. Had a get-off at a little over 15 mph and had there been a rock positioned in the right spot I would have cracked my skull. So I'm back to a helmet and have something called Da Brim on order. It's a wide brim that attaches to the helmet to provide sun protection. I also have a SPF skullcap coming which I will wear under the helmet. I have had skin cancer and I don't want any more of it.

sail

Hate helmets, but I attached my mirror to it and won't ride without it.

KraneXL

Lots of people do until they get conked upside the noggin. Then it becomes their best friend after the fact. Stay safe.

Rootman

I do every ride. First of all my thinning hair needs some cover or my head gets hot and burned, a helmet provides a ventilated cover for most of my pate.

Second, I've take a couple of tumbles a few times, and 3 times I've smacked my helmeted head on the ground. A helmet does not guarantee that you won't get injured but in my book covers MOST times you would. I might not have been injured to badly but I know I would have had a goose egg and a headache afterwards had I not been helmetted.

timgriffin2

I do wear a helmet - I have been known to forget it once or twice and rode without it - but that's the only reason I wouldn't wear one. I saw a coworker have lots of pain and suffering in a fall when a dog came out of nowhere and ran in front of him. He was just out for a leisurely trip around the neighborhood one morning before work. He had a concussion and was out cold when a passerby found him. He was lucky to only miss a few days of work!

Hasselhof

I do, but I'm also in Australia where helmets are mandatory. I'm not sure if I would wear one as often as I do if there wasn't the risk of a hefty fine if caught by the police (which has happened to me many years ago). The only times I don't are when I have a need to ride a bike, no helmet available, and the risk/reward equation falls further to the reward side of the calculation. Not often, but often enough.

Sceadu498

Absolutely always wear one. Only time I may not is a quick test ride around the block after doing some maintenance.

Have had to call 911 twice for someone who did not wear one and they had crashed, seeing someone foaming at the mouth when they are unconscious is not a good thing to see.

I had a spill and broke mine once so I know I had hit my head.

ridingfool

Funny you should mention the mirror went on a ride this past weekend and stopped at a covience store to refill the water bottles and must of took the helmet off and set it aside on the counter.So resume my ride and about 5 miles later go to check my helmet mirror and realize it's not on left it at the store .point is I guess is if it's a good fitting well ventilated helmet u don't even know it's on sometimes as I thought I still had it on 5 miles down the road .got home and called the store and they had the helmet so at least I didn't lose it but I think they are safe too have on. The next 20 miles to get home I slowed the pace down a little didn't go more than 25 mph as a fear if I crashed I didn't have a helmet on

sail

25 mph wow I don't ride with anyone who would claim to go that fast. I doubt you can

CarloM

It's funny, the last time I seriously rode was when I was a kid, before I got my driver's license in the late '80s. I hated the thought of wearing a helmet then. Also I lived in a small rural town with a lot of open roads, not a lot of traffic, and very few stop signs.

Now that I'm picking it up again in my forties, and living in the urban sprawl that is Los Angeles, I can't imagine not wearing one. My bike isn't going to be ready until mid-June but my LBS let me use a loaner until then, and my helmet is also on back order. I've only ridden for maybe a couple of hours since picking the hobby back up but I feel totally vulnerable because of all the traffic and careless drivers who don't pay attention to cyclists. My helmet should arrive this afternoon or tomorrow, and I'm going right into the shop to pick it up.

DSL6

I don't wear a helmet or wear a seat belt. Never did. Just can't do it.

bobwysiwyg

Why, particularly the seat belts? You're bucking some clearly documented statistics on that one.

CarloM

Not to mention laws, unless he lives in a country that doesn't have seatbelt laws, or New Hampshire.

ridingfool

Do u have any small hills where u ride 25 is not that fast for a hill and even for a flat road I'm by no means a fast rider but can maintain a pace of 22 mph for a half hour or more and get up to speeds of up to 35 on small roller hills but many that ride the same route can get up to 40 and I am a older rider just fit can put in 300 miles or more on good weeks or at least used to but that's another story but 25 is not fast at all but without a helmet on a little reckless at my age

DSL6

I grew up in the 60's when seat belts were rarely used, if at all and wearing helmets while riding bicycles was unheard of.

bobwysiwyg

..and?

BikeMode

I always do. Better having one and not to get into an accident than getting into one without it.

hokiefyd 

I wouldn't normally post a video like this, but it seems timely for this discussion topic. I've watched RJ The Bike Guy on YouTube for many years, and it looks like he recently took a header on a pretty simple and familiar trail to him. I guess it demonstrates, if nothing else, that anything can happen to anyone, anywhere, right?

He says in the video description that his doc told him that his helmet probably saved his life.

CarloM

Back in the 60s AIDS wasn't a thing, but times (and safety measures) change...

rumrunn6

Thank goodness he’ll be ok. Hmmm hope this doesn’t sound crass but seems to be another fall to the left. Thanks for sharing, so much to learn from it