Patriot

I have recently been considering doing some rides in my area where I know there is virtually no traffic, good roads (no potholes), and even a few areas with good long climbs. So, my speed would be minimal. For some reason, the use of a helmet seems pointless, and has minimal risk. As a result, I have considered getting a decent cycling cap, and foregoing the helmet, just because I feel like the situation really doesn't warrant the necessity of one.

For example, I will never commute to work without my helmet. The roads are rough, the traffic heavy, and some roads have no bike lanes in the city. So, I always wear it in that situation.

This sort of leads to another question. What are cycling caps for? Are they just for sitting at Starbucks to look cool? I though they were to ride with. Granted they can be used as a liner under you helmet. But, it seems quite a few people ride with just caps, and no helmet. Especially when outside the city.

Who else on here does some of their riding, but just uses a cap instead of a helmet?

twahl

Not me, I made silly mistake leaving a stop light, was barely moving, and tossed myself over the bars cracking my brain bucket in 3 places. I won't go out without one.

GuitarWizard

I was riding on a road with no traffic at the time, have been on the road numerous times, yet still managed to not see a rock in the road, and went down at over 20 mph.

Always wear your helmet. It's when you get complacent, things tend to go south.

blandin

Patriot, please don't join the Natural Selection Club. I agree with the other posters - wear a helmet so we can see what comes after Attack Force.

botto 

that would really be OCP

pigmode

I've never worn a helmet except in the rare exception (once or twice a year) of organized events where they were recquired. That said, I've been hoping and planning to eventually phase in the helmet into everyday use.

Patriot

It is odd, I see quite a few roadies around here who look like local team members (matching kits and bikes), and none of them wear helmets when they are out training on the weekends. They usually just wear caps, or nothing at all. And we are talking whole teams here, not just the odd guy riding by himself.

Don't get me wrong gentlemen. I am a big advocate of helmets. I just wonder what ever happened to riding without one. Admittedly, it is much safer to ride with one. I agree whole heartedly. But, I have to admit, I rememeber growing up....

When I was young, I rode my bike everywhere I went. Never owned a helmet. I road my old road bike everywhere. Hundreds, even thousadns of miles. I even had a few crashes, but never needed a helmet. And in all hoensty, I enjoyed riding even more then, than I do now. I could actually enjoy the wind in my hair. I have to admit, if I was single, and had no kids, etc, I probably would rarely wear one for most riding in the country where I live.

You're all talking common sense, which is exactly the kind of person I am. So, I'm with you all on this point of being safe. But, I so long for the days of when I was a free minded lad and was willing to accept a certain level of risk in my life in order to truly enjoy it. I just can't help but desire a little piece of that freedom to be a part of my life once again.

idontgetit

Patriot, are there any squirrels along your route?

chromedome

It's not really how fast you are going when your head hits something hard, but more like how your head hits. If it hits with a sudden thunk, that's bad. Which can happen at any speed.

The point of helmut use is to minimize injury, even if it's just slight.

And for everybody:
And there is no dress code at the coffee shop. Not for caps, shoes, shirts, shorts, or smiles. There was a thread about this very subject about three months ago. The point of a cap is to keep your head warmer in the winter, soak up sweat in the summer, and the bill keeps the sun out of your eyes. If you don't want to wear a cap, don't wear a cap. If you like the idea of a cap, wear one. If you've never worn a cap, but owuld like to try to wear a cap, buy a cheap one and stick it on your head a few times and see if you like it. It's a cap, not a lifestyle.
Is anybody else sick of hearing about caps?

Patriot

The cap really is irrellevent (sp?).


I'll never forget the story of the English gent who still rides his bike a few miles to work everyday, and has done so for the last 70 years. He's never owned a car, and rides a bike that he has owned since 1930. He has never owned a helmet, and has enjoyed everyday of this life. I wish I could say the same.

pedex

me, I will wear one for the race sept 2nd though because it is required and being anywhere near a bunch of squirrely part time rec riding cat 5's is probably damn dangerous to begin with

wanna a helmet that will actually really protect your knoggin, get a BMX helmet, roadie helmets are a freakin joke, they have become a rec rider fashion statement

as far as the typical worthless anecdotal evidence people always post, ok, my turn:
5 years, 65,000 miles, 99% in the downtown area, 3 accidents, one of which I was broadsided by a car that ran a red light, so far Ive had a broken arm and some bruises and minor road rash, my head hasnt even hit anything. For those that have whacked your head with a helmet on, how'd you like the concussion afterward, cause if you didnt get one, guess what, that styrofoam cup on your head didnt do much. Well known fact at this point, head blows with a typical roadie helmet that actually involve enough force that the helmet provides protection from brain trauma will indeed cause a concussion, check the ANSI and SNELL standards.

pedex

that is very very common, ive seen pics of teams riding with bike clubs, bike club members all had helmets, not one disco guy did........posted on a bike forum too, and not a single peep about it from the rec rider roadie crowd, but if your a rec riding roadie w/o a helmet, many forum members will trot out the organ donor and drooling comments LOL Its become a fashion statement, part of the "if I cant ride fast like a pro im gonna look like one and if someone is different or disagrees then they are just wrong "mantra

allez

essentially. i have a couple and wore them a few times under my helmet to keep hair out of the way, but they arent nearly as comfy as my Pearl Izumi sweatband. i always wear my blue/red/white shimano cap when im on my rollers though, sans helmet.

twahl

I understand where you're coming from, but I too have a wife and kids. Perspectives change with respinsibilities. I never owned a helmet until I had to have one for BMX racing, and that was the only time I wore it, on the track. I was 30 when I started racing, and I trashed two full face helmets in 3 seasons. The last season I raced I finished 2nd in my class in Virginia, with a concussion. I was off a year in the middle after I almost died with a busted spleen. It's amazing how much influence comes from being a father, I quit after a one year "successful" comeback.

(in my very best "Pretty Woman" voice)
"I'm a safety guy."

And I still love to ride.

Patriot

Well, the irrelevent statement really had more to with the helmet discussion, and not much to do with how comfy they are. I would think a sweatband is more comfy too, unless you have a need for the visor on a sunny day.

Smoothie104

I think they make the sport look dangerous to non cyclists.

timmyquest

Thank you!


And on that note...

I'm not here to tell anyone not to wear a helmet, but there has been something that i've wanted to post for a while but havn't due to the flack i'd receive...i guess this thread may be a good time.

To everyone who crashes and posts pictures of their destroyed helmet and claims "This could have been my head!", please think twice.

The idea of a helmet of any design is to absorb the shock of an impact, road helmets are stiff Styrofoam and are designed to do what they do, the breaking up of the helmet is what prevents damage to your head. Your skull is actually a pretty durable piece of equipment, so durable that when it gets hit all that energy is transferred to your brain. If our skulls broke apart as easly as these road helmets would then our brain would not receive the type of damage it does when you slam your head against concrete (of course then a whole new set of problems would arise).

There has been one time in my life that i fell, was wearing a helmet, and felt that the helmet did something for me...that was on a pair of rollerblades where i was transferring from one ramp to another about 12 feet in the air, when i landed my feet went out from under me and i slammed the back of my head into the concrete floor.

Patriot

^^^ Lance really did cheat. Death is now calling for a rematch.

A rematch? I think not. Death is a part of life. In the end, it always wins.

msheron

Let's see..........? An idiot, yes that is it, an IDIOT!

Silverserpent

Patriot most people can ride their entire life without wearing a helmet and they'll be fine. The thing is you have no guarantees that you won't be that one person who has some silly crash and land right on your head. Back in april I was doing a ride going about 13mph at the time when I crashed on an a flat road with no debris and no car traffic, exactly why I crashed or how I don't remember all I remember was being loaded into the ambulance and spending five days in the hospital for brain injurys. I learned a valuble lesson and it only cost me 20k in medical bills and a week in hospital. =)

As for the caps they are glorified sweatbands and something to keep the sun out of your eyes.

botto 

i guess i'm part of the minority. i could care less what people wear, or don't wear, if i'm not riding with them.

if i am riding with them, then i prefer they wear a helmet, but i don't sweat it.

if they don't wear a helmet, then at least i hope they know how to ride their bike.

Reynolds 

Sometimes I wear a helmet. And sometimes I don't.

cc_rider

And the sunburn from the top of your head.

slide

Head injuries resulting from a mishap are at least as common walking as riding a bike. Thus if you don't wear a helmet walking, you are a fool to wear one while riding a bicycle.

There is also the issue of risk compensation. There is no question that injuries, including head injuries, rise as helmet use rises. This is a statistical fact which nobody can deny nor does some fool maunding on about his person view that his head was saved by a helmet militate against this. More helmet use == more crashes and more head injuries.

The common explanation and the one which I subscribe to, is risk compensation. Rather than me go into it here, you can look it up. It also explains why auto crashes result in similar death rates even as the autos grow more safe.

If in organized events which require a helmet, I'll borrow my daughter's. She prefers to wear one so I got her one, but I myself, I wear a plain old fashioned biking cap.

Reynolds 

Helmets are generally better than none, IMO, but pretty worthless in case of a hard crash.