LesterOfPuppets

ill, you can wear a helmet for whatever activities you deem necessary, but that doesn't mean everyone needs to for every bike riding style.

You can wear your helmet while sailboating, kayaking, ice skating, etc. There are certain styles of these activities and certain conditions under which a good many people would wear a helmet, but not all. On-bike protection should be thought of in much the same way.

chasm54

Sorry, this is silly. By that reasoning we would prepare for meteorite strike. You will make far more impact on your risks of an "accident" - which is rarely an act of God, and almost always the result of human error - by learning bike-handling and traffic management skills than by wearing a helmet. Wear one if you like, but don't make the mistake of imagining that it will make a dramatic difference to your safety.

Squirrelli

Hairmet!

Quixotegut

Safe AND secure in my manhood, thank you very much.

Dr. Banzai

I assume you ride fixed with brakes faster than 10mph on the street with cars and other cyclists to contend with. You'll need a helmet. It has nothing to do with confidence and assertiveness except the lack of it when the person without it hits you.

When you are riding at 5mph on the MUP with 26x2.0 tires then sure, I'll assume you can leave the helmet at home.

chasm54

You're mistaken. I don't need a helmet. It is perfectly possible that I will have an accident in which a helmet might help, but the chances are very remote. Do you wear a helmet when walking downstairs? 17000 people a year are hospitalized in the USA after tripping over their furniture. Wear a helmet at home?

We make our choices based on our perception of risk. I know that I am at risk, but it is a low level of risk that I am perfectly happy to tolerate. If you feel scared when riding without a helmet, as you indicated earlier in the thread, you should definitely wear one.

Dr. Banzai

Ah, now I get it. Pointless to continue.

LesterOfPuppets

MUP in Portland on a sunny Saturday is about the scariest cycling scenario I've ever been in, regardless of speed or tire dimensions.

GriddleCakes

Smartest post that I've ever read here.

chasm54

I agree with the latter sentence. However, that's because you absolutely don't get it. Do the numbers. Like I said before, everything else is anecdote and unreasoning fear.

Bent Life

Because of this thread I'm going to stop wearing a helmet.

aMull

Yeah no thanks.

Six jours

Tour de France riders never wore helmets until just a few years ago, and despite thousand of riders covering millions of miles and "crashing all the time" there have been only two deaths due to head injury, one of which would not have been prevented by any current bicycling helmet.

I really don't care who wears a helmet and who doesn't, but there's really no good evidence that wearing one is likely to prevent any more than minor injuries. That may well be a good reason to wear one, but it's also a good reason to wear elbow, knee, and hip pads. Yet for some reason I never see any circle-jerk thread about elbow pads here on BF, but ones about helmets are on nearly every subforum.

xkillemallx16

jours, are you talking about fabio casartelli?

jfmckenna

pretty much sums it up too doesn't it. Ok lets close Bike Forums now, we haf finally come to a conclusion

NinetiesKid

these helmet threads always get way too science-y and statistic-y. Really, if you needed to see a picture to know what could happen to your braincase if you got in a wreck while not wearing a helmet, I don't think all this other debate is necessary.

If you are the type of person who considers the risk of not wearing a helmet > the benefits of not wearing a helmet, then wear one, otherwise...

Who cares what other people do. Unless you live in a country with public health care or public health insurance, maybe this is a more important debate for you.

crackrocksteady

I love how people that wear helmets are always the first to preach fire and brimstone about not wearing a helmet. But helmetless riders never say anything.

It all comes down to choice. You should have respect for peoples personal choices and freedoms and stop trying to ram helmets down people throats.

roastbeef

hairnet

Just like how this recently linked thread got **** on
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ing-is-AWESOME

milkcratebasket

Don't wear a seatbelt. If you crash it will cut you in half.

mconlonx

"Yaaarrrhhhgg mateys! Another helmet thread! Let's keelhaul these helmet wearing land-lubbers, send their rotten arguments and common sense to Davy "Mr. Statistics" Jones's locker!"

wagon.

I kind of agree that wearing a helmet is situational but I've recently moved to Boston and not wearing a helmet in the city is complete idiocy. Getting door checked while riding between traffic and parked cars happens all the time. Helmets are the difference between concussions and just getting scrapped up.

Six jours

How do you know that to be true?

Rude

Helmets don't prevent concussions....

hairnet

uh, then don't ride in the door zone