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What happened to make you finally wear a helmet?

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Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

What happened to make you finally wear a helmet?

Old 01-08-13, 03:45 PM
  #76  
Hbrown
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MY GOD! How do we walk away from the spectaculer crashes , But not the ordinary ones?! Oh wait! All crashes are spectaculer, and all have the potential to take us out of here!!!!
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Old 01-08-13, 03:52 PM
  #77  
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Wow!! My second accident was probably 2 months before my epipheney. I was riding with a new road guy coming down Belmont ave. But first, the road guy showed up at my house and got his self together for our ride, we mounted our bikes and prepared to take off, I asked him where was his helmet? He told me that he forgot it when he packed his car to come to my house, I then dismounted went in the house and got my new unused helmet and handed it to him, and then told him to do as I say and not as I do. I didn't have a helmet on, but I was making him wear one. We then went for our ride. Now as we were coming down Belmont ave near the end of our ride, and were about to cross Cityline ave The light changed from red to green, Cool, i increased my pedal, so did he, I was behind him by abut 20ft, letting him stay to the front, when a silver car came into the intersection to make a right turn, I watched the lady driver through the windshield she saw us and was just sitting there to let us cross the intersection in front of her. (Something that we learn over time) watch the driver! And the wheels. You can always see what they are about to do. The newbie did not Know this so he (did not hold his line) veered right in fornt of me and I T boned him! We were fully intertwined as we slid accross the most busiest street in Philadelphia!! Him on top and me underneath. All I coud here was a muffled scraping sound and a blue flash as the back of my head hit the road! And sliding forever! right into the center of the intersection! Then stopping! We jumped up, got our bikes and got back to the sidewalk were we assesed our bikes Re positioned bars, found water bottles, and talked trash about surviving the crash! The scraping sound that I heard was my speedplay pedal sliding on the road, It was worn down to half its size! My head hurt! Kept it to myself! Did not want to discourage him in any way from riding, although cursing up a storm in my mind. Re mounted our bikes and started to ride home, I made it to Ridge ave before my derailure hanger snapped off. I then had to walk up Midvale ave which is about a 15deg hill. Thats when I realized that my ankle had a chunk out of it and my shoe was wet with blood, it wasn't bending as it should have. Long story short, the newbie rode to the house, got his car and came back to get me. I thought more of my ankle than my head ! Why did I have to wait 2 more months before wearing a helmet? Now I have 3, all in different colors, I'll explain that later.

Last edited by Hbrown; 01-08-13 at 04:34 PM.
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Old 01-08-13, 03:53 PM
  #78  
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Originally Posted by Pug
Marianne Vos rides with one, too.
There must be something to them ...
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Old 01-08-13, 03:57 PM
  #79  
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... when the guy in front of me on the trail took a spectacular dive over a squaw bank and wiped out. He was okay, but I realized we were approaching speeds worthy of safety gear.
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Old 01-08-13, 04:13 PM
  #80  
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I'm a neurosurgeon. Then you know why.
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Old 01-08-13, 07:17 PM
  #81  
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Originally Posted by AdelaaR
There must be something to them ...
Indeed. Helmets make you fast.
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Old 01-08-13, 07:19 PM
  #82  
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They became lighter and better ventilated. Also, there was a crash in the TdF a few years ago where some guys went over a barrier and one of them had big rocks stuck in the vents of his helmet. Wish I could find a photo.

Last edited by caloso; 01-08-13 at 07:23 PM.
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Old 01-08-13, 07:35 PM
  #83  
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Back 28 years or so when I first started college they changed the law (in New Zealand) to make everyone wear a helmet. They also had this women doing lecture tours on how her son was riding without a helmet, crashed, and ended up being about smart as your average cucumber for it. You only get one brain and its worth protecting.
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Old 01-08-13, 08:39 PM
  #84  
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Originally Posted by coasting
Curiously, I fell this year. I landed on my chin and had concussion. I was wearing a helmet.
I crashed this year after being attacked by a pit bull with helmet. Got a concussion and deep lacerations. Guess the results would have been much worse otherwise.
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Old 01-08-13, 09:03 PM
  #85  
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Originally Posted by surgeonstone
I crashed this year after being attacked by a pit bull with helmet. Got a concussion and deep lacerations. Guess the results would have been much worse otherwise.
The pitbull was wearing a helmet?

He must have seen you coming

And which day in the past week was it?
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Old 01-08-13, 09:21 PM
  #86  
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Originally Posted by LowCel
I have a wife that I care about and a life that I want to continue living.
This.
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Old 01-08-13, 09:21 PM
  #87  
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Originally Posted by Rowan
The pitbull was wearing a helmet?

He must have seen you coming

And which day in the past week was it?
Touche. I need a remedial writing course.
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Old 01-08-13, 09:52 PM
  #88  
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Back in the mid 80s, one of my riding buddies got a new Giro with the cloth cover and gave me his old Bell.
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Old 01-08-13, 11:13 PM
  #89  
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My neighborhood BMX antics as a child pretty much necessitated a helmet. That carried over to when I began riding an adult bike. I started with a Bell Biker, which I wore for at least 12-13 years. I still remember exactly how it felt to weave the strap through the double D-rings. Man, am I glad that the straps have changed since then.
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Old 01-08-13, 11:15 PM
  #90  
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Originally Posted by GP
Back in the mid 80s, one of my riding buddies got a new Giro with the cloth cover ...
I remember there being a plethora of neck injuries resulting from the fabric gripping the pavement. That was about the time that the "coke bottle plastic" covers started hitting the market as the lycra models were pulled off the shelves.
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Old 01-09-13, 10:02 AM
  #91  
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I don't care for its benefits and the arguments for and against. I just looked cool in one.
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Old 01-09-13, 01:14 PM
  #92  
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When the Bell Biker became available in the late 70's (picture the frat guy in Breaking Away. Bought ProTec helmets for my kids when they were old enough to ride in early 80's. Same deal with ski helmets. Purchased for me and kids when first generally available.
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Old 01-09-13, 01:17 PM
  #93  
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Originally Posted by canyoneagle
I remember there being a plethora of neck injuries resulting from the fabric gripping the pavement. That was about the time that the "coke bottle plastic" covers started hitting the market as the lycra models were pulled off the shelves.
Same concern with camera mounts on helmets. The mount can be a snag point in a crash.
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Old 01-09-13, 01:24 PM
  #94  
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got in the habit when I was riding motorcycles. the habit's been reinforced by being deliberately sideswiped, wipeouts on wet leaves, and two other clavicle snapping, self induced accidents, where the helmet saved me from pain or damage due to the whiplash effect.
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Old 01-10-13, 02:56 AM
  #95  
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I am old enough that I never wore a helmet as a kid. I don't remember when I got my first Bell helmet. It was one of the half walnut ones with the orange sections. I don't remember if this was in the 70s or 80s. I've never ridden without a helmet since that time. I also wear a cycling helmet when I roller blade. I remember when cars had no seat belts. I feel naked with the seat belt too. How about car seats for babies? It's great that there are so many more safety devices that didn't exist 40 years ago!
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Old 01-10-13, 08:23 AM
  #96  
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I'm a paramedic and I see plenty of head injuries that could have been mitigated with a proper helmet. No, a helmet won't prevent 100% of head injuries, but they prevent or reduce the severity of injury in a large enough percentage of head impact to make them well worth wearing.
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Old 01-10-13, 08:42 AM
  #97  
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Originally Posted by canyoneagle
I remember there being anecdotal reports of neck injuries resulting from the fabric gripping the pavement. That was about the time that the "coke bottle plastic" covers started hitting the market as the lycra models were pulled off the shelves.


FTFY.

I don't know that anyone ever established that there were more neck injuries with the fabric covered helmets. But there was enough noise about it to drive them off the market.

The thin plastic shell is a better design anyway, so it didn't ultimately matter.
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Old 01-10-13, 08:59 AM
  #98  
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Originally Posted by geezerwheels
got in the habit when I was riding motorcycles. the habit's been reinforced by being deliberately sideswiped, wipeouts on wet leaves, and two other clavicle snapping, self induced accidents, where the helmet saved me from pain or damage due to the whiplash effect.
Yikes. So someone intentionally ran you down?
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Old 01-10-13, 09:19 AM
  #99  
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I'll wear a helmet when something serious happens (life changing moment/accident), so no helmet yet.
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Old 01-10-13, 09:23 AM
  #100  
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Originally Posted by buffalowings
I'll wear a helmet when something serious happens (life changing moment/accident), so no helmet yet.
I can't tell if you are kidding. This kind of logic eludes me.
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