jimmuller 

The most numerically significant feature of the poll results is the age distribution of C&V members who would take part in a poll like this.

gomango

Same here Randy.

I ended up with some pretty significant injuries last year when a drunk young man ran a red light.

He had his parents' Honda CRV and I had a Colnago.

He will win that battle every time.

My helmet?

A Bell Volt that cracked like an eggshell when my head slammed into the asphalt at 15 mph.

Thank god I had it on.

eja_ bottecchia

Honestly!

roccobike

Don't know if I owe my life to a helmet or not, but the old GIRO is now retired with a large hit mark when it met asphault. My son's Specialized helmet was retired cause the shell was cracked after a MTB ride. The lead in a pace line I was in last year went down hard when his seat post broke (of course, that will never happen to you). Split his helmet in two. He did a 100 mile MS ride two weeks later. Just last Thursday there was a hard crash at over 30MPH on a downhill at the Firecracker ride in NC. At least two of those guys will have to replace their helmets.
Of course we'll never know how much damage would have occurred if these guys were not wearing helmets, cause they were.
Truth is, around here, we pretty much look at those that don't wear helmets as weird (other descriptions can't be listed here). I don't enjoy wearing a helmet, but the reality is, they save lives.

RobbieTunes

Deja vu all over again.

My cracked helmets are around here somewhere.

cobrabyte

There's no "sometimes" button so I can't vote

Flog00

No helmet for me.
No bike specific clothing either. No goofy jerseys or padded bike pants. No cleated shoes.
Just me and my bike and my hard head.
Cannot believe I survived 48 years.

Seriously though, it should be a personal choice. Some day I may wake up and decide to wear a helmet. It will be my decision.

"If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice"

Freewill!

fiataccompli

I've got no issue with helmets. Good idea for me. Interesting that the 'norm' has become wearing the helmet to the extent that non helmet wearing riders are sometimes referred to as organ donors. I guess to me when I see no helmet I think throwback, DUI, or hipster....but I agree there are low speed low risk times when it's probably a ridiculous factor of safety. In my experience, the right low speed fall has out a divot in my helmet in such a way to close the debate in my mind. I also have seen 1st hand what a brain injury can do....but it's my head, my choice.

The Golden Boy 

I'm aware of how fragile the human head is, I'm also far too aware of how fragile my **** is.

Aside from running down the block to the convenience store- I always wear my helmet.

cehowardGS

I live on the edge, timid as hell too, but I skydive, and roadrace motorcycles, and I wear a freaking helmet every single time I get on bicycle, every time.. I say to each their own. Just because I wear one, not going to force it on anybody else. However, I am for a law stating that no taxpayer's money goes to any accident victims that didn't have a helmet on.. Again, this is a personal choice..

cehowardGS

Robbie, I had a cracked Shoei full coverage helmet that I took a crashed at 143 mph back in 1979 on a motorcycle. Yes, I am thankful I am still here.. My head hit first..No need to say anymore... I kept that Shoei helmet as a reminder for almost 30 years. It got lost in my moves. Also, about a year ago, I crashed at about 25 mph (wet surface)on the bicycle and went headfirst into the curb. Hit so hard, it sounded like a gunshot. The cheap Walmart helmet save the day. I would have hate to have felt what it was to have my bear head hit the curb at 25mph...

I am 73, looking to make it a little further too..

JohnDThompson 

Having worked in hospitals for over 20 years, I've had plenty of experience dealing with the effects of head injuries. Medical science can do wonders for most bodily injuries, but once that grey matter takes a whack there's precious little it can do.

Just last year I had a crash that destroyed my helmet but I only suffered a shoulder injury.

MrEss

I wear a helmet when I'm cycling, and I'm fine with others who are old enough to know better and choose not to. I'm pretty confident that if I'm run over by a bus, whether or not I wear a helmet will have nothing to do with whether I live or die.

I wear a helmet because I'd be furious if I tipped over at a stop sign and ended up paralyzed by a stroke of bad luck. The helmet may or not help in that situation, but at least I can feel that I put in a good effort.

GTryder

Helmet saved my head last September.

Motorist pulled a left cutting me off, while I was going through an intersection at 47 km/h. Clamped the brakes, over the bars as my front wheel grazed her back bumper. Injures included concussion, broken nose, 6 stitches below nose, broken teeth ($5000+ dental costs), neck, shoulder and wrist injuries requiring ongoing physio & chiropractic treatment.

Took the next day off to deal with police reports, insurance claim & follow up with family doctor. Following day - back on the bike commuting to work.

Doubt I would have been able to if I had not been wearing a helmet!

JohnDThompson 

Only if "looking authentic" is the reason you ride vintage. For me, it's not the reason.

JohnDThompson 

Alas, a significant fraction of people suffering serious head trauma end up disabled and on the public dole.

Helmets don't magically protect you from injury, but they can and do mitigate the seriousness of head trauma. It seems to me a trivial price to pay to help prevent becoming a burden to society.

RapidRobert

Why is it always the helmet that's "the finger of God" that's solely responsible for "saving my life"? Why not the presence of cell phones that decreases the response time of the paramedics? Why not the skill and training of those first responders? The medical technology in the hospital? MRIs? Advanced drugs? Everyone apparently wants a "magic pill" answer. If the wearing of helmets were anywhere near as effective and necessary for safe bicycling, there would be no debate after 30 years of it. Fact is, they aren't. Misery loves company. American "quick fix" paranoia. Free your head!

cehowardGS

wrk101

Maybe it comes from my motorcycling experience, I would never consider riding a bicycle (or a motorcycle) without a helmet. I needed my bicycle helmet just once. I hit a pothole (gravel trail, hard to see), in between two railroad tracks, and in a fraction of a second, I was over the bars, and took a direct hit to the center of my helmet on a steel rail.

I've needed a motorcycle helmet twice (out of over 500K miles over 35 years). My last motorcycle crash was at interstate speed (70 MPH) where I high sided (thats motorcycle jargon for flying through the air). I went through the windshield with my head (helmet). Even with all the gear, once you high side, the landing controls much of the outcome. Fortunately, I landed on my side, and then tumbled for a while. My full face helmet was scratched/scraped from the chin guard, all the way over the top and down the back side. The doctor at the emergency room was amazed I was OK (relatively, broken collar bone, dislocated shoulder, and broken hand, but at 70 MPH, that was quite minor). I pointed out my riding gear in the corner: full armored suit, full face helmet, boots, full gloves, etc. The term in motorcycling is "ATGATT", all the gear, all the time.

I teach motorcycle safety. One thing I teach new riders, forget worrying about who's fault it was. You will be the one hurt either way. Both of my motorcycle crashes were the other guy's fault. Who gives a crap? Does not matter! (And I could have avoided both of them. Yes, car drivers are idiots and do dumb stuff on the road, so why did I assume they wouldn't?) There are several layers of protection we all rely on. First there is our skill. Then you have the condition of bicycle (or motorcycle), then you have your own condition (sober, well rested, mentally alert), then you have your gear. Put together, the outcomes are better. If you never crash, then none of it matters....

Now the libertarian side of me believes it is a personal choice. Want to ride a motorcycle without a helmet, with flip flops and a tank top, its your choice. I do have the right to think that person is an idiot.

gomango

Thank goodness there is a happy ending to these stories, for the most part.

Just my final words on this topic.

I buy the best fitting and most comfortable helmet for me, regardless of the price.

I have settled in on Bell Volts, but many of my friends are switching to Mavics and Giros.

They cite excellent fit and weight, along with superior venting as their deciding factors.

To me, they both look pretty good as well.

To each their own.

flyfisherbob

Always. I am alive today because I wore one, and will never ride without one. I ride both bicycles and a motorcycle, and have no patience for "organ donors".

Wino Ryder

It only makes good sence. For centuries (dang, has it been that long?) I rode without a helmet. When I started riding more seriously about 13 years ago, I started wearing them because other serious cyclists were wearing them. In time it became just another part of my cycling battle gear. Never really give it a lot of thought until I went down a couple years ago on my Tommasini and smacked my mellon on the pavement. Got all scuffed up on my arms and knees and rode home with a smile with my treasured new war wounds I could show off to my buddies.

Had I not been wearing that helmet I wouldve rode in an ambulance to the hospital.

Long Tom

Hurt your foot, and you've hurt your foot. Your foot is not YOU. Hurt your head, and you've hurt YOU. You are your head. Perhaps it takes a head injury to really grok this.

I'm picking up that this is one of "those" forum topics so I will belatedly shut up now.

Kactus

I would like to ask all the people that don't wear a helmet and have young children; do you require your kids to wear one when they ride?

cehowardGS

I think it would benifit all, if you included "all ages wear a helmet" option in the poll. You include different brackets but not one that includes all!

Through the length of my years I have found out that a "hint to the wise is sufficient"..