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Ever forget your 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

Ever forget your helmet?

Old 08-31-21, 09:59 PM
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TTron
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Ever forget your helmet?

I was 2 hours into a ride today and discovered I had no helmet on!! Holy crap. I always wear a skull cap. Just too comfortable I guess and likely in a hurry. This has never happened before! Anyone else?
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Old 08-31-21, 10:19 PM
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One time I was on the mountain bike and I climbed over a hill and I saw my head in a shadow and there was no helmet on it.
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Old 08-31-21, 10:42 PM
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There have been times I am starting a ride the bike is feeling good, and the air is fresh, and my vision is clear, and my bike sounds fast, and... RATS! Gotta go back and get my helmet...
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Old 08-31-21, 10:55 PM
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Happens to me about once a year - usually when it is cold enough for me to be wearing a beanie to keep my ears warm, and I don't notice the lack of helmet till I am a ways down the road.
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Old 09-01-21, 05:30 AM
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Have never forgotten my helmet, but did once arrive in the parking lot where the ride started and found that I had forgotten my bike. It was early enough that I had time to drive back home to get it
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Old 09-01-21, 06:30 AM
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Kind of. Was meeting some people in a parking lot. Got my bike out of the back of my truck, and while we were talking and waiting for other riders, sat the helmet in the truck bed. Got on the bike to ride, once everyone had arrived, and a friend asked "aren't you going to put on your helmet?". Didn't forget to bring it, just to put it on.
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Old 09-01-21, 06:43 AM
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Never forgot it, but if I did I wouldn't worry much about it or let it ruin my ride.
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Old 09-01-21, 06:59 AM
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I've forgotten to bring my bike. Weird experience to open the back of the truck, no bike. I'd driven 30 minutes to the ride. Everyone had a laugh. Just last week a friend showed up with two left shoes. Luckily someone had a spare pair in his size so with a swap of cleats he was good to go.
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Old 09-01-21, 08:23 AM
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Never forgot the helmet. Sunglasses/eye protection on the other hand...
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Old 09-01-21, 08:31 AM
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in winter with head covering I have forgot na few times as I cant feel it. Sunday wife and I on our tandem were about 12 miles into our 45 mile ride stopped at a bakery for a snack realized forgot our pannier. so no extra water or snacks or masks so could not even buy what we needed and eded up going back home.
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Old 09-01-21, 08:34 AM
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I've forgotten my water a few times.... I'll stop for a drink and look down and then I'll remember it's sitting at home on the kitchen counter where I left it.

Storebought Aquafina bottles fit my cage perfectly so there is always a workaround available at the nearest convenience store.
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Old 09-01-21, 09:32 AM
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Nah - the extra pressure and weight I feel on my head makes it impossible to forget.

Forgot my shoes last weekend, but quickly realized it when I got out of my car and started prepping the bike for the ride... Would have been hard to ride with crocs.
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Old 09-01-21, 10:36 AM
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forgot the wife once, that was bad...
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Old 09-01-21, 10:58 AM
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I told a friend I wanted to show her my new helmet, we drove our bikes to ride together, the helmet was on the counter at home where I left it.
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Old 09-01-21, 11:17 AM
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I got most of the way to a winter ride before realizing I'd left my helmet at home. I bet I looked weird riding through downtown with just a balaklava over my head!
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Old 09-01-21, 12:18 PM
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Twice. Both times was in the cold and I had a thermal head covering. Both times I noticed it at about the end of my street.
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Old 09-01-21, 12:21 PM
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I forgot my socks for a ride once. Used napkins. Forgot my ski boots once too and had to go back for them. Getting older sucks.
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Old 09-01-21, 12:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Seattle Forrest
I forgot my socks for a ride once. Used napkins. Forgot my ski boots once too and had to go back for them. Getting older sucks.
I guess when I get to the point that I think ski boots are good for cycling, I'll start to worry
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Old 09-01-21, 12:31 PM
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Originally Posted by blacknbluebikes
forgot the wife once, that was bad...
Bet you only did that once! (Don't ask me how I know!)
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Old 09-01-21, 12:31 PM
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I'm at the age where I've forgotten everything at least once...helmet, gloves, water bottles. One time I even dressed with my bibs inside out (got dressed in the dark so as to not wake up the wife). I caught that one before I left home.
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Old 09-01-21, 01:04 PM
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no but I once forgot to remove the top tube adapter tension bar for the bike rack. had to do my whole MTB ride with that thing rattling around


the one time Wifey & I decided to intentionally ride w/o helmets, because it was such a hot day, a cpl years ago, she crashed into a bollard on the rail trail & broke her wrist. luckily didn't hit her head, cuz her wrist took the fall.

after that, we vowed to always wear helmets. I make only 1 exception, a slow 2 mile beach trail, which stops where I hike another 2 miles on foot

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Old 09-01-21, 01:09 PM
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Originally Posted by ThermionicScott
I got most of the way to a winter ride before realizing I'd left my helmet at home. I bet I looked weird riding through downtown with just a balaklava over my head!
terrifying
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Old 09-01-21, 01:12 PM
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forgot my office keys on one winter morning commute. had to wait for the owners' Dad to show up & let me in. good thing he was an early riser!
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Old 09-01-21, 01:53 PM
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Originally Posted by zandoval
There have been times I am starting a ride the bike is feeling good, and the air is fresh, and my vision is clear, and my bike sounds fast, and... RATS! Gotta go back and get my helmet...
Yeah, this happens to me once or twice a year but I barely make it off my street (or maybe not even down the driveway) before I notice and turn around.

Otto
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Old 09-01-21, 02:30 PM
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Originally Posted by blacknbluebikes
forgot the wife once, that was bad...
That's the kind of mistake you pay for repeatedly, and for a long time.
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