Riding without a helmet

[Disher]

Last week at northern farms I made a rookie error and departed through the front door... hard.

 

Landed squarely on my kop. Afterwards after inspecting the helmet there was a nasty "indentation" and hairline crack. I don't know what stone or rock did that but I was glad that I had a helmet on as I fear my noggin would have taken the impact had the helmet not.

 

Wear one, don't wear one, up to you. I believe in them.

[Stefalbertyn]

 

So when you post this sort of BS you create the impression in peoples mind that it's opay and I dont need it. The helmet that is.

 

What BS.

 

Take a ventilator pipe and shove it down your throat - its called intubation. And then tell me what is more painful and inconvenient - a little bit of uncomfortable protection or months in recovery.

 

You sir would do better to carry on living under the rock you crawled out from.

 

Ok - under my rock I go.....

 

http://www.cyclehelmets.org/1013.html

[DJR]

Ok - under my rock I go.....

 

http://www.cyclehelmets.org/1013.html

Stef, for the sake of balance I cannot let the article you quoted go unchallenged:

 

My honest opinion is that it selectively quotes unsound conclusions from scientific studies that were not meant to assess helmet efficiency, to justify not wearing a helmet. Scientifically speaking, the facts it bases its argument on are inappropriate for the hypothesis and therefore the conclusion is fatally flawed. There are many articles like that on the internet and I view them as irresponsible, possibly leading beginners to endanger themselves.

 

At the end of the day, it is still your choice whether to use a helmet or not. I will never challenge you on that point, here or in person, but I will challenge your promotion of a skewed belief that a helmet is useless or inappropriate for cycling in general.

 

I see some areas of cycling where I think a helmet is probably not of much use, like on a commute on a dedicated cycle lane in Holland. Riding on our SA roads, or anywhere on the mountain, common sense should be all the motivation one needs to use a lid. The downhillers and BMXers understand the value of a helmet during a crash, and logic tells me it will help in most other crashes too.

 

Personally, I wear mine, and I insist my kids do too. What you do is your own business, but I will ask you at least not to encourage others to ride without a helmet.

[Fr33rider]

I would sooner go out riding with no pants than no helmet.

 

A good friends father has brain damage caused by a low speed fall. He just happened to hit his head wrong.

[Barry Stuart]

Use this compilation to decide when a helmet would be a good idea.

 

[Sparki 1]

Stef, for the sake of balance I cannot let the article you quoted go unchallenged:

 

My honest opinion is that it selectively quotes unsound conclusions from scientific studies that were not meant to assess helmet efficiency, to justify not wearing a helmet. Scientifically speaking, the facts it bases its argument on are inappropriate for the hypothesis and therefore the conclusion is fatally flawed. There are many articles like that on the internet and I view them as irresponsible, possibly leading beginners to endanger themselves.

 

At the end of the day, it is still your choice whether to use a helmet or not. I will never challenge you on that point, here or in person, but I will challenge your promotion of a skewed belief that a helmet is useless or inappropriate for cycling in general.

 

I see some areas of cycling where I think a helmet is probably not of much use, like on a commute on a dedicated cycle lane in Holland. Riding on our SA roads, or anywhere on the mountain, common sense should be all the motivation one needs to use a lid. The downhillers and BMXers understand the value of a helmet during a crash, and logic tells me it will help in most other crashes too.

 

Personally, I wear mine, and I insist my kids do too. What you do is your own business, but I will ask you at least not to encourage others to ride without a helmet.

nicely put DJR! nice and mature

[Spez247]

My daughters always look at me funny, when I point out to them the twats on programs like Ridiculousness or Home Videos, that are attempting potentially life threatening shite, sans a helmet...

 

2 weeks back, my eldest wanted to go out for a pedal, and within a km, she hit a rut and ran out of talent real quick. OTB and lots of sliding on gravel.

 

She landed on her head and then transferred the impact to her left shoulder. My first thought was collar bone gone!

 

The S3 took it well, even though it was cracked through out the left hand side stays. She had no facial injuries, but wouldn't let me photograph the roasties on her hip and thigh. She did let me photo her shoulder.

 

Please see attached.

 

Last night they wanted to go swimming at the club house, & before I could say anything, those lids were on!

 

Lesson learnt me thinks...

 

[Lotus]

My R0.02 worth.

 

Helmet is like a parachute - you'll probably/hopefully never need it to save you, but if you do you'll need it real bad, real quick.

 

Staying out of trouble is not something you can control, and your orientation on impact even less so. I had that experience a few years back when my handlebar snapped clean off on a perfectly straight and quiet road. Milliseconds between realising something wasn't quite right with the bike, and hitting the road hard. Did the helmet help? Well, I can still ride and waste time on the Hub, and I don't need my family to feed me or teach me to speak again, so I guess the helmet helped a lot.

 

If some folks don't want to wear one that's fine by me, but don't make your foolish view look like hipster wisdom.

[Pure Savage]

I have watched countless hours of failarmy videos, unless you are drunk out of your skull, you need a helmet. Those drunk okes just bounce so well and do the rag doll so well.

[Fr33rider]

I have watched countless hours of failarmy videos, unless you are drunk out of your skull, you need a helmet. Those drunk okes just bounce so well and do the rag doll so well.

Are you advocating that the helmetless crowd get motherless before riding? [emoji2]

[Spinnekop]

I don't wear a helmet. My head is to fat for one (68cm circumference) and it is very uncomfortable. 

Even though I cycle on the road  

- I do not go fast enough

I go so slow that I can great everyone, cyclist, joggers, drivers - alma!

I am fat - I average 22-25km/h and almost never go beyond 30-40km/h because frankly no bicycle was ever made to carry me beyond that.

I NEVER ride in groups

I do not wear Lycra - I wear a long sleeved checked shirt made of quick wicking material (did I mention I am too fat to cycle? - and very sun sensitive skin...)

The cars give me a wide berth - they are scared shitless of the damage to their vehicles when they see me.

I did cycle with a helmet that I gouged the insides out of to make it fit - for years - but stopped that now. I have found that cars DO actually drive around me more (maybe thinking that I am a normal cyclist - not an irritating shrimp)

I get nasty comments every day - cyclists singing old macdonald had a farm as they pass- (with refernce to the shirt), shouting "no helmet no ride" after i greeted them friendly, insults like "no helmet no brain", "darwin at work" at stops etc - (the darwin and organ donar wize cracks are old, very old - think of something new), I don't care for those, only talked back once when some idiot preached about it being law - I asked him where the forward and rear facing reflectors on his bike was (also law), what about the bell (law), and why he and his entire school of shrimps flew through 3 x red traffic lights 3-4 abreast after passing me.

 

So - I get more flak from my fellow cyclist now than I do from the cagers

 

I am past 50 and have been riding bicycles and motorcycles all my life and understand helmet use very well, I have had my ups and downs

If you talk about falling so hard on your head that the helmet cracked - its meant to crack - does not take much force.

And If you have visions of someone being hit in front of you and you have to witness their brains splattered over the road because they did not wear a helmet, then you are fooled into a false sense of the security that a helmet offers -trust me it would not be different with one - ask any paramedic.

About ten years ago in a US bicycling magazine - they did tests on several helmets and the effectiveness at different angles. The bottom line was that they were all equally ineffective from the cheapest to the most expensive, particularly NO protection when falling on temples because of the hardness of the poly, AND there was a lot of evidence of manufacturers driving the law to wear.

Obviously if you are a speed demon or downhiller etc you should consider wearing, but me - I cycled to school and everywhere I needed to be since I was 6 (and cruzed the hood before then) and never wore a helmet ever - back then only track cyclists would - and only ever had one mild concussion when I got a bit windgat in front of the girls

 

It is up to every individual to decide - the righteous ones should the old jokes and insults to themselves

 

just saying....

So anyone should take the same view point on stopping at robots?  If it is save enough for yourself to skip it, it is okay?

'Cause....like stopping at a red light is law, so it wearing a helmet.

 

I guess that is why this country is where it is at.  People doing what they want. 

[Barry Stuart]

I have watched countless hours of failarmy videos, unless you are drunk out of your skull, you need a helmet. Those drunk okes just bounce so well and do the rag doll so well.

Fail Army. As soon as you see a BMX and no helmet you know somebody's going to be clutching their face soon.

[DJR]

Fail Army. As soon as you see a BMX and no helmet you know somebody's going to be clutching their face soon.

Or their manhood  

[V12man]

Or their manhood  

Usually face AND manhood.... and spitting teeth.... those that don't land up in their lungs....

[EmptyB]

I would sooner go out riding with no pants than no helmet.

 

A good friends father has brain damage caused by a low speed fall. He just happened to hit his head wrong.

Riding with no pants could seriously damage your other head....

[Stefalbertyn]

So anyone should take the same view point on stopping at robots?  If it is save enough for yourself to skip it, it is okay?

'Cause....like stopping at a red light is law, so it wearing a helmet.

 

I guess that is why this country is where it is at.  People doing what they want. 

tel me where I can get a 68cm helmet and I promise to wear the damn thing

 

Do you have reflectors and a bell on your bike? No wonder the country is in such bad shape!

 

To put the laws in perspective

It is also illegal to stand up when you cycle - you are suppose to be seated when moving!

 

And no - I pay all my taxes by the book, put 7 children that are not mine and that I do not even know through school out of my pocket (and I do not use this as a tax break) and stop at stop streets and traffic lights, I do not speed and am always the one to let the other road user have the benefit of doubt - no sir I do not add to the terrible lawlessness by not wearing a helmet.

 

And skipping traffic lights are worse - as you will actually put OTHER PEOPLE in danger or in a situation where they have to avoid you...