Do you always wear your helmet? - Page 4

Not always. If I'm going more than 6 miles, then yes.

Brand new to cycling, and would never consider leaving the house without one.

Always. Me likey my brain, and I don't think being fed through a tube is very rewarding.

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When I was a kid I was hit from behind without a helmet about 2 blocks from my house on a fairly rural road. Bend my cannondale frame and put me in the hospital for two weeks. After a few days I came to (I only recall the last few days in the hospital) I was told I couldn't speak, even though I was trying to communicate - the doctors assumed I had permanent brain damage. The following week things came together for me though.

I was hit hard enough that looking back on it, the idea of saving myself by attempting to roll is laughable. While I still would have been seriously hurt, wearing a helmet would have helped quite a bit. So yeah, I wear a helmet now.

You only need to use it once to know you should always have it on. In my case that was about 8 years ago. Pushed off road and head first over the handlebars. Got intimate with a tree. Luckly I walked away with only some pride missing and a damaged bike. Wouldn't be caught riding without it.

Greg

I've never worn a helmet, but I haven't raod over 15 miles a day. If you ride 6 to 8 hours a day you'll one day be glad you wore it. I mean you could just black out and fall on your head. Your bike tire might blow. So many things could happen and you coming down at 20 miles an hour on your head would hurt like a *****. Then you would go buy a helmet.

Or you could just as easily 'black out' while walking down the street, or trip over the kerb, or slip on a banana skin, or fall down the stairs at home or even maybe, fall out of bed?!

It's true that you can injure your head in many different ways, not all of which are on a bike. However, when you're on an unprotected, top-heavy, unstable metal frame travelling at 20mph+, when the only thing sticking you to the road is two tiny threads of rubber, you have a duty to your head to protect it from harm. After reading that story (linked to from the first page), I notice that the kid who rode (in a quiet suburban neighbourhood with no traffic) over a drain, cannot pick up anything heavier than a pair of shoes and certainly will *never* ride a bike again.

I'm sorry, but if you are really riding around on an 'unstable, top heavy, metal frame' you should try and get some advice. Maybe your right to be wearing a helmet!.

I'm sorry, but if you are really riding around on an 'unstable, top heavy, metal frame' you should try and get some advice. Maybe your right to be wearing a helmet!.

That's a red herring and doesn't address the argument at hand. Sorry. Nice try.

__________________
Sex is horrid
Pain is Fun
I cut my fingers off
One by one

Okay, I admit that the banana skin thing is a little unlikely!.

And tripping over a curb while walking down the street and going head first into the pavement @ 20mph (or 15, or 12, insert normal riding speed here) is equally unlikely.

There are enough people on here that relate stories about going down while riding and getting intimate with the pavement that I find it crazy to not ride with a helmet, considering how easy it is to put one on. I know of very few people (can't think of any that I know) who have ever tripped while walking down the street and suffered a severe head trauma.

Down here in Australia it is law that every bike rider including children must wear an appropriate helmet. I've been riding for 25 years and although in the early years we only wore the leather bar type helmet, which are now illegal, there was some protection for the head when coming off. Although I have crashed many times I have only once done damage to the helmet. In that case I came off in a sprint at about 35mph and slid along the tarmac a very long way with my head bouncing on the ground. So riding road, track or just training I would never venture out with the skid lid.

Absolutely!

Even if you are confident in your own riding, you cant control the universe. I was out riding about 5 weeks ago and a pickup truck went the wrong way down a 1 way street. He then rpoceeded to turn right in front of me during a sprint. Even though I had a little time to grab the brakes I still hit him pretty hard.

Docs say that it probably saved my life. Even though I still cant walk(broken pelvis) at least im alive!!!