Cycle helmet- to wear or not to wear

[pcmxa]

According to Wikipedia the most recent meets analysis of studies indicate you are 50-100% more likely to suffer a head injury when not wearing a helmet and 3-4 times more likely to die. It does not address where head injuries are going down due to increased helmet use. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_helmet Sent from my SPH-L300 using Tapatalk 4

 

[OldTimer79]

Hey, it's only your head. How important can that be? Coming from a previously no-helmet guy who has seen the light.

 

[DaveQB]

It is law here to wear a helmet. Won't get far not wearing one. I came off my bike on a descent. Injury free but did hear a loud crack when the back of my head hit the ground. I thought it was my head but didn't feel any pain, so I was baffled. Wasn't until I got home and saw the back of my helmet..

 

[steve]

Quote: Originally Posted by DaveQB .

It is law here to wear a helmet. Won't get far not wearing one.

I came off my bike on a descent. Injury free but did hear a loud crack when the back of my head hit the ground. I thought it was my head but didn't feel any pain, so I was baffled. Wasn't until I got home and saw the back of my helmet..


Walking away vs a potential serious injury. Helmets do make a huge difference when cars aren't involved.

 

[DaveQB]

Walking away vs a potential serious injury. Helmets do make a huge difference when cars aren't involved. 

I certainly agree.

 

[Volnix]

Quote: Originally Posted by DaveQB .

It is law here to wear a helmet. Won't get far not wearing one.

I came off my bike on a descent. Injury free but did hear a loud crack when the back of my head hit the ground. I thought it was my head but didn't feel any pain, so I was baffled. Wasn't until I got home and saw the back of my helmet..


Lucky...

 

[alienator]

Walking away vs a potential serious injury. Helmets do make a huge difference when cars aren't involved. 

Helmets can make a difference when a car is involved, too. It's impossible to predict in a car vs. bike how high the loading on the head/brain will be. The only thing that can be said is that without a helmet, the loading will be the maximum for a given situation's dynamics.

 

[Jimber]

I rode my first summer without a helmet because my head sweats easily and the helmet, a cheap model with little ventilation, made me sweat worse. I reasoned it wouldn't help much if I were struck by a vehicle cruising 65 mph anyway. The following year I picked up a better helmet with adequate vents and have worn one since for every ride. In comparison I don't feel any safer about being struck by a speeding vehicle but it does bring confidence that I will walk away from the less severe tumbles.

Less time laid up means more time in the saddle.

 

[huntja]

I can't express just how much danger there is in even a very slow speed fall. The primary protection in a helmet is from the acceleration that occurs in the fall from the height of your head. A bicycle is even higher off of the ground than the average motorcycle and simple physics gives you more time to allow your head to accelerate during the fall from the greater height. Take the seat height and add the height of your torso, neck and head above the seat/bars. I have extensive experience in touring and racing on road and mountain bikes as well as super bikes. I can't tell you the number of times I've seen a helmet save a life. More importantly is my worst crash. I had just finished my normal Sat AM century, I was rolling slowly down my own street and decided to look at some new construction as I rolled by. The next thing I knew I was on the ground with a helmet that had shattered into 7 pieces. Turned out that a workman had dropped a brick in the middle of the road and my 10 seconds of inattention allowed me to hit it, fall and be saved by my silly looking helmet. In your post, you mention looks being a factor. How will you "look" if you fall and it results in traumatic brain injury (normally a sub-dural hematoma). This can result in everything from simple concussion to permanent disability or death. But hey, you'll look good in the casket! I've personally suffered such an injury and lived though it, but, I suffer the consequences every day of my life. And I was wearing a helmet!

 

[DaveQB]

Indeed. Well smart on my behalf to be wearing a helmet, but lucky it wasn't more serious.

 

[Cyclifyapparel]

I live in Japan where 90% (this is not statistically accurate..) of Japanese citizens do not wear helmets, and these people bike A-LOT.

Personally, I wear one most of the time. I've never had any accidents involving my head, but why take the risk? I have helmets for mountain biking that are very comfortable, so I really have no reason to not wear one.