Who wears a skid lid on training rides?

[Shreklookalike]

Besides, I can put my fist through most bicycle helmets. They're just made out of thin plastic and styrofoam (the same stuff used for beer coolers). How is that supposed to protect your noodle? Trust me, if the wheel of a car runs over your head a bike helmet won't do a damned thing.

No doubt you can probably put your fist through them, but your fist will be moving a LOT slower by the time it gets to the other side. It's the same crumpling effect that they use in automobile chassis these days to lessen the impact on drivers and passengers. Newer cars get mangled more seriously than the old steel behemoths, but there are fewer fatalaties. If bike helmets were made of steel they wouldn't cushion the blunt force impact nearly as well as a plastic and styrofoam helmet.

True, if the wheel of a car runs over your head you're gonna be toast no matter what you're wearing, but that has no bearing on what the helmets are designed for, and that's to lessen the severity of blunt force impact that occurs when noggin meets _________ (insert riding surface of your choice).

It's good that you wear gloves though. That way the nurses can comment on what pretty hands you've got while they change your IV.

 

[jsigone]

Riding MTB for a few yrs now so having a lid on is natural to me, I'd feel naked if I didn't have it on w/ the roadie.

 

[birdman23]

I wouldn't think of riding without one. I have a riding buddy who flew off a hairpin turn and hit a tree head on at about 30 mph. Helmet is the only thing that saved his life.

 

[Doctor Morbius]

hopefully stupid sons-of-*****es such as wayfastwhitey and dr morbius will kill themselves off before they have a chance to procreate and bring more stupid sons-of-*****es into the world. and hopefully they go quickly so my tax money or high insurance premiums don't go toward their support.

Actually, I'm much more worried about some redneck hick like you running me off the road in their rusted out beat up truck because they've had too many Bud's down at the local tavern and that's the only way they can get their jollies!

Have a nice day!

 

[capwater]

redneck hick in their rusted out beat up truckQUOTE]

Hey, hey, hey.........

Some of us rednecks in rusted out beat up trucks take offense to such generalizations!!!!

 

[alienator]

It's impossible to come up with a test that will accurately replicate what happens in a crash. Likewise, "putting a fist through a helmet" is just as unrealisitic, as is the idea that the refex to put your hands out will keep your noodle from impacting something hard.

In the motorcycle world there has been on again, off again debate about which test certifcation is better for motorcycle helmets. Some claim that one particular test better represents forces involved on street bikes, while another test better reflects what happens in a high speed racing crash. Just goes to show the test aren't conclusive.

If all you do is low side your bike, then, well maybe getting your hands down might help. And since the geometry of a low side has your head kinda up, then that seems to bode well for yer mellon. Of course those considerations have nothing to do with the possibility of something striking yer nugget cuz maybe yer spinnin round or of getting hit by another vehicle after you go down.

And what about high siding or getting launched over the car after granny hits you? Them things happens fast, and saying that you can get your hands down or can roll or perform some other gymnastic feat to keep the bucket off the ground is, well, assinine.

No helmet manufacturer ever claimed that their helmet will prevent head injury or definitely save your life. Nope. Has never been claimed. They CAN help, though. It doesn't take much of an impact to turn a person into a stale vegetable side dish. Just the fall from seat height--with no forward velocity--is sufficient to deliver a killing blow to your head.

That hospitals aren't overflowing with head injured bicyclists has nothing to do with anything. It's a pointless justification. Fact is, most traumatic injuries aren't head injuries.......so what? Head injuries end up being the most expensive and debilitating injuries, though. You don't necessarily die. Maybe you're just left in a vegetative state. Maybe you just lose some important cognitive abilities. Maybe you just lose your memory of things important. Maybe you just have emotional changes resulting from the injury. Whatever: it can really fcuk up your life.

I wear mine, and I've had the experiences to back up my choice. Hit by car on bicycle in '86, landed on head/helmet after going over car....walked away. Hit by car on motorcycle in '85....cracked helmet, brain intact. 3 motorcycle racing crashes at over 100 mph--two of them highsides, and one a lovely tumbling affair...in all three crashes, the helmets were destroyed (and in one my neck was broken) but I either walked away or was carted away with a healthy head. This past Sept., I was hit by granny while on my bicycle...hit head and walked away (Thank you, Giro.).

If you choose to not wear a helmet, do so because you just don't want to, but please don't make yourself look stupid by making stupid claims, using incorrect data, or by making improper comparisons.

 

[RC2]

Those of you who are objecting to the negative reactions to this question ('hmm, do you think it's OK to not wear a helmet?') should think a bit.

I would expect a newbie or walmart shopper to wonder about whether wearing a helmet is the right thing to do... but this is a bike forum where the typical user has a bit more knowledge. There's no debate that your cranium sans helmet hitting the tarmac from ~6 ft off the ground is likely to kill or impair you seriously...

If ONE noobie decides from this thread that not wearing a helmet is OK and as a result kills him/herself than you deserve EVERY four letter word you see here. (If you decide for yourself that your quality of life isn't worth the $/effort it takes to but on that brain bucket, you're still a SOB in the event that you cause an honest but errant driver to kill you and feel responsible.)

 

[birdman23]

N

It's good that you wear gloves though. That way the nurses can comment on what pretty hands you've got while they change your IV.

And don't forget the Colostomy bag.

 

[Nate99]

I split my previous helmet on the pavement after an edge trap got me. My head hit the concrete very hard. If the helmet was not there, I would have been in bad shape, no doubt.

But I'm all for personal choice, so knock yourself out.

 

[davidbod]

I've crashed many times on my mountain bike and many more times on bmx bikes when I was a kid. Here though speeds are generaly low and the crash is usually not severe. On the other hand in all the road riding I have done I have only ever crashed three times. One most recently I got lead into a traffic cone by a pace line that didn't call it out and mostly came out unscathed other than minor road rash on my elbow and knee. In my early twenties I was hit from behind by a car and launched flying in the air, flipped over the handle bars and landed on my head in a summersault on the pavement. Lots of road rash and a busted thumb on that one. Helmet was trashed and replaced along with my rear wheel. The other one was a few years ago and was pretty severe too. I was riding in a double paceline second from the front at about 22-23 mph. My chain snapped on the down stroke and the resulting force had me and the bike in the air parallel to the pavement heading for a major blow to the ground. All I could do was tuck my arm in and try and hit the ground spreading the blow out as evenly as possible. My head, shoulder, arm, hip and upper leg down to the knee all hit the pavement at the same time. I had about enough time to retract my arm from the drop bar to my side and thats it. The bike barely got a scratch, but my entire left side was one big strawberry and my helmet was trashed. I have no doubt that in either of these last two crashes without a helmet I would have been seriously injured or worse. By the way it just so happened that I was in the left paceline and the chain snapped on the left downstroke throwing me down to the ground away from the pacelines. If it had snapped on the right downstroke I would have most likely taken out the entire right paceline as well and many others could have tested their helmets also.

 

[wayfastwhitey]

I've crashed many times on my mountain bike and many more times on bmx bikes when I was a kid. Here though speeds are generaly low and the crash is usually not severe. On the other hand in all the road riding I have done I have only ever crashed three times. One most recently I got lead into a traffic cone by a pace line that didn't call it out and mostly came out unscathed other than minor road rash on my elbow and knee. In my early twenties I was hit from behind by a car and launched flying in the air, flipped over the handle bars and landed on my head in a summersault on the pavement. Lots of road rash and a busted thumb on that one. Helmet was trashed and replaced along with my rear wheel. The other one was a few years ago and was pretty severe too. I was riding in a double paceline second from the front at about 22-23 mph. My chain snapped on the down stroke and the resulting force had me and the bike in the air parallel to the pavement heading for a major blow to the ground. All I could do was tuck my arm in and try and hit the ground spreading the blow out as evenly as possible. My head, shoulder, arm, hip and upper leg down to the knee all hit the pavement at the same time. I had about enough time to retract my arm from the drop bar to my side and thats it. The bike barely got a scratch, but my entire left side was one big strawberry and my helmet was trashed. I have no doubt that in either of these last two crashes without a helmet I would have been seriously injured or worse. By the way it just so happened that I was in the left paceline and the chain snapped on the left downstroke throwing me down to the ground away from the pacelines. If it had snapped on the right downstroke I would have most likely taken out the entire right paceline as well and many others could have tested their helmets also.

First of all RC2, I don't object to the negative comments, do object to senseless flamng, and the world of cyclng doesn't start wth this forum, so to consider my post count as my experience as a rider and refer to me as a newbie is ignorant, as I have been riding for years. I am greatful to all that have given me their opinions, whatever they are and also your stories. They are definitely making me think about the subject a little more. I stil do have my own experiences and opinions that I am drawing from, as well as data that has been proven inconclusive ( I can read, and I have researched this, that is why I am asking for opinions because I have seen data that argues both ways on this subject) but I do appreciate your opinions. I do feel that it is a freedom of choice (like the seatbelt law I think it should be your choice) and am surprised that I read a post about whether you can smoke cigarettes and ride fast, and you were willing to give that guy the time of day. But you flame me for a little bit of probing about your opinions.

WFW

 

[zakman]

I seldom wear a brain bucket either but you can expect to get seriously flamed for posting that question here. I do wear gloves though. Instinctually the first thing a person does when falling is put out their hand. Most of the accidents I've had in the past 15 years have been due to losing my balance from going too slow and falling over.

I can't begin to count the number of times I've wrecked on a bicycle throughout the course of my life and I've never ever ever hurt my head. I'm talking about being 14 years old and jumping ramps 15+ feet on a beat up old Schwinn Sting-Ray. Never hurt my head. Racked myself several times but I never hurt my noggin. I never wore a helmet back then (1974) and neither did all of the other kids. I'm willing to bet good money we took more risks on our Sting-Rays than roadies do today yet somehow we all survived without any head trauma. Imagine that.

Besides, I can put my fist through most bicycle helmets. They're just made out of thin plastic and styrofoam (the same stuff used for beer coolers). How is that supposed to protect your noodle? Trust me, if the wheel of a car runs over your head a bike helmet won't do a damned thing.

Now yer talkin! I happen to wear a helmet but this is a GREAT post! I remember all the same stuff in 1974 - ramping in the street on some taiwanese piece of **** dirt bike, getting racked, crashing constantly, etc. And you're right on - I tore my clothes to ribbons, got more roadrash than you can imagine, and never once bumped my head.

I think you're right about how flimsy bike helmets are, although they would do more than nothing. Remember the hardshells in the 80s? They might've done something significant. How about hairnets? I actually raced Junior wearing a hairnet - now that's protection!

 

[capwater]

on some taiwanese piece of **** dirt bike

Isn't it a trip to think that the same people that made those crappy dirt bikes probably now make frames for Colnago!

 

[Doctor Morbius]

Now yer talkin! I happen to wear a helmet but this is a GREAT post! I remember all the same stuff in 1974 - ramping in the street on some taiwanese piece of **** dirt bike, getting racked, crashing constantly, etc. And you're right on - I tore my clothes to ribbons, got more roadrash than you can imagine, and never once bumped my head.

I think you're right about how flimsy bike helmets are, although they would do more than nothing. Remember the hardshells in the 80s? They might've done something significant. How about hairnets? I actually raced Junior wearing a hairnet - now that's protection!

Yes back in those days we did some really crazy (stupid) stuff that as grown adults we would never think of. I really loved those Schwinn Sting-Rays (I own 7 of them now!). They could really take the abuse. AND they were excellent wheelie bikes! I actually did a wheelie one time that was 1/4 mile! Never topped that one.

I knew I'd catch some **** for stating that I don't wear a helmet all the time. It's kind of like knocking some of these guys' religion or something. You'd think I shot the Pope! I do wear them, just not all the time. It really depends on the ride and how heavy the traffic is. But then I don't ride in heavy traffic conditions. It wasn't until the 2004 TdF that riders had to wear helmets that complied to ANSI safety standards for time trials. Prior to this past year the helmets were strictly for airodynamics and offered no safety features. Even everyone's hero Lance didn't wear the ANSI compliant helmet until he was forced to.

 

[jerryz]

Even everyone's hero Lance didn't wear the ANSI compliant helmet until he was forced to.

Uhm...... And your point is......

 

[Doctor Morbius]

Uhm...... And your point is......

How are those reading and comprehension skills there, champ?

 

[jerryz]

How are those reading and comprehension skills there, champ?

Actually astonishingly good. The real question is. What does the fact that the pros. Running on a controlled environment, as opposed to the uncontrolled streets, didn't follow a prudent course until last year have to do with the empirical evidence available for anyone willing to make half an effort to look for it or read it? In my first post I suggested you try pubmed as they have a plethora (big word, you'll need a dictionary) of research articles on bicycle helmets. Not one of them in any way even marginally inconclusive. I take it you haven't bothered to look?

I understand, it's your choice. People are entitled to be foolish. But, and this is the important part, one should never defend foolishness as anything other than what it is.

Here let me help you out. I stopped at 3 because That was how many were on the first page... of 25! Now if you have studies of comparable quality that refute this, bring them on. Otherwise,

Source: Orthop-Nurs. 2003 Jan-Feb; 22(1): 9-15
Abstract:
Bicycle injuries are the most common cause of serious head injury in children, and most of these injuries are preventable. The protective effect of bicycle helmets is well documented, but many child bicyclists do not wear them. This article summarizes the current state of research on bicycle injuries and helmet use and examines the effectiveness of legislation and injury-prevention strategies. Current studies indicate that children who wear helmets experience fewer head injuries and decreased severity of injury. Community-wide helmet-promotion campaigns combined with legislation are most successful in increasing helmet use and decreasing injury. Nurses can participate both at the institutional level and in community advocacy groups to promote bicycle safety for children.

Source: Inj-Prev. 2003 Jun; 9(2): 177-9
Abstract:
The purpose of this research was to explore the changes in children's bicycle helmet use and motor vehicle bicycle related injuries in Hillsborough County, Florida before and after passage of the Florida's bicycle helmet law for children under the age of 16. The results show a significant increase in bicycle helmet use among children, ages 5-13, in the post-law years compared with the pre-law years. Also, there has been a significant decline in the rates of bicycle related motor vehicle injuries among children in the post-law years compared with the pre-law years. Although there have been complementary educational and outreach activities in the county to support helmet use, it appears that the greatest increase in use occurred after the passage of the helmet law. It is recommended that educational efforts continue to sustain helmet use rates and decreases in injuries.

Source: Inj-Prev. 2003 Sep; 9(3): 266-7
Abstract:
In England the use of bicycle helmets remains low as debate continues about their effectiveness. Time trend studies have previously shown an inverse association between helmet wearing rates and hospital admissions for head injury, but data on helmet wearing are often sparse and admission rates vary for numerous reasons. For the period of this study comprehensive data on helmet wearing are available, and pedestrians are used as a control to monitor trends in admission. Among cyclists admitted to hospital, the percentage with head injury reduced from 27.9% (n = 3070) to 20.4% (n = 2154), as helmet wearing rose from 16.0% to 21.8%. Pedestrian head injury admissions also declined but by a significantly smaller amount. The wearing of a cycle helmet is estimated to prevent 60% of head injuries.

 

[lumpy]

The wearing of a cycle helmet is estimated to prevent 60% of head injuries.

Good enough for me! Great info jerryz - thanks!

 

[dhk]

Good enough for me! Great info jerryz - thanks!

Believe anyone who's ever taken a broken helmet off of dazed rider and given it to the paramedic has to know their value.

We can quote statistics and stories all day long, but my take is that some people just don't believe a head injury will happen to them. Maybe they think they are such great riders that they won't crash; that such accidents always happen to someone else.

We all know that teenagers do crazy stuff because they have an aura of invincibility. In the news last week, heard a report confirming that the brain has to mature to accurately assess the risk of personal injury....that happens around age 25.

 

[EagleVT94]

I wear a helmet because nobody plans on getting in an accident!

And yes, they have shown that risky teen behavior can be attributed to the lack of final neuronal maturation...and I believe it happens a tad later in guys? I'll have to check...