Nearly no helmet!

woodford2barbican
woodford2barbican Posts: 1,505
edited May 2008 in Commuting chat
I left home this morning and had toi turn round after less than ten yards to go back inside and put my helmet on.

It was a close thing, I almost created a long running argument on a cycling forum!

Comments

  • attica
    attica Posts: 2,362
    Must be a day for it.

    I forgot my gloves this morning, probably a good this as I've picked up some fairly daft tan lines over the weekend.
    Got me thinking though, does anybody else regard their gloves as PPE (against road rash to the palms) or do you use them to protect soft hands from handlebar rub or are they just an accessory to look good with a helmet and lycra?

    Personally I think of them as the former.

    Gosh darn it, I hope I haven't started another long running argument!
    "Impressive break"

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  • Clever Pun
    Clever Pun Posts: 6,778
    I think gloves are at least as important as the helmet... when you come off your hands go to the ground to protect you if you skid along with unprotected skin, you can get some vicious infections/stone insertions and the like from the road surface.

    This line of thinking comes from motorcycling.
    Purveyor of sonic doom

    Very Hairy Roadie - FCN 4
    Fixed Pista- FCN 5
    Beared Bromptonite - FCN 14
  • clanton
    clanton Posts: 1,289
    Gloves make for a more comfy ride in my opinion but my main reason is the road rash - picking gravel out of the heels of your hands aint fun!
  • Swannie
    Swannie Posts: 107
    Yeah, I still have a scar on my left hand from where I came off two months (+) ago.

    I popped to the bank at lunchtime today... no helmet, but gloves for sure!

    My hands are going to go down to stop my head from hitting the floor whether I have a helmet on or not. Not that you'll catch me often without a helmet. Just with all that sun, nice to feel the wind in your hair!
  • attica
    attica Posts: 2,362
    I'm gonna have to ask...

    BentMikey, do you wear gloves?

    :wink: :shock: :wink: :twisted: :wink:
    "Impressive break"

    "Thanks...

    ...I can taste blood"
  • jonginge
    jonginge Posts: 5,945
    Gloves are a must for me. Sure, road rash heals but it's a real PITA if you spend most of the working day sitting behind a keyboard and can't type properly for a couple of weeks.


    FWIW: no helmet on commute, helmet for off-road and group riding
    FCN 2-4 "Shut up legs", Jens Voigt
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  • hambones
    hambones Posts: 407
    Funnily enough I was going to mention gloves on the other helmet thread! :D

    Without doubt gloves are more important than a helmet. Far more likely to fall on your hands than your head. Then again I'm of the opinion that cycling is an incredibly safe activity. :wink:
    Still breathing.....
  • woodford2barbican
    woodford2barbican Posts: 1,505
    Attica wrote:
    Must be a day for it.

    I forgot my gloves this morning, probably a good this as I've picked up some fairly daft tan lines over the weekend.
    Got me thinking though, does anybody else regard their gloves as PPE (against road rash to the palms) or do you use them to protect soft hands from handlebar rub or are they just an accessory to look good with a helmet and lycra?

    Personally I think of them as the former.

    Gosh darn it, I hope I haven't started another long running argument!

    Can I expand this?

    As not only did I nearly forget my helmet, but I also (coincidentally) nearly fogot my gloves and goggles as these were in my helmet.

    It was the lack of gloves that made me realise my predicament......not the lack of a helmet.

    But in terms of accident prevention goggles must be top of the list?
  • DavidTQ
    DavidTQ Posts: 943
    Well I wear glasses gloves and a helmet on a bike but none of them when walking. Never had a use for any of them as first line of defence is not taking risks when cycling. But they are ALL there for the same reason to save pain in the event that I misjudge something, which given my fallable nature this isnt unlikely to happen one day.

    I believe Bentmikey isnt afraid of a little road rash, personally I am quite attached to my skin and dont wish to become spontaneously unattaced anytime soon...

    If it was comfortable to do so on a bike Id have no problems wearing full leathers and a motorbike helmet, I really am attached to my skin :D as it is I do the best I can whilst maintaining an acceptable level of comfort.
  • abbots_mike
    abbots_mike Posts: 280
    i got REAL manly hands :lol:

    anyway, i dont tend to bother with gloves, but i do commute on an mtb with nice squidgy grips, and ive found that my hands just build up callouses after a while anyway. road rash not an issue as after 5 years of playing rugby ive learnt to curl up when in flight and take impacts on lerge lumps of muscle; ie legs or shoulders
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  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    ABBOTS MIKE wrote:
    i got REAL manly hands :lol:

    anyway, i dont tend to bother with gloves, but i do commute on an mtb with nice squidgy grips, and ive found that my hands just build up callouses after a while anyway. road rash not an issue as after 5 years of playing rugby ive learnt to curl up when in flight and take impacts on lerge lumps of muscle; ie legs or shoulders


    Exactly, I've been a rower for years now. Real men give their bikes blisters and score the road
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  • Clever Pun
    Clever Pun Posts: 6,778
    ride_whenever wrote:
    ABBOTS MIKE wrote:
    i got REAL manly hands :lol:

    anyway, i dont tend to bother with gloves, but i do commute on an mtb with nice squidgy grips, and ive found that my hands just build up callouses after a while anyway. road rash not an issue as after 5 years of playing rugby ive learnt to curl up when in flight and take impacts on lerge lumps of muscle; ie legs or shoulders


    Exactly, I've been a rower for years now. Real men give their bikes blisters and score the road

    I wear cycle gloves when using the rowing machines at the gym/home as I get blisters on my soft hands :lol:
    Purveyor of sonic doom

    Very Hairy Roadie - FCN 4
    Fixed Pista- FCN 5
    Beared Bromptonite - FCN 14
  • cee
    cee Posts: 4,553
    DavidTQ wrote:
    Well I wear glasses gloves and a helmet on a bike but none of them when walking.

    haha....

    Ive gotta put my specs on just to go for a pee in the morning!
    Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I believe in the future of the human race.

    H.G. Wells.
  • andrewc3142
    andrewc3142 Posts: 906
    Real men give their bikes blisters and score the road

    Tell that to the young folks today and they won't believe you.
  • Surf-Matt
    Surf-Matt Posts: 5,952
    Riding feels wrong without gloves - to me.

    However my hands are rougher than an orcs face - due to lots of "extreme" gardening and weight lifiting shennanigans.
  • Bassjunkieuk
    Bassjunkieuk Posts: 4,232
    I've had to turn back a couple of times myself after I've gone out without my helmet on!
    I do also wear gloves after having a nasty altercation with a lamp-post about 18 months ago and opening up a nice big cut on the back of my hand. Not sure if gloves would have helped in this case as said pillar appeared to have been covered a skin shredding rough covering, but it would have probably offered enough protection for me not to need a visit to hospital and surgery!
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  • BentMikey
    BentMikey Posts: 4,895
    Attica wrote:
    I'm gonna have to ask...

    BentMikey, do you wear gloves?

    :wink: :shock: :wink: :twisted: :wink:

    LOL, sometimes! As a skater I get loads of roadrash from falls, so I'm not that bothered to be honest. It's like helmets, they are also probably quite good at protecting from roadrash.
  • jedster
    jedster Posts: 1,717
    problem with hands is that they have quite thin areas of skin/flesh over lots of little bones, nerves and tendons. Road rash on your hip - painful and messy. Road rash on your hands - potentially permanent damage.

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