No protection

Graydawg

<rant>

Oooh It makes me mad when I see photographs of people mountain biking without any form of protection! Especially a Helmet!

My friends were out only 2 weekends ago and watched one of our fellow riders go straight over the bars, and land on the "knobbly bit" of the back of your skull...... Luckily for him, he was wearing a helmet! It at least, saved him from serious trauma, and possibly even death at the speed he crashed at!

He walked away with a busted crash helmet a grazed elbow and damaged pride....

What really grinds my gears is when I see photos of people on purpose built trails going for it for the camera and not having the necessary gear on!

</rant>

Apologies for this just being a post purely to vent my rage - but it really irks me!

captainfly

If people want to ride without a helmet there is probably nothing in their head worth saving I generally full face, elbow, knee and shin pad and have been so happy at doing so many times, though use a core saver and padded shorts when I do new stuff 'cause I know how bad I am.

Mccraque

Totally agree...

I smashed my head (again..the "knobbly bit!" last autumn after losing it on wet chalk. And to compound my misery, my bonce went straight into my mates rear wheel on the way down. - Then whiplashed it backwards as I somehow fell onto my back rucksack first

Helmet was destroyed in about 3 places.

Thankfully all I got was a day long headache, bruised back anda bit of skin off the elbow. Could have been so much worse...

Oxygen Thief

If you don't wear a helmet, plain and simple... YOU'RE A CUNT!

bentes

If it wasn't for my helmet I'm sure I wasn't here right now. And I do manly XC, not crazy jumps/stunts or agressive downhill.
An helmet is as important as a pedal.

I've seen many times on tv people riding without an helmet, more serious than dangering themselves is that they're setting a bad example to the beginner/younger people that think wearing an helmet is uncool.

Oxygen Thief

And when on roads if drivers are driving past people without helemts they just think what a cunt. They'll be the one left living whilst your dead withouta care n teh world and they have to lvie with killing you. Stupid really. Helmets DOlook cool nowadays I reckon.

Bikerbaboon

ahhhh hell this again really ? Please just use the search and you will find more than enough inane arguing over helmets.

Generally comes down to personal choice.

V5ade

Noramlly my only protection is a helmet, padded shorts and Camelbak (Camelbak might protect my back a little if I land on it ). The only 'protection' that they do for the other body part that I'm worried bout hurting is made from very thin rubber, and to be honest I don't that's going to make a lot of difference if I bang my c0ck on the stem again........

Radioactiveman

Whatever you do don't mention this topic in the commuting thread, it wakes up all the clowns with titanium skulls who think it is safer not wearing one and their choice.

I don't have a problem with people not wearing helmets it is all part of natural selection. As long as they dont crash near me and expect sypmpathy or assistance with their liquidised food when they come out of hospital with brain injuries. Plebs

chappers666

I work for one of the emergency services and have attended numerous collisions etc involving cyclists over the years. Some have not made it because they haven't been wearing a helmet, and some (as it's already been said) have been left with grazes and a headache, but their helmet has been written off as it has taken the full force of whatever the riders' head would have hit first if it wasn't protected.

Whilst I am not too bothered about any other protection (it is a personal choice afterall) I do feel very strongly about the wearing of cycle helmets. My teenage step-son has a quite different view as apparently they are "uncool". It's now been 6 months since he last used a bike as I won't let him ride without a helmet - and he is nearly as stubborn as I am

If you have it adjusted correctly, you forget you are wearing it anyway once you get going.

Northwind

chappers666 wrote:

I work for one of the emergency services and have attended numerous collisions etc involving cyclists over the years. Some have not made it because they haven't been wearing a helmet, and some (as it's already been said) have been left with grazes and a headache, but their helmet has been written off as it has taken the full force of whatever the riders' head would have hit first if it wasn't protected.

When I had my big road crash 3 different people in the hospital told me my helmet had probably saved my life. The ambulance crew didn't though because they knew I wasn't wearing one

Not to say that you shouldn't, or that I don't, in fact I almost never ride without a helmet and knee pads but the incidence of preventable damaging head injury is still very, very low per mile travelled, so it's hardly darwinism in action.

According to the Peebles General injury survey (covering Glentress and Innerleithen) you're around 7 times more likely to suffer a crippling injury to a knee than to your head, even without distinguishing between injuries helmets could help with. So, to everyone that says "Never ride without a helmet, if you do you're an idiot"- do you wear knee pads? The medical argument for that is stronger than for helmets and yet most people don't. Of course, if you're going to be crippled it's better to be crippled in the leg than the brain but ideally I'd like to avoid either...

So I go against the grain a wee bit, protective gear for me means hands first, knees second, head third. I wear all 3 almost all the time but if I had to choose one to lose for a typical ride it'd be the helmet not the gloves or kneepads.

RealMan

If you don't wear a helmet its your choice. The only person who has a right to be annoyed is your mother.