all about helmets

Paul 135
Paul 135 Posts: 92
edited July 2010 in MTB general
i have to admit that i dont often wear a helmet. i will always wear my full facer if what im doing will call for it but trail helmets?!! im always second guessing about wearing it and i often chose to not. i know there are those out there that will be screaming blue murder about not wearing them but i just look like a mug with it on. should i wear one and not care what i look like?

Comments

  • bigdavep
    bigdavep Posts: 64
    I know what you mean about feelin daft with a helmet on. I do as well but you'll look more daft when you come off and split your head open. On the trails theres deffo more people wearing helmets now than not. You dont look any more a mug than anyone else. put a helmet on dude and dont care what you look like. Only takes one off and to hit your head and it game over.....
  • Uchiga
    Uchiga Posts: 230
    if this was facebook i would have just liked the previous comment...

    Wear a helmet i was cycling with my brother once on the road and he got knocked off. Wasnt his fault the driver was at fault. We were traveling at, at least 20mph when the driver took him out. He got road rash some bruises and his bike was unrideable. His helmet was all cracked and crumpled. If he hadnt of worn it i'd shudder to think what would have happened to him. Wear a helmet even if you think you're a safe rider there are always other things out there to get you. Besides you can buy some quite nice looking helmets now :)
  • jay12
    jay12 Posts: 6,306
    Uchiga wrote:
    if this was facebook i would have just liked the previous comment...

    Wear a helmet i was cycling with my brother once on the road and he got knocked off. Wasnt his fault the driver was at fault. We were traveling at, at least 20mph when the driver took him out. He got road rash some bruises and his bike was unrideable. His helmet was all cracked and crumpled. If he hadnt of worn it i'd shudder to think what would have happened to him. Wear a helmet even if you think you're a safe rider there are always other things out there to get you. Besides you can buy some quite nice looking helmets now :)
    true that. always remember that there is a massive amounts of helmets you can buy. so see which one would look best
  • jay12
    jay12 Posts: 6,306
  • There's a recent thread about helmets here: http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12717046
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Paul 135 wrote:
    i have to admit that i dont often wear a helmet. i will always wear my full facer if what im doing will call for it but trail helmets?!! im always second guessing about wearing it and i often chose to not. i know there are those out there that will be screaming blue murder about not wearing them but i just look like a mug with it on. should i wear one and not care what i look like?
    Wearing a helmet is your choice, at the end of the day. But don't worry about looking a knob in one, because really

    We all look a bit daft in helmets, and

    We don't look as daft as we ourselves think we do in helmets.
  • tdougan
    tdougan Posts: 152
    I couldn't give a monkeys what I look like to be honest!
    Gives me confidence if anything! I forget i've got one on half the time.
  • shx8000
    shx8000 Posts: 222
    I always wear a helmet. About 15 years ago I fell off and rolled down a hill, stopping abruptly. Part of a log on the forest floor had impaled my helmet (A big white trek helmet filled with foam). No doubt in my mind that if I hadn't been wearing the helmet, that little bit of tree would have found it's way into my skull.
  • x-isle
    x-isle Posts: 794
    I've got to the stage where I couldn't care if other people don't wear helmets.

    It's your choice, however, put it this way;

    If you think you look stupid wearing a helmet just imagine how stupid you'll look sitting/lying at home for the rest of your life with dribble coming out of your mouth having 24 hour care because you can't even take a pee.

    Your choice.

    I've seen some pretty horendus footage of head injuries, some of which were from easy trail riding, slow speed.

    I recently took a very slow speed crash doing the Upper Cliff Black rocks at Cannock Chase. My knee came off pretty bad after it smashed against the side of a rock. If this was my head, I probably wouldn't be sitting here typing this!

    The other thing with head injuries, is that you need immediate professional care, a first aid kit isn't going to help as most trails are a little remote from nearest hospitals.

    I don't unserstand how people think they look stupid. If anything, most people think your stupid for not wearing one!

    I'm pretty sure that if it could effectivley be policed, FCs would make wearing them mandatory due to the (already) amount of H&S they have to cope with.
    Craig Rogers
  • cat_with_no_tail
    cat_with_no_tail Posts: 12,981
    I couldn't care less if you decided not to wear a helmet and then come off and spill your brains all over the trail, that's your choice, and good luck in the Darwin Awards.

    But, I don't want to be the one who comes along and finds you, it would spoil my ride.

    You'll also spoil it for everyone else as a preventable death or serious head injury on the trail would go a long way to getting it shut down by the H&S squad.

    Have a little consideration for other people.

    Oh, and helmet or no helmet, you're riding a bicycle at the end of the day, it is therefore impossible to look cool.
  • x-isle
    x-isle Posts: 794
    But, I don't want to be the one who comes along and finds you, it would spoil my ride.

    You'll also spoil it for everyone else as a preventable death or serious head injury on the trail would go a long way to getting it shut down by the H&S squad.

    Have a little consideration for other people.

    Great thought there, didn't think about that!
    Craig Rogers
  • Uchiga
    Uchiga Posts: 230
    The other thing with wearing a helmet is if you ever want to go to a race or any event really... Racing rules say you have to wear a helmet. No helmet no race. Group or club rides very much stronbgly advise you to wear a helmet. Almost to the point where they might as well say no helmet no group ride.

    I have a Scott Fuga Helmet from £90 to £30 so i snatched it up when i could luckily its because it was last years model and the colour scheme was differant to this years... Big woop i couldnt care less about the colouring to be honest... Although the blue and black i got does fit well with my cycling kit...

    Theres plenty of helmets out there and plenty of good looking ones check them out go to a shop try them on. The worst thing thats gonna happen is you'll die without one.... Oh thats quite bad...
  • cat_with_no_tail
    cat_with_no_tail Posts: 12,981
    Uchiga I had a Fuga last year. Nice lid. Quite low profile, VERY well vented and light too. Had quite a big off with it on a few months back, mild concussion and a nice big bruise. Would certainly have been much worse off without it.
    One thing though, make sure you look after the magneto visor. I snapped mine and it was going to cost £30 for a replacement (directly from Scott).

    Replaced it with a Giro Hex which looked MASSIVE when I put it on for the first time in comparison.
  • I disagree regarding the 'looks' aspect, I think off road bikers look far more strange without, peaked helmets and shades are all part of that 'look'.


    mountain-biker-glacier-1440.jpg
  • MacAndCheese
    MacAndCheese Posts: 1,944
    All those who think they look daft with a lid on, just count yourself lucky you don't have a 64cm diameter head like me! That's bigger than most companies build helmets for, coupled with the fact I'm only about 5'7" I look a proper mushroom! And don't get me started on Full Faces!

    I still wear a helmet whenever I ride though, and personally think it should be a legal requirement on the road at least. Either that or those who don't should be forced to carry one of these:

    donor_card.jpg
    Santa Cruz Chameleon
    Orange Alpine 160
  • Uchiga
    Uchiga Posts: 230
    One thing though, make sure you look after the magneto visor. I snapped mine and it was going to cost £30 for a replacement (directly from Scott).

    I dont have a visor on mine and even if i did have a visor i would have taken it off anyway i prefer riding with glasses than i do with a peak. Its either one or the other i cant seem to get on with both...

    Photo evidence of said look without the Visor and with sunglasses:
    TrackStandDanbury.jpg
  • Dubzy
    Dubzy Posts: 123
    Helmet = brains

    No helmet = brains (mopped up in a bucket)


    Simples
    Life's good



    Boardman MTB Team
  • GhallTN6
    GhallTN6 Posts: 505
    Don't forget about those low branches that catch you out now and again!

    My front wheel washed out on a road edge and my riding buddy rode straight over my head (after my head whacked the road), his chain ring took a chunk out of my helmet, not only would I have been severly "damaged", but he would have had to suffer a huge amount of guilt.

    Riding the Surrey Hills this Sunday, I didn't see anyone without a helmet, it's now uncool NOT to wear one.
  • bails87
    bails87 Posts: 12,998
    GhallTN6 wrote:
    Don't forget about those low branches that catch you out now and again!

    I think this is the easiest way to persuade someone to wear a helmet! It's not as unlikely as the "I'd be dead without it situation". I catch my head (helmet :wink:) on low branches fairly often, then there's the brambles, holly bushes, and other spiky unpleasantness that overhangs on trails. With a helmet, they just brush over, without they'd probably take a bit of my forehead with them!
    MTB/CX

    "As I said last time, it won't happen again."
  • dan shard
    dan shard Posts: 722
    Im glad I was wearing mine in april this year at Llandelga. Not sure I would be sat here eating a pot noodle now if this was my skull

    FromiPhone098.jpg
    FromiPhone099.jpg

    Since realising the importance I bought this to replace it.

    FromiPhone097.jpg
  • Uchiga
    Uchiga Posts: 230
    normal_P1070748.JPG

    This was my brothers helmet after a road accident that was not our fault. Over 20mph cycling on the road when he was knocked off. Good job he had it on and this doesnt show the full extent of the damage to be honest. Still have the helmet under a shelf for momento reasons.
  • jay12
    jay12 Posts: 6,306
    dan shard
    lucky ba$terd :shock:

    i have that 661 comp as well. great helmets for the price. i use it most times when doing 4x and dh and then use my bell variant xc lid for am and xc riding