Only for the non helmet wearers!
Comments
-
42 yrs old.
Had never worn a cycle helmet of any kind until about 2007. I now wear one typically when out on the MTB or road bike for a "proper" ride - ie the sort of cycling where I'm trying hard and pushing myself.
Prefer not to wear one though, so I don't wear one when I don't want to. For me this means no helmet when out on a nice Sunday jaunt, or commuting, or popping to the shops, or pub, or any other misc cycling activity.
If I personally feel what I'm doing is dangerous I wear a lid. If I don't, I don't. Simple.
As for my kids (6 and 4) they do what I tell them. This means they hold hands when crossing the road, sit in a safety seat in the car, wear a buoyancy aid when in a small boat, and wear a helmet when cycling. When they are older I'll let them make their own call on helmet use and the like - for now though all they need to know is my rules.You only need two tools: WD40 and Duck Tape.
If it doesn't move and should, use the WD40.
If it shouldn't move and does, use the tape.0 -
Rolf F wrote:Carbonator wrote:Rolf F wrote:Carbonator wrote:Not sure what age has to do with it?
It's already been alluded to at least twice!
Older people were brought up riding bikes when there was effectively no such thing available as cycle helmets. The only helmets I was ever aware of when I was little were skateboarding helmets.
I am older than the OP so my comment is valid (tongue out smiley).
I think the bent not to wear a helmet is bugger all to do with childhood reminiscence.
It's not about reminiscences - just that older riders are more likely to have grown up not wearing lids and therefore see it as perfectly normal not to whereas most younger riders have grown up wearing them. It's just a broad generalisation born out by comments on this thread.
I'm in the same position as you age wise. Before I tried wearing a helmet I did think it would in some way spoil the experience - it didn't. If shoes had only become popular in the last 20 years you'd see the same thing - plenty of older folk refusing to wear shoes but almost all younger people shoe'd up! What the object is and why is largely irrelevant.....
Well either I don't feel my age 8) or its just that I went from Boxer/Grifter/BMX/road bikes (Puch/Raleigh) to MTB, and by the time I got into road bikes again Helmets and shoes were around.
Still feel I would just look at what was around and make up my mind what I wanted/thought was best whatever I do and how ever old (externally) I get.
Have a pact with the mrs to burn all our clothes and buy new ones when we hit retirement age so we don't unknowingly have that 'old person' look.
Must remember to tell her it does not include my cycling clothes though :shock:0 -
downhill paul wrote:it makes me cringe every time I see someone riding without one.
Don't go to Holland then, you'd be a nervous wreck, only 0.1% of cyclists wear a helmet.0 -
vs wrote:downhill paul wrote:it makes me cringe every time I see someone riding without one.
Don't go to Holland then, you'd be a nervous wreck, only 0.1% of cyclists wear a helmet.
I'm in Holland at the moment, come here fairly frequently as my wife is dutch so we visit her family. I've noticed that, albeit gradually, more people are starting to wear hats, especially when they are out on a fast road bike. Definitely no comparison to helmet usage in the UK, but I'm starting to see them become more used.0 -
Daz555 wrote:42 yrs old.
Had never worn a cycle helmet of any kind until about 2007. I now wear one typically when out on the MTB or road bike for a "proper" ride - ie the sort of cycling where I'm trying hard and pushing myself.
Prefer not to wear one though, so I don't wear one when I don't want to. For me this means no helmet when out on a nice Sunday jaunt, or commuting, or popping to the shops, or pub, or any other misc cycling activity.
If I personally feel what I'm doing is dangerous I wear a lid. If I don't, I don't. Simple.
As for my kids (6 and 4) they do what I tell them. This means they hold hands when crossing the road, sit in a safety seat in the car, wear a buoyancy aid when in a small boat, and wear a helmet when cycling. When they are older I'll let them make their own call on helmet use and the like - for now though all they need to know is my rules.
Same with my kids (almost 8 and 5). They love wearing their bike hats, helps that the designs today are sooooo much better than 10-20 years ago.0 -
Carbonator wrote:Have a pact with the mrs to burn all our clothes and buy new ones when we hit retirement age so we don't unknowingly have that 'old person' look.
Must remember to tell her it does not include my cycling clothes though :shock:
You know as well as I do that you'll just go out and buy new old persons clothes and that you'll be regarded as one of those bearded Sportive riders with their old fashioned carbon frames, primitive GPS units bungee'd onto the stem and those prehistoric SPD-SL cleats.
It's how it is. Every generation wants to avoid the old person look and every generation fails*!
*basically because to avoid it you have to wear young persons clothes and every old person knows how ridiculous that looks!Faster than a tent.......0 -
Ouija wrote:Brakeless wrote:Ouija wrote:47, average around 32 hours a week on the bike and don't wear one. Mainly because i find them impractical for what i need.
Why is a helmet impractical ?
Besides the fact it doesn't keep the rain off my head (they have bloody big holes in them, you know).Brakeless wrote:A helmet isn't designed as a rain hat! Put a cap underneath
Or the fact they don't keep the rain off my glasses or prevent you from being dazzled by oncoming car lights (tiny peaks, that are clipped on so rain just runs down the back of the peak and drips off the front edge of the helmet)Brakeless wrote:Again put a cap underneath
Don't do much to keep the glare of the sun out of my eyes in the summer either.Brakeless wrote:That'd be what sunglasses are for!
Or the fact that it doesn't keep my head warm (holes again... why they think helmets need ventilation beats me).Brakeless wrote:Again , A helmet isn't designed as insulation, put a beanie underneath if it's cold. And try riding an Alpine pass in july and you'll know why a helmet needs ventilation!
Own two helmets but don't wear them. Just a long peaked German style military hat as helmets just take the joy out of riding for me and would prevent me from riding as much as i do (specially in the cooler months).
And before anyone says "but they do protect your head in a accident", i've been run over twice and suffered head injuries both times and still wouldn't wear one. On the other hand, i used to wear a hard hat at work for years even though it wasn't mandatory and no one else did. Why? Because i banged my head more times a day than i could remember on scaffolding and other industrial piping and plumbing. So i did a risk assesment and decided to wear one. Banging my head twice over a eight year period while cycling just doesn't qualify as often enough to warrant it. I've done more damage to my head just walkiing or moving about the house in the same time frame. Maybe i should wear one there as well by most peoples logic?
You can't protect yourself from getting injured unless you wear full on body armour 24 hours a day. And even then it's not 100% guaranteed that would protect you. As always you weigh up the risks and come to a decision based on what you find. A lot of the "you must wear a helmet or you'll die" brigade come across as panic mungers. It's by no means certain. Many helmeted wearers get killed and many that don't wear a helmet walk away without a scratch on them. It's the laws of chance.
It's not that i have any moral objections to wearing a helmet. If someone designed a helmet that did the things i wanted i'd be more than happy to wear it. But they don't. Closest thing i can find are industrial bump caps (fabric hard hats designed to look like baseball caps but with hard plastic under the material).Brakeless wrote:I think helmet wearing should be a personal choice but your list of why they're impractical is rubbish. They aren't actually designed for any of the reasons you've given!0 -
Kingstonian wrote:Daz555 wrote:42 yrs old.
Had never worn a cycle helmet of any kind until about 2007. I now wear one typically when out on the MTB or road bike for a "proper" ride - ie the sort of cycling where I'm trying hard and pushing myself.
Prefer not to wear one though, so I don't wear one when I don't want to. For me this means no helmet when out on a nice Sunday jaunt, or commuting, or popping to the shops, or pub, or any other misc cycling activity.
If I personally feel what I'm doing is dangerous I wear a lid. If I don't, I don't. Simple.
As for my kids (6 and 4) they do what I tell them. This means they hold hands when crossing the road, sit in a safety seat in the car, wear a buoyancy aid when in a small boat, and wear a helmet when cycling. When they are older I'll let them make their own call on helmet use and the like - for now though all they need to know is my rules.[/quote
Same with my kids (almost 8 and 5). They love wearing their bike hats, helps that the designs today are sooooo much better than 10-20 years ago.
That's the kind thing I originally meant. Your kids will grow up automatically wearing helmets as they don't know any other way, whereas we simply didn't do that as children because nobody wore them. They won't need to adjust and get used to wearing one as it will be just another part of the getting ready for a ride routine.0 -
Brakeless wrote:I think helmet wearing should be a personal choice but your list of why they're impractical is rubbish. They aren't actually designed for any of the reasons you've given!
But the things that make them practical i.e. lightweight, ventilation etc are the very things that make them not for fit purpose, if the purpose is safety, for that you'd wear a full face motorbike helmet, so they are actually a compromise.0 -
I have just turned 50. I always wear a helmet nowadays after crashing headfirst into the side of a car (smidsy) some 8 years ago. I did managed to break most of the impact with my arms – but it was a bit of a game changer especially for my wife! Wearing one felt a bit awkward at first but is now as natural as putting on a seatbelt before driving.
Surprisingly though, my son, who is 17, doesn't wear a helmet – although he did when he was younger of course (but now he knows best!)0 -
vs wrote:Brakeless wrote:I think helmet wearing should be a personal choice but your list of why they're impractical is rubbish. They aren't actually designed for any of the reasons you've given!
But the things that make them practical i.e. lightweight, ventilation etc are the very things that make them not for fit purpose, if the purpose is safety, for that you'd wear a full face motorbike helmet, so they are actually a compromise.
They are not a compromise. They are designed to do a job and generally the ones we have are best for that job.
Guessing (cannot be bothered to read back) you are anti helmet wearing, so its very odd to talk about no helmet or motorbike helmet, but dismiss the actual best solution which is somewhere in the middle :?
I know people that have hit there head hard, and trust me, they are a fantastic safety device.
Two of them were a lot older than me, they were not doing anything unusual/un safe, and would either be dead or severely injured (both had major op's anyway) had they not been wearing a helmet.
Non wearing of helmets is a state of mind, not age of mind ;-)0 -
Carbonator wrote:vs wrote:Brakeless wrote:I think helmet wearing should be a personal choice but your list of why they're impractical is rubbish. They aren't actually designed for any of the reasons you've given!
But the things that make them practical i.e. lightweight, ventilation etc are the very things that make them not for fit purpose, if the purpose is safety, for that you'd wear a full face motorbike helmet, so they are actually a compromise.
They are not a compromise. They are designed to do a job and generally the ones we have are best for that job.
Guessing (cannot be bothered to read back) you are anti helmet wearing, so its very odd to talk about no helmet or motorbike helmet, but dismiss the actual best solution which is somewhere in the middle :?
I know people that have hit there head hard, and trust me, they are a fantastic safety device.
Two of them were a lot older than me, they were not doing anything unusual/un safe, and would either be dead or severely injured (both had major op's anyway) had they not been wearing a helmet.
They are designed to sell.
They're only have to pass BSEN1078 safety standard (if you can find a helmet with a Snell Foundation B90 - or higher - sticker in them, that's a substantially stronger standard for example). Therefore, for safety, a better, practical choice would be a full face downhill cycling helmet.
As you said, the people you know still had major operations despite wearing a cycling helmet.0 -
Wear helmets end off. Iv'e seen too many crashes were the cyclist's was saved by there lid. There's too many bad drivers out there not to wear them. Your playing with death or deformity if you don't wear one. You may aswell walk through a mine field and not wear a flak jacket!0
-
Brakeless wrote:They aren't actually designed for any of the reasons you've given!
They should be. That's why people don't wear them.
If your only requirement of a helmet is to protect your head in a crash then the current designs meet that criteria (though there are a few that will argue they don't). For all the other reasons i mentioned, they are woefully inadequate.0 -
Ouija wrote:Brakeless wrote:They aren't actually designed for any of the reasons you've given!
They should be. That's why people don't wear them.
Don't be silly!
It would be impossible to come up with a design that meets all the functional requirements described above AND be wearable on a bike.
That's why cyclists adopt a "layering" approach to headwear:
sunglasses
cap with visor
skull cap
buff
etc etc.
Anything that tried to cover the same functionality would be:
too bulky
too heavy
too hot
too expensive
Guess what would put people off wearing a helmet most of all?
Probably stuff like:
too bulky
too heavy
too hot
too expensive0 -
vs wrote:
They are designed to sell.
They're only have to pass BSEN1078 safety standard (if you can find a helmet with a Snell Foundation B90 - or higher - sticker in them, that's a substantially stronger standard for example). Therefore, for safety, a better, practical choice would be a full face downhill cycling helmet.
As you said, the people you know still had major operations despite wearing a cycling helmet.
Yawn.
Oh yeah, its all a big conspiracy 8) Sorry I forgot :roll:
They actively make them cr4p just to have an extra giggle at us in the factory :roll:
One guy landed on his head and it was his spine that was damaged, so would have made no difference if he had had a tougher helmet on.
Would have made a big difference if he had not been wearing one though
Thought this was a helmet v no helmet argument anyway? Saying you should wear a tougher helmet is more in favour of helmets surely, so what are you even on about.
The helmet has to be wearable whist cycling and its only for medium sized bashes I guess.
Talking about full face helmets is stupid. People wearing those usually have body armour or leathers on.
You just need to take reasonable precautions, not go OTT or do bugger all.
If I took my family on a power boat I would put the safety cut out around my wrist.
Cannot help but think a lot of non helmet wearers would not bother.0 -
neilo23 wrote:Charlie Potatoes wrote:neilo23 wrote:Hopefully the title will stop this turning into yet another helmet debate....
I admire your optimism
Not been too bad so far. I'm pleasantly surprised
Warming up a bit now
Congrats on getting to page 4 neilo23 "You really think you can burn off sugar with exercise?" downhill paul0 -
Charlie Potatoes wrote:neilo23 wrote:Charlie Potatoes wrote:neilo23 wrote:Hopefully the title will stop this turning into yet another helmet debate....
I admire your optimism
Not been too bad so far. I'm pleasantly surprised
Warming up a bit now
Congrats on getting to page 4 neilo23
It had to come at some point.... Shall I start a "Body building is good for cycling" thread? 0 -
neilo23 wrote:Charlie Potatoes wrote:neilo23 wrote:Charlie Potatoes wrote:neilo23 wrote:Hopefully the title will stop this turning into yet another helmet debate....
I admire your optimism
Not been too bad so far. I'm pleasantly surprised
Warming up a bit now
Congrats on getting to page 4 neilo23
It had to come at some point.... Shall I start a "Body building is good for cycling" thread?
Yeah! that or a 'Road pedals are better than MTB pedals' thread "You really think you can burn off sugar with exercise?" downhill paul0 -
I'm in my very late 40's and don't wear a helmet. A few years ago I tried wearing a helmet, tried to persevere with it for the best part of two years, towards the end of that two year period I found myself just wearing the helmet on and off, in the end I was hardly wearing the helmet at all so I decided not to wear it again, it's just not me. I started cycling as a kid in the 70's and no one wore a helmet then, and even in the 80's wearing a helmet was unthinkable and I've grown up with that.neilo23 wrote:Hopefully the title will stop this turning into yet another helmet debate....
Just out of interest I was wondering if those of you who don't wear helmets are older? I'm early 40s and have never worn one. Love mucking about on the bike as a kid and back then nobody wore a helmet. I fell in love with cycling watching the TdF highlights on TV and the pros didn't wear helmets either. For me it seems as strange wearing one as it must for many nowadays not to wear one. Just curious to know if the other helmetless riders are similar or are there younger riders who also don't bother?0 -
But that's obvious. Campy (sic) don't do mtb pedals!Charlie Potatoes wrote:neilo23 wrote:Charlie Potatoes wrote:neilo23 wrote:Charlie Potatoes wrote:neilo23 wrote:Hopefully the title will stop this turning into yet another helmet debate....
I admire your optimism
Not been too bad so far. I'm pleasantly surprised
Warming up a bit now
Congrats on getting to page 4 neilo23
It had to come at some point.... Shall I start a "Body building is good for cycling" thread?
Yeah! that or a 'Road pedals are better than MTB pedals' thread
But yes, it got so far but the irresistible force that is the helmet debate eventually won through.
Cut to the chase...
Helmets help some people but don't others. Freedom of choice, sheep, compulsory wearing blah blah blah, lots of bile and venom, my dad is bigger than your dad and so on and so forth, ad nauseum.0 -
Cygnus wrote:
I'm in my very late 40's and don't wear a helmet. A few years ago I tried wearing a helmet, tried to persevere with it for the best part of two years, towards the end of that two year period I found myself just wearing the helmet on and off, in the end I was hardly wearing the helmet at all so I decided not to wear it again, it's just not me. I started cycling as a kid in the 70's and no one wore a helmet then, and even in the 80's wearing a helmet was unthinkable and I've grown up with that.neilo23 wrote:Hopefully the title will stop this turning into yet another helmet debate....
Just out of interest I was wondering if those of you who don't wear helmets are older? I'm early 40s and have never worn one. Love mucking about on the bike as a kid and back then nobody wore a helmet. I fell in love with cycling watching the TdF highlights on TV and the pros didn't wear helmets either. For me it seems as strange wearing one as it must for many nowadays not to wear one. Just curious to know if the other helmetless riders are similar or are there younger riders who also don't bother?
What did you have to persevere with? What did you find wrong with wearing one and could not get used to?
What would have been the difference if you had not road biked non stop since the 70's?
Personal choice of course but I cycled in the 70's and cannot see what its got to do with wearing a helmet now.
Do you use flats/toe clips still too?0 -
Carbonator wrote:Cygnus wrote:
I'm in my very late 40's and don't wear a helmet. A few years ago I tried wearing a helmet, tried to persevere with it for the best part of two years, towards the end of that two year period I found myself just wearing the helmet on and off, in the end I was hardly wearing the helmet at all so I decided not to wear it again, it's just not me. I started cycling as a kid in the 70's and no one wore a helmet then, and even in the 80's wearing a helmet was unthinkable and I've grown up with that.neilo23 wrote:Hopefully the title will stop this turning into yet another helmet debate....
Just out of interest I was wondering if those of you who don't wear helmets are older? I'm early 40s and have never worn one. Love mucking about on the bike as a kid and back then nobody wore a helmet. I fell in love with cycling watching the TdF highlights on TV and the pros didn't wear helmets either. For me it seems as strange wearing one as it must for many nowadays not to wear one. Just curious to know if the other helmetless riders are similar or are there younger riders who also don't bother?
What did you have to persevere with? What did you find wrong with wearing one and could not get used to?
What would have been the difference if you had not road biked non stop since the 70's?
Personal choice of course but I cycled in the 70's and cannot see what its got to do with wearing a helmet now.
Do you use flats/toe clips still too?
Vallid point but most advances in bike tech, such as the pedals you mentioned, increase the performance and comfort of the bike and rider, therefore increasing the pleasure of riding. A helmet may well improve the performance of your head after a crash but that's about the only thing it is good for. And I' m sure that 99% of riders would prefer to ride without one if there was no increase in safety.
Incidentally, because of rain and girlfriend nagging I wore one yesterday for about the 3rd time in my life and narrowly avoided a wack on the head from a builder dropping a ladder. That would have been something for the pro-helmet folks to tell me they'd told me so :-)0 -
neilo23 wrote:Carbonator wrote:Cygnus wrote:
I'm in my very late 40's and don't wear a helmet. A few years ago I tried wearing a helmet, tried to persevere with it for the best part of two years, towards the end of that two year period I found myself just wearing the helmet on and off, in the end I was hardly wearing the helmet at all so I decided not to wear it again, it's just not me. I started cycling as a kid in the 70's and no one wore a helmet then, and even in the 80's wearing a helmet was unthinkable and I've grown up with that.neilo23 wrote:Hopefully the title will stop this turning into yet another helmet debate....
Just out of interest I was wondering if those of you who don't wear helmets are older? I'm early 40s and have never worn one. Love mucking about on the bike as a kid and back then nobody wore a helmet. I fell in love with cycling watching the TdF highlights on TV and the pros didn't wear helmets either. For me it seems as strange wearing one as it must for many nowadays not to wear one. Just curious to know if the other helmetless riders are similar or are there younger riders who also don't bother?
What did you have to persevere with? What did you find wrong with wearing one and could not get used to?
What would have been the difference if you had not road biked non stop since the 70's?
Personal choice of course but I cycled in the 70's and cannot see what its got to do with wearing a helmet now.
Do you use flats/toe clips still too?
Vallid point but most advances in bike tech, such as the pedals you mentioned, increase the performance and comfort of the bike and rider, therefore increasing the pleasure of riding. A helmet may well improve the performance of your head after a crash but that's about the only thing it is good for. And I' m sure that 99% of riders would prefer to ride without one if there was no increase in safety.
Incidentally, because of rain and girlfriend nagging I wore one yesterday for about the 3rd time in my life and narrowly avoided a wack on the head from a builder dropping a ladder. That would have been something for the pro-helmet folks to tell me they'd told me so :-)
Whoops, getting a bit too "helmet debatey" myself. Aaaagggghhh! 0 -
Oh dear :roll:Carbonator wrote:Cygnus wrote:
I'm in my very late 40's and don't wear a helmet. A few years ago I tried wearing a helmet, tried to persevere with it for the best part of two years, towards the end of that two year period I found myself just wearing the helmet on and off, in the end I was hardly wearing the helmet at all so I decided not to wear it again, it's just not me. I started cycling as a kid in the 70's and no one wore a helmet then, and even in the 80's wearing a helmet was unthinkable and I've grown up with that.neilo23 wrote:Hopefully the title will stop this turning into yet another helmet debate....
Just out of interest I was wondering if those of you who don't wear helmets are older? I'm early 40s and have never worn one. Love mucking about on the bike as a kid and back then nobody wore a helmet. I fell in love with cycling watching the TdF highlights on TV and the pros didn't wear helmets either. For me it seems as strange wearing one as it must for many nowadays not to wear one. Just curious to know if the other helmetless riders are similar or are there younger riders who also don't bother?
What did you have to persevere with? What did you find wrong with wearing one and could not get used to?
What would have been the difference if you had not road biked non stop since the 70's?
Personal choice of course but I cycled in the 70's and cannot see what its got to do with wearing a helmet now.
Do you use flats/toe clips still too?0 -
Mid-40's used to ride as transportation & fun as a kid (up to 16 when I got a 50cc "moped) - never wore a helmet (until the moped that is). Spent nights in hospital with concussion after running into a younger kid crossing the road and going over the handlebars (bike was totaled)
Roll forward a number of years, I start mountain biking and wear a helmet as the tree branches kept leaping out on me. On a summer trip in the French Alps, descending a steep slope I hit a large rock, snap the forks and go over the handlebars. Land on the back of my head on a different rock, helmet with a hole punched in it and cracked all around.
Now road riding and wear a helmet at all times (except on the turbo) for a number of reasons:-
Aids domestic bliss as my wife would prefer me to wear one
Two kids (10 and 6) who I would prefer to wear helmets, so choose to lead by example
All of the races I do (please note, these are actual races, not Sportives :roll: ) require helmets so I may as well train as I race
I have no issues with others choices, but I have just got used to wearing one, and find it odd if I don't.0 -
DubaiNeil wrote:Now road riding and wear a helmet at all times (except on the turbo)
I have genuinely almost fallen off my turbo before!! left my waterbottle slightly too far out of reach and thought i'd be able to get it!!www.conjunctivitis.com - a site for sore eyes0 -
A helmet would have helped in this scenario. You could have caught on your tongue, the additional sweat generated through wearing a helmet.Chris Bass wrote:DubaiNeil wrote:Now road riding and wear a helmet at all times (except on the turbo)
I have genuinely almost fallen off my turbo before!! left my waterbottle slightly too far out of reach and thought i'd be able to get it!!0 -
Get "used to". Key point there.Carbonator wrote:What did you have to persevere with? What did you find wrong with wearing one and could not get used to?
We don't need to get used to anything if we don't see the point - and that surely IS the point. It is a personal matter about what is worth getting used to. For some riding a bike is fine in flip flops and a pair of sunglasses. For others it is full face lid along with spine, hip, knee and elbow protection.
Get used to what you want. Don't expect others to do the same.You only need two tools: WD40 and Duck Tape.
If it doesn't move and should, use the WD40.
If it shouldn't move and does, use the tape.0
