My exploding rear tyre hurt my face..
WiganLardster
Posts: 28
I had my first 'off' today, at the bottom of my street. I had an explosive puncture as I was turning left, and the next thing I knew I was flying through the air, arms out in true Superman style, as I glanced down at the looming black tarmac and thought 'oh shit, this is going to hurt'. And sure enough it did - I landed on my face/head and have a swollen right cheek, grazed fingers, knees and elbow. I was only doing 10 mph at the time, which is a stroke of luck as it's at the bottom of a hill and I'm normally doing about double that.
Anyway, the point of my post is not to solicit sympathy (although the offer of a stiff drink to numb the pain will be welcomed
) but just to add my tuppence to the great 'helmet or no helmet' debate. Up until today I was undecided as to whether a lid makes a difference in certain types of crashes - some days I wear one, some days I don't. Today I was wearing one, and I would say it definitely saved me from a nasty cut (and possibly more) to the forehead judging by the scrapes to the front right of it. I'm not saying that it'll protect my melon from a head-on collision with an articulated death machine, just that, on certain occasions, that silly looking lump of polystyrene earns its keep. 
Anyway, the point of my post is not to solicit sympathy (although the offer of a stiff drink to numb the pain will be welcomed
) but just to add my tuppence to the great 'helmet or no helmet' debate. Up until today I was undecided as to whether a lid makes a difference in certain types of crashes - some days I wear one, some days I don't. Today I was wearing one, and I would say it definitely saved me from a nasty cut (and possibly more) to the forehead judging by the scrapes to the front right of it. I'm not saying that it'll protect my melon from a head-on collision with an articulated death machine, just that, on certain occasions, that silly looking lump of polystyrene earns its keep. 0
Comments
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I have banged my head pretty hard (not cycling) and I really would not want to bang it any harder so always wear a helmet.
Not quite sure why you would not but each to their own.
Glad you are OK....................Hows the bike?0 -
The cynic in me always wondered if a bit of foam could really make much of a difference in a crash, and then of course there are sites like http://bicyclesafe.com/helmets.html which tend to re-inforce the cynicism.
The bike got it worse than I did - the left brake lever is bent forward, and my rear wheel is bent out of true :shock: . I'm skint at the moment, so I may have to see if I can fix the wheel myself - at the moment it's only worthy of the bin, so if I have a go at re-tensioning the spokes to bring it back it'll be educational, if nothing else.0 -
I read the first bit and could not be bothered with the rest.
I dont really agree that wearing a helmet makes you take more risks, not like wearing a seatbelt in a car might.
The two things are separate, its not one or the other its both.
The helmet is just there if I bang my head. I am thinking of preventing other injuries when I cycle, and its that that makes me aware.
Full body armour might give you a false sense of security, but not really a helmet so much.
And why are cars always mentioned? You can come off and hit your head at Center Parcs.0 -
Chuck the helmet-they're only good for one!
"It never gets easier, you just go faster"0
