Helmets

[pedalpower2]

I haven't worn a helmet up to now. When they first came out they didn't seem very useful and quite afew people fuond them uncomfortable which is why i've been helmetless. I wonder if things have changed over time and i'm thinking of getting one. Can anyone tell me what I should consider and what are good helmets. I would like one with a deep peak as glare bothers me, at present I use a baseball cap because of this. Any advice on choosing one will be appreciated..
I still think there is a hell of a lot of luck involved if one has an accident.. About 50years ago, well before helmets, (except for track racing), I ws in a collision with a car and regained cosciousness several hours later in hospital. I was lucky and suffered no damage. A little while ago a efriend was knocked off while wearing a helmet and died after a couple of weeks. There aren't any guarantees.

[[XAP]Bob]

As you say - no guarantees....

Some research suggests greater risk taken both by those wearing helmets and those around them, but that's discussed ad nauseuam elsewhere...

Snell standards are "better" than BS, but the protection is still limited.

[Ayesha]

Bicycle helmets are damned clever pieces of kit. They have a strange ability to keep your head warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

For added warmth in the really cold winter, cover the front slots with glass repair tape.

They also defend off twigs thrown by squirrels. They can be decorated with trade stickers. They can be lined with Bacofoil and know one will see you’re a whacko.

Also, if you happen to faceplant the pavement, they save an amount of bruising.

[pjclinch]

I haven't worn a helmet up to now. When they first came out they didn't seem very useful and quite afew people fuond them uncomfortable which is why i've been helmetless. I wonder if things have changed over time and i'm thinking of getting one. Can anyone tell me what I should consider and what are good helmets. I would like one with a deep peak as glare bothers me, at present I use a baseball cap because of this. Any advice on choosing one will be appreciated.

"Comfort" is a relative thing. People with generally broken bodies are often described as "comfortable" in hospital press releases, for example, even though we can be pretty sure in an absolute sense they're not.
If you put a modern bike helmet on and it's a decent fit then it's pretty comfort-neutral: you don't really notice it's on. After an hour with a snug chin strap you might start to think differently, and there aren't many people, I would suggest, who aren't quite glad to get rid of them at the end of a long ride, especially on a hot day.

A crucial part of a helmet functioning optimally is a good fit. This will also impact comfort. Modern helmets have easily adjusting cradles which make life easier, but you still want the basic shape and size to be close to your own head. As already noted, Snell is a higher spec than EN1078 and as helmets tend to be built down to spec (because that means lighter and more comfortable, as well as cheaper) that does mean a Snell certified lid can be expected to do a bit better... but a poorly fitting Snell will probably be worse than a well fitted EN1078, and what you can generally expect of a helmet is mitigating a minor injury after which it gets thrown in the bin anyway. For most of the injuries where a helmet will be a major benefit (typically saving you a nasty bump and an awful headache) EN1078 will be enough. Snell gives you a better chance in a nastier prang, but with the specification as it is all the bets are off anyway. If that sounds a bit dubious, well, it is!

Other things to consider are risks, and your exposure to them. Chris Froome and Danny McAskill need helmets a lot more than I do: they're operating in environments where sporting achievement tends to over-rule saftey to at least some extent and where it's common to have falls and crashes. The rare occasions when I do technical MTB I wear a helmet because it's entirely likely I'll be knocking low tree branches with my head and/or falling off. When I ride around town, go touring, teach Bikeability I'm at much lower risk of bashing my head so I don't bother. Utility and leisure cycling is not particularly productive of head injuries and not clearly much riskier than many things you do without helmets, so it is worth addressing whether you want to make an exception for general cycling. I used to, I don't any more, I do appreciate not having the faff of the things for everyday, especially when I compare to Go-Ride coaching where I have to wear one even for no-risk stuff.

You can still wear a cap under a helmet. I'd suggest a cycling cap is quite possibly a better bet than a baseball cap, whether or not you're using a helmet. The brim is smaller but slopes down so can be just as effective without catching the wind so much, and it can be snapped up for better visibility in a crouch. And it folds up and fits in a pocket much more easily.

Pete.

[NUKe]

You can wear your baseball/Cycling cap underneath to give you a peak, helemt ones are not that useful , or take a look at Bern helmets they have a liner with a peak for summer, or a thermal Liner for winter, I am still waiting for them to start shipping my size to the UK, probably early spring in Allston version. modern helemts are much better ventilated than they were a few years back and generally the higher the price the better the ventilation works.

[Vorpal]

I haven't worn a helmet up to now. When they first came out they didn't seem very useful and quite afew people fuond them uncomfortable which is why i've been helmetless. I wonder if things have changed over time and i'm thinking of getting one. Can anyone tell me what I should consider and what are good helmets. I would like one with a deep peak as glare bothers me, at present I use a baseball cap because of this. Any advice on choosing one will be appreciated..
I still think there is a hell of a lot of luck involved if one has an accident.. About 50years ago, well before helmets, (except for track racing), I ws in a collision with a car and regained cosciousness several hours later in hospital. I was lucky and suffered no damage. A little while ago a efriend was knocked off while wearing a helmet and died after a couple of weeks. There aren't any guarantees.

If you haven't worn one up to now, why start? Note that this is not criticism, just curiosity.

FWIW, I have a Specialized S-works (the current edition is the S3) that is light, comfortable, well-ventilated and has a detachable peak.

I think my helmet has been the most useful on the couple of occasions that it has fended off hail.

[Audax67]

Very fond of mine. Best way of attaching a head torch without the Spanish Windlass effect, holds on my baseball cap at night or in the rain, keeps my head warm when I put a rain cover over it. Also acts as a handy basket for small items either during en-route shoppings or at home to stash gloves, heart pickup etc.

Anyway, as to current models I have no idea. Mine's 10 years old & probably ripe for the heap. It stick out a bit further at the front than current models, though: I find this comforting.

ETA: Hail on a helmet is great fun.

[kwackers]

ETA: Hail on a helmet is great fun.

Sounds painful.

[Marv]

Im also looking into getting my first helmet.

Does anybody know the pros and cons of adjustable ones vs non adjustable (which is safer)

[Audax67]

Kwackers seems to be in the know.

Adjustable straps are common to all, most have adjustable occipital grips. Never heard of an adjustable crown.

[Geriatrix]

I think its like shoes, you just need to try out all the options in the shop & select the one that fits best.

There are some with removable lining which is useful for cleaning.

[Cunobelin]

Bicycle helmets are damned clever pieces of kit. They have a strange ability to keep your head warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

For added warmth in the really cold winter, cover the front slots with glass repair tape.

They also defend off twigs thrown by squirrels. They can be decorated with trade stickers. They can be lined with Bacofoil and know one will see you’re a whacko.

Also, if you happen to faceplant the pavement, they save an amount of bruising.

Squirrels have sussed that one!

[pedalpower2]

Thanks for the advice.
Verpal would like to know why after 60 odd years without I am considering a helmet. Well, interest was started by an article written by James Cracknell's wife advocating helmets all round after his experience.
I'm a fairly good (but not infallible bike handler) but as the Cracknell incident shows we are not completely in control of our own destiny.
And I suppose it could be a bit of conformism, being helmetless is unusual now. I'm still not totally convinced though.

[Vorpal]

James Cracknell receives (or at least has received) benefits from promoting helmets.

There have been a couple of threads about James Cracknell and his wife on the forum. viewtopic.php?f=41&t=82349 is the latest.

[irc]

I'm a fairly good (but not infallible bike handler) but as the Cracknell incident shows we are not completely in control of our own destiny.

I'd argue that Cracknell could possibly have avoided his accident. It may be the case that either use of a mirror or avoiding riding east towards the rising sun on a road with HGV traffic could have avoided the accident.

So, no we aren't completely in control of our destiny but many accidents are avoidable and avoidance is better than mitigation of the consequences.