How many of you always wear a helmet?

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
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aesmith
Posts: 548
Joined: 22 Feb 2008, 11:32am
Location: Aberdeenshire

How many of you always wear a helmet?

Post by aesmith »

Hi,

That's the question really. I was wondering how near we are to having helmets forced on us, and how many always wear a helmet from choice already.

Personally I don't like wearing anything on my head that I can't take off while I'm riding, so tend to wear a knitted hat or nothing. I had to wear a helmet in a mountain bike event, primarily because of pressure from my fellow team members (one lent me a helmet) and wasn't actually mandatory in the event rules.

Tony S
dmiller
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Joined: 11 Sep 2007, 1:38pm
Location: Glasgow, Scotland.

Post by dmiller »

Always wear one - having cracked two helmets in the last year (one on road, hit by a car, one mountain biking and I fell off) and cant help but think what pain they saved me from!

Besides there is some wife pressure on this front :oops:
DavidT
Posts: 1223
Joined: 13 Jan 2007, 2:05pm
Location: East Midlands (Originally from Devon)

Helmets

Post by DavidT »

Always wear one, but I don't go mad on the spec. Wear a Giro Transfer @ about £25 I think.

Fell off badly a couple of years ago when I slipped on a sharp bend (my fault)and cracked the the helmet, so I'm reasonably convinced!

However I am fully behind CTC approach of it being an individual's choice. Each to their own and I would not want to see it as a law.

Following my crash it was amazing how many non cyclist work colleagues asked if I had been wearing a helmet, with the clear implication that if I had'nt it would have been my fault and sympathies withdrawn! A very weird observation! But true I assure you. In my experience non cyclists seem to see helmets as such an important issue, even though they don't know what they are talking about?
aesmith
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Location: Aberdeenshire

Post by aesmith »

Of those who always wear one, I would be interested how many were regular cyclists before cycle helmets existed.

Maybe if I started now I'd see them as normal.

A bit like some of the guys at work are worried out traffic when riding on the road, and prefer to stick to off-road. They're too young to have grown up when every child rode a bike, and used the roads.
glueman
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Joined: 16 Mar 2007, 1:22pm

Post by glueman »

I wore one from the early nineties until about two years ago all the time. I wear one much less now and the same goes for specialist cycling clothes. They're just another barrier to getting on the bike and going out.
Helmets are quite a good idea but then so is body armour and before you know it you've got motorcycle gear. I like the kids to wear them on the road but they aren't really old enough to decide what's best.
johnmac
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Joined: 19 Jan 2007, 9:45pm

Post by johnmac »

After a couple of years riding without, I've come to the conclusion that it's only a matter of time before I head-butt the tarmac.

My helmet was £7.99 from Argos and I'm not convinced there's any point spending more.

However, I'd actively resist any move towards compulsion.
DavidT
Posts: 1223
Joined: 13 Jan 2007, 2:05pm
Location: East Midlands (Originally from Devon)

Post by DavidT »

aesmith

I started riding, without, in the 1980s.

It was actually girlfriend pressure that made me start wearing one about 12 years ago when I did a quick tour in Devon where the hills are somewhat steeper and/or longer than she was used to around here.

From then, I just kept wearing one. The occassional updates kept my motivation with increasingly lighter and better fitting designs - for the same money or cheaper.
downsman
Posts: 60
Joined: 6 Jan 2007, 7:50pm

Post by downsman »

I always wear one, because I believe my children are safer wearing them, and if I don't how am I going to convince them?

They shouldn't be mandatory, and I'm not going to try and convince anyone else to wear one :)
Ron
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Post by Ron »

I've never worn one, but use my bike only for on road utility cycling and touring.
drossall
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Location: North Hertfordshire

Post by drossall »

I started well before (plastic) helmets were invented, and I never wear one.

I'm baffled by the number of cyclists who have been saved by their helmets, because head injuries were almost unknown before they were invented.
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DaveP
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Location: W Mids

Post by DaveP »

I know what you mean! :lol:
People used to talk about their stitches, not their injuries...

I have a helmet, but seldom wear it unless out with my lad. I like him to wear one, so it seem only fair.
The main thing I have against them is that I sweat very easily and life is just more pleasant with an absorbent hat. Also, having to get dressed to ride is such a pain - I had a motorbike just after the helmet laws came in and what a pain it was having to constantly find ways of keeping the "lid" safe from harm and from light fingers.
thirdcrank
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Post by thirdcrank »

I always wear one when cycling (not the rest of the time :wink: )

Been cycling since 1958, started wearing one 1990.

They are obviously an utter waste of time and space but read the Fulbrook paper explaining contributory negligence as it affects cyclists. When the shabby victim blamers scrape you up off the road, a helmet means they have one less thing to crow about.

(I've lifted the link from another post by Graham)
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ncutler
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Post by ncutler »

I always wear one.

But, if I'm more than about 300 yds. away from home and discover that I have forgotten to put it on I don't go back for it.

There again, in Amsterdam I wouldn't dream of it:
Image

Nick
iaincullen
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Joined: 18 Aug 2007, 11:43am

Post by iaincullen »

I never wear one. I find them uncomfortable and believe the protection they give is exaggerated. If anyone wants to wear one? No problem, it's a free country.

http://www.jasmine.org.uk/dogfood/story/article_20.html
drossall
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Post by drossall »

thirdcrank wrote:When the shabby victim blamers scrape you up off the road, a helmet means they have one less thing to crow about.


AFAIK no attempt to reduce compensation for non-helmet-wearing has succeeded, at least where the victim and his/her lawyers knew enough to challenge it?
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