BBC programme in the Sliced Bread series: "Cycle Helmets"

[mjr]

The one and only time I got actual protection from a helmet it happened so fast I didn't even know if my head had hit the road until I saw the crack in the polystyrene.
The front wheel had fallen into a thin crack in the road under a puddle and stopped instantly throwing me over the top of the bars.

Would you have ridden blindly into puddles as much if not using a helmet? After all, veteran riders say that "puddles hide potholes" and avoid them or slow right down.

There's also a question of whether to ride a bike that can throw you over the bars easily, rather than an upright, laid back or step through that you have more chance of jumping off as it flips, but the UK seems obsessed by "head down bum up", even for touring and off road.

[jb]

Speaking as a veteran cyclist avoiding every little puddle is not an option in heavy rain. I do always brace myself for the unexpected when proceeding through water however the violence of the stop in this case was not anything a 14 stone rider could realistically cope with and it was only a small puddle just big enough to conceal the crack.
Luckily I landed on my back with a sort of role starting at my head (according to the guy behind) which prevented me getting more than a graze ,ripped leggings and a huge bruise..

[drossall]

The one and only time I got actual protection from a helmet it happened so fast I didn't even know if my head had hit the road until I saw the crack in the polystyrene.

At risk of going round the same boring circles again, a crack is a failure. Polystyrene absorbs energy by compression. It's the difference between bending a sheet of polystyrene (takes very little effort, absorbs very little energy), and punching a polystyrene block (the material compresses). So, whilst a crack doesn't mean that the polystyrene did not also absorb some energy, neither is it evidence that it did.

[mjr]

Speaking as a veteran cyclist avoiding every little puddle is not an option in heavy rain. I do always brace myself for the unexpected when proceeding through water however the violence of the stop in this case was not anything a 14 stone rider could realistically cope with and it was only a small puddle just big enough to conceal the crack.
Luckily I landed on my back with a sort of role starting at my head (according to the guy behind) which prevented me getting more than a graze ,ripped leggings and a huge bruise..

The back of a helmet is not normally protective, which possibly is why it cracked and good it did, lest it pushed your head forward unnaturally off the neck.

The puddle cannot have been that little if it concealed a wheel-grabber. Proceeding through a large puddle at sufficient speed to launch over the bars is Russian roulette. Better to sit up and slow down, rather than strap on and speed in. This incident sounds like risk compensation.

[pjclinch]

The back of a helmet is not normally protective, which possibly is why it cracked and good it did, lest it pushed your head forward unnaturally off the neck.

Yup. Here's one I broke just using steady pressure at the back with my thumbs. I couldn't break front or sides doing this.

Pete.

[Stevek76]

Not sure this is intentional. The time between starting to fall and actual impact makes such deliberate actions fairly unlikely.

I disagree that you go down without warning. If you think it’s without warning, you weren’t paying attention.

I didn't say without warning, but the time for higher level conscious override of actions is effectively zero. Perhaps there might be an underlying bias due to the feeling of the head being protected as you describe but i can't say that's something I've experienced myself when i do use a helmet mtbing.

[mjr]

I didn't say without warning, but the time for higher level conscious override of actions is effectively zero. Perhaps there might be an underlying bias due to the feeling of the head being protected as you describe but i can't say that's something I've experienced myself when i do use a helmet mtbing.

Studies from other sports suggest a helmeted head is a hotter head means slower reactions. Now, the helmets for most sports are less ventilated, but the players aren't generally putting out hundreds of Watts like a cyclist either. I'd love to see this studied in cyclists.

[mattheus]

Here's one I broke just using steady pressure at the back with my thumbs. I couldn't break front or sides doing this.

Blimey - you really do hate helmets. What had that one every done to YOU?!?