So I was out riding today and saw a guy riding without a helmet. Based on his bike and kit seemed like a ‘serious cyclist.’ I think nowadays it’s pretty unusual to see a serious cyclist w/o a helmet, anyone else not wear one on a regular or not so regular basis? It’s pretty common to see commuters, hipsters etc lidless but it seems most people who ride somewhat seriously wear one.
Thoughts?
So I was out riding today and saw a guy riding without a helmet. Based on his bike and kit seemed like a ‘serious cyclist.’ I think nowadays it’s pretty unusual to see a serious cyclist w/o a helmet, anyone else not wear one on a regular or not so regular basis? It’s pretty common to see commuters, hipsters etc lidless but it seems most people who ride somewhat seriously wear one.
Thoughts?
See serious “roadies” around here (south bay area of so cal) without helmets all the time. The ones I love are the guys with the helmet strapped to their stem. (still, helmet-less riders are the vast minority)
I don’t wear one when I ride my mtn bike to the pool and back or other commuter stuff.
I see some people around here on occasion who are or appear to be avid and accomplished cyclists riding without a helmet.
I almost always wear my helmet on the road bike, I do sometimes take it off on some parts of the River Mountain Trail when it’s summer time. I would prefer to never wear it but common sense gets the best of me on occasion.
I don’t wear one when I ride my mtn bike to the pool and back or other commuter stuff.
I see some people around here on occasion who are or appear to be avid and accomplished cyclists riding without a helmet.
I almost always wear my helmet on the road bike, I do sometimes take it off on some parts of the River Mountain Trail when it’s summer time. I would prefer to never wear it but common sense gets the best of me on occasion.
Hah! Jim, do you strap it to your stem? 
some people will gladly accept a slight risk of dying sooner for convenience or comfort
some people wont
a lot of people, for some reason, get ANGRY at the people who don’t mind risking an earlier death.
just remember, everybody dies
Thoughts?
I always wear a helmet, mainly to set a good example for my kids. The few times I’ve forgotten it, though, it felt AWESOME! Like some sort of forbidden love, I guess.
some people will gladly accept a slight risk of dying sooner for convenience or comfort
some people wont
a lot of people, for some reason, get ANGRY at the people who don’t mind risking an earlier death.
just remember, everybody dies
Oh, I don’t care, nor do I judge. People can and should do whatever they want. I scuba dive solo, at night, in kelp. I ride bikes on coumadin. Live and let live.
I just find it funny that someone would have a helmet with them and strap it to their bike and not their head (and we’re not talking 100 degrees in the desert, we’re talking 75 and sunny by the coast). I can see how that might be comfortable in high heat, not sure I see the convenience in it. It is fashionable if they are wearing one of those silly cycling caps like in Breaking Away, however
I see some old school rodies who go with the wide headband or cycling cap; doing the Europro thing when riding alone or with some friends.
Here in the states you need a helmet for practically any organized ride (even team training) due to liability issues.
just like my seatbelt, i always wear mine, even to go to the mail box, that guy maybe europeen, or Captain America, my EMT freinds calls those guy’s Organ donors,
.
Nope, I put it on my clip on aero bars, saw your post after I had already responded Chris.
Whenever I see these “I saw a cyclist without a helmet” threads I wonder how many people who are in car accidents would still be alive or avoid serious brain trauma if they were wearing a simple cycling helmet or better yet a motorcycle helmet while they were in their car.
For some interesting articles; goggle head trauma in car accidents
And if one wants to do a little more research, see how many pedestrians suffered head trauma as a secondary injury when their head hit the pavement or some other hard surface after being struck by a vehicle…
I may never take my helmet off again, would that look funny in the pool?
People that say “comfort” as their excuse for not wearing a helmet probably blame “genetics” as the cause for most fat people. COMFORT MY ASS. They weigh less than a pound, don’t move if firmly affixed, and don’t obstruct vision. If not for yourself, do it for your family so they don’t have to scoop up your brains off the pavement.
Nope, I put it on my clip on aero bars, saw your post after I had already responded Chris.
Whenever I see these “I saw a cyclist without a helmet” threads I wonder how many people who are in car accidents would still be alive or avoid serious brain trauma if they were wearing a simple cycling helmet or better yet a motorcycle helmet while they were in their car.
For some interesting articles; goggle head trauma in car accidents
And if one wants to do a little more research, see how many pedestrians suffered head trauma as a secondary injury when their head hit the pavement or some other hard surface after being struck by a vehicle…
I may never take my helmet off again, would that look funny in the pool?
I thought you looked familiar 
maybe they don’t have a family
or hate their family
because their family are those kind of people who get angry at others for making choices that involve personal risk.
People that say “comfort” as their excuse for not wearing a helmet probably blame “genetics” as the cause for most fat people. COMFORT MY ASS. They weigh less than a pound, don’t move if firmly affixed, and don’t obstruct vision. If not for yourself, do it for your family so they don’t have to scoop up your brains off the pavement.
some people will gladly accept a slight risk of dying sooner for convenience or comfort
some people wont
a lot of people, for some reason, get ANGRY at the people who don’t mind risking an earlier death.
just remember, everybody dies
It’s funny, every since I started riding bikes seriously i’ve always worn a helmet, I never go without one and it would probably feel weird if I did. On the other hand, I’ve been skiing since I was 5 and I only started wearing a helmet once I started medical school (probably not a coincidence…) and would ditch it in a second if I hadn’t seen so many head injured patients…
we make all kinds of weird safety decisions.
like we will ride in the aerobars with brakes not being handy on public roads. that is totally ok!
but a short, slow ride without a helmet? that is STUPID! I am MAD AT YOU!
modify your helmet to be less effective so that it saves you 30 seconds over 40k? totally ok!
People that say “comfort” as their excuse for not wearing a helmet probably blame “genetics” as the cause for most fat people. COMFORT MY ASS. They weigh less than a pound, don’t move if firmly affixed, and don’t obstruct vision. If not for yourself, do it for your family so they don’t have to scoop up your brains off the pavement.
I think it is a lot more comfortable without a helmet, though I do wear mine the majority of the miles I ride.
Do you wear a helmet when you are in your car?
If not why not?
Do you hate your family?
Always ride with a helmet since the original bell biker came out. Was convinced to do so while touring plus it was a convenient mirror mount. I used that much more 30 odd years ago or more.
Started skiing with a toque. When I got back into sking a couple of years ago I started out without a helmet but then started to get daughters and grand kids involved so I bought a helmet. Wear it all the time now. It works great in temps from above freezing (with vents open) down to -30C with vents closed. And at those temps I put a small cycling scull cap on. Goggles come up to meet the helmet. That and my beard with a jacket that zips up over my chin and I’m pretty toasty in cool weather. The only time I’ve h ad an issue is with temps below -30 and wind streaming down the chair lift. Not many runs between lodge stops then.
I don’t get your analogy at all, and I hate to pile on but I agree with the other responses. The number one reason people give when asked why they don’t commute on bicycles is safety. And I think helmets contribute to the notion that cycling is somehow “dangerous.” There is little danger in a 1-mile ride at 10 mph to the grocery store on a bike. What is a helmet going to do? Someone else pointed out skiing, that is way more dangerous IMO than basic cycling.
Having said all that I almost always wear a helmet.
When I was *brand new *to the sport I went to ride with a friend who was a serious triathlete. He freaked out that I didn’t have a helmet and refused to ride with me unless I borrowed his wife’s helmet (I didn’t even own one at the time; this was before my first race). I went out and bought my own that night. I have worn a helmet on every ride since. This summer I was going to enjoy a rare treat- I was driving about 40 minutes to meet someone for a long ride. When I was almost there I realized I forgot my helment and I FREAKED out. Luckily I remembered that a coworker lived near my riding destination, he was not home but instructed me to go through his garage and look for one of his daughter’s old helmets (he doesn’t own a bike). I dusted off a 1990ish styrofoam shell of a helmet and it fit fine so I wore that! Too bad I didn’t take a picture because it was UGLY. I’m 95% sure I would not have riden without a helmet that day. It just doesn’t make sense to me now. Since my macho first day as a cyclist/triathlete my job as firefighter/EMT has exposed me to several bike accidents where a helmet made a huge difference. But…to each his own, it’s some sort of survival of the fittest.
I dusted off a 1990ish styrofoam shell of a helmet and it fit fine so I wore that!
Fit fine and probably would have done absolutely nothing to help your head.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/337675-lifespan-of-a-bicycle-helmet/