“I am sure your intensions are good Kerri but it ain’t none of your business.”
Actually, now that we have this thing called insurance, it IS our business. Who do you think pays for the continued care that this guy would get as a result of an accident? Yes, the insurance company. And who pays the insurance company? The other policy holders.
flame you? um, no…I was simply expressing MY viewpoint on this one dude who rides without a helmet. I see him pretty much daily and I thought more about his lack of helmet yesterday. Bottom line it’s his choice, but I’m not going to deny that it bothers me to see him or anyone else without a helmet. Do I lose sleep over it? no, not at all. I’m well aware there are worse things going on in the world, I was simply pointing out ONE thing which made me think twice.
I agree with you Paul. Just in the process of living, we manage our risks. Everyone does it differently. When I started cycling, we didn’t wear helmets, just caps. I raced for a number of years and had many accidents, but was lucky and never banged up my head. We later wore the nets which gave us partial protection, then came the bulky helmets and of course now the helmets are very light and cool. I wear one whenever I ride and in fact I feel naked without it BUT if someone chooses not to wear one, that’s HIS/HER decision, not anybody elses. Can’t criticize it because I probably do other things that are highly risky. To each his own.
well I guess I can’t deny that, although I think most surfing accidents are breaking necks, so a helmet wouldn’t do much to prevent that from happening. I heart surfers!! 
“I am sure your intensions are good Kerri but it ain’t none of your business.”
Actually, now that we have this thing called insurance, it IS our business. Who do you think pays for the continued care that this guy would get as a result of an accident? Yes, the insurance company. And who pays the insurance company? The other policy holders.
Who do you think is underwriting the insurance payments for damage and flooding by Katrina and Wilma? When the government covers damage, like it is now, it comes out of our paid taxes that would have gone to other programs.
Who do you think will be paying the insurance when the “big one” hits California that has been predicted for the last 20 years? We will, once again through the goverment.
I don’t live in any of these areas, I do not enjoy any of the benefits of living in those areas, so why should I have to pay for people who made the decision to live there? It’s not like it’s a total unknown. The problems with those areas have been documented in several publications.
A cyclist with a lifetime of nursing care is still a drop in the ocean compared to those other costs.
I have to admit that I too get full on pissed when I see someone riding without a lid. I crashed last fall and lost almost 8 hours of my life and I WAS wearing a helmet, without it, I’d be that guy whose wife telling his kids why daddy is a drooling moron.
I just dont understand the vanity at work in something like that. I jump out of Military aircraft for a living, I ride motorcycles, I rock climb, I do lots of risky things, but I always accept ANY resonable control measure. I would NEVER jump without a helmet, I wont go around the block without on eon my motorcycle o my bicycle, I mean its just such a simple thing to put the stupid helmet on. I have too much to risk today to lose it to something as stupid as vanity.
Yeah baby, your daddy is in that chair because he was a stupid vain man who wanted to feel the wind in his hair. Nope, not me man, just roll the window down on your car.
So y’all have fun ranting about the right to go helmetless, in the interim, put the damn thing on.
I would imagine someone who posts on this forum would know him, I mean there’s a lot of San Diego peeps here and I would love to hear what the guy is thinking!? I, like you had a crash last year and my head literally bounced off the pavement, cracking my helmet. I can’t imagine what would have happened had I not had my helmet on. I’m thinking those of us who have had close calls are more reactionary to these peeps!?
We are ALL jumping in on the forum 
I think the point most people are trying to say is that even though that they wear a helmet 100% of the time, if someone does not have a helmet, it’s not anyone elses business but that person to not wear the helmet.
I personally wear my helmet all the time, wear my seatbelt when driving, use protection when having sex with strangers, and I don’t share needles when shooting up. But’s its all our own personal choices and no one wants to hear a lecture about how people should live their lives and what risks they can take, because after all, this is America!!
Feathered hair? I’m yet to see this guy, but when I do, I think I’ll ride up beside him and ask him why he feels the need to have feathered hair in 2005.
Isn’t that the real issue here?
I think the guy should continue to ride without a helmet. After all, the world needs organ donors.
Victor
Everytime I see you, you give the cycling wave, I never respond, because I think you’re stupid not cool. Maybe you don’t want to mess up your neatly feathered hair or maybe you are just stupid? I know it will never happen to you, right?
If you get offended so easily about the no helmet thing, I recommend that you stay away from Europe - the hotbed of cycling.
I was in Italy a couple of summers ago, and I saw a group ride go by me. There had to be about 60 riders, most above the age of 50, and most without helmets - they’re passionate about cycling, and it’s just the way they do things over there.
I saw the same thing in Chile this summer - big group, loving life, no helmets.
Helmets are really just a north american thing. I for one would never leave without one, but then again how many of us wore one as a child? I would like to think that we all turned out fine…except maybe Tibbs.
offended easily? hmmm…you are assuming this just from my concern and lack of understanding of this guy? It doesn’t offend me. Like I said it doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t think “offend” is the correct word.
Columns Dr.?
Yup. Where else?
Mavericks is COOL!! Big wave surfing totally fascinates me!!! I’ve been to Mavericks once and I was lucky as it was going off so from the cliff I was able to see some cool stuff!! Scary stuff like that fascinates me, not wearing a helmet, not so fascinating, just dumb!
As a non-surfer in Atlanta, I love big wave surfing. During the last Mavericks contest I was monitoring it via the web like I would the Ironman. When I was in San Francisco I did not even know to go out to Half Moon Bay. WHen I get out there again, I will be watching the surf, and hopefully it will go off.
Check our E’s Surf Report for cool surf pics everyday.
I say that everyone takes personal risks. Some drink too much, some smoke, some don’t wear helmets, some race Ironmans so hard that they end up in the med tent, some ride their bikes to work, some drive their car to work, some take the bus to work, some fly down alpine switchbacks at 80 kph with 2000 foot ravines, only inches away, some swim in openwater alone, some don’t do up their seat belts.
Aside from smoking, I think I have done all of the above at some point in my life. I am 40 and for the first 20 years of my life, helmets pretty well did not exist. I wear one all the time for the past 20 years, but I can’t really harp on a dude who wants wind flowing through their hair.
What Dev said.
What amazes me is that some of you guys are translating KK’s caring words (in her own way, but caring) about someone’s safety into, ‘talk to me when you jion MADD’ and ‘it’s none of your business’ etc, etc. She is a cyclist and she is concerned about another cyclists well being. Why read any more into it? It is none of her business you say but if this guy cracks his gourd on the road and he is bleeding all over the place while she is out on a ride, should she not stop traffic or call on a cell phone because it is none of her business? C’mon guys…
“Check our E’s Surf Report for cool surf pics everyday.”
WHERE?!?! Who’s E? Link please.
ah, no worries, my point wasn’t to start a war here, although I guess that’s usually the way it goes! I know what my thoughts are on the whole thing and what others have to say is a-ok!
The Silver Comet is full of chuckle heads, and their kids. Zipping along with no helmets, no clue.
offended easily? hmmm…you are assuming this just from my concern and lack of understanding of this guy? It doesn’t offend me. Like I said it doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t think “offend” is the correct word.
Lot’s of things in the world don’t make sense, but the freedom of choice is one thing that I think you Americans would love and support.
This guy CHOSE not to wear a helmet, and his constitution gives him that right. So, in the risk offending you, I say deal with it…get over it…it’s none of your business.
Snubbing him by not waving is a grade school thing, don’t you think? Must be an elitist Californian thing, because I certainly can’t see the harm in waving back to a fellow human when they wave to you. How do you know this guy is not on a forum talking about this girls who doesn’t wave back, despite his best efforts?
He may not be a bad guy - certainly these Europeans who have ridden bikes every week for the last 45 years aren’t all bad guys - so why not wave? Any while you’re at it, why not stop judging him for the choice he made?
He’s only potentially doing harm to himself, so let him. He’s not a drunk geting into a car, he’s not aiming a gun in public, he’s not poisoning our drinking water supply…he’s no threat to other people. He’s just a guy out for a ride.
Get over it - it’s not your concern.