So, there I was on Nantucket this weekend (wrestling an ugly huge stump out of the ground) and a guy rides by my house on a nice P3 - sipping calmly from his Profile bottle, stretched out over his clean and shiny aerobars. All fine and dandy. But wearing sunglasses and a cute little French bike beanie. No helmet.
Maybe my surgical training (actually was lured into a surgical career by research on organ transplantation) makes me overly sensitive, but how many of you ride without a helmet? I always strap the sucker on, even for short training rides, ‘cuz I never know when some idiot in a car or motorcycle, or some bounding deer or dog, will launch me from the bike. Was surprised to see what I saw, and made me wonder. The moreso in light of all of the unpleasant biking mishaps discussed on ST. Curious about others’ habits.
I keep an old cracked helmet (yes, a Bell) hanging on the wall next to where I keep my bike. It is a reminder of what would have happened to my head had I not been wearing it.
I’m always amazed when I see people not wearing helmets, but as I tell my kids when they ask why the neighbor’s kids don’t wear helmets, “they just must not consider their brain to be of much value.”
If it wasn’t for safety equipment (helmets, lifejacket)
Wait, are we supposed to be wearing lifejackets while riding?
Victor
Funny you mention this. Today I saw a little boy, maybe 6, wearing a life jacket while riding his bike on the way to the lake to go swimming but no helmet. I have no problem telling eople about bike helmets but his parents didn’t seem to care.
If I am stradling the top tube my helmet is buckled. When I was a kid I used to ditch it in the bushes but now for some reason I wear one religiously.
I usually see about 20+ people without helmets on a weekday night on the bike trail. Was actually out there for a bit last weekend on Mem day and it was literally 50+ in about 2 hours. An entire family of 5 had no helmets including the kids.
My wife and I always where helmets. On a ride last weekend we pass several children with parents on bikes but none of them had a helmet. It’s a law in CA. for children to where a helmet when riding a bike… I don’t get it.
PS: I almost posted on this subject myself a few times.
I always wear a helmet, and so does just about anybody I encounter on a bike here in Norcal…it’s an odd sight to see somebody riding without…we stare at them…where are you from?
I always wear my helmet. Even when I’m doing CompuTrainer. Just kidding. No, seriosly though, even when I just make a minor adjustment on my bike and I ride down the street I put my lid on. And from my recent hit and run incident, I can attest to the efficacy of wearing a helmet as it definitely saved my noggin. The inside shell was cracked but my head was fortunately spared. I’ve seen one too many closed head injuries working in the ER on people not wearing helmets while riding motorcycles and bicycles. I live in Florida and I find it absurd to allow motorcyclists to ride without helmets. I’ve seen many a motorcyclist die from head injury alone. Gotta look cool though when you ride that Harley! And I guess that guy riding his P3 in Nantucket was looking cool too! Just not worth the risk to me.
I definitly wear my helmet on all rides. I also don the brain bucket when downhill skiing. I have bounced my bucket off of several tree branches while skiing that definitly would have caused some injury.
The only time I even considered riding without a helmet - but decided to wear it anyway - was the day I had a crash that would have ended my life without that helmet. Very strange thing, I don’t recall ever even thinking about not wearing a helmet before, and on that one day - BANG.
ah yes, the helmet wars - post this on any biking forum and you’ll get a religious war…
Personally I cannot see any downside to riding with a helmet, so I don’t get the argument at all.
A dog took me out once on a MUT(t), bounced up mad thinking I’d just fallen off sideways: later inspection showed a big dent in the helmet - must have gone head first onto the concrete, could have been unpleasant.
Not only is it not safe but it looks lame, sporting a nice ride with all the gear and no helmet. I have no repect for cyclists that don’t wear a helmet. They look like idiots.
When I first started racing, in 1983, we only wore helmets for racing because it was a requirement. Leather hair nets still passed for helmets. In our entire club only one guy wore an old bell while riding. Now I always wear one. I would be missing two of my best friends if they hadn’t been wearing theirs.