Helmets

[Hooch]

I am as bad as anybody with this but please lets wear bike helmets! my bestest buddy went down tonight on a short leisure ride and he will be ok just lots of stitches........ lots (think half of your forehead ripped off your skull) and he is very very Lucky.
he is an athlete and former college football player(indestructible type) and a Harley Rider
and now has more stitches in his forehead than the dr could count, I have photos I wont post but please lets wear them. no matter how short the ride or how uncomfortable or ugly they look.


It could be you

 

[FaceOFFbikes]

As much as I know about helmet use, I lost a friend 20 years ago. He was on his bike and was hit and killed by a passenger van. I refuse to wear mine. I think I am still angry and I. Am rebelling out of stupidity.. We should all wear our helmet..
Also if you are not wearing your bike helmet because its goofy looking.. look into other helmets..

 

[scrumblero]

:shock: OOWWWW!!!

 

[Wildcat]

One of my old girlfriends had a brain injury, had to relearn everything and was never the same. I pulled up to a light with my helmet and gloves on while riding my old Schwinn, guy next to me on a Harley with shorts, t shirt, and no helmet. We both laughed. I always wear a helmet, and it keeps the Florida sun off my head a little. I woulds like one that looks more retro, but I'm not going to spend a hundred bucks on a helmet.

 

[Hooch]

Yea I have debated the warrants if wearing one before. But not anymore. You are more likely to wreck a bicycle than a motorcycle because of the weight/traction and we tend to ride on the worst part of the road. He is lucky and very sore today

sent from my awesome android!

 

[c.p.odom]

What I find stupidly ironic is seeing parents riding without a helmet while making their kids wear them. First they are not being much of a roll model and they do not take their parental responsibilities very seriously. What good is it to protect the children and then have their parents killed of turned into vegetables?

 

[Tychevelle]

What I find stupidly ironic is seeing parents riding without a helmet while making their kids wear them. First they are not being much of a roll model and they do not take their parental responsibilities very seriously. What good is it to protect the children and then have their parents killed of turned into vegetables?

Yeah exactly, or ill see kids riding there bikes with the helmet on there handle bars :?: uhoh i see a crash comin better put it on!

my uncle passed away 10 years ago, when he was 21 he was riding his bike at a cross walk with a light and the car blew the light he was in a comma for 8 years! I know its along time my grandparents are split up my grandpa wanted to let him go as there was no hope for him to not come too again but grandma didnt want to.... he eventually passed at 29 years of age but its forever burned in my memory I never really got to know him, I still dont wear a helmet if im riding around in my culdesac but if im on the road I certainly wear one as well when we go downhill mtn biking I got full cheast back and side protection as well as a full face helmet and shin guards one of my friends friend was mtn biking bailed and and stick stabbed him in the spine, paralized just like that..... lifes to short man. and exactly true if you dont want to wear one cause "its not cool" or you think it looks funny buy a diff helmet! I have a few different Nutcase helmets love em totally comfy

 

[KJV]

i all ways wear ,
helmet, gloves;
while riding on
boards, & bikes. :mrgreen:

 

[Buck Masterson]

I can't do the helmet thing. I always wear a hat though, so I do have some protection. (from the sun) If it is God will for me to crush my nugget then so be it.

 

[Willg]

I have been slipping a bit on wearing mine lately, but you are absolutely right. I have had a few crashes in the past where I would have gotten seriously injured if I was not wearing a helmet. They are making helmets now that are kind of cool, so I may get one of them.

 

[aka_locojoe]

If it is God will for me to crush my nugget then so be it.

God's will or Darwin's theory. May be natures way of weeding out those (myself included) who do not make intelligent decisions :lol:
If I thought it was God's will for me to crush my skull I'd definitely wear a helmet :lol:

On a serious note... Really sorry to hear about your friend Hooch. I think helmets are a good thing though I don't always wear one and I do make the Grandkids wear one. So I'm not only a bicycle enthusiast but also a hypocrite.

Like some others have said, I take my chances to some extent. I wear it on rides where I feel I would most need it.

Other things I don't take chances. I always wear an oven mitt when I pull pizza rolls out of the oven. I don't step on cracks in the sidewalk.

I suppose a helmet may not save your life in a bad accident but it could save you from a miserable life in a not so bad accident.

 

[Buck Masterson]

Went for a ride earlier, and I think I jinxed myself. Hit a pot hole and racked myself good. No need for a helmet but think I'm going to start riding with a cup on.

 

[snydur]

i usually wear a motorcyle helmet, wwii style. its black and has plenty of use, but its the only one that fits my big head comfortably. as for the large spike i used to have dead center. . . that ,might have affected my safety :mrgreen:

 

[Hooch]

I suppose a helmet may not save your life in a bad accident but it could save you from a miserable life in a not so bad accident.

very well said Randy.



Dont get me wrong I believe in Civil Liberties and dont thing anyone should be forced to wear one, and getting hit by a car would make the helmet probably a non issue, but this was a minor crash with a pretty ugly ending would a helmet have made a difference? I dont know but my guess is yes and its made me totally rethink the issue. I dont even own a helmet....... Yet

 

[jerrykr]

Hooch,

Very good advice. I hope your friend recovers totally and isn't in too much pain and discomfort in the process.

Someone here mentioned gloves. +1 and more on that idea.

I finally convinced my wife to wear them. If you go down, you may not even come close to hitting your head,
but, I almost guarantee that you will put your hands out to try to break the fall. That leather in your palms may
help prevent a serious amount of road rash to your hands.

Besides, fingerless cycling gloves look cool! Mine have a pad (like the soft part of velcro) on the top side of each thumb.
Great for wiping the sweat out your your eyes without stopping.

While we are at it, wrap around sunglasses to keep bugs and stuff out of your eyes. Eye protection is never a bad idea, and can also look cool!

 

[KJV]

good thing i wear the helmet;
got caught in a hale storm on my
ride to choir practice. :arrow:

 

[Graylock]

I just bought one of those bmx type helmet last weekend during a bike ride event promoting bike safety. I was wearing an old cheap helmet that I had for the last 25 years that fit poorly. I had the money on me so I made the "investment" and picked it up on the way back. I packed my old one and adjusted the new one and it stays on my noggin quite nicely. I'm going to get a visor and a mirror for it later.
I just like to add that if you hate to wear your helmet because it's old and fits poorly then buy a new one. The new ones fit real nice and have many styles to choose from. I also scored points with my wife when I wear it on tallbike rides.

Graylock

 

[Skipton]

What I find stupidly ironic is seeing parents riding without a helmet while making their kids wear them. First they are not being much of a roll model and they do not take their parental responsibilities very seriously. What good is it to protect the children and then have their parents killed of turned into vegetables?

Well said..... My kid's know not to even sit on a bike with out there helmet on... So as not to be a hypocrite I always wear my helmet even on

rides in the park with the kids..... I did not wear a helmet in the video I posted for my Build Off 5 bike and my kids still give me a hard time..

You may not look cool in a helmet but not having the ability to ride because of a head injury is not cool

 

[Blueboy5000]

Nearly twenty years ago I was riding a Gravity Bike at the near-impossible speed of 80 mph when my front axle bearings exploded from heat. The wheel locked up and sent me over the bars. I flew for nearly 500' before hitting the ground on my right shoulder, and tore (burned) the skin off my arm so badly that my Campy jersey melted into my flesh (with smoke and all). Hitting on my shoulder caused me to slam my face violently into the pavement and my helmet took the brunt of it and literally exploded off of my head in millions of foam pieces. If I wasn't wearing my helmet, that would have been my head, and that would have been instant death.

The human head is just as durable as a watermelon, next time you get an opportunity drop a watermelon on the floor and see what happens. Your head has been scientifically proven to be just the same.

Helmets are the difference between a little road rash and Game Over. I wear my BMX helmet when I ride bicycles, and my Moto helmet when I ride my scooters. When I get a motorcycle, I will wear an official motorcycle helmet as well.

When purchasing helmets, make sure they bear both an ANSI and SNEL certification. This means the helmets have been deemed safe by American and European saftey standards. And remember to NEVER use a bicycle helmet on a motor vehicle, they are not safe for scooters and motorcycles.

 

[DHrider]

in the downhill sport a helmet is mandatory and you would just be a plain idiot to ride without one. i am so used to wearing one i feel weird with out it. there are more and more specialty helmets out there now ... not like it used to be. nutcase http://www.nutcasehelmets.com/en/site make some great looking noggin buckets.

IMO, from experience, helmets should be bought without a whole lot of concern for cost.
priority 1: protection- be sure the helmet is suited to what you are going to do with it, don't buy a helmet for leisure riding for dirt jumping. and like wise don't buy a full face downhill helmet for leisure riding, it will be too hot and you will not wear it.
2: fit- be sure the helmet fits you properly, not gonna grow into it or," well its a little loose but its ok." it has to fit properly and comfortably.
3: cost- after all the above is met only then can you look at the cost and say, "is there a more viable option at a reduced cost." but do not compromise on the above.

glad to hear your friend will make a recovery. been there with numerous cycling incidents, the healing time really sucks.