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How often do you wear a helmet while cycling?

  • Total voters
    36
J.R.

J.R.

Well-Known Member
Region
USA
City
Piedmont Highlands
Having one foot in the motorcycle world and one foot in the cycling world, the helmet question had to be answered over and over again my whole life. I'll be honest and say I haven't always worn a helmet and the reasons for and against could fill an entire forum on their own. It's a complicated issue. These days I wear a helmet most of the time. For cycling I currently use a Bern or Specialized, the Bern being a multi-sport, 3 season helmet and the Specialized road for summer.

A voluntary survey is very unscientific, but it could be helpful to a newbie here. So click that button now. I don't want this thread to devolve into judgment about personal choices. But do share your personal experience and anecdotes. It appears to me there are more cyclists under the age of 40 wearing helmets than cyclists over 40 and the weekend warrior over 40 probably needs it more. Anticipating problematic situations when on two wheels plays a major part in surviving them and time in the saddle is your best friend.

My anecdote? When I was 7 years old I got my first mini-motorcycle and my father (mother made him) made me wear a construction hardhat and safety glasses. Thank god there wasn't digital photography in the 1960's, sorry folks I can't upload a photo.:)


Poll answers are anonymous.
 
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I don't wear a helmet when fatbiking on the beach.

I don't wear helmet (sometimes) when fatbiking in the snow.

For everything else biking I wear a helmet
 
My last road bike crash had me going from 25 to ZERO mph in the space of 3 feet, my head hit the curb and I was in lala land for a few seconds. I don't even want to think of what may have happened without my foam dome. When I see guys without them (never any girls) I always think of the, not if, but when factor. -S
 
IMG_20150429_194846~2.jpg

Only wear it when I value my head ... always.
 
I don't care how dorkey I look, I always wear my helmet just in case. Could be a driver or just a stupid mistake on my part but it only takes a split second to find yourself off the road and headed for a tree. Just look at the ski injuries over the past years. I may look like a dork when no one else is wearing a helmet , but at least I feel safe and secure.
 
Mike Smith said:
I don't care how dorkey I look, I always wear my helmet just in case. Could be a driver or just a stupid mistake on my part but it only takes a split second to find yourself off the road and headed for a tree. Just look at the ski injuries over the past years. I may look like a dork when no one else is wearing a helmet , but at least I feel safe and secure.
Click to expand...
Agree Mike, I don't care what it looks like! Generally the only time I don't wear a helmet these days is on the boardwalk at the ocean, or on my own field when I run the dogs.

A note to the poll question: Whether you always, never or rarely wear a helmet, don't hesitate to click that button. Answers are anonymous.
 
Always - no matter if I am riding the Stromer or another bike. 2 reasons: 1) last summer I was walking my folding non-ebike is a beach parking lot, and decided to take a few steps backward to look at a camper parked in the lot. Turns out my little bike had somehow gotten behind me and I went over backwards and hit my head. Well, actually hit the light attached to the rear of my helmet. If I wasn't wearing a helmet, I would have knocked myself out. (And yes, I am one of the dorky ones who wears my helmet when walking next to my bike). 2) What's in my head allows me to pay for these 2-wheeled toys, so I need to protect that.
 
I find riding on the bike path that goes along the ocean in Los Angeles/Santa Monica to be dangerous, mainly due to pedestrians and roller skaters who can change course unpredictably and don't tend to look behind them for passing traffic. My last accident occurred when a skater (wearing headphones) turned into me as I was riding by. She knocked me off my bike and I ended up concussed. Thank goodness for my helmet. Now I only ride on the bike path in the early morning when there are few people out.
 
@J.R. Some of the other posts that you have put up recently got me reading about helmet safety...

...it made me more aware of the fact that it's not the helmet so much as the brain, the eyes, and the ears riding inside the helmet that are really the key to bike safety.

http://bicyclesafe.com/helmets.html
 
I'm brand spankin' new to all of this - haven't even got my bike yet (Optibike Allroad - I have a 2-1/2 month wait time ahead of me!).
But I intend to wear a helmet always while riding.

I'm in my 6th decade on the planet now and am really looking forward to this journey.
I've had enough downhill skiing caused injuries that I can no longer ski because of them. I miss it terribly.

I don't want this activity to end the same for me - I plan to enjoy it way too much for that!
 
Don't forget eye protection go along with wearing a helmet. Clear for night and cloudy days . I found some I like at Home Depot , they wrap around for side protection in case a car tire flings something up my way.
 
Eye protection is a good point! I have to wear glasses all the time , so I always have eye protection on!
I am like Mr.JR, I have been riding motorcycles and bicycles for over 50 years.
I would never ride a motorcycle without a helmet.
And I never ride a bicycle with a helmet. Go Figure!
Keep looking up! Ken.
 
Statistically, more serious injuries occur with bicycle riding than motorcycle riding. As both a cyclist and a motorcyclist I consider cycling much more dangerous,.I'm trying to to come up with a reason why one would not wear a helmet all the time. Only thing I can think of is lack of intelligence.........and I mean severe lack of intelligence.
 
A helmet is a must - there are just so many opportunities for accidents that are entirely out of our control.

The places with separate bike infrastructure and lots of bicyclists like the Netherlands may be an exception to the rule - most get by without a helmet and they have a quite low level of head injuries.
 
I always wear one! Look at the split around the rim. The peak was ripped off.

To add, the safety specs/glasses that I was also wearing, were scratched right across the lens. That would have been my eye, had I not been wearing them. I nearly blacked out, and wasn't in a very good way. Riding on my own as I was made things worse, as I was many miles from the nearest road/area of safety. I phoned a friend that I ride with regularly, and explained where I was, then phoned him every two minutes until I reached the road, and relative safety. I must admit, that it did shake me up, and resulted in a trip to hospital with a suspected broken elbow.

I've ridden the route at least 30 times, then one day, game over. It took several months to work out why, and it was only when it almost happened again, that I could piece it together. It was all down to one hard packed 3" ridge that was hidden by grass.

I might be wrong, but I think that I had just hit 25mph before falling.


DSCF1434_zpsf5nlkyvv.jpg



DSCF1440_zpsvg1jmubr.jpg
 
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