Poll: Cycle helmet: Yes or No?

Do you wear a cycle helmet when you're cycling?

  • Yes I do.

    Votes: 175 62.5%

  • No I don't.

    Votes: 105 37.5%
  • Total voters
    280
Only ride in the forests but always wear a helmet, fell down a high bank and landed headfirst on a tree root about 3 years ago. My neck still hurts to this day but im not dead :)
 
I wear a helmet when on the trails or for long-ish journeys on the road. Not for short journeys though.

[DOD]Asprilla;16352324 said:
Not really, otherwise someone who did 20x1 mile journeys would have less chance of having an accident than someone who did 1x20 mile journey.
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To be pedantic, the chances are identical, providing the journeys are in the same environments :p

Of course, the environment is the most important factor.
 
Never wore one as a kid but I never did long cycles then, and hardly ever on the road.

A year or two ago I started commuting to work on the bike, 11k each way. But only a couple of times a week. For some reason I decided to wear a helmet. I got knocked off once, taxi pulled across me, I went across the bonnet, landed on head, low speed, but split helmet. Was a bit battered, a frew cuts, and a bit of whiplash appeared about a week later. Nothing broken. Did the helmet help? No idea. I think it might have, since it was the classic accident/ injury it was designed for. Still I bought a new one and wear it most of the time on the bike.
 
It's interesting the number of people in this thread that share the same sentiment (wear helmet off but not on road).

Kanifee said:
I read a while back about a pro skateboarder practising grinds on stone wall when it caught and stuck throwing him forward, the speed of a grind cant be too fast i dont think but the collisions his head made with the lamppost killed him... he wasnt wearing a helmet. This being said i don't wear a helmet, silly i know but vein as it is i dont want to look like a complete tool though i should have one.

though true being hit by a car the helmet wont do anything for initial impact id assume if its hard enough to throw you from the bike you arnt going to be able to control your landing, even be concious for it so i think it would still be beneficial.
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In that situation it would be covered by the "off" road scenario by most in this thread, for that very reason. Take me, very rarely fall off my bike on the road, in fact there is only twice, once cycling through a town centre and hitting a patch of ice as I was going round a corner, slam!:o Second was heading down a hill along a bendy country lane at 20+mph, spending too long staring at a road just before the corner and forgetting to turn until it was too late...Crash into a bush..:o

The first would have been a no helmet situation for most, however that is the only time I've ever fallen off in a town, the second I should have been riding with a helmet as most of that trip was off road...:o Off road however I fall off all the time and a helmet really would help. Thing is I also think a helmet means you take more risks, which isn't necessarily a good thing. I found the same skiing. I got a (3/4 face) helmet because I thought I was going too fast without one. Now I have a helmet I go even faster...

So yeah, on road, no, because it's unlikely to make a difference with all the murderers on there however off road definately.
 
Inquisitor said:
To be pedantic, the chances are identical, providing the journeys are in the same environments
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You aren't being pedantic, that was the point I made; all things being equal bith riders chances are the same showing that I'm wrong to not wear my helmet if I'm just nipping down the road as opposed to commuting into London.
 
All the time. I went over the handlebars once and split the helmet in two. It definately took a lot of the impact, without one I am sure it would have been worse.

Don't buy the argument that you look stupid, as a roadie, it is very much part of the whole look.
 
weescott said:
Don't be silly. They conform to different British standards. One is for low speed impact/falls. The other high speed impact/falls. You can't compare the two.
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how is that being silly?

if you're off road, trialling, and you come off your bike doing a fair speed, how hard are you going to slam your head in to a tree? in fact no, since you mentioned the speed of the impact, how fast do you think you are going to hit your head? i'd put good money on that, and being hit by a car on the road, coming over your handlebars and smashing your skull on the pavement, being a lot closer than you might imagine.

in that incident , some protection is better than none whatsoever. but sure, im the one being silly ;)
 
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Cycle helmets are designed to withstand much less impact than a motorbike impact. When was the last time you saw a motorcyclist with an open face helmet? Totally different worlds. Like I said - you can't compare the two.

I wear a helmet when cycling on the road as it does lesson the chance of injury but, they are not designed for speeds/impact that motor vehicles obtain. Fact!
 
I'm going to have to go with yes now :)

Came off yesterday and gave myself concussion and a nice scratch on my arse and shoulder. Never felt so weird in my life lol.
 
[DOD]Asprilla;16359232 said:
You aren't being pedantic, that was the point I made; all things being equal bith riders chances are the same showing that I'm wrong to not wear my helmet if I'm just nipping down the road as opposed to commuting into London.
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Misread your post; my bad :o
 
shauncr91 said:
Aah you got one of those arse helmets? :D
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Sore arse I can deal with! The feeling that I'm steaming out my face and have numb arms/lips and can't move my tounge to talk properly wasn't very nice!

Nom nom

dsc00790i.jpg
 
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