Ride safe, get a decent helmet.

FishFluff · 28 Jul 2015 at 12:43

Vonhelmet said:
I keep getting into arguments about this on road.cc, but I think the infrastructure ship has sailed. There's barely any room in city centres as it is. Besides, I don't think infrastructure actually does anything to improve driver behaviour, and given most of my riding is done on roads that will never get dedicated infrastucture in my lifetime. or on country lanes where it would be a total waste of time, I'd rather drivers learned how to actually drive and be patient and so on.

I hear what you're saying, but there is plenty of room in cities for segregated cycling infrastructure. The 'problem' is that it has to be taken at the expense of capacity for motor traffic. It's 100% possible, it just needs the political will to make it happen.

Country roads are a different matter, but one that is basically down to driver behavior. Get people cycling in cities though and it becomes a normal activity. Once the majority of drivers have a child/partner/friend/relative who cycles, their attitude to cyclists on country roads will change.

Back to the helmet debate, I always wear one when mountain biking, always wear one when out on club rides on the road and never wear one when I'm just pootling to the shops. I'd stop using my bike for riding to the shops/pub if helmets were compulsory though. The whole point is that I can just grab my bike in my everyday clothes and go.

Jono · 28 Jul 2015 at 12:47

FishFluff said:
The whole point is that I can just grab my bike in my everyday clothes and go.

But you still could... you'd just have to wear a helmet too :confused:

Anyway - I wouldn't stop riding a bike if they became compulsory, but I hope that never happens, even though I support/suggest the wearing of one.

My worst fall where my head would have made contact with something solid (asphalt) was on a straight bit of road with no cars around, and a chicken ran out on me and killed itself under my front wheel.

neil_g · 28 Jul 2015 at 13:11

why did the chicken cross the road? :confused:

Jonny ///M · 28 Jul 2015 at 13:24

Just had the wife of a customer come in for a new helmet for the husband.

Came off on a descent on Arran, front right side of the helmet is fairly dented in and scuffed to hell. Still took road rash to the face but it stopped the initial impact from doing too much damage.

The hospital said the usual lucky to be alive/not brain damaged.

Another guy was in a few weeks back wanting to contact Lazer as the helmet had saved his life. A dear jumped out into him whilst he was going a decent speed, split the helmet in two he said.

The worst fall I've had was when I was going for a train on my SS mtb. Was powering up the street on the pavement, chain slipped and I went straight over the bars and landed on my back. Still got a scar from the corner of a slab above my muffin top! I ended up having concussion as I had no helmet on and just cracked the back of my head on the floor. Two people did jump out an ambulance at the time but I waved them away in embarrassment.

My crashes on the road have avoided hitting the head somehow! Even the one when I flipped off at 30mph. Luck I guess.

Riding DH in France I didn't hit the helmet hard in any the crashes but I'm sure it took the edge off some of the tumbles.

Richand · 28 Jul 2015 at 17:42

The worst is when you see adults cycling with there kids and neither of them have a helmet on, I have had children cycle into me looking behind them for there parents never mind a static object like a rock!

My children always remind me to wear a helmet, that is how there are raised to be health concerned for those around them and not just themselves, They take less risks than I do and did when I was the same age, which does bother me but its like an internal struggle of risk and parenting, I obviously want them to be safe and to enjoy the joys that risk can bring.

I partake in whitewater kayaking and the dents and scratches in that helmet are exactly why I wear a helmet while cycling, my kayaking helmet is metal under carbon coating and I have zero doubt it hasn't save my life multiple times, underwater in a rapid with your head scraping along the river floor has a certain awaking to the benefits of a helmet along with the metal shards missing from the surface of the helmet when you eventually surface!

The same company I use for the kayaking model got my cash for the MTB equivalent.

for those interested in really great protection gear, Sweet Protection.

http://www.sweetprotection.com/whitewater-kayak/?p=rocker&pid=698

http://www.sweetprotection.com/mountain-bike/helmets-protection/?p=bushwhacker&pid=812

sure, its ~£160 - £200 for a helmet but seriously, these things are amazing.

Get one with MIPS if possible, it alls the helmet to rotate a small amount to lessen the impact effect on your skull.

Jono · 29 Jul 2015 at 00:21

I was wondering about a bushwhacker mips.... but £ouch

I also have a rocker, but it's orange

Jimbeam3678 · 29 Jul 2015 at 08:01

FrenchTart said:
For example, ran over by a lorry and you will often see mentioned "wasn't wearing a helmet". There's similar stuff said about people listening to music all the time and it's also completely not backed up by evidence (in fact, again, evidence suggesting otherwise exists).

I've read thorough this thread and I can't comprehend how listening to music while riding a bike can be safe or carry the same risk as not listening to music?

For example hearing cars coming round corners , up behind you ,emergency vehicles etc etc

grudas said:
bang on that.

Grudas I'm picking on you as you are the main anti helmet man in here

But I guess I'll turn the argument on its head why would you not wear a helmet? They aren't uncomfortable , relativity inexpensive and could quite easily save you from a serious injury. OK you might look stupid but that is a moot if you are wearing Lycra

When I smashed my leg/knee up last summer my helmet took serious damage after I guess my head hit the kerb and that was a secondary impact. God knows what else I would have damaged without the helmet I was in hospital for 2 weeks as it was!

With all the above in mind I do agree a helmet can't save cyclists who have a bad attitude/ignorant to the dangers of riding on highways I.e going up the inside of lorries which have their left indicator on and the lights are green ...

FrenchTart · 29 Jul 2015 at 08:25

Not relying on your ears (which are not reliable - quiet cars, general noise from wind and other cars) means you naturally pay more attention with your eyes. Emergency vehicles can be heard over other sounds - by their very nature sirens are loud and piercing.

I only ride with music in my left ear but I did ride with in-ear headphones in both ears for 2+ years without any accidents resulting from it. Anecdotal evidence but about as permissible as "it's common sense, innit?" which a lot of people come out with (I'm not accusing you of this).

Supercow · 29 Jul 2015 at 09:09

RIP Mark (who sparked this thread)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...raq-killed-crashing-tree-mountain-biking.html

(yes he was wearing a helmet)

FrenchTart · 29 Jul 2015 at 09:10

RIP indeed. My sympathise for his wife and family.

grudas · 29 Jul 2015 at 10:12

Jimbeam3678 said:
Grudas I'm picking on you as you are the main anti helmet man in here

But I guess I'll turn the argument on its head why would you not wear a helmet? They aren't uncomfortable , relativity inexpensive and could quite easily save you from a serious injury. OK you might look stupid but that is a moot if you are wearing Lycra

When I smashed my leg/knee up last summer my helmet took serious damage after I guess my head hit the kerb and that was a secondary impact. God knows what else I would have damaged without the helmet I was in hospital for 2 weeks as it was!

With all the above in mind I do agree a helmet can't save cyclists who have a bad attitude/ignorant to the dangers of riding on highways I.e going up the inside of lorries which have their left indicator on and the lights are green ...

well I've been wearing one for the past 2ish weeks now and it's a PITA, super uncomfortable, super painful etc and if I adjust it so it is comfy, it results in helmet moving all over the place.. going to hit the shops again and try a few different ones on and see if I can find one that fits my head better. So yeah, depends

merlin · 29 Jul 2015 at 10:16

Damn, RIP fellow biker.

As they say - it's not the speed that kills you, it's the rapid coming to a stop that does it. Hopefully he didn't know much about it - sounds like it was a massive head injury.

Jono · 29 Jul 2015 at 10:20

merlin said:
Damn, RIP fellow biker.

As they say - it's not the speed that kills you, it's the rapid coming to a stop that does it. Hopefully he didn't know much about it - sounds like it was a massive head injury.

It was, according to his family, which may have caused cardiac arrest.

Supercow · 29 Jul 2015 at 10:37

His daughter said this on SFMB:

"I just wanted to say that this report is a bit misleading, although kind in it purpose the report said he died from a cardiac arrest however yesterday after going to see him and speaking to the coroner yesterday I can confirm it was a severe head trauma that took him he was an incredibly fit man, a wonderful father and amazing husband x"

platypus · 29 Jul 2015 at 10:56

The biggest issue for me is that by focusing on the helmet debate, not enough is done to address the attitude and behaviour of motorists. It's a scapegoat.

We should be punishing drivers properly for killing cyclists whilst driving on the phone for example - why is that manslaughter isn't a permissible charge in this case?

grudas · 29 Jul 2015 at 11:06

platypus said:
The biggest issue for me is that by focusing on the helmet debate, not enough is done to address the attitude and behaviour of motorists. It's a scapegoat.

We should be punishing drivers properly for killing cyclists whilst driving on the phone for example - why is that manslaughter isn't a permissible charge in this case?

agree, the topic is seriously big and seriously hard to "fix it" and IMO forcing helmets is not a solution.

DanF · 29 Jul 2015 at 11:27

but it is something that you can do to protect yourself in the meantime. Are there many people in here that are saying it should be forced instead of just recommending to wear one?

The worst bike accident I saw was a guy come off a brompton late at night and hit his head on the curb corner with no helmet on. He was just laying there in a twisted heap with his whole body twitching. In the back of my mind was "I don't want to be that guy". Most of the cyclists I know have had bad accidents that haven't even involved another vehicle, **** happens.

FrenchTart · 29 Jul 2015 at 11:30

DanF said:
but it is something that you can do to protect yourself in the meantime. Are there many people in here that are saying it should be forced instead of just recommending to wear one?

The worst bike accident I saw was a guy come off a brompton late at night and hit his head on the curb corner with no helmet on. He was just laying there in a twisted heap with his whole body twitching. In the back of my mind was "I don't want to be that guy". Most of the cyclists I know have had bad accidents that haven't even involved another vehicle, **** happens.

Several people in this thread have said that it should be mandatory, with one even saying that "as soon as you don't wear a helmet you shouldn't get health care for any head-related injury".

It all just underlines how little people understand the real risks and impacts and how much victim blaming goes on.

Vonhelmet · 29 Jul 2015 at 12:08

The thing is people see a bike helmet as protecting against any and all injuries that can possibly be sustained while on a bike, whereas in reality all it's essentially designed and tested for is falling off your bike, as though you were sat astride it stationery and then fell over to one side. It's designed for an impact with concrete as a result of a fall of about a metre and a half. Anything more than that is already beyond what it's designed to protect against, so any protection afforded by it in a high speed collision with a wall, or being knocked off by a car or whatever is more luck than anything else.

neil_g · 29 Jul 2015 at 12:09

FrenchTart said:
Several people in this thread have said that it should be mandatory, with one even saying that "as soon as you don't wear a helmet you shouldn't get health care for any head-related injury".

It all just underlines how little people understand the real risks and impacts and how much victim blaming goes on.

thats just my opinion. i dont see why if you do not take reasonable precautions to prevent a brain injury then why should you receive "free" care for the remainder of your days which could run into decade(s).

same as i dont believe smokers and alcoholics should be entitled to free treatment for their self inflicted conditions.