How often do you wear your helmet?

[redir]

I wear one when I take a post ride shower, just in case.

[purpurite]

Originally Posted by bpm

I wear my helmet every time I get on my bike. I have two daughters and I have always told them they need to wear their helmets whenever they are on their bikes, no exceptions. I need to teach by example.

This. 100%, always, no matter where I'm riding.


I got to work this morning and was heading up to my second story office, and reached up to unbuckle my helmet. I realized that walking up a flight of stairs with my SPDs on and a 19 pound bike over my shoulder was probably one of the worst times ti take off my lid. Chances are I will need my head protected from a staircase fall more than anywhere else (long story, broken knee), but I did keep it on just in case.




Do any of you guys not wear seatbelts when you're in a car?

[beeatnik]

Originally Posted by velomonkey

If that dude fell over and split his head open - I would cry.

I would cry because something so beautiful and something that other people clearly put time and effort into was harmed and marked - probably permanently. Sure you could maybe mend it and fix it with time and the help of others, but under all that you'd know - you would know it's never going to the same.

Then I'd go over and kick the guy in the head - just to make sure he suffered. A damaged speedvagen is fine, a damaged speedvagen because of blantent neglect is NEVER ok.

Some dudes don't deserve free bikas.

VM, check out this pic of Local Legend Bill on his late 80s Spectrum. I took it yesterday as we were following ATOC up the steepest climb of the stage. Bill is one of 2 or 3 San Gabriel Valley cats who can get away with not wearing a helmet at The World Famous Rose Bowl or World Famous Montrose. Interestingly enough, he'll show up wearing a helmet a few times yearly. Wonder what his calculus is. Anyhoo, he's a mountain biker and rad descender.

[gdw]

I believe that I sometimes wear one but can't remember for certain ......

[paredown]

I kind of agree with the guy in the article--not wearing a helmet while riding a townie or generally knocking about does kind of 'normalize' riding a bike, which I think was also the point of that TED talk--in places like Holland people think nothing about riding without a helmet.

Cycling then is a bit more like walking--'hey I need to get to the coffee shop, I'll take my bike'.

And yet--my inclination is to think that in the US, drivers (and pedestrians) are less aware, the traffic where you are likely to ride is typically moving faster, the streetscape is less bike friendly etc, so that a sensible person reaches for their helmet.

I am of two minds though--I raced in the 'hairnet' days--and even when required we typically took them off as soon as we cleared the start zone--I do miss that feeling of bare-headed riding...

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by redir

I wear one when I take a post ride shower, just in case.

smart

[SpokeValley]

100% without fail. I've been (and Mrs Valley, too) saved too many times by my brain bucket.

[choke]

0.000% of the time.

[saab2000]

I've been admonished, sometimes not too nicely, for getting on my bike to ride up and down the street to check the shifting or something without putting it on. I asked what the problem was and I've always been told that their child might see me or that someone else might see me.

Seriously, I'm not the role model for someone's child and the nanny state of this kind of stuff blows me away. Absolute safety doesn't exist and putting on a helmet every time we look at our bike doesn't make us safer.

I'm really bothered with someone tells me to put on my helmet.

FWIW, I wear one nearly 100% of the time nowadays. But not absolutely 100% of the time.

[DRZRM]

I always wear one. Forgot on my commute once this year, went back home...though I rode, I didn't walk pushing my bike. That's what a hardcore helmet zelot would do.

[carpediemracing]

99.9% outside.

When USCF passed a rule about helmets (effective 1986) I made a deal with my mom. She'd buy me an approved helmet and I'd wear it every time I rode. I think I did 2 training rides without a helmet since then; except for those rides I have worn a helmet every time I trained.

When I worked in / owned a shop I would test ride bikes briefly without a helmet, sometimes. And a couple years ago I fixed some Junior's bike and test rode it about 50 yards without a helmet on (I'm counting that as my 0.1% "no helmet" in recent times).

I've had at least two pretty good concussions. One got me an ambulance ride. I've broken 7? 9? helmets. I've saved most but the ones that ended up a bazillion pieces I had nothing left to save, just straps.

I've seen some pretty bad head injury falls even with helmets on. One death. A least one permanent brain injury. A couple that took half a year or so before the rider could ride outside again. That's all in the last 5 years, I'm sure there were more injuries before that but I don't remember.

The weird one was the death. It was a super innocuous fall, basically a topple in the low 20 mph range. If it were a bit different he may not have even lost skin, maybe just skimmed a bunch of cleat off his shoe, but things were perfectly wrong. Very good helmet, properly secured. Guy died about 15 hours after the fall, never regained consciousness.

EMTs talk about "LOC", loss of consciousness. You have a LOC and it's bad news, no matter how brief. As far as I know I never had a LOC. I've seen guys where they had LOC. When they came to they have no idea where they were, what day it was, trying to get up with broken bones, etc.

Head injuries are terrible.

[christian]

Road bike: 95%
Mountain bike: 100%
Tandem with my daughter: 200%
Citibike: 0%

But I'm not militant about it. Relative to all risks in life, riding a bike is still pretty darn safe.

[sandyrs]

100% of the time when riding for "recreation" (anything that isn't commuting to work or riding around town).

99% when riding to work (my commute is 1.5 miles) or around town. If I forget my helmet I won't go back for it but that is exceedingly rare.

[downtube]

100%, to me it is the same as a seat belt. It is there, why wouldn't I use it.

[Tandem Rider]

Mountain Bike 100%
Tandem 100%
Road, well, depends. Groups, unknown companions, ice, etc, I wear it then. Solo or 1-2 trusted riders, hat. 50-75% of my rides are solo.