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Old 11-05-2024, 08:09 PM
Rev Bob Dobbs Rev Bob Dobbs is offline
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Helmetless in Philly

I’m visiting Philadelphia and am shocked at the number of cyclists commuting without wearing helmets in center city. Is this a Philly or east coast thing?
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Old 11-05-2024, 08:18 PM
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Ever been to Amsterdam? Paris? Berlin?
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Old 11-05-2024, 08:45 PM
Nomadmax Nomadmax is offline
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Riding without a helmet can save lives.
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Old 11-05-2024, 08:50 PM
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Normalize not wearing a helmet. I'm here for it.
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Old 11-05-2024, 08:56 PM
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BumbleBeeDave BumbleBeeDave is offline
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After two crashes . . .

. . . one with a broken neck and the other with a brain bleed where my helmet absolutely, positively 100% saved my life, I don't understand it. But it's no use preaching to folks about it. Sooner or later they will learn from experience–or not.

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Originally Posted by Rev Bob Dobbs View Post
I’m visiting Philadelphia and am shocked at the number of cyclists commuting without wearing helmets in center city. Is this a Philly or east coast thing?
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Old 11-05-2024, 09:37 PM
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It's pretty simple...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554988/
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Old 11-05-2024, 11:37 PM
dmitrik4 dmitrik4 is offline
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Having done both, cycling in Amsterdam is not cycling in Philly. Amsterdam is completely fine w/out helmets because most traffic is bikes and pedestrians and speeds are generally low and bikes are upright. The odds of getting dumped by a car or doored in Philly is not low, and most cyclists are moving faster, with drivers that are much more aggressive/less attentive.

I don’t generally wear one rolling around my small suburban town, but I wear one in the city.
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Last edited by dmitrik4; 11-05-2024 at 11:40 PM.
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Old 11-05-2024, 11:57 PM
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Are helmet designs tested to get hit by cars, with upright bikes, doored, with faster cyclist and aggressive drivers?
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Old 11-06-2024, 12:58 AM
dmitrik4 dmitrik4 is offline
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Not sure I understand the question, but helmets—generally—are designed to protect the human head from impacts resulting from any number of causes.

Thus my habit of changing head gear based on the risk of said causes
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Old 11-06-2024, 03:17 AM
nonprophet nonprophet is offline
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I don't fully understand the fixation of correlating helmets and car danger. In my opinion there are plenty of ways I could hit my head while cycling where a helmet would offer me protection, even in a hypothetical car free world. For this reason, I am never on a bike without one.
  #11  
Old 11-06-2024, 05:32 AM
marciero marciero is offline
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I'm all for wearing a helmet (though I did ride the helmetless to vote yesterday) but there is definitely a culture of fear and hysteria around helmet use in the US.
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Old 11-06-2024, 06:20 AM
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We dont wear helmets when we wheelie our atv jawns around the city either. What’s your point?
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Old 11-06-2024, 07:20 AM
merckxman merckxman is offline
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Don't need a helmet for a motorcycle in PA if you are over 21.
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Old 11-06-2024, 08:03 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by merckxman View Post
Don't need a helmet for a motorcycle in PA if you are over 21.
No helmet required in Colorado for anybody on a motorcycle.

Helmet use or not is a personal choice. Whether or not somebody wears a helmet has ZERO effect on me. If ya want to wear one, groovy, if you don't that's fine with me(and should be with YOU)...

BUT, I really rankle when somebody either figuratively or literally gets in somebody' face if they choose to NOT wear this little styrofoam, plastic covered cap.
Quote:
Not sure I understand the question, but helmets—generally—are designed to protect the human head from impacts resulting from any number of causes.
And tested to ridiculously low standards in speed and height..
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Old 11-06-2024, 08:14 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BumbleBeeDave View Post
. . . one with a broken neck and the other with a brain bleed where my helmet absolutely, positively 100% saved my life, I don't understand it. But it's no use preaching to folks about it. Sooner or later they will learn from experience–or not.
Exactly.

Unfortunately a very similar injury story but from one crash. My kids and even my wife (most days) is thankful I had a helmet on that day.
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