Remember kids... always wear a helmet. (The almighty bikeradar helmet thread)

I seem to go backwards when going up hills. Would this help me go faster?

Temporary backpack avoidance tactic on the way to a race?

Definitely not wearing his helmet.
More like carrying it over his head.

Marginally.

Possibly?

short-distance jousting

has anyone posted this yet? Came up in my facebook feed
dubious about their use of stats "97% of cyclists who died in accidents were'nt wearing a helmet"

https://youtu.be/ynTsfqP0ovY

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/park-diamond-collapsible-bike-helmet?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=UK_M_18-64_Mountain+Bikers+%2B+TechAdopter%2FCrowdfunding&utm_content=Standard_Lifestyle_Helmet+on+Bike+Grey+Filter_Feels+like+a+baseball+cap%2C+just+as+safe+as+a+traditional+helmet_Say+Hello+to+Your+New+Helmet_The+first+helmet+that+doesn%27t+look+like+a+helmet_SHOP+NOW&utm_campaign=EN_RCH_ExtremeSports_Launch#/

It appears to come from here https://helmets.org/stats.htm or here https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2496939/

Looks to be using data from 10 - 20 years ago and isn't that good a sample Among those for whom helmet use was known (59%), almost all bicyclists who died (97%) were not wearing a helmet.

The actual product looks quite decent though, although I suspect it may not in reality. The US has a whole variety of protective caps for baseball players and all the ones I've seen up close look bulky and shit.

I hate stats like that. It's possible (but unlikely, I know) that almost all bicyclists who survived were also not wearing a helmet, but without the other half of the statistics we don't know.

"Helmets are uncomfortable and inconvenient" - citation plz.

An example of straightforwardly dishonest use of statistics as a marketing tool for a product with no evaluation of actual protective effect of their product.

10 seconds evaluation of the first data table shows that before 2010 almost no casualties were recorded where helmet use was not known, most likely these were recorded as "no helmet". The ad bases it's claim on a 2006 study of data from the previous decade. They have cherry picked some old data because it is the most frightening. As a meaningful statistic it is shit.

yeah but meaningful statistics don't scare people into buying magic hats.

Indeed, they were probably expecting that no one was going to Google the numbers they were quoting to see where they actually came from.

It's extremely unusual to see this sort of "safety" claim from a helmet manufacturer, especially in USA. Their legal team should have warned them that such unsubstantiated claims makes them vulnerable to litigation from the family of the first person who dies or has a brain injury while wearing one their helmets.

Alex Dowsett has entered the room (on Twitter).

Alex Dowsett has entered the room

..and shat on the carpet, because that's all he is qualified to do.

And on Instagram.

2 Attachments

It is very hard to unwind the mindset of someone in Alex's position.
If I was engaged on Instagram or Twitter I might reply: There is a world of difference between racing and just riding a bike for fun or for everyday transport. Lewis Hamilton wears a helmet at work but doesn't when driving open top cars on ordinary roads. Do you think he knows something that you don't?

I might also add that by name checking his helmet sponsor he forfeits any right to have his opinions taken seriously.

Literally the first picture on Google image search...

... and tester lids aren't 'safety' helmets ...

tester lids aren't 'safety' helmets

They pass the same tests as other helmets.

so people commuting around under 20mph should be forced to wear helmets because he crashed doing over 30mph in the wet?

I dont wear one for commuting around town at 15mph, but i have taken to wearing one for my long weekend rides at 15mph!

Logic!

people commuting around under 20mph should be forced to wear helmets because he crashed doing over 30mph racing in the wet?

Ftfy.