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

i dont wear a helmet on the road for my own reasons, mainly that if im to be taken out on the road im quite confident that a helmet wouldent protect me, ive always wondered why the temple is never really covered by conventional helmets. Riding in a pack or race however I think helmets are a must due to the risks that other rider errors impose. Also I do wearone riding off road as the conditions can catchyou off guard and balance!

Each to their own really, there are lots of arguments and stats but you can always make them fit your argument. bike on roads are risky and the more you ride the more your chances of being involved in an accident increase i think thats the only fact!

ride safe

Must say that this thread puzzles me - if only because those that feel comfortable will wear a helmet, and those that don't won't.

As for me, got hit by a car at 60mph whilst cycling down the A30 outside of Basingstoke. The helmet was smashed to fuck but saved me from a nasty head injury. Wouldn't cycle without one, but accept that protection may be limited.

I 'was' a non hat wearer.....happily quote more head injuries after hard hat introduced in 1916 [World War 1] than with previous soft hat.....over confidence etc....i wore a soft cap.....my wife was not happy...i never tell her what to wear......then 16 April....crash...my Burls steel fixie died....I ended up in A&E....needed 10 stitches......my arms and back still hurt...when i crashed.....for the first few minutes no feeling in my fingers......first thought 'my wife...will be wiping my arse for the duration......but gradually feeling came back.......now nearly 2 weeks on I am STILL off work because of concussion.........which had i been wearing a hat.....I may [cannot guarantee that], may have avoided......feeling dizzy and stumble when i get up and driving [yes I have to drive] is proving difficult...when will i go back to work?....Maybe next week maybe not......Tell you what though....next time i go out on a bike I WILL be wearing a hat...not looking forward to it....but I will bite the bullet..........Cannot go through this again [yes i know if hit by a car at 40mph or hit a stone pillar at speed no hat will help me]........Anyway The Burls is dead....long live the Bob Jackson!.....I have 6 weeks to get fit!!...But in a free society it is about choice...not compunction.......fortunetly the local A&E...did not give me a hard time because i was not wearing a hat...it does happen!.....so make an informed choice.

Basically the point of these types threads is to say what you think out loud to convince yourself further that your way is the best way. Which is why they usually descend into flame wars: people often take the existence of other opinions as a threat to their own certainties. I'm surprised this one has been so chilled. Guess people here are more relaxed...

I wear a helmet when offroad cycling but only because the British countryside seems to be populated exclusively by overweight bald vain middle-management cockends with obligatory camelbaks who can't seem to mind their own fucking business.
Wearing a helmet means that any contact with these dregs of humanity is kept to an absolute minimum.

heal up sound like a horrid crash.

I wear a helmet when offroad cycling but only because the British countryside seems to be populated exclusively by overweight bald vain middle-management cockends with obligatory camelbaks who can't seem to mind their own fucking business.
Wearing a helmet means that any contact with these dregs of humanity is kept to an absolute minimum.

Best post of the thread.

A previous girl-friend bought me a crash hat when I lived in London...to be honest I used it...then when I came to Cambridge......I thought I can be true to myself...I can ditch the hat......I should add I have Tourette's Syndrome.......which causes a twitch in my neck...according to a neurologist....the twitches get worse under exercise.....so got rid of the hat...till my luck ran out.......I have now an excuse to spend £100 on a giro hat......so could be worse.......I am used to look like a divvy......so wearing a hat and looking silly is nothing new to me......I just want to get back on my bike...and not having my head split open.....again!......

Ya mamma's so fat she straddles all 3 pages of this thread...

I've come to fixed from bmx and mountain bikes, moving to London is not the best choice for my DH or XC bike, DH bike has now been sold to a lovely fellow in Glasgow. boo hoo,

Crashes that knocked me out so far

1) Half of berm was missing on Les Gets 2 track in france - was there the previous run - similar thing could easily happen with potholes or anything in the road

2) Dead sailor on huge step down - not gonna happen on road bike, but hey

3) caught rear wheel on coping on bmx upon re-entry from space into quarter pipe, no helmet - serious ouch

4) catching pedal on copin dropping in - 10ft to face plant, broken fingers

Anyway, all these are really retarded mistakes, that are gonna happen to anybody at some point. I honestly believe a helmet saved my life on 2 of these occasions. Wear one.

your mum is so fat she got a peg leg with a kick stand. I've had concussion for 2 weeks after a crash in French Alps, it super sucks, you just feel like a retard for 2 weeks. Get a lid

http://www.snowboard-asylum.com/cgi-bin/psProdDet.cgi/707524%7C%7C~@c~Protection~@b%7C0%7Cuser%7C1,0,0,1%7C31%7C

These are padded snowboard beanies, probably not much cop but for those that are too cool for school and don't want to rock a hard lid maybe a compromise. Probably a bit hot for the impending summer though.

I'd quite like one that looks like an army helmet.
But it would need air vents...

Specialized skiilet:

Looks better in real life, A friend of mine has one. available in many colours and ok priced too at £25.

This is the padded hat:

A padded hat?

haaaaa, that's going to do a lot against a car/railings/lampost/road!

I don't even have brakes, why would I need a helmet?

Blah, blah, blah, ZZZzzzZZZzzz...

we weren't thinking about when you're on the bike fella :^]

if you're dozy like me and ride clipless, then you need one for all the times you're coming to a stop and you forget your left and right and just keel over. I shouldn't ride clipless.

Or constantly ride into pigeons or branches.

Roberto had a cool helmet on the Cambridge ride yesterday. Anyone know what it is? As it's Roberto's, I'm sure I couldn't afford it though. His taste belongs in another income bracket than me.

what about those old school cycle helmets, the ones with like 5 strips of foam, lengthways on the head, held together by leather/nylon strapping, you know what I mean? Do they still make them anymore?

Someone else posted about those being really really bad in spills as the leather is likely to cause whiplash or worse (broken neck?) if you're sliding on pavement.

what about those old school cycle helmets, the ones with like 5 strips of foam, lengthways on the head, held together by leather/nylon strapping, you know what I mean? Do they still make them anymore?

I dunno if they make them but they aren't very good. Not approved safety gear by the BS standard or whatever it is. They're ugly too.

Anything Giros is a good choice, imo.

Also be sure you get a helmet you can adjust with one hand whilst on the cycle! There's a few of the lower-end ones that pretty much require two hands to be used.

Giro or Met.