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

Sadly it wasn't as simple as that. I was going along a quiet road on my drops at about 20 mph when he suddenly stepped out without looking from between some cars. I had time to shout, try and go behind him and try and grab my brakes. Sadly my shouting made him stop and step back into my redirected path. My helmet hit his face. 15 stone at 20 mph. He came off worse. My helmet saved me from any head injury. No bruising; no headachess. Unfortunately, I was thrown backwards off my bike and landed yards down the road on my hip. Almost two weeks later I am still suffering from heavy bruising but at last it is easing to allow me to ride comfortably and to sleep. My head and my bike are unimpaired, for which I am very grateful. The pedestrian had a bleeding face which, no doubt has since swollen up. He might have concussion but I hope that my helmet absorbed a good deal of the force. He claimed, initially, thathe had been looking; a claim that failed to pass the test of "why did you step out then?"

The moral of the story is that one cannot always control events. Other people's idiocy can harm you. A helmet can save you and has saved me.

That story made me cringe, I saw a ped step into the road on Bishopsgate this Sunday. Some guy on a road bike ran over her and then got thrown over the handlebars. Nasty.

I've started to wear my old Specialized helmet again, I've had a few close calls recently.

When someone walks out infront of you

Stand up in the pedals and hit them with your shoulder

Like boxer you use your shoulder to protect your head...

so what happens next? what are the chances of staying upright after impact? ran into a ped before. impact was to my shoulder as above. i bounced off and fell off the bike. was wearing a helmet but my head/helmet didnt touch the ground. but thinking back there were other places where my head couldve landed on...kerb, pole, ped fencing, etc.

Sadly it wasn't as simple as that. I was going along a quiet road on my drops at about 20 mph when he suddenly stepped out without looking from between some cars. I had time to shout, try and go behind him and try and grab my brakes. Sadly my shouting made him stop and step back into my redirected path. My helmet hit his face. 15 stone at 20 mph. He came off worse. My helmet saved me from any head injury. No bruising; no headachess. Unfortunately, I was thrown backwards off my bike and landed yards down the road on my hip. Almost two weeks later I am still suffering from heavy bruising but at last it is easing to allow me to ride comfortably and to sleep. My head and my bike are unimpaired, for which I am very grateful. The pedestrian had a bleeding face which, no doubt has since swollen up. He might have concussion but I hope that my helmet absorbed a good deal of the force. He claimed, initially, thathe had been looking; a claim that failed to pass the test of "why did you step out then?"

The moral of the story is that one cannot always control events. Other people's idiocy can harm you. A helmet can save you and has saved me.

Couldn't agree more - you have to put everything in your favour as a cyclist.

I have gone through 3 helmets in the pass 3 years... and twice they save my life... Whent over the handle bars... and head butted passenger side of a van....

so what happens next? what are the chances of staying upright after impact? ran into a ped before. impact was to my shoulder as above. i bounced off and fell off the bike. was wearing a helmet but my head/helmet didnt touch the ground. but thinking back there were other places where my head couldve landed on...kerb, pole, ped fencing, etc.

I am not really sure I should be telling people to do this

But if you put your weight into it

And you do it right

The ped goes down

and you won't come off

this happens to me once in a blue moon

but it does happen from time to time

having said that

I really try hard not to run into people

Which is why I am constantly on the look out for pedestrians

Ride away from the parked cars

and avoid cycling lanes that restrict room to maneouvre

Wearing a helmet or not is a personal choice

When I have finished building my road:race bike

I will probably buy one

Sadly it wasn't as simple as that. I was going along a quiet road on my drops at about 20 mph when he suddenly stepped out without looking from between some cars. I had time to shout, try and go behind him and try and grab my brakes. Sadly my shouting made him stop and step back into my redirected path. My helmet hit his face. 15 stone at 20 mph. He came off worse. My helmet saved me from any head injury. No bruising; no headachess. Unfortunately, I was thrown backwards off my bike and landed yards down the road on my hip. Almost two weeks later I am still suffering from heavy bruising but at last it is easing to allow me to ride comfortably and to sleep. My head and my bike are unimpaired, for which I am very grateful. The pedestrian had a bleeding face which, no doubt has since swollen up. He might have concussion but I hope that my helmet absorbed a good deal of the force. He claimed, initially, thathe had been looking; a claim that failed to pass the test of "why did you step out then?"

The moral of the story is that one cannot always control events. Other people's idiocy can harm you. A helmet can save you and has saved me.

With all due respect there is nothing in this story that states that wearing a helmet has really saved you from anything more than a cut on the top of your head, which is never anything that bad (head wound bleed alot thats what makes them look bad most of the time). Of course it is impossible to know how you would have fared without a helmet one way of the other so to be honest my theory of a cut is no more valid than yours.

I'm not saying don't wear a helmet but I am saying don't think that just because you had a crash and hit your head that helmet made a significant difference. (Unless you are considering road rash to be significant). Some times a helmet does help some times it does not. There are so many variables that it is incredibly difficult to say. I agree that most of the time wearing a helmet in a crash is more likely to help than is is to harm but to suppose all the time that the helmet made a big difference is wrong. You can barely ever come to a conclusion on this factor without very complicated analysis.

I say this as someone who does wear a helmet.

Fair point. No one can tell what would have happened with no helmet. However, i can see the state of the helmet and the damage done to it. There must be a very good chance that that damage would have been done to my head with consequences that might have ranged from concussion to a broken skull. The damage to the pedestrian's head might also have been worse without the dissipation of force that the helmet achieved.

It is up to everyone to decide whether to wear a helmet or not. I will continue to do so and for the sake of others, I hope that my story helps them form a view before experiencing the type of crash that might convince them that a helmet is a good idea.

[URL="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2122/2439953813_748bd13cc7_o.jpg"][/URL]

so which shops carry a wide array of helmets?? i suppose trying one on before buying one is a good idea in terms of fit and general fugliness factor.

Giro Ionos and Atmos for me. Good fit, reasonable looks, plenty of ventilation.
The only downside is that you can't remove the straps to give them a soak - which is an issue if you regularly ride hard - as the straps get caked with salty sweat.

As far as hitting peds goes - some idiot stepped out into the road at last years london tri. We were nailing it along towards tower bridge and the guy <10m in front of me had it to deal with.

It happens SO quickly there's almost nothing which can be done. Ped steps out, rider shouts, swerves, ped steps back/stops, rider hits him. I think the front wheel made contact first, but then it was a kind of endo with the guy's shoulder and head doing the damage. He just pile drove(?) straight into him.

The ped went down like a sack of shit and was spark out on the deck, with the rider going down too. But was able to jump up, grab his bike. It was a race and there were enough people around to deal with it so we carried on (london entry is big coin so you don't want to be wasting it). After the turn around we passed the ped. He was back in the world of the living, sitting on the kerb, but his face looked like someone had given him a lick of post box gloss.

Point being, you can have a plan, but if it happens that quickly all you can do is go with gravity and make sure you've got something on your head.

Now racing is different

When racing you are much much much more likely to come a cropper

Because if you slow down you lose the race

Get a helmet that fits (different brands are different shapes), and is comfortable. There is absolutely no point having a helmet that is so uncomfortable that you undo the straps all the time to ease the pressure.

I found that Giro's are too wide, whereas Spesh fit just right - my head is long and thin.

It's also important to get the straps right. The straps should hold the helmet tight enough that you can't push the helmet around on your head. Too many people have their helmets loose, or pushed back on their head.

Also be careful with the helmet - a hard knock with a lock, say, whilst the thing is on the floor, or in your bag, will compromise the helmet. And make sure you replace the thing after a couple of years.

Now racing is different

When racing you are much much much more likely to come a cropper

Because if you slow down you lose the race

Most helmets will not protect you from impacts over 20km/h. When I was playing polo the other day, I contemplated the thought that it made more sense to wear a helmet playing polo than racing.

my helmet of choice.
http://www.powerkiteshop.com/images/productimages/safety/capixwakestylehelmet.jpg

Howdy pard ner,

Stetson X4 seminole made out of reeel buffalo fur...

wen im break'in a new steer...

I got myself one of these. Lots of ventilation, and you hardly notice you're wearing it. They don't look particularly cool but they are a bit different.

Catlikes are meant to be very good and airy. I thought of getting one until my wife objected. Something to do with a phobia she has.

Women are odd.

Phobia of cats? Or airvents? Or Spanish helmets? Or you?

Does anyone have the URL of that site that had comparisons of different helmets each year? Was vaguely international, more of an awareness-building site than anything else.

edit -

Ah, it's www.helmets.org, imaginatively.

I ride without but can't really justify it.

You?

with, sometimes without.

next!

helmet, no?

http://www.londonfgss.com/search.php?searchid=465868

Keep the C+ to one of these threads of hell.

ha, my bad