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

What this thread should be- Advice and reviews for those wishing/needing (spouse/mother nagging) to wear one.

I would go for the Catlike. Recently had to start wearing one after concussion and the ensuing nagging of worried females, they bought me a catlike and it's very very cool, even on hot days when you're in a rush. I never feel like i'm wearing it because it's so light and airy.

This said, it's the only brand i've tried other than track hire helmets which are probably budget.

I love my met.

catlike whisper

Cheers.

I was'nt expecting anyone to be able to pick a helmet for me. I was just hoping to find out some further info on them.

The Whisper is sold out at Prendas, and is out anyway. As an englishman living in Norway, It would'nt feel right to ride around with Tor Hushovds helmet on after his success over Cavendish (although fair play to the big guy, for hauling his massive self over the mountains so well).
The Vacuum would need to be tested for mushroom head factor, as well as fit, so is on the bench unless I can find one to try.
The Casco is out, as I cant see myself being able to try one.
So its down to the Spiuk or the MET, I'll probably try to track down some to try.

...and maybe some motorbike trousers. My legs are cut to ribbins and my 3 year old demands to put plasters on every cut whenever he sees my legs. Costing me a bloody fortune in spiderman plasters.

Thanks again guysn'gals.

wax your legs, dont shave

I thought epilating was the way to go.

I'd cast a vote for the Specialised 2D- 199 grams, extremely good airflow.

Also (although I am sure that others do this also) they replace the helmet in the event of a crash for 40% of it's resale price.

My black one went back to them post crash and I then received a nice new white one in return.

The front intake on those spesh helmets always reminds me of this...

Although theres a sports mega store (chav church) near me that sells a couple spesh bikes, so may be able to try one. That would put it on the short list, isnt it pricey though?

£109 is the RRP I think.

I had a MET lid before hand that looked less like Boba Fet- however it was a lot warmer.

I remember being amazed that the front of my head was not sweaty at all (the back was mind you) after the first long ride with the 2D.

The airflow intake may look silly but it is extremely effective.

Plus the crash replacement thing is very handy- I may "have a crash" when the lid is approaching it's use by date.

I'm currently using a Lazer Blade RD. The fit is pretty good, but its not the coolest of helmets, esp around the forehead region.
The spiuk comes with a 50% replacment deal too. This could be a deal breaker as I commute through the winter, when I tend to crash alot.

hmmmm, I'm going to have to stop thinking about this untill I can try some.

If 'try before you buy' is so vital. Whats the story with pro teams, who have their helmet chosen by their sponsers. I mean what if your not keen?

Winter=put a gore skull cap thing underneath the helmet.

Obviously the English winter is very slightly less severe than the Norwegian one, but honestly- how much colder than London can you get?

Winter=put a gore skull cap thing underneath the helmet.

Obviously the English winter is very slightly less severe than the Norwegian one, but honestly- how much colder than London can you get?

Yeah, got an old concurve windstopper thingy, which I use together with a buff (I have thin polyester, thin merino wool and polar fleece, buffs). Last winter it went down to -15, which is'nt that bad considering what it was like in london (relatively speaking).

It snowed and eveything here, must have been -30 at least.

Urgh, never understood the windstopper thing. My head gets so hot regardless of the helmet or the weather. My ears must be kept warm though.

If 'try before you buy' is so vital. Whats the story with pro teams, who have their helmet chosen by their sponsers. I mean what if your not keen?

They have their helmet picked for them.. exactly.. and their bikes and their shoes and their kit and...

They don't have a choice. You do.

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/simon-usborne-when-it-comes-to-helmets-i-will-tolerate-dorkiness-in-exchange-for-security-1771433.html

Not sure what to think now.

Thats a bit of a nothing article.

That's what I thought. I still can't get pursuaded to wear a helmet and I think he somehow thinks the same. His blogs in general are alright though.
I like the way he opens with "But before I dip a toe in the heated helmet-safety debate". Makes me think he spends a bit of time on here.

I think what he was getting at is that he is going to wear a helmet. Good on him.

Yeah so they look a bit geeky- where I live they're the law so no-one thinks twice, and to be honest since I've been here i've had an ingrained paranoia about going too far or fast without one... It just seems like protecting your skull's a good idea- i'd feel like a right idiot if I cracked my head open coz I was too cool to wear a helmet, and trust me I'm a pretty vain individual...

Also catlike for the win, and boo visors...

lol at thinking he comes here. He may well do but the 'debate' rages on all cycling forums.

On my way to work today my boyfriend past me and whistled. He was running lat
e so he sped off. As I watched him ride I got one of those awful thoughts in my hea
d about what would happen if he got hit by a car. My thoughts turned to the fact that nei
ther of us wear helmets. "What happens if he gets hit and is permanently impaired". I thought of my life caring for an invalid. Suddenly it occured to me that Mike is actually just a selfish jerk. While I don't believe the government should have any say over whether or not we wear helmets surely it's just plain selfish not to.
Do we really think that just because we don't think it's cool, or it fucks up our hair, or it's a bit of an inconvenience or discomfort that we should risk putting our loved ones through a lifetime of inconvenience and discomfort as they care for us fools?

There are also kind and thoughtful people who drive cars. While I am in full belief that by accepting the responsibility of driving a death-causing vehicle you accept the risks that come with it, that only makes my opinion stronger that non-helmeted riders are setting up drivers for even more heart-ache, god forbid there is an accident and the rider has brain damage.
I will be the first cyclist to say that if there is an accident between a car and bike, no matter the circumstances, the assumed responsibility is on the driver (perhaps I'll explain this in a different thread). But surely a helmet is a fairly easy way of keeping yourself a bit safer.

Keeping heart-ache and a lifetime of shit away from my loved ones is, I would say, a good goal.

Getting into an accident and being brain-damaged is of course not the most probable thing that will happen when you ride a bike.
That said, getting an STI is not the most probable thing that will happen when you go shag someone. However, I would bet that the high majority of us use a condom.
Sure sex is a lot better without one and they are a mild inconvenience and a mini killjoy but we all accept condoms as a pretty necessary part of the modern sexlife.
We would even go as far as to say those who don't use condoms are selfish jerks as they could be putting someone they care about into a whole world of hurt for their own desires.

So my thoughts go to me lying on my back, not in the throws of passion but with Mike feeding me as I am no longer able to feed myself. Perhaps he is waiting for my mom to come over to take her turn at babysitting me.

Maybe all of us non-helmet wearing selfish fools should sign waivers that say that our loved ones shouldn't take care of us if we injure ourselves because of our own selfish wants.
Perhaps car drivers shouldn't be responsible for head injuries caused by them hitting non-helmet wearing riders. [Note to reader, I have a list of resons why this should never happen].

Basically I think that I'm going to go buy a helmet now and maybe one for Mike (does that make me selfish?)
Maybe I can help create the trend that wearing a helmet is the only way to ride and helmet hair is the coolest 'do in Shoreditch.

this is pretty much why I wear a helmet. all the debate about their effectiveness aside, my family would be devastated if i was injured/killed and not wearing one.

(also i'm used to it because at home they're compulsory).