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

The problem with accidents is that they are not predictable, people make mistakes. There you are riding along the road on a sunny day when a car collides into your bike from behind. The guy was tired, sleepy wasn't paying attention. Sound familiar? Well then enjoy having your face/scalp transplanted.

You're taking an exceptional event and making it out to be a near everyjourney occurrence. Have you been on a bikeability training course?

Ivan, these are just your opinions. There have been many studies carried out by academics and professionals which take into consideration both side’s arguments. Their analysis holds far more water than your poorly worded and repetitive cautionary tales.

The thing both sides agree on is that you can’t account for every last wanker on the road. The point you are making is abundantly clear: it’s better to have some protection than none. That’s the decision you arrived at, mainly through internal logic, and that’s fine.

The road would be a far safer (and better looking) place if we all paid a lot of attention and encouraged potential cyclists to take cycle training instead of jabbering about foam banana hats and fluoro socks.

The problem with accidents is that they are not predictable, people make mistakes. There you are riding along the road on a sunny day when a car collides into your bike from behind. The guy was tired, sleepy wasn't paying attention. Sound familiar? Well then enjoy having your face/scalp transplanted.

You keep going on about acute facial injuries. Are you specifically advocating the use of a full face helmet, seeing as a 'normal' one won't have any effect on those types of injuries?

[quote=;][/quote]
And, in the hit-from-behind scenario you've taken great pleasure in describing above, how will a helmet lessen/negate the severe whiplash that will be incurred?

Then theres the other side; "were too cool to wear helmets"; "my hair gets messy if I wear a helmet"; my favorite quote: "helmets discourage people from riding bikes" - Where the fark did you get that assumption from? That is the most stupidest case of reverse psychology I have ever seen. Should airbags or seat belts discourage people from driving? This side is arrogant, ignorant and when the time comes, and they do lost a good portion of their face to the tarmac, they will no doubt learn the hardway.

Theres responcible cyclists who are aware of the risks, and then there are the others who think they are too good, or they havent grown out of puberty and want to live life on the wild side. I respect both parties

Lol. Or as you would say LAUGH OUT LOUD

turns into the alley just as you are undertaking him. happened to me, multiple times,

Rofl. Or as you would say ROLLS ON FLOOR LAUGHING

I am not here to judge

guagapko Or, as you would say, GIVES UP AND GOES AND PUTS KETTLE ON

The only thing I can predict about drivers is London is their very unpredictability. I expect them to do stupid things, and very often they do.

This is the point, it's not about 'looking cool', it's about a conscious decision to negate risk as much as possible. Let's look at your own accident record - it is extremely unlikely that I would be hit while undertaking because I don't undertake. I expect every single car to pull out in front of me, which is why I hold the primary position in the middle of the road whenever I can, so if they do I've got more space to stop and more space to swerve into if required. I agree that it sounds like you would benefit from cycle training - that's not having a go, anyone would who hasn't had it.

It's also about liberty - why should I wear a helmet because there are idiot drivers out there? I don't go around causing accidents. But I'm expected to put a pricey lump of polystyrene on my head because other people do? Fuck that.

To quote Harry Emerson Fosdick, "Liberty is always dangerous, but it is the safest thing we have".

The problem with accidents is that they are not predictable, people make mistakes. There you are riding along the road on a sunny day when a car collides into your bike from behind. The guy was tired, sleepy wasn't paying attention. Sound familiar? Well then enjoy having your face/scalp transplanted.

I'm still waiting for people to brave wearing Casco Warp's (most definately cool) on their commutes so I can live out my Battle of the Planets fantasies guit free.

my mate bought one of them. £200, and uses it on his 10mile commute. i dont think i could

This sunday morning I smashed into the tarmac at (a guess) between 15-20mph.
The "head injury" I suffered was in fact a fabric graze from my cotton cycling hat.
If I had worn a helmet I would have suffered exactly the same injury from the helmet liner grazing my head. It would have done nothing to protect my skull in that crash as it would have been beyond its design parameters and it would have failed. My skull however was well within its design parameters, having evolved to take massive blows without there being any ill effects.
My shoulder, however, performed less well.

You're saying we need shoulder pads rather than helmets.

New thread needed, scrap this one ;-]

my mate bought one of them. £200, and uses it on his 10mile commute. i dont think i could

Really?
They are designed for track sprinting, not to be worn for prolonged periods of time. They're not very comfortable.

People who don't wear helmets take a little more care, go a bit slower, have more time to see and avoid the loonies out there and are much, much less likely to get smashed up. simples

You missed an important word there: "Some".

Everyone has seen other people riding very badly with or without helmets, your statement makes you sound stupid and opinionated.

That said, everybody recognises that this debate will probably go on forever.

Oliver - it** has** been going on forever - I have some old ( early 1990's ) copies of* London Cylist* and this subject/debate makes regular appearances in the letters pages.
I fear I may have contributed with a necessity of cricket boxes analogy .

For my part,

I'm convinced that it's safer to have a helmet while cycling.
I don't cycle with one, because

- I'm fairly confident with my skills (which is bad and a huge problem)
- I still did not found a helmet I find attractive and does not render my look as totally whacky or nerd

I still look at them, because some are really nice (Bern Watts, even Motorcycle MOMODesign), and give real protection.

Well, that was my two cents...

I always wear gloves,so it doesn,t hurt when you slap the idiot bus drivers mirror

For my part,

I'm convinced that it's safer to have a helmet while cycling.
I don't cycle with one, because

• I'm fairly confident with my skills (which is bad and a huge problem)
  
• I still did not found a helmet I find attractive and does not render my look as totally whacky or nerd
  
  

I still look at them, because some are really nice (Bern Watts, even Motorcycle MOMODesign), and give real protection.

Well, that was my two cents...

No sense.

I didn't tried to make sense :-)

People who don't wear helmets take a little more care, go a bit slower, have more time to see and avoid the loonies out there and are much, much less likely to get smashed up. simples

As RPM has already mentioned, this is NOT FACT.

From someone in your position, this statement is just plain irresponsible.

The way I see it, youre going up a road, suddenly a car pulls out infront of you without looking, you break, but the momentum plunges your front wheel into the side of the car and you flip over the bonnet.

If you weren't wearing a helmet the driver might have seen a fellow human being approaching and waited
You could learn a lesson from the disaster that was motorcycle helmet compulsion, that has caused more deaths than it ever saved

You miss-read the post you quoted.
Ivan post said "if a car pulls out in front of you without looking"
In which case your point is meaningless.

I like also how you think that a driver might be somehow more 'humane' if you're not wearing helmet, this is bonkers! I ride with & without a helmet depending on whims. There are good drivers and bad drivers, what i wear makes sod all difference to them in my experience.

The way I see it, youre going up a road, suddenly a car pulls out infront of you without looking, you break, but the momentum plunges your front wheel into the side of the car and you flip over the bonnet.

Or you could ride in a manner that'll prevent a collison with the offending motorist.

why not try and prevent such collision instead of preparing yourself for an impact? the former is advisable.

I used to wear a helmet, until I bought a crystal that protects me from cranial insult.

You miss-read the post you quoted.
Ivan post said "if a car pulls out in front of you without looking"
In which case your point is meaningless.

I like also how you think that a driver might be somehow more 'humane' if you're not wearing helmet, this is bonkers! I ride with & without a helmet depending on whims. There are good drivers and bad drivers, what i wear makes sod all difference to them in my experience.

He said the car didn't look, I said the driver might have seen.
Mis read fail

hehe