I feel like the healthiest way to approach the helmet discussion - always - is to simply discuss the various reasons why or why not folks personally decide to use them. It's always better than asking "should you, or shouldn't you?", and definitely better than discussing whether or not they should be mandated or compulsory (something I personally would be staunchly opposed to, even though I usually wear a helmet). Further, I find the question of "why don't we wear them while driving, or walking outside" a false equivalency, and really adds nothing to the conversation but a certain undertone of scorn or mockery.
Like many things in life that tend to be controversial, your own personal attitude is usually dictated by whether or not you've been adversely affected by it. I never wore a helmet until one night in 2007 when my wife was struck by a hit-and-run driver as we were pedaling home... not even half a mile from our house. I was maybe 50 ft in front of her when she was struck. She was wearing her helmet, I was not. The impact folded her back wheel, ejected her from her bike, and caused her head to hit the curb, also breaking her ankle in the process. Her head was fine, but her helmet was split right up the back, as it did its job. First thing the cops asked us when they arrived on the scene was, "why were you guys riding bikes at night"? I wanted to punch him in the mouth for victim-blaming. We had lights, and were riding well within our rights to the road. That whole experience shook me, and still haunts my wife every time she hops on a bike. I used to only wear my helmet when riding in traffic or in groups, but with the proliferation of e-bikes and the number of lycra-clad time trialers using shared use paths for training, or catching KOMs, I definitely grab the helmet more and more these days... probably 98% of the time. Plus, my wife gently reminds me every time I walk out the door to go hop on the bike. Brian Lexington, KY On Tue, Jun 18, 2024 at 11:23 AM Patrick Moore <bertin...@gmail.com> wrote: > This is a reasonable attitude toward helmet use. Apparently Dutch cyclists > don't use them by and large -- from what I've read, using a helmet would be > considered odd by most Dutch cyclists -- yet have among the lowest rate of > cycling head injuries in the world (if someone can recall the study more > clearly and give a link or the particulars, I'd be grateful). And of course > there is always Jobst Brandt. > > I too have read that statistically walking is more dangerous to your head > than cycling. > > Max S said of riding sans helmet "2) more drivers give me greater courtesy > / respect than before." Do others have this experience? Does anyone know > why this might be so? I haven't used a helmet for close to 25 years and I > can't say that I've noticed a difference in driver behavior. But I ride > very carefully which includes the (I think) right amount of self-assertion. > > > > On Mon, Jun 17, 2024 at 3:21 PM Edwin W <dweenda...@hotmail.com> wrote: > >> The current advice (from doctors and public health types) seems to be >> binary: always wear a helmet when biking, never wear a helmet when walking >> or driving. That seems to be missing some nuance! >> >> I would tweak it to say: consider a helmet when skiing fast, biking on >> single track, or biking very fast in a tight pack with friends. But then >> what about walking and driving (when most American TBIs happen)? Never? Not >> even in the most dangerous conditions: night time, snowy, icy or wet roads? >> Walking on ice or snow? No, it is quite safe, though when bad things >> happen, it is bad. >> >> Edwin >> >> On Monday, June 17, 2024 at 3:28:33 PM UTC-5 tio ryan wrote: >> >>> Here's my helmet origin story, if anybody cares: >>> >>> I got doored in July of 2011 (so I was told, no memory of the crash) and >>> spent 2 nights in the hospital. While recovering at home, I realized my >>> taste was altered and I no longer had *any* sense of smell. I saw >>> a neurologist, got a MRI, and was told this condition is called "anosmia" >>> and there was no treatment for it. However, it was possible my sense of >>> smell could someday return on its own. You might think that experience >>> would've scared me straight and I'd be a helmet-no-matter-what type of >>> rider, but alas. I did purchase my "dream" helmet after that crash, a >>> Catlike Compact, but I mostly wore it on my commutes to and from work. I >>> never wore a helmet when I was riding around for fun or going somewhere >>> other than the office — and I ride around nyc on a daily basis. >>> >>> 12 years later (still without a sense of smell) I had an eerily similar >>> situation where I was riding my bike and regained consciousness in the back >>> of an ambulance, confused what led me there. Once again, I was without a >>> helmet. I hit my head pretty good this time too, requiring stitches in my >>> forehead, as well as a fractured rib (ouch). I unfortunately did not regain >>> my sense of smell, but I felt lucky to survive another TBI. Since then, >>> I've purchased a few different helmets and I don't ride my bike without one >>> on my head, plus quality lights & reflective gear at night. >>> >>> -tio "life without a sense of smell is pretty bleak" ryan >>> >>> On Monday, June 17, 2024 at 11:24:22 AM UTC-4 Max S wrote: >>> >>>> Very nicely put, Mathias. I can relate my experiences with riding on >>>> city streets, mountain biking, gravel riding, racing in crits, crashing in >>>> various ways, *etc.*, but it's all borderline article-of-faith stuff, >>>> anyway. While I used to wear a helmet on rides religiously between ages 15 >>>> and 30, at some point I started to get massive headaches after just a half >>>> hour of doing so. I've tried many different shapes and brands, some costing >>>> upward of $250, same thing. So, for the past 15+ years, I've taken to >>>> riding mainly dirt roads and stopped wearing a helmet. My speed and >>>> position haven't changed. I've noticed two main things: 1) I don't get >>>> headaches from riding, and 2) more drivers give me greater courtesy / >>>> respect than before. >>>> >>>> - Max "living on the edge" in A2 >>>> >>>> On Monday, June 17, 2024 at 8:41:41 AM UTC-4 Mathias Steiner wrote: >>>> >>>>> The logic here is sound. Wear a helmet all the time. >>>>> >>>>> The issue is that the same logic applies to wearing a helmet while >>>>> driving. Most head injuries occur in car accidents. And then there's the >>>>> home, slip & falls etc. A biking buddy of mine slipped on ice and hit his >>>>> head, had to go to the hospital for a few days. No he wasn't wearing a >>>>> helmet. Wasn't cycling either. So what am I supposed to do, put on a >>>>> helmet >>>>> when I get up in the morning? >>>>> >>>>> I mix and match, and always wear it on group rides, which were the >>>>> only occasions I've crashed over the years. >>>>> To make matters more complicated, I seem to get more respect from, ah, >>>>> rural traffic when I'm wearing a ball cap. Strictly anecdotal, of course. >>>>> >>>>> cheers -m >>>>> >>>>> On Monday, June 17, 2024 at 12:28:40 AM UTC-4 Nick A. wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> *TBI sorry all >>>>>> >>>>>> On Sunday, June 16, 2024 at 11:46:27 PM UTC-4 Nick A. wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> I had a TBA as a result of a bike crash a number of years ago, and >>>>>>> was wearing a helmet. Had I not been, I'd be dead. So, I wear a helmet >>>>>>> every time. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> On Sunday, June 16, 2024 at 9:59:40 PM UTC-4 Andrew Turner wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>>> $0.02: If I get hit, I want my appearance to reflect that I ride to >>>>>>>> be safe and seen, not that I was being reckless or at the wrong place >>>>>>>> at >>>>>>>> the wrong time. The optics unfortunately matter despite the psychology >>>>>>>> backing up riding helmetless. All those who invented/coinvented the >>>>>>>> mountain bike and have a mustache get the green light though IMO. >>>>>>>> On Sunday, June 16, 2024 at 4:45:37 PM UTC-5 aeroperf wrote: >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Purple potato indeed! >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> https://www.theguardian.com/food/article/2024/jun/16/gordon-ramsay-lucky-to-be-here-after-us-bike-crash >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CALuTfgvpLxpuneBeYZB2-9_rRzEm_Py-o7nf1vyPmkV4rUBz9g%40mail.gmail.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CALuTfgvpLxpuneBeYZB2-9_rRzEm_Py-o7nf1vyPmkV4rUBz9g%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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