Bicycle Helmet?!

[Copper]

Though I know that it has well been covered here, I have to wade in a bit on this solely because I too have 'used' a bicycle helmet for its intended purpose.

I wasn't hit by a car though, I managed to crash all on my own when I came too quickly round a corner and highsided after I caught my front tyre in a pothole. Though I was going about 45 km/h or 25ishMPH, the damage was all from that two meter drop from where my head was to the pavement. It doesn't seem that far, but it was enough to shatter the foam shell of the helmet (as it was supposed to). I still ended up knocked briefly unconscious and suffered a significant concussion. the doctor at the ER told me that though the helmet may or may not have saved my life, it without a doubt saved my life as I knew it.

I have never forgotten that. When it comes to my head, style always takes a back seat. Remember - the danger lies not so much in the traffic around or the speed you are going - it is all in the distance from your head to the ground.

 

[ShooShooBaby]

i'm a firm believer in brains over beauty. i ride everyday. and everyday i wear my helmet, vintage or not! i just cannot think of a good enough reason not to. all it takes is getting hit by one car, or falling the wrong way. i've had too many friends end up in the hospital for stuff that could've been prevented. and i've known a lot of people who have cracked a helmet and walked away unharmed.

 

[David Conwill]

It sounds like the real question here then ought to be not what helmet, but what panniers to carry your proper hat for when you reach your destination.

-Dave

 

[KittyT]

Note that ShooShoo's helmet is actually a skateboard helmet. IMO, they are better, as they protect the base of your head, as well. Also, skateboard helmets are meant to withstand multiple heavy impacts before replacement is needed, while regular bike helmets are not. If you hit your head once in a traditional helmet, it should be replaced.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The thing that gets me are the people who trick themselves out in all the serious-rider regalia -- helmets, pads, shoes, spandex suits, etc -- and then proceed to flout all road rules of bike safety. I see this all the time around town -- riding the wrong way on one-way streets, riding against traffic on two-way streets, riding on crowded sidewalks, speeding along with earphones on oblivious to that car up ahead with the door about to open, ignoring stoplights and stop signs, never signaling turns, not riding with a light at night, etc. etc. etc. Having something on your head to protect it is all well and good, but nothing's more important than having common sense bike safety rules *in* that head.

 

[Copper]

^ Very good point, LizzieMaine

When I used to teach motorcycling, this was a key point that I would harp on with students.

Your helmet goes a long way towards determining level of injury in a crash, but what's in the helmet is the sole determinant of you crashing. People so often forget that.

I think, though that that very point comes back to the increasingly pervasive belief by people that the world around them is responsible for their safety. I have always rather liked the idea that I and I alone was responsible for my continued survival. Risk mitigation is an attitude that I think has served me well professionally as well as in the rest of my life.

 

[Fletch]

If you hit your head once in a traditional helmet, it should be replaced.

True. I had my head replaced immediately after the accident.

I used to look like this guy. HAW HAW lol

 

[mister7]

The thing that gets me are the people who trick themselves out in all the serious-rider regalia -- helmets, pads, shoes, spandex suits, etc -- and then proceed to flout all road rules of bike safety. I see this all the time around town -- riding the wrong way on one-way streets, riding against traffic on two-way streets, riding on crowded sidewalks, speeding along with earphones on oblivious to that car up ahead with the door about to open, ignoring stoplights and stop signs, never signaling turns, not riding with a light at night, etc. etc. etc. Having something on your head to protect it is all well and good, but nothing's more important than having common sense bike safety rules *in* that head.

Spoken like a true non-rider! Could you make your dislike of cyclist's any plainer? I ride and drive, and my guess is bad drivers are a far bigger hazard not only to themselves, but also others.

 

[ShooShooBaby]

the thing is, most of the safe cyclists don't get noticed. in portland i always hear about all these bad bicyclists from drivers... but these are the minority of wingnuts who will bike on the main thoroughfares rather than take the safer, less-trafficky bike boulevards like most of us do. most of us don't get seen by the majority of people in cars. i know every city is different, but this is my experience biking in portland.

fyi, i use earbuds and an mp3 player on my bike. i can still hear everything, my awareness is about 10X what it is in an air-tight car with the radio going, and it mellows me out enough that i'm way less likely to go for my u-lock when some careless driver nearly runs me over... which happens at least once a day...

 

[LizzieMaine]

Spoken like a true non-rider! Could you make your dislike of cyclist's any plainer? I ride and drive, and my guess is bad drivers are a far bigger hazard not only to themselves, but also others.

Um, actually, spoken like someone who rides a bike to work every day, and has for years -- granted, I ride a 1946 ballooner I salvaged from the dump and not some high priced titanium contraption, so I might not count as a "serious bicyclist" in the minds of the true believers. But I am absolutely meticulous about following traffic safety rules and haven't had a bike accident of any kind since the summer of 1974. I see my share of bad drivers, but I see even more cyclists who are just asking for trouble, especially in the nest of twisty turny one-way streets we call downtown here. I'm the *only* cyclist in town, in fact, that I've ever seen signal for a turn.

 

[mister7]

Lizzie, if you ride every day, why such distaste for other cyclists? I live in a place where there a LOT of riders, a few bad ones for sure, but mostly not. I rarely see a real cyclist do anything dangerous for themselves or anyone else. Oh, and by the way, by "real cyclist", I mean someone who is riding for pleasure, not because they lost their license for DWI or somesuch. Nothing to do with their equipment or clothing.

The attitude you express indicates a lot of anger towards other riders. I'm guessing you act it out when you drive. Most of the drivers I meet that have such an attitude don't think cyclist's belong on the roads at all. Hopefully gas prices are going to make some inroads on that population. Good luck to you on your rides, I hope the drivers you encounter don't share your attitude.

 

[David Conwill]

Amen, LizzieMaine. I've always said "Same road, same rules" works both ways. Many, many cyclists seem to have a double standard about signaling and proper use of the lanes - you can't be a road-going vehicle when it suits you and a pedestrian when it suits you.

For the record, I do notice when cyclists signal, stop at stop signs, etc. Probably because I do it too.

-Dave

 

[LizzieMaine]

Lizzie, if you ride every day, why such distaste for other cyclists? I live in a place where there a LOT of riders, a few bad ones for sure, but mostly not. I rarely see a real cyclist do anything dangerous for themselves or anyone else. Oh, and by the way, by "real cyclist", I mean someone who is riding for pleasure, not because they lost their license for DWI or somesuch. Nothing to do with their equipment or clothing.

The attitude you express indicates a lot of anger towards other riders. I'm guessing you act it out when you drive. Most of the drivers I meet that have such an attitude don't think cyclist's belong on the roads at all. Hopefully gas prices are going to make some inroads on that population. Good luck to you on your rides, I hope the drivers you encounter don't share your attitude.

I only have distaste for those who think they don't have to follow basic traffic safety rules, that's all, whether they're riding a bike or a skateboard or a motorcycle or a car. All I can say is I see it *all the time* -- cyclists ignoring one-way street signs, running stoplights, weaving in and out of traffic without considering who has the right of way, not stopping at crosswalks. Real basic stuff, things I was taught in the third grade like ride *with* traffic, not against it. There are plenty of motorists who make risky moves, but even the most reckless isn't likely to consciously drive against the flow of traffic.

I certainly think bikes *do* belong on the road, but they need to be treated and classified as vehicles, just like cars, and subject to the same rules of the road, especially in town traffic. I think police-administered bicycle safety courses ought to be compulsory -- they were in the town where I grew up if you intended to ride a bike on the streets, and I think bringing back that idea would save a lot of lives.

 

[mister7]

Actually, bicycles are considered the same as a motor vehicle by the law. Just try running a few red lights with a cop present and see what happens to you. You will get a ticket and it will reflect on your car insurance rates as well. Your argument is totally specious. Hey, if you don't like cyclists, so be it. Just don't expect me not to call you on it.

By the way, no moving violations for me in over thirty years. None. My car insurance costs me less than 50 bucks a month. That includes over a quarter million miles of travel, with 2/3rds of that on bicycles.

Painting all riders with the same brush is just plain wrong.

 

[David Conwill]

Hey, if you don't like cyclists, so be it. Just don't expect me not to call you on it.

Hey, pal, why don't you stop putting words in the lady's mouth? She's not painting all cyclists with the same brush, you're just one of those cyclists with a chip on his shoulder.

-Dave

 

[scotrace]

Mister7, you are entirely misreading Lizzie's posts. She is not anti-cyclist in any way. She is expressing her dismay at the lack of safe riding practices of some other riders. And she has a point. I'm an avid cyclist and see plenty of scofflaws making it more dangerous for everyone.

You may want to go back and do more careful reading. And mind your tone, please.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Actually, bicycles are considered the same as a motor vehicle by the law. Just try running a few red lights with a cop present and see what happens to you. You will get a ticket and it will reflect on your car insurance rates as well. Your argument is totally specious. Hey, if you don't like cyclists, so be it. Just don't expect me not to call you on it.

By the way, no moving violations for me in over thirty years. None. My car insurance costs me less than 50 bucks a month. That includes over a quarter million miles of travel, with 2/3rds of that on bicycles.

Painting all riders with the same brush is just plain wrong.

Actually, if you go back and read my original post, and those since, you'll see that I've done no such thing. My criticism was for those who put more emphasis on the gadgets and gizmos of cycling than on observing basic rules of road safety -- by no stretch of the imagination can that comment be stretched to apply to "all riders," and I'm not quite sure where you got the idea that I was saying otherwise. I was merely pointing out some of the unfortunate things that I regularly observe on the streets of my town, a town where I'm widely known as "that girl on the bike."

For the record, I'm well aware that there are many fine cyclists out there who do follow the rules, who do take their road responsibilities seriously, and who deserve praise for doing so. Take a bow, folks, after coming to a full stop. But that doesn't eliminate the fact that there are also a lot of thirty-dollar bike helmets out there on top of ten-cent heads -- and those are the guys (and gals) who need to wise up.

 

[mister7]

Actually if I owe an apology, it is to Indy for the thread hijack!

As far as me misreading Lizzies tone, I don't think so. " All I can say is I see it *all the time* " If she is so bent about cyclist's not obeying the traffic laws then I guess she must really hate just about every motorist out there. Honestly, how many members of this group never speed? Always signal? Etc... I'm just saying, people who live in glass houses shouldn't get too crazy on the stone throwing.

The real reason I posted what I did was to show Indy if he is going to be on any sort of road on a bicycle the kind of animosity some, certainly not all, drivers will show. Just because you are riding a certain contingent will always find it necessary to drive an inch from your bike. Why? Because they can, and you are defenseless. Oh, and to show you that you don't belong on "their" roads. That alone absolutely requires real safety gear, plus as I said before, no one ever plans on falling. But if you spend enough time balanced on two wheels it's gonna happen. When I sit on my road bike my head is higher than the top of the cab on a Ford F-250. Even at almost a standstill, that is a long way to fall.

I've said my piece, and I know I won't change anyones mind. Perhaps if I provided some food for thought for those who have never considered the subject. So, next time you pass a cyclist, if any of this made any impression, try leaving more than six inches between your fender and their handlebars. Try thinking about it this way, that's someones kid. How do you want them to treat your kids? Enough said.

 

[J. M. Stovall]

wow.

 

[scotrace]

uh huh.

Door or window?