Should I wear a helmet?

I actually encourage those who wish not to wear a helmet to stick to their
convictions and go bare. The way I look at is kind of like Darwinism,
survival of the fittest and most able to adapt. The rest become extinct.
Eventually the only cyclists left will wear helmets.
Chris
"Lewis Campbell" wrote in message
om...
I live fairly close to the Trinity Trail and have ridden on it _many_
times in the past 20+ years.

Generally speaking it is a really good trail to ride but I know of and
have also witnessed quite a few bicycle accidents over the years.
None of these have ocurred because of the rider 'just falling off
their bike'. They were all caused by things such as a dog running in
front of someone, a skater, a headon with another cyclist, etc.

I _always_ wear my helmet because, after giving the subject of helmets
a LOT of thought, over many years, I have come to the conclusion that
there are ONLY TWO good reasons NOT to wear one:-

A ) You don't have a brain.

B ) You have a spare head.

Lewis.

***************************



(blue girl with white hair and red eyes)
wrote in message . com...
I enjoy biking and Im going on the trinity river trail in Fort Worth
this weekend. (70 mile round trip) Im trying to keep costs low and one
of the last things I would expect to get would be a helmet. I dont
intend to fall off and hit my head. Even if i do....would it help? has
anyone had any real experience with a helmet in a fall? The only
anecdote I can provide is one time I was backpacking at Dinosaur
Valley. I was packing up my tent in the morning and heard a sound....a
couple of mountain bikers coming by. They stopped and chatted with me
a minute or two beofre riding on. After several hours of hiking i made
it back to the road and my truck. There was a truck parked next to me.
As I was putting my gear up along came those 2 bikers. One of them was
carrying his helmet and had blood on his face. He told me that he was
going down a steep hill, hit a root and got thrown from his bike and
his head hit a boulder and split his helmet in half. He said you gotta
throw it away and get a new one if you even get a small bump. From the
looks of it, the blow would have surely cracked his skull open because
it was split wide. So even after seeing that...I wonder if i should
spend the money on a helmet. I dont have much to spend and it seems
uneccesary because I wont be doind the kind of stuff like that which
gets you into those situations.....but since I also go up to the store
and back you can never be sure.

How many other people ride without a helmet...and how many people who
do wear helmets find that its been a lifesaver? Also, have you worn,
been in a fall and still got hurt where it didnt provide any help?

any input would be appreciated.

From: (Trent Piepho)

Depending on where you live, there may be groups of cops hiding in the bushes
along bicycle trails ready to pounce on anyone who isn't supporting bell
sports by wearing their helmet. That's what we have in Seattle now. Though
to be honest, the police hiding in the bushes are probably not there solely
to
do tax-payer funded advertising for bell sports, but to get cyclists off the
trails, which are changing from transportation corridors to strip parks for
dog-walkers and rollerbladers.

The idea that adults can decide for themselves what risks they are willing to
take and how much they will put up with to mitigate those risks doesn't apply
to cyclists. They need to be told what to wear for their own good. And if
writing cyclists tickets for what they wear gets them off the trails and
roads, so much the better.

You have a mandatory helmet law? Your choice, wear a helmet or get a ticket.
Don't like the law? Change it-- both the state-wide Texas helmet law for
motorcyclists and the City of Austin bicyclist helmet laws were "voted out".

Addressing the "persecuted minority" mentality: If your Seattle trails are
anything like the ones I rode in Houston, bikes are the fastest (legal)
vehicles on them. You also have some fairly large number of cyclists who
"shave" other trail users, incl. other cyclists, while riding much faster than
the other traffic is moving, and not giving any audible warning. I had more
than one rider in Houston explain it to me this way: "screw 'em". Thus, the
police are probably less likely pawns of the Industrial/Political Complex (in
this case) compared to "answering citizen complaints". Not wearing a helmet
when there is a compulsory-wear ordinance is a pretty good indicator of your
overall socialization. A "profile", if you will.

Having been intentionally buzzed by cyclists while walking my children, seen my
dog intentionally burned with a knobby tire, and cut off or forced to the edge
while riding my bike, good for the cops, I appreciate the help in getting the
jerks off the path.

If you can't handle the traffic on the path, ride in the street. --Tom
Paterson

From: (Trent Piepho)

Depending on where you live, there may be groups of cops hiding in the bushes
along bicycle trails ready to pounce on anyone who isn't supporting bell
sports by wearing their helmet. That's what we have in Seattle now. Though
to be honest, the police hiding in the bushes are probably not there solely
to
do tax-payer funded advertising for bell sports, but to get cyclists off the
trails, which are changing from transportation corridors to strip parks for
dog-walkers and rollerbladers.

The idea that adults can decide for themselves what risks they are willing to
take and how much they will put up with to mitigate those risks doesn't apply
to cyclists. They need to be told what to wear for their own good. And if
writing cyclists tickets for what they wear gets them off the trails and
roads, so much the better.

You have a mandatory helmet law? Your choice, wear a helmet or get a ticket.
Don't like the law? Change it-- both the state-wide Texas helmet law for
motorcyclists and the City of Austin bicyclist helmet laws were "voted out".

Addressing the "persecuted minority" mentality: If your Seattle trails are
anything like the ones I rode in Houston, bikes are the fastest (legal)
vehicles on them. You also have some fairly large number of cyclists who
"shave" other trail users, incl. other cyclists, while riding much faster than
the other traffic is moving, and not giving any audible warning. I had more
than one rider in Houston explain it to me this way: "screw 'em". Thus, the
police are probably less likely pawns of the Industrial/Political Complex (in
this case) compared to "answering citizen complaints". Not wearing a helmet
when there is a compulsory-wear ordinance is a pretty good indicator of your
overall socialization. A "profile", if you will.

Having been intentionally buzzed by cyclists while walking my children, seen my
dog intentionally burned with a knobby tire, and cut off or forced to the edge
while riding my bike, good for the cops, I appreciate the help in getting the
jerks off the path.

If you can't handle the traffic on the path, ride in the street. --Tom
Paterson

David Damerell wrote:
It's pretty sad that cyclists swallow their propaganda.

Now please tell me, am I safer, equivalent or less safe wearing a helmet
with the way that I ride?

The statistics suggests you are neither safer nor less safe.

Fabio Casartelli and Andrei Kivilev might disagree with you, if they were alive
today.

David Damerell wrote:
It's pretty sad that cyclists swallow their propaganda.

Now please tell me, am I safer, equivalent or less safe wearing a helmet
with the way that I ride?

The statistics suggests you are neither safer nor less safe.

Fabio Casartelli and Andrei Kivilev might disagree with you, if they were alive
today.

From: Anthony Campbell

Do you wear a helmet in the car? If not, why not?

No applicable law. Seatbelts. Airbags.

Don't waste your time complaining or trying foolish arguments here. Change the
law or take the tickets. Or move to somewhere with no helmet law.
--Tom Paterson

From: Anthony Campbell

Do you wear a helmet in the car? If not, why not?

No applicable law. Seatbelts. Airbags.

Don't waste your time complaining or trying foolish arguments here. Change the
law or take the tickets. Or move to somewhere with no helmet law.
--Tom Paterson

From: David Damerell

Yes. Absolutely no good reason not to.
Bill "why risk losing piece of mind?" S.

Of course this argument also applies to the lucky rabbit's foot, icon of
the Virgin Mary, blood sacrifice to Eris Discordia, etc. No doubt you
carry all that crap around too?

Distortion Field, David? You can do better than that "magic charm" thing. I
know you do-- safe riding doesn't depend on "luck". On the other hand,
sometimes the unexpected happens, even to the best. So you think that "15 mph
less" when a helmeted head hits the pavement is a trifle? Or are you really
complaining about legislation you find intrusive? --Tom Paterson

From: David Damerell

Yes. Absolutely no good reason not to.
Bill "why risk losing piece of mind?" S.

Of course this argument also applies to the lucky rabbit's foot, icon of
the Virgin Mary, blood sacrifice to Eris Discordia, etc. No doubt you
carry all that crap around too?

Distortion Field, David? You can do better than that "magic charm" thing. I
know you do-- safe riding doesn't depend on "luck". On the other hand,
sometimes the unexpected happens, even to the best. So you think that "15 mph
less" when a helmeted head hits the pavement is a trifle? Or are you really
complaining about legislation you find intrusive? --Tom Paterson

db- How many other people ride without a helmet...and how many people who
| do wear helmets find that its been a lifesaver? Also, have you worn,
| been in a fall and still got hurt where it didnt provide any help? BRBR

Got hit from behind by a woman in a pickup truck last year. No helmet but no
damage to my head, helmet would not have made a difference. Did have a
concussion when my face hit her windshield(right eye orbit). I wear one now
because my concussion was a serious one and another could be even more serious.
BUT, a helmet is not an automatic life saver or a panacea. It 'may' protect
you, may not. Don't believe the marketing that 'helmet on-OK in a crash, no
helmet-dead in a crash'.

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"