First Helmet : jury is out.

[Mr AOL Voice]

Hmm. Just bought a cycling helmet for my last short tour which encompassed quite a bit of city cycling. Never wore one before : don't think I will again.

The added noise and irritation that the helment causes more than offsets the "possible" help it gives in case of a spill by deducting from my usual spacial awareness.

I don't know. I still refuse to believe that the helmet won't help in a spill, but wonder if the %chance of it helping offsets the % increase in likelihood of an accident due to lower awareness levels.

[Dead2121]

Maybe for some people; I think the one I have does make a little more wind noise than riding without it. I wear mine all the time, but have become less of an advocate than I used to be.

[Dead2121]

I doubt it. My last injury was over 30 years ago as well, when I hit a patch of ice I wasn't expecting while riding in the dark.

[Green Jello]

That's good to know, actually, and I plan to do exactly that!

[Meerrettich]

My first helmet , in 1982, was bulky and un-comfortable. So it spent all of its time on the top shelf in the closet.
One afternoon in 1987 I'm out tearing around the hilly part of my favorite loop when my front tire hit a small rock. This upset the bike just enough to spill me over to the side at 18 mph. I landed on my head, followed by elbow, shoulder, and thigh. The guys that helped me out were alarmed at the amount of blood coming from my head and my in-coherence.
Seems that when my head hit the pavement, my hair tore some skin away from my scalp, and the ER doc described "darning" it back together with sutures.
Funny how the memory of getting gravel picked out of my head , along with other details is still vivid 17 years later.
My current helmet is light and far more comfortable than was available
22 years ago. I don't leave home without it.
When I wear a winter hat under it (on those cooold rides!) I lose quite a bit of my awareness, otherwise I don't even notice it.

[Captain_Trips]

{Hugh Jass Memorial Snip ---convoluted posting style and gross verbosity amundo}

OMFG, do you honestly expect anyone to read much less follow this ridiculous crap??? That was got to be the most unreadable post I've ever seen (couldn't bring myself to leave it all, but it was way WORSE than what's left above). And I'm subjected to M^V rants in AM-B!

Bill "only good thing is it's a h*lmet thread, so who cares" S.

[Green Jello]

What makes you so sure?

[Mr AOL Voice]

Most certainly is distorted!

[Green Jello]

What noise and irritation? Regardless of any merits about safety, I find my helmet comfortable. If I ride without it, I feel as though I'm not wearing my seatbelt.

Surely you can imagine the sitaution in a spill were a helmet might help.
Even if it won't save my life in a full head collision with the road, I'll take what little protection it does offer. Given all the riding I plan to do my options seem limited. 1) come away dead, 2) come away extremely messed up, 3) come away with some skin removed and some stuff broken. So if my helmet helps with situation 3, I'll be happy. In either of the other two options, the helmet thing will be a moot point.

Plus, it looks cool....bicycle peacock thing.....IMO.

[Green Jello]

Well, seatbelts can save lives, even if helmets mostly don't.