Helmets - Please Wear One!

[Mark W]

Pro-Tec helmets seem pretty dialled, really. I was tempted to get one, but tipped in favour of the Xen after Waynio sent me his to try on (Cheers! (Y)). It's awesome 'cos of the adjuster on the back that works super well, locking it onto your head. Really good lid, and pretty cheap from CRC now too, I believe...

[Dr. Nick Riviera]

its not a case of doing big stuff , by standing on the pedals you're standing high enough to fall of and do serious damage

[Pauly]

a similar thing happend with me ad i was backwheeling this wall aboutafoot over bar and i got on then slipped off my pedals and falled back on to my head, my helmet was destroyed my i was happy my head was all in tact , i wish more people would wear them accidents can happern at any time and i gues people wont realise this till it happens to them.

Pauly

[Interested]

You should always wear a helmet every time your on your bikes.

On average between 1998/2000 inclusive in Great Britain 28 children and 123 adults were killed as pedal bicyclists each year.

For each child killed, there were 26 serious and 189 slight injuries and for each adult killed there were 17 serious and 106 slight injuries.

There is some evidence of under reporting of bicycle injuries, particularly in children.

Males are four times as likely to be killed or injured as females.

Most bicycle injuries occur in teenage children or young adults.

Head and face injuries make up a significant proportion of all bicycle injuries.

There have been great declines in the distance cycled in Great Britain between 1985/1992.

Bicycle helmet wearing rates in Great Britain have increased steadily in the last decade but are still low. In 1999 on busy roads the wearing rate was 22 per cent and on minor roads 8 per cent.

If young kids see you lot wearing them they might copy you ,so keep your helmets on.

[crazychrispearce]

It has been proved that you can kill yourself from falling over on a pavement while walking, unlikely this may be, but it is possible. So imagine how much more likely it is to die if you add more speed and a fall from hight.

Again I don't want to appear to be lecturing people but you would be a fool not to wear a helmet on a bike. If you ride regularly witthout a helmet it could only be a matter of time before you seriously injour yourself.

Four days ago, at the weekend, a friend of mine (who usually wears a helmet) wen't out for a ride, nothing serious just messing arround, at my local skate park. He nailed his head pretty bad there, knocked himself out for 5mins. He's recovering now, but still can't walk. But theres a lesson to be learned there, allways wear a helmet even if your just messing arround, my friend learnt the hard way, and its definately not the best way to learn.

Sorry to go on about it but I think its important

Chris

^^^read above post, some good stats there^^^

Edited April 28, 2005 by crazychrispearce

[Rush]

I cant believe someone would say they couldnt afford a helmet. How could you afford a trials bike but not afford a helmet?

One of my trials riding friends a few years ago came off on some really little rocks near my house. He just fell backward after trying a move like we all do but he landed on both feet and kept going backwards.

He hit his head really hard on a pointed rock that we hadnt even looked at. He wasnt wearing a helmet and died from head trauma about 4 hours later.

Now tell me you cant afford one.

[Littleharrys]

Its a fairly good point, I have a helmet but dont wear it all the time, I really should. Cos its better to look alittle "uncool" whilst riding after you face plant something, than have you face look uncool for the rest of your life. Also I think its better to encourage the younger riders that they should were then, it set an example when they look up to better riders.

Harry (Littleharrys@hotmail.com)

Edited April 29, 2005 by Littleharrys

[Corish]

I agree with you Tart, I only realised after a fall off how serious a helmet is, if thats what you mean?

corish

[..johal..]

anything for you tarty!

[Backgren]

someone wrote something like "does someone have to die before people understand how important if is to wear a helmet" (too lazy to quote properly)

and dont realise PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KILLED because they didn't wear a helmet!

He hit his head really hard on a pointed rock that we hadnt even looked at. He wasnt wearing a helmet and died from head trauma about 4 hours later.

He nailed his head pretty bad there, knocked himself out for 5mins. He's recovering now, but still can't walk.

Still cant walk... many people that injure their head/brain will not walk again.

Even if they're alive and walking, most people that have thair head damaged from car, biking, sports accident will suffer the rest of their lives

A friend of mine got hit by a car about 3 months ago. The force from the car's hood/window that hit her head is about equal to a fall from your bike. (maybe not trackstanding but not from that high thing you might imagine is equal to a car...)

She has been in hospital for 10 weeks. I first met her last monday, and even if she seems perfectly fine she has got several brain injuries.

She can read, but not retell what she read.

She cant concentrate on something for more than 30 minutes.

The only subject in school she can participate in is maths, everything else impossible at the moment.

With a little less luck she'd be dead, or totally retarded for life

Image how that would feel like?

"HEY I CANT READ PROPERLY BECAUSE I DIDNT WEAR A HELMET"

this is a wierd post, but i think it does tell about other things that can happen to you...

(i'm tired atm...)

[monkey_pork]

I'll just add to this really - I never, ever ride without a helmet.

I was out road riding one day when a car kicked up a fist sized rock from the back of the quarry wagon that had just gone past, the rock sailed up hit me on the side of the head. I was pretty stunned and had to stop for a bit, but my hemlet took the worst of it. If I'd not had my lid on that would have been it - if the impact hadn't done me, falling off in front of the car that was behind me almost certainly would have.

I'm old enough to remember a time when helmets really did make you look like a clown - but no matter - I was very glad I had mine on that day.

I wear a MET Ippogrifo road helmet now, and it cools really well I find.

I can't see that not wearing a helmet is ever a good idea.

[spangler]

I remember when i first started trials when i was 11 i couldnt afford a helmet for ages but then eventually i got one, and the first move i did with it on by t-birds v-brake slipped and i slammed the back of my head into a curb. :blink:

It just felt like someone was telling me "see what happends when you dont wear a helmet you could have died."

So i wore helmets for the four years i did trials after that and i've wore them for the three years i've been doing bmx.

I cant ride without them.

[somberlaine]

Well I have to say I agree completely. I have been riding for 6 years and never worn one. And I am now definately going to get one. Not because of this post, but just because I should. Don;t know why I never got one. I guess as Is lowly got better I didn't think about how high I was starting to go on drops, gaps etc.. But you can mangle yourself even on the smallest of walls...

So what sorts of helemts should I be looking at and where should I get them from?

I can spend up to about £100.

Thanks all,

Michael

[Tomm]

So what sorts of helemts should I be looking at and where should I get them from?

←

>_<

One that fits, your local bike shop - try them on...

[Mark W]

If you've got that much, I'd recommend the Giro Xen (love mine) or the E2.

However, you REALLY need to just go out and try as many on as possible. If it doesn't fit, it could do more harm than good in the case of a fall, so just try 'em on for size.

[somberlaine]

yeah when i asked which ones to get and where from i was asking which ones do you guys recommend i.e any pasticualr model/make and if there were any good online places to get them from. Since i can try them at an expensive shop then buy it online.

Anyway thanks for the replies, however obvious.... >_<

[Tomm]

Different brands make different shaped helmets. You need to find which shape suits you best, and not worry about which helmets other people think are good. A £20 piss-pot that fits is better than a Giro E2 that doesn't.

[desire68]

Guy's,just reading this thread has sparked an idea,maybe we could have a helmet awareness ride,or the next time we have a meet like the Ipswich ride tomorrow,or the next London ride,We could all really promote the wearing of helmets to all the riders who think it's not cool to wear one.

I mean,imagine your the only kid on the ride who isn't wearing a lid,I think the feeling of embarrassment would be far worst than looking cool!!

What do you guy's think??

Mike.

[modrider666]

Hi everyone,

I have an old pro tec helmet and i love it for how small it is. It doesnt have a huge block of polystyrene around it which makes it a lot smaller. I never used to wear a helmet because of people saying stuff to my mate about his helmet all the time, But as i started doing new things i realised that it was just stupid not to wear a helmet.

At first i found it strange wearing it all the time, but now i have got into a routine of wearing it all the time. and its hard for me to forget it.

[F-Stop Junkie]

I've always worn helmets from when I started riding in, what 88? When I've worked in shops, I've advised people to go to other local shops or even Halfords if I couldn't find them a helmet that fitted them well and was comfortable. Even now, I know I have to try several helmets and different brands before I'll find one that fits.

I've had a couple of moments too. The biggest one was the day before an XC race. I was down the park practising my drop ins, hitting the lip at 20mph or so, the floating down. However, on one occasion I pulled up with my feet, but the bars didn't come up. My last memory fades out as I'm looping forward, my bars turning to the right and the ground approaching fast...

The next thing I remember is being fed water by some other riders who had ridden past, and stopped to look after me while my mate went to get my Dad. I couldn't focus on anything past about 2ft away, and I just kept asking the same questions over and over. As I'd crashed, I think I'd kept my hands on the bars, and then nutted the ground. My helmet had a 6" crack around my right temple and was promptly thrown in the bin. My front wheel was also folded at 90 degrees too. I'd ended up unconcious after landing on my head.

Off to hospital, and I ended up with a pulled shoulder, not a broken collar bone as suspected, and concussion. As a result I've always struggled with any sport which requires good shoulder strength - trials, swimming... - but I'm here to tell the tale.

My other brush was trying to push my bike up a bank and I slipped, the bike landed on me. I could feel it resting on my head, but when I pushed it away, I felt a tug on my helmet straps. I undid the buckle, and pushed the bike up which took my helmet with it. Turns out the resevior on my Hope pro lever had wedged itself in one of the vents on my lid, stopping it braining me. It also shows that trials riders should use HS-33s on saftey grounds!