Head cover Or Not

Just use... nothing says you look cool when your getting stitched up or worse. i used to hate to wear one, now its just the normal for me

Boring

Thanks for the name. Would be interesting to see if he would agree with your claim. Doctors tend not to deal in guesswork. I suspect that as a professional he probably said something quite different.

It's just a personal choice. Though I don't see any reasonable reason not to wear one. I think wearing a helmet looks better too, what else would you match to your oakleys to otherwise?!

More seriously, it might not save you in a collision with a car (but hey, the very fact that it *might* in some cases help should be persuasive enough) but it sure will save you some nasty road rash on you face if you go down sideways. But yeah it's down to you to decide

If we truly want to encourage the masses to cycle everywhere. Drastic changes need to happen to the infrastructure in our cities and to the mindset of many motorists. To say 'wear hi viz and a helmet and everthing will be alright' is just planin daft. Those living in other European countries must be really bemused when we pull on our protective garb to cycle the half mile to the shops. Competing/training by all means. Anything else forget it.

When I drive, I adjust my driving to suit the elements and to what traffic is on the road. Maybe I am fortunate that this is whaat my dad hammered home to me when learning. It's a shame that the instructors out there couldn't do the same.

I remember a quote from an MP saying that she had seen the BMX at the Olympics and all the riders wore one, ergo all cyclists should. Well I watch F1 and all the drivers wear a helmet.....

Personally I always wear one for cycling, but never for just riding a bike.

You don't know that, you're guessing.

'wear-one-if-you-want-to'
exactly. Pro-helmet, but pro-choice. That's all there is to it.

Last july 2012,I crashed 1/2mile from the end of a 25 mile tt,it was my first major prang in 56 years of cycling and racing.I had a brain scan whilst still unconcious,to see if I had a stroke,fortunately not,I had a broken left collar bone,and the left hand side of my Giro TT helmet was completely smashed,and had cut into the side of my head.Any cyclist who rides these days without an Excelent helmet,needs a brain scan,to see if he or she has one,WEAR A HELMET!!!

strange that this has never been discussed before...

Ooh yeah, let's have a helmet debate again. Not seen one of these in a while.

I never go anywhere on my bike without one, they are light not particularly uncomfortable and could save your life.

I think they should be made mandatory although I know that isn't a very trendy view. I can't see why you wouldn't choose to wear one when it could help prevent injury or worse so I see no logical argument as to why they are a bad thing to wear.

I know there are quite a few reasons why people think they shouldn't wear one, some mentioned above and there are a few others as well but they seem more like excuses to me rather than actual reasons and I think it seems to stem from the fact that people don't like being told what to do, if they choose to wear one, great, but if 'the man' says you must, they will refuse.

I think PhilRuss is missing the point slightly when he points to other people having head injuries too, that's not what it's about, it's about reducing the number of cyclists' head injuries and that should be the point in my opinion.

So a helmet is like backing up your hard-drive

Up to the individual.

However, I have 2 beautiful daughters and I wear a helmet every time I ride a bike; I wear it for them, Not for me.

Daddy would like to remember their childhood. Head injuries are not just physical and can happen at any speed - I would rather not have a low speed accident but a head injury that threatens my family a la James Cracknell.

A helmet will, obviously, afford some protection, to a point.....

At the moment, it's your choice.

Personally, I don't go out without one.

Friend of mine suffered severe head injuries a few years ago, having jumped on his bike to just pop in to town. He was knocked off by a car coming out of a side-turning. It happened less than half a mile from his home, at low speed and in broad daylight.

He now has serious difficulties and his life is one long challenge. I admire him for what he achieves in these circumatances, but he always says that he wished he had put a helmet on.

Similar comments to those saying that they refuse to be told to wear one were made when car seat-belt legislation was introduced.

Modern helmets are light, give good ventilation and are no great hassle to wear. The pros wear them, so I can't see what the problem is.

You know it makes sense.....

What's the big deal? It's a hat, for God's sake

Car occu-pants get head injuries too....ergo, helmets in cars. AND on the noggins of pedestrians. And, now I come to think of it, my dog's head was biffed by a car he chased, one time. And he only did that one time, and he wasn't injured anyway....but clearly, here's a case for compulsory dog-hats!
No, if I'm ORDERED to don a skidlid, I'll simply continue to wear the banana-hat I have already, just for retro-flash. Kick racism out of football, and kick fascism out of cycling!
P.R.

If you're just out for a nice cycle, and you're happy to slow down when you see any potential obstacles that might cross your path, like cars waiting to come out of or turn into side-roads, and you're not intending to do anything risky like downhill mountain biking or riding at speed in tight bunches, then it should be perfectly acceptable to go au naturale.

Millions of dutch, from young to quite old, manage to get about on bicycles every day, just wearing normal clothes, without fuss. And they have to mix with traffic at times, even there. Yes, the cars here aren't quite as aware as there - you need to be more aware here, but if you take your lane the roads are mostly ok - at least inside urban areas IME (the 50 to 70mph A-roads can be unpleasant).

I really don't get the scare-mongering there is around cycling in the UK. It's a little bit more dangerous than it should be, compared to NL, but it's still pretty safe compared to other things UKers have no problem with - especially if you take a bit of care and cycle sensibly. Just go and cycle. The statistics say it's generally a positive thing to do, whatever you do or don't wear.

Nope, most of the time I don't, only when cycling in large cities.

I refuse to be told I HAVE to wear one, even if it was made law, no chance, until their is proof they save lives, then I won't be wearing one. The only thing it saves at the moment, is road rash on your scalp.

Try complaining when your a vegetable

Just wear one and shut up.