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Helmets – personal experience

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  • August 12, 2019 at 4:30 pm #30013
    Xenophon2

    So, I’m not about to proselytize or seek to convert people, this is what I experienced today: (disclosure:  I’ve always been a sort of fan of helmets though never a fanatic, today made me a firm believer though).

    Returning home, gusts of wind, rain starting in earnest.  I took a roundabout that I’ve taken a thousand times before.  Only difference was that I’d forgotten that just last saturday I had installed a brand new set of Hutchinson sector 28 mm tyres, brilliant on dry pavement, murder on wet, especially when new.

    I entered the roundabout (right hand side driving over here) at 32 kmph (about 20 mph I guess) and halfway through, felt the rear wheel slide from under me.  I hit the pavement on my left hip and elbow, then my head just ‘bounced’ on the tarmac.  Or rather, my Bontrager specter wavecell helmet did.  Picked myself  up almost immediately, saw the proverbial stars and felt a bit dizzy.  A police patrol that saw everything pulled over to ask if I needed medical assistance, which I declined.  Rode home (no real damage to the bike) at a much lower speed than before.

    End result:

    –  Bit of a headache

    – 20 cm of road rash on my left hip (kudos to Assos:  not a nick on their Cento evo bib, under it my skin was virtually gone).  Spraying desinfectant on that was an interesting experience.   Guess I’ll be black and blue tomorrow.

    – Sore elbow

    – Sore ribs

    The helmet shows very little sign of impact on the exterior, just some dimples.  On the interior however, the wavecell structure cracked/deformed in the temporal region.  I guess that’s what it’s designed to do.  I’ll have to get a new one but don’t doubt for a second that without it I’d have been visiting the casualty ward, riding in a ambulance rather than on my bike.  So for me it’s helmets all the way from now on.

    For the doubting Thomases (I understand):  yes, I have pics but unfortunately I don’t see how to upload them here.  If you can explain how I should do so I’ll gladly post them.

     

     

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Viewing 15 replies - 46 through 60 (of 71 total)
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  • August 13, 2019 at 9:07 pm #948265
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    mattsccm

    Bit like seat belts I guess.

    Bit like seat belts I guess. My fathers generation need to be reminded to use them, mine sticks them on most of the time and my neice would put her on like she picks up her phone. 

    Compulsion and fear of getting caught has brought this about.

    August 13, 2019 at 6:53 pm #948263
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    Anonymous
    Organon wrote:
    joeegg wrote:
    No rabid anti helmet commentators on here ? Come on,pull the other one !

    Well, some of them are on a short ‘holiday’ because of other things they might have said. At least this helmet debate has been a bit more refreshing as such. We’ve heard from some people who have crashes and don’t wear helmets. It seems like people just make a decision early on about wearing them or not.

    …

     

    well, no, I don’t think people necessarily make a decision. When I started cycling in the 1960s nobody wore a helmet, and I don’t think there has ever been a point where I’ve explicitly decided not to wear one, I have simply never worn one; I have never seen any convincing evidence to make me decide otherwise.

    with helmets now being so prevalent, and from observing the growth in their use, I suggest that a very large number of younger people have worn helmets since their parents made them wear one, and it has become second nature to them, so they probably haven’t decided either.

    sometime in the 80s and 90s a lot of people who grew up in the pre-helmet days must have decided to switch, but i’d be astonished if very many people otherwise have ever given it much thought one way or another.

     

    August 13, 2019 at 6:27 pm #948261
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    Rapha Nadal

    These threads are the

    These threads are the ultimate trolling on this board.  Chapeau, OP.

    August 13, 2019 at 6:18 pm #948259
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    burtthebike
    joeegg wrote:
    No rabid anti helmet commentators on here ? Come on,pull the other one !

    As I’ve already pointed out, anecdotes are useless as evidence, so you’ll be able to post multiple examples of these “rabid anti helmet commentators” to conclusively prove your case.  Otherwise it’s just like the the case for helmets.laugh

    Or perhaps you’re using some definition of rabid which includes pointing out that the data shows that helmets aren’t effective, and other facts like that?

    August 13, 2019 at 6:01 pm #948257
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    Xenophon2
    L3gion wrote:
    Glad to hear you are OK after all that!

    Personally speaking, my hutchinson sector 32s are hanging up gathering dust and I will never fit them again after a few damp rides that scared the beejezus outta me. I’m amazed you seemed to know they were this bad in the wet – and then bought another pair!? 

    I know.  The thing is, I really, really like them on dry surfaces and they’re rock solid as a tubeless tyre.    Usually the grip in the wet improves after a couple 100 km but I had stupidly forgotten all about them being new while riding home and thinking about some work-stuff.  Had a couple of close calls in the past but never actually fell, this is my first fall in 5 years and 40k km of commuting  (club rides are a different matter).   Kissing the ground yesterday has dampened my love somewhat, come mid October I usually take them off (riding them in frosty conditions would be sheer madness) and we’ll see if i put ‘m back on again come mid April.

    August 13, 2019 at 5:35 pm #948255
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    Xenophon2
    Awavey wrote:
    Sniffer wrote:
    Awavey wrote:
    Xenophon2 wrote:
    second pic

     

    see this is what annoys me more than whether you believe the helmet “totes saved your life” or not, weve got people using their helmet crash anectdotes as evidence of how great helmets are, but then seemingly happy to carry on using  their crash damaged helmets just because they arent totally broken in to lots of pieces

    if you believe helmets offer any protection at all, if its taken a hit on the road and its clearly showing damage, even if its not broken apart its not offering the same protection anymore ,so you need to bin that helmet and get a new one, or else whats the point ?

    Read the original post.  He did say he would need to get a new one.

     

    ” ‘have’ to get a new one” doesnt sound as urgent a priority to sort out to me as must get me a new one now that Ive put this old one in the bin or cant ride my bike at all given my new found confidence in helmets till I get a replacement as this one is toast.

    understandibly those wavecel helmets are £100+ arent they, but there you go worth remembering Lazer do money off for crash replacements next time, but if you believe in the efficacy of  helmets at all its not a choice you can afford to make on getting it replaced.

     

    You assume a lot without anything to back up those assumptions, must be a politician.  See, I’m not a native speaker though I consider myself proficient in English.  So I consulted the Oxford dictionary and thesaurus, unabridged edition.  Under ‘have’ it states under 4) ‘(have to):  be obliged to, must’.  So I guess that more or less covers it.  Anyway, new helmet’s on its merry way and riding out today I wore my CX helmet.  Looked like a dork but it got me there and back (not falling off again also helped there).

    August 13, 2019 at 3:53 pm #948253
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    L3gion

    Glad to hear you are OK after

    Glad to hear you are OK after all that!

    Personally speaking, my hutchinson sector 32s are hanging up gathering dust and I will never fit them again after a few damp rides that scared the beejezus outta me. I’m amazed you seemed to know they were this bad in the wet – and then bought another pair!? 

    August 13, 2019 at 3:16 pm #948251
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    Organon
    joeegg wrote:
    No rabid anti helmet commentators on here ? Come on,pull the other one !

    Well, some of them are on a short ‘holiday’ because of other things they might have said. At least this helmet debate has been a bit more refreshing as such. We’ve heard from some people who have crashes and don’t wear helmets. It seems like people just make a decision early on about wearing them or not. Those who do wear think it made the difference and those who don’t just suck up their licks. One thing is certain, we all crash.  

    I personally got left hooked at speed when I was 23, went over a bonnet and broke my elbow and collar bone. Did a forward roll, my arms took the impact. Whilst it is true you will naturally protect your head, I am not infallible and others aren’t either, so I started wearing a helmet regularly after that. 

    August 13, 2019 at 1:37 pm #948249
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    Jimnm

    I swear by Lazer helmets,

    I swear by Lazer helmets, just the basic ones not the mips. Pay £50 or so, saves your head and doesn’t break the bank to replace. I never go out on a ride without a helmet. 

    August 13, 2019 at 1:31 pm #948247
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    Awavey
    Sniffer wrote:
    Awavey wrote:
    Xenophon2 wrote:
    second pic

     

    see this is what annoys me more than whether you believe the helmet “totes saved your life” or not, weve got people using their helmet crash anectdotes as evidence of how great helmets are, but then seemingly happy to carry on using  their crash damaged helmets just because they arent totally broken in to lots of pieces

    if you believe helmets offer any protection at all, if its taken a hit on the road and its clearly showing damage, even if its not broken apart its not offering the same protection anymore ,so you need to bin that helmet and get a new one, or else whats the point ?

    Read the original post.  He did say he would need to get a new one.

     

    ” ‘have’ to get a new one” doesnt sound as urgent a priority to sort out to me as must get me a new one now that Ive put this old one in the bin or cant ride my bike at all given my new found confidence in helmets till I get a replacement as this one is toast.

    understandibly those wavecel helmets are £100+ arent they, but there you go worth remembering Lazer do money off for crash replacements next time, but if you believe in the efficacy of  helmets at all its not a choice you can afford to make on getting it replaced.

    August 13, 2019 at 10:46 am #948245
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    Sniffer
    Awavey wrote:
    Xenophon2 wrote:
    second pic

     

    see this is what annoys me more than whether you believe the helmet “totes saved your life” or not, weve got people using their helmet crash anectdotes as evidence of how great helmets are, but then seemingly happy to carry on using  their crash damaged helmets just because they arent totally broken in to lots of pieces

    if you believe helmets offer any protection at all, if its taken a hit on the road and its clearly showing damage, even if its not broken apart its not offering the same protection anymore ,so you need to bin that helmet and get a new one, or else whats the point ?

    Read the original post.  He did say he would need to get a new one.

    August 13, 2019 at 10:28 am #948243
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    Awavey
    Organon wrote:
    I’ll take the acedotal evidence every time because strangely enough we don’t here from the people hitting their heads sans helmet and then saying ‘I was fine.’ Please come forward if this is you.

    Ive flown over the handlebars in a crash, landed on my head, still have the visible scar from when I used my head to stop a somersault on a balance beam, and face planted more than once when Ive lost my footing, I certainly know what concussion feels like, if anything I should wear a helmet as a pedestrian as Im far more likely to hit my head just walking along on past history

    August 13, 2019 at 10:15 am #948241
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    Awavey
    Xenophon2 wrote:
    second pic

     

    see this is what annoys me more than whether you believe the helmet “totes saved your life” or not, weve got people using their helmet crash anectdotes as evidence of how great helmets are, but then seemingly happy to carry on using  their crash damaged helmets just because they arent totally broken in to lots of pieces

    if you believe helmets offer any protection at all, if its taken a hit on the road and its clearly showing damage, even if its not broken apart its not offering the same protection anymore ,so you need to bin that helmet and get a new one, or else whats the point ?

    August 13, 2019 at 9:14 am #948239
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    Anonymous

    This is exactly why I wear a

    This is exactly why I wear a helmet too.  It won’t stop a left-hook from an Audi or a taxi, but it might just save my head from wiping out on a patch of gravel in a corner, a wet manhole cover or a slippery leaf.  I might only have to get it wrong once, and frankly I don’t find wearing one uncomfortable or restricting, so it’s fine.

    But should it be compulsory?  Absolutely, 100% hell no.

    August 13, 2019 at 9:11 am #948237
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    joeegg

    No rabid anti helmet

    No rabid anti helmet commentators on here ? Come on,pull the other one !

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