I would wear one for sport, but as I use my bike as a means of transport within the city, I dress for the destination, not the ride. I consider biking a generally safe activity and in NYC I have better chances to get hurt as a pedestrian, on the subway, etc. I don't walk around with a helmet either.
3 years ago | 8
In practice, I never ride without a helmet, but that's because I live in a place where it's not safe to ride without a helmet. And if I ride to a place where I don't need a helmet, I might as well keep it on anyway. But regardless, my answer to this poll was that it depends.
3 years ago (edited) | 6
Helmets on bikes are actually a major problem for the cycling community. It helps maintain the stigma that cycling can only be a hobby or recreational, preventing sufficient government funding for infrastructure and keep many people from using the bike as a means of transport. There is no way you can have cycling accepted in an environment where it is considered dangerous enough to need a helmet.
3 years ago | 11
Crashed on an intersection as a kid which had a bit of lose rocks on the road. Hit hard enough that I broke my helmet. Will never not wear one.
3 years ago | 8
I do, but I wish I lived somewhere with good enough infrastructure that I didn’t have to (eg Amsterdam)
3 years ago | 6
I'm in my 70s so I'm not as spry as when I was younger. I figured if I fall off my bike, I'll probably break a hip ... but I don't want to have a head injury added to my problems ... so I always wear a helmet. I even have a big goofy brim that I attach to the helmet to keep the sun off my face and neck ... it looks like a helmet on steoids.
3 years ago (edited) | 2
We wouldn't need bike helmets if we develop are environment to be bike friendly. They don't wear bike helmets in the netherlands.
3 years ago | 6
I would prefer to always wear a helmet. However, not wearing a helmet is usually much safer around drivers because they then give you extra room. If I ride my cargo bike with my kid, both of us without helmets, then drivers give extra extra room when passing. Interestingly, nations that have higher rates of helmet usage also have higher rates of death and injuries. Helmets aren't vaccinations yet people often treat them as so. I do think helmets are appropriate and should be mandatory for car drivers since the vast majority of all traffic deaths in the US are drivers with head injuries. Safety belts and airbags don't seem particularly effective compared to helmets.
3 years ago | 1
Recently started using a helmet for my e-bike. I live in the Netherlands so I never used a helmet for my commute, but I figured: I wear a helmet for my road bike and my mountainbike when I go this fast (30-35kph), so why not on my e-bike? I still never use one on a regular bicycle though.
3 years ago (edited) | 2
In Australia, they are law to wear. Sure they don't protect you from being whacked by a car at speed But they have saved my head when hitting low hanging branches and coming off my MTB on rough tracks. So yeah good thing for me at least.
3 years ago | 1
I wish Hovding were available here in New Zealand, as I'd use that. The bike infrastructure here isn't quite good enough for me to feel comfortable riding without a helmet here as I used to in Europe.
3 years ago | 0
"One protects their head in accordance with their estimation of its worth"
3 years ago | 0
Helmets help only in very specific situations! In every well developed European bicycle country NOONE wears helmet!!! The best protection for bikers is big amount of them present in the streets!!!
3 years ago | 9
I ride motorcycles. I wear a helmet on every two wheeled vehicle I ride. I don't bother with one on my TerraTrike recumbent.
3 years ago | 1
I wear a full face motorcycle helmet with my mid drive fat tire ebike. If there were no such thing as cars I probably wouldn't bother but sadly cars exist and they kill people every single day. Also, it rains a lot where I live and the full face helmet with a visor makes riding in the rain a lot less unpleasant.
3 years ago | 1
One comment about helmets. Just falling down and and hitting your head on the ground kills people. It doesn't have to have anything to do with your speed. I did an over the handlebars crash on a road bike. Broke my collar bone and shredded my helmet. I literally had a mesh bag full on small chunks of Styrofoam on my head. The back of my head hit the ground first, I have no doubt I would have been killed or received a seriously brain injury if not for that helmet. That was 30 years ago. Giro did the job for me.
3 years ago (edited) | 0
I have a tbi, so I always have one on. I also know that the science is a little dubious. As. Having a helmet on allows drivers to drive more aggressive, then if you didn’t have a helmet.
3 years ago (edited) | 0
Always expect the unexpected to happen sometime, I never ride without a helmet. Bit like driving a car with no seat belt done up because of just going around the block, many people have died or very seriously injured simply traveling a very short distance with no seat belt in place.
3 years ago | 1
Propel
What are your thoughts about bike helmets?
3 years ago | [YT] | 49