Magic Bike Helmets

[RogerJ]

I feel bad for this fellow having an accident, but apparently (according to the newspaper), he was wearing the wrong kind of helmet. Apparently there are some crash preventative helmets available now.

 

Dowis went over the handlebars when he hit the sign, Rouches said, and he struck his head on the road, even though he was wearing a bicycle helmet.

 

Read the whole article

 

-r

 

 

 

[ashw_justin]

Road cycling helmets are a f'ing joke. Nobody takes it on the top of the head, the rare kind of impact that these anorexic pieces of shit are designed for (which also happens to be the kind of impact that will probably just break your neck anyway). I'm not surprised at all that this $100 4oz foam fashion statement afforded him little if any cranial protection. Buyer beware. There's nothing magical about strapping $2 worth of bare foam on your dome.

[JayB]

Where does it say anything about the kind of helmet he was wearing?

[ashw_justin]

Oh sorry, I don't know, I was just hyperbolizing. If I really wanted protection I'd go with an offroad or ski helmet. Just toss her in the freezer before the commute...

[cj001f]

Insert obligatory comment here.

[JayB]

http://www.smf.org/

[ashw_justin]

I wear it mainly so that the reflective stickers can make me a little safer.

 

CPSC spec. I'm sure they know more about helmets than I do. A little healthy paranoia can't hurt though.

[chirp]

I have a feeling he was wearing a helmet that had a level requirement. He could use it but due to his low level in bicycling, the helmets stats were too low to prevent impact. I don't have the specifics but I believe it be something like the item below. Note the level requirement.

 

 

[cj001f]

CPSC spec. I'm sure they know more about helmets than I do. A little healthy paranoia can't hurt though.

 

some foil would make that helmet much more visible (and safer!)

[JayB]

Might come in handy during the bike commute from West Seattle to Seattle proper and/or Redmond.

 

You have heard of the wonders that await all who reside in West Seattle, no?

[cj001f]

Heh - I can imagine. Problem with west seattle is the commute to Bawful errr Bothell

[ashw_justin]

CPSC spec. I'm sure they know more about helmets than I do. A little healthy paranoia can't hurt though.

some foil would make that helmet much more visible (and safer!)

Yes that and always run the red lights. The tails can't follow you through the red lights without exposing the surveillance.

 

 

[Sherri]

Ditch the helmet, wear a wig. It's better protection than the foam.

 

"New research shows: Wear a helmet, get hit by a car

By Fritz

Traffic psychologist Dr. Ian Walker used a bicycle fitted with an ultrasonic distance sensor to record data from more than 2,500 overtaking motorists while riding the bike between Salisbury and Bristol. He found drivers were as much as twice as likely to get particularly close to the bicycle when he was wearing the helmet. Across the board, drivers passed an average of 8.5cm (three-and-a-third inches) closer with the helmet than without.

 

A few women have suggested to me that I dress like a woman for increased passing distance. Dr. Walker tested this idea in his study by donning a wig while cycling. He found that wearing the wig resulted in an average of 14 centimetres (5.5 inches) more space when passing.

 

Dr. Walker's study has been accepted for publication in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention."

Full article/links here.

[ken4ord]

Road cycling helmets are a f'ing joke. Nobody takes it on the top of the head, the rare kind of impact that these anorexic pieces of shit are designed for (which also happens to be the kind of impact that will probably just break your neck anyway). I'm not surprised at all that this $100 4oz foam fashion statement afforded him little if any cranial protection. Buyer beware. There's nothing magical about strapping $2 worth of bare foam on your dome.

 

Having gone through 3 helmets due to crashes, I will gladly pay $100, because I know they work. The last wreck, I almost got knocked out, instead of be drain bamaged. The biggest problem with helmets, is that people who use them don't know how to wear them properly. I can't count the number of people I have seen with their helmet backwards, straps to loose or their helmet riding so far back it might well be a neck guard.

 

The main difference in the higher priced helmets is that they fit better and have better ventalation. IMO fit is really important for a helmet to be effective.

 

 

 

 

Sherri, it not the cars that you hit it is the pavement. Most road accident I have seen involve loose gravel, train tracks or wet pavement. I am more concerned about these things on the road than I am the cars.

 

 

[Crux]

I read that study some months ago when browsing newsgroup rec.bicycles.tech -- a conclusion made in the report was that a rider who looks out of control is a rider who is given a wider, safer berth by motor vehicles. The experimenter concluded that not wearing a helmet makes a rider look less in control, and therefore ditching the helmet helps keep the cars away. That dubious conclusion not withstanding, I figure it's likely that motorists rarely assume I have my bicycle under control even though I wear a helmet.

 

Now please, get out of my way. I'm wearing a helmet and totally out of control.

[Dechristo]

sounds like it's safer to wear a wig than a helmet.

 

 

 

how about a wig on top of a helmet? a wigmet? a helwig?

[RogerJ]

Where does it say anything about the kind of helmet he was wearing?

 

It was sort of a tongue and cheek comment about the wording of the article. Several of us read it say "despite the fact he was wearing a helmet, he went over the handle bars and hit the pavement."

 

I guess I was a bit too obtuse (again).

 

-r

[ashw_justin]

Having gone through 3 helmets due to crashes, I will gladly pay $100, because I know they work.

Yeah I broke one too and was glad to have it. But they still seem so minimal. It feels like climbing on an 8 mil.

[Sherri]

 

 

Sherri, it not the cars that you hit it is the pavement. Most road accident I have seen involve loose gravel, train tracks or wet pavement. I am more concerned about these things on the road than I am the cars.

 

 

True, Ken, the pavement is the biker's nemesis. I've tassled with it a time or two(and lost) especially when I first started riding clipless.

 

When I read this study, I was thinking of the possibility of accidents resulting from cars passing me too closely on a narrow shoulder, forcing me either off the shoulder's edge or into the gravel and road glitter. A wider berth by vehicles gives me more room to maneuver safely. However, living in a retirement destination here(ie- elderly drivers), bike-vs.-vehicle accidents are frequent occurences. If the driver can't see you, even the wig is moot.

 

Ride safe, all!

[olyclimber]

I AWOKE TODAY IN THE GLORIOUS VALHALLA OF WEST SEATTLE, BREATHING IN THE SWEET NECTAR OF THE WEST SEATTLE AIR, AND REVELED IN THE TRIUMPHANT SURROUNDINGS OF BEAUTIFUL WEST SEATTLE. I THOUGHT TO MYSELF HOW LUCKY AM I TO LIVE IN THIS PRIVILEGED LAND, WITH BECKONING VIEWS OF THE OLYMPIC PENINSULA, MT RAINDAWG, AND THE CASCADES SURROUNDED BY SHIMMERING WATERS AND ALL THAT IS GOOD. I GOT IN MY CAR AND DROVE MY SHORT COMMUTE TO BOTHELL, THINKING OF HOW EASILY I COULD HAVE MADE THE SHORT 2 HOUR BIKE RIDE IF I HAD CHOSEN TO, BUT INSTEAD COMFORTABLELY NESTLED IN MY LEATHER SEATS I ENJOYED HEARING ABOUT THE SUCCESS OF ICHIRO IN THE ALLSTAR GAME AND SOME TUNES ON KEXP. OH TO BE ALIVE AND LIVING IN GLORIOUS WEST SEATTLE!!!!

[Sherri]

Were you wearing a wig?

[lI1|1!]

not living in west seattle is aid.

[olyclimber]

No, but I was wearing a funny hat.

 

[cj001f]

No, but I was wearing a funny hat.

 

nice hat, no I won't sit on your lap

[olyclimber]

there is something wrong with that guys nose