Do you ride with a helmet on pretty much all the time?

If you are worried about injury, you dont need others input. Protect yourself.

Bulletpup wrote:

If you are worried about injury, you dont need others input. Protect yourself.

Oh yea I know, I'm not paying attention to what others think about helmets being weird. I made this poll just to see how riders ride based on my curiosity.

I wear one for everything except the odd cruise.

Back in the 90’s I never wore a helmet. I was at the local track one day, and as I was manualing a double some other kid jumped it backwards and landed his bottom bracket on my head. Helmet from then on.

I wear a helmet forever and always. Riding is risky enough, I like to lower my risks when I'm able to.

Spongeworthy wrote:

Back in the 90’s I never wore a helmet. I was at the local track one day, and as I was manualing a double some other kid jumped it backwards and landed his bottom bracket on my head. Helmet from then on.

Did he give you 10 bucks?

Spongeworthy wrote:

Back in the 90’s I never wore a helmet. I was at the local track one day, and as I was manualing a double some other kid jumped it backwards and landed his bottom bracket on my head. Helmet from then on.

jbales wrote:

Did he give you 10 bucks?

No, he didn’t, the cheap bastard.

Helmet ,shin pads , kneepads, mouthguard all the time , I'm used to the gear now and if I'm no geared up I don't ride with confidence to send it , forgot my mouthguard yesterday but it was fine I just trained in a foam pit all day , a big part of concussions is your teeth smashing together , mouthguards have saved me many concussions

Helmet all the time. It’s a dumb decision to not wear one. The only times I ever ride without one it from the car to the park, about 15 seconds.

Don’t let “street” riding make you think you shouldn’t wear a helmet. It’s 100% illogical and only people feeling the need to “fit in” with the current non-helmet crowd.

Edit: I meant to quote eskimojay regarding the gear he mentioned, especially mouthguard

That's a great point about the mouthguard. It's not just for your teeth. Lucky enough for me, mine are all still present and intact. I've been knocked half silly countless times over the years by having my teeth clacked together, by everything from hard landings, to stray dumbbells, to backyard boxing. The helmet is a bare minimum for me for any kind of riding, and I think a mouthguard may work its way into my list of essentials, especially as I age and become more vulnerable to concussions.

Helmet on any kind of bike, at any time.

My kids follow the same rule.

It's honestly stupid NOT to protect yourself in at least that way.

To all who say "helmets are stupid", think of it this way:

1. MAYBE someone says something (you can headbutt them without pain to you) But most people don't say anything or give a crap except insecure idiots who think it makes them somehow "manlier" with no helmet on the foot tall ledges while you float a 360 over them

2. That hot divorced mom at the park with her little kid(s) thanks you for being a good example for her kids (and she then thinks you're better looking than you actually are because being good with kids always helps that)

3. A $45 helmet or a 10-20K week in the hospital with brain scans and a catheter (tube shoved up your pecker to remove pee) because you destroyed your melon on a ledge and can't function on your own

4. Knowing that your parents/pets/GF/BF/Tube sock won't hate you for being out of commission because you're an idiot

5. Not being the next Mike Aitken/Van Homan/Jimmy Levan injury story in BMX is a good thing


So there you have it, 5 reasons to not be a moron. But you guys do you. Just know that when you bust your brain onto the pavement, a lot of people will slap you with "Told ya, dumbass", and on top of that, you or your parents will be responsible for the cost of a moderate sized home in medical bills that could have been avoided/diminished a TON for about $45 bucks, and the perceived hit to your ego.

Free healthcare. You could slip on an escalator, but wouldn’t wear a helmet going shopping.
I’m not anti helmet. I just find pro helmet riders have a similar attitude as vegans “I’m right, you’re wrong”.

I started riding in 94. Knocked myself out twice in 97. Haven’t had a head injury since. Yeah, I could misjudge something and hit my head. But you could apply that logic to literally everything you do in life.

.pegless. wrote:

Free healthcare. You could slip on an escalator, but wouldn’t wear a helmet going shopping.
I’m not anti helmet. I just find pro helmet riders have a similar attitude as vegans “I’m right, you’re wrong”.

I started riding in 94. Knocked myself out twice in 97. Haven’t had a head injury since. Yeah, I could misjudge something and hit my head. But you could apply that logic to literally everything you do in life.

Sadly, the US doesn't have free healthcare, because apparently making sure the average health of the nation is something frowned upon unless you contribute to insane profits and salaries.

In all fairness to your comment, much of the time a head injury will be worse on a BMX bike VS slipping somewhere based on the typical obstacles involved-ledges with corners, rails etc are more common on a bike where they are being used in a manner not designed. Not often are you spinning around on escalators or stairs, or walking on top of a rail or spinning off ledges when walking around, so the risk is typically lower. Plus the wheels adding the ability to loop out, and typically higher speed increase the risk on a bike by comparison. To say "Well, it could happen anywhere" doesn't mean precautions are a bad thing at all. It also isn't wrong to say helmets are safer than no helmet too.

When it comes to riding, if you are going to tell me that helmets are stupid/gay/whatever other reason, I will call you a moron. If you just say "I don't want to wear one", your call. I will not be the one to call your parent/spouse/family to tell them you knocked yourself out though. I will wait until you come to, and make you do it.

And honestly, using the "I haven't knocked myself out in X amount of years" is also a bit silly in my book. I could argue the same way BECAUSE of my helmets. Last time I was unconscious because of my bike was early May 2004. 15 years ago. Trashed my shoulder and fractured 3 vertebrae (found out 8 years later) that day. Hit my head hundreds of times since, but never to the point of knockout. No helmet and I would've had a MUCH worse day and spent a lot more than a couple hours in the ER.

I also watched a guy with the same "I never wear a helmet" thought hit his head so hard on a 180 in a parking lot that he had a seizure and was hauled off in an ambulance. He slipped a pedal, which we have all done millions of times. Per the doctors a helmet would have prevented the ambulance ride, scans, seizure and likely even him being knocked out.

But do you.

I won't ride without one, because I have seen the benefits, and don't think that they are a bad thing.

Also parts of my previous statement were aimed at being funny, but also to point out to the "helmets are gay/stupid/whatever" crowd that no one truly cares what you do.

I’m in Canada , we got shit healthcare , it’s free but it’s fucken garbage , I also work in a hospital , I see it constantly getting worse all the time

eskimojay wrote:

Helmet ,shin pads , kneepads, mouthguard all the time , I'm used to the gear now and if I'm no geared up I don't ride with confidence to send it , forgot my mouthguard yesterday but it was fine I just trained in a foam pit all day , a big part of concussions is your teeth smashing together , mouthguards have saved me many concussions

What kind of mouthguard do you use?

eskimojay wrote:

Helmet ,shin pads , kneepads, mouthguard all the time , I'm used to the gear now and if I'm no geared up I don't ride with confidence to send it , forgot my mouthguard yesterday but it was fine I just trained in a foam pit all day , a big part of concussions is your teeth smashing together , mouthguards have saved me many concussions

93EXCivic wrote:

What kind of mouthguard do you use?

Shock doctor boil n bites

I just saw a guy today, on an electric scooter, with a fullface helmet that was so proportionate
Very slim and didn't make your head look like a mushroom
I was on foot so there was no chance to catch him and ask what helmet is

I only wear a helmet at parks that require helmets. But I typically go way bigger and have a way more productive session then, not only due to the park.. but the fact I have a helmet. I'm sure if I had a helmet more often I'd have progressed much faster. And since I've picked up mountain biking (yet to get a proper mtb helmet..smh) I realize the importance of one even more so. Trees is dangerous mane. Definitely buy a helmet, and wear it as much as it's not a pain in the ass to bring. Or if you're just kinda cruisin around hitting little lines and stuff.

I suggest something lighter if you don't go big, as big helmets tend to throw my balance off a little. The sense of safety overpowers all though, and will help you more than hinder almost always.

I used to hit anything until my first bad concussion, ever since then (literally happened in 2011) I've been extremely hesitant about doing anything big without one. Don't learn the hard way my friend

98% of the riding I do is on street so of course it makes sense to wear a helmet. But I don’t. Whenever I go to the skatepark or dirt jumps I wear a helmet. No idea why I don’t wear a helmet on the street, could be because I’m pretty shitty at riding in general so I don’t do anything super dangerous and the only thing is if I were to get hit by a car but at that point getting hit by a car going ~50mph a helmet won’t make much of a difference at all but everything at skateparks and dirt jumps are inherently dangerous so the risk riding there is much more than casual street riding. Just my 2 cents.

no im not gay

Krooked wrote:

no im not gay

damn youre so rad man

am-shaegar wrote:

I just saw a guy today, on an electric scooter, with a fullface helmet that was so proportionate
Very slim and didn't make your head look like a mushroom
I was on foot so there was no chance to catch him and ask what helmet is

There are some new enduro focused mtb full face helmets that are much more stream lined and well ventilated. Things like the Fox Proframe, Troy Lee Designs Stage, etc.

93EXCivic wrote:

There are some new enduro focused mtb full face helmets that are much more stream lined and well ventilated. Things like the Fox Proframe, Troy Lee Designs Stage, etc.

It was something more in the lines of TSG Pass, but slimmer still