WEAR YOUR HELMETS!!! Mine just saved my skull!

[PrintError]

498th consecutive day biking to work… it wasn’t “if” at this point, it was “when.” Today was it.

I’ll be brief.

Scene: Broad daylight, light rain, 4pm today. I’m wearing hi-vis reflective everything with my W&OD Safety Patrol vest on. All three SuperFlash stobes on full death blossom flashy mode. The only thing more visible than me is the sun on a clear day.

I’m stopped in the left turn lane on Lewinsville waiting to turn. Light is red, cars are stopped, I’m just putting my bottle back in its cagWHAM I’M ON THE GROUND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I shake my head, get up, wail on the guy’s hood a bit, then calm down and talk myself out of removing him via. the window. Cooler head prevails and I flag down a passerby and ask her to send rescue. FD and PD are on the scene in well under five minutes (go FFX Co!) while I flag traffic around the stopped car (and my poor bike underneath the nose).

Paramedics walk me into the ambulance, check me out. Everything is still attached, blood pressure normal, HR normal. They depart leaving me with the officers. The driver is way apologetic, poor dude was wrecked inside. We did all the police stuff, and the cop asked the condition of the bike. Fender was bent into the tire and immobilized, but I opted for a ride to Performance in Tysons to see what the boys could do. Couldn’t really think of anything else to do honestly but fix it and ride home.

Once at PB, they beat my bike back into shape, loaned me a few parts, and I suited back up for the wet, 13 mile ride back to Herndon. Bike is rideable but it’s definitely replacement time. Hopefully his insurance will play nice. There’s actually a big gouge in the frame where it looks like somehow the crank arm hit it, and the BB is creeking now, and it wiggles. I’ve got a LOT of miles on this bike. It’s never wiggled. I think its days are numbered.

Bike is bent up, I’m beat up, helmet is definitely done for, but I’m home and safe.

WEAR YOUR HELMETS PEOPLE, SERIOUSLY!!!

Topic

[vvill]

@Drewdane 51165 wrote:

Concussions are caused by the brain impacting the inside of the cranium, regardless of the source of impact. For instance, the sudden loss of acceleration as your head hits the ground causes your brain, which is still in motion inside your head, to slam into the inside of your skull. Given that, it follows that a helmet won’t do much to prevent concussion.

For a conventional helmet, yeah. But the new technologies mentioned in the article are designed specifically to absorb some of this impact before your brain has to. My (limited) understanding is that it’s a bit like a crumple zone for a car (or railcar).

[Dickie]

Apologies for dredging up an old thread and beating a dead horse, but….

My wife wanted to buy a new helmet, something more urban… err… “Normal”, not sporty and “pointy”. Since she is usually cruising along on a bike with a nice big basket on the front and wearing a dress she figured a more appropriate helmet would better suit her needs. Basically she felt like a dork wearing a racing helmet with vents and fins galore. We stopped by our LBS and asked about Berns and Nutshells as those are the models I am familiar with. The shop manager explained very politely that they stopped carrying both brands due to the terrible ratings they received during a Consumer Reports test. BikePortland picked this up and wrote about it and now it would appear the story has new legs as the Danish Consumer Council has condemned Nutshell as “putting cyclist’s safety on the line”. Interesting to find that out of all the helmets Consumer reports tested, only 2 were “urban” style, rounded, shells and both of these failed miserably. This seems to be in complete contradiction to the idea that this style of helmet is a safer alternative to the more vented and finned racing style.

Sadly out of all the helmets my wife tried on that day at various bike shops the Nutshell was by far the most comfortable for her. We ended up ordering one (the array of colors and designs was too much for my wife to ignore) and threw caution to the wind. My thought is that any helmet is better that none, and if my wife is happy and comfortable with the helmet she will wear it 100% of the time… I just hope it is never tested.

[dasgeh]

Huh. I got a new helmet last winter because I wanted something (1) warmer and (2) more practical for commuting. I got a Lazer CityZen, which has an integrated visor (which I really, really love). It is warmer, but I’ve been resisting switching back to my old helmet, because the visor is so awesome. I ordered the blue plaid, because it was visible (unlike black) and was the most attractive plaid to me. I’m not really a plaid person. Or a hipster.

I get comments almost every day on my helmet. People literally stop their cars, roll down their windows, and say nice helmet. I think it’s awesome too, but because of the practicality of the visor and the general fit. I think car-people like the look.

I confess I didn’t read all of the Bicycling story on helmets, so I don’t know if the integrated visor is less safe in a crash. A quick googling, and I couldn’t find any reviews of the Lazer CityZen that mentioned crash impact testing.

So… am I risking my life here with this awesome helmet? Also, can anyone recommend a summer version that won’t eat my brain?

[Dickie]

Actually, I have read a few reviews about your particular helmet and it seems to do very well. In fact the store that pointed me away from the Bern and Nutshell sold the Lazer brand. I really liked the helmet myself but it was not comfortable for my wife.

[mello yello]

On my second commute in, since I started commuting again, I had a single-bike accident where my pedal fell off (improper installation – mine) and this caused me to lose my balance and splat! I hit all the hard points – ankle, knee, hip, elbow, head. I felt my head bounce a little, and there is now a slight impression in the helmet (Bell from Costco ~ 3 years old, not used much at all). I rode with damaged helmet for another week or so, and last weekend I went back and picked up what looked like the exact same one.

Football shaped (one point in the rear, but not ‘fins’), breakaway visor, black (no other color options) and… my favorite piece… integrated blinky on the adjustment dial. Not the brightest, but it’s always there, and won’t fall off like the blinkys I used to clip to the straps on the back of my head. The hi-viz Superflash goes on the bike and is on whenever I’m riding on the road, day or night.

The old helmet looks barely scratched, and it’s still in the garage – I really should throw it out, but it’s so tempting to hang on to it for a ‘spare’. I’ll file it correctly into the large green bin when I get home tonight, after reading this thread and the “when to replace your helmet” page.

[dasgeh]

@mello yello 56213 wrote:

I’ll file it correctly into the large green bin when I get home tonight, after reading this thread and the “when to replace your helmet” page.

As someone constantly (and fruitlessly) on the lookout for bike-related housewares, I’ll take any and all dead helmets. I’m sure there’s a cool project for something (someone mentioned planter… or maybe a chandelier)… For now, I have the storage. Of course, if anyone (Pheonix?) would use it sooner, then have at it.

[mello yello]

I’m not sure about donating a crashed helmet to Pheonix. Although it may be better than nothing, it’s still a crashed helmet that may totally break apart when it’s needed the most.

You are welcome to use it for a planter or chandelier, however!

I do have a Louis Garneauax “racing” type helmet with big ventilation that never fit my head very well. Has been in my garage ~ 4 years. Up for grabs if anyone wants it.

[dasgeh]

I should have clarified – I would only donate to Phoenix under full disclosure that it should only be used for art-y projects, not as a helmet.

[Tim Kelley]

I have the same one–just an early year model.

For the summer, I just purchased a POC Trabec with the hopes that it has better ventilation. (My Lazer has no cutouts at all)

[dasgeh]

@Tim Kelley 56231 wrote:

For the summer, I just purchased a POC Trabec with the hopes that it has better ventilation. (My Lazer has no cutouts at all)

What color? Let us know if you like it.

PS. I didn’t realize I had bought the same helmet as you until it arrived. Do you get comments on it?

[Tim Kelley]

@dasgeh 56237 wrote:

What color? Let us know if you like it.

PS. I didn’t realize I had bought the same helmet as you until it arrived. Do you get comments on it?

White. Chris Eatough has a blue one too.

Yes, I get tons of comments on it, ranging from “Nice Hat!” to “Horse back riding?”

[jopamora]

@Tim Kelley 56239 wrote:

White. Chris Eatough has a blue on too.

Yes, I get tons of comments on it, ranging from “Nice Hat!” to “Horse back riding?”

Someone please shout out, “Suck it, Trebek“, the next time they see Tim wearing the Trabec.

[Author]

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