About three months ago after commuting to work daily for over three years I had my first serious spill. A pedestrian was running (obviously late for something) in front of me. He jumped into the cycle lane where he continued to run for a few hundred yards. I decided to give him a wide birth and went out into the road. Why I never shouted or rung my bell at this point I don't know. Just as I got level with him he darted across the road. I had no chance. I went straight over the handle bars. Although I wore a helmet for the first year, I found it claustrophobic and decided to revert to a simple beanie after reading all the helmet debates.

 

As arms buckled and my face hit the ground I thought man this is going to hurt. I lay there for a while gathering my senses and trying to feel what damage had been done. As I lifted my head there was quite a lot of blood dripping on the ground. The guy was distraught telling me to get up but I was not going to move until I was sure that all was ok. I was surprised at just how calm and relaxed I was. Eventually I got up and was helped to the side of the road. I had a lot of cuts to the side of my face/lip and a blackened eye. An ambulance was called, which I thought was excessive but later was glad of because I felt quite dazed and was glad of the lift home. My Brompton was recovered and seemed to have come off much better than me. I refused to get into the ambulance without folding my precious Brompton and taking it with me. The ambulance crew took a great interest in it and a long discussion proceeded on its electric assistance

 

In the ambulance they treated my scrapes and scratches and gave me a lecture about not wearing a helmet. They claimed to have been to a lot of bike accidents (I live in Cambridge) and insisted that wearing one helped ?

 

I think I relate to the placebo effect as I now wear a helmet again and it certainly helped me get back on my bike and feel safe. Looking at the injuries a helmet would not have prevented them except maybe one gash just above my eye but then again would that have jarred my neck ?

 

The ambulance crew were very keen to establish if I had any neck injuries. Apparently its usually normal for people to say they have them, even when they don't, to facilitate an insurance claim. Of course this then involves a neck brace and forced visit to hospital. The culprit left after the ambulance arrived and was overly apologetic which made it harder for me to be upset or angry. What surprised me was just how calm I was. I wonder how much injury is exacerbated by tensing up. I felt surprisingly relaxed even as I was flying through the air.

 

Most of the pain seemed to come in the next 24 hours but its amazing how quickly cuts and gashes heal on the face. A few days later I looked as good as new.

 

Ps as I wanted a helmet I took some time to look around. As I am not a fan of regular bike helmets I have chosen one of the ones more designed as a ski helmet. I also love the little peak as in the summer I tended to use a baseball type cap

 

http://s2.thisnext.com/media/largest_dimension/6AD03313.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Regards

 

Jerry

 

 

 

to my daily commute.

 

Regards

 

Jerry

Edited October 17, 201312 yr by jerrysimon

I wonder how much injury is exacerbated by tensing up.

 

Much of it no doubt. It's well known how much drunks get away with in their accidents, simply because their reactions are too slow for any tensing up before impact.

Glad you are ok jerry

 

Just to add my tuppence - I've had two bad spills in 3.5 years commuting daily

 

Neither my fault (beyond any doubt!)

 

Wearing a helmet both times. Head hit pavement quite hard both times.

 

Both helmets seriously damaged. Both skate style.

 

Otherwise I personally escaped with minor damage

 

I am totally convinced that it saved my big bald bonce,and brain, both times.

 

So that's me Always wearing one !

I would imagine that the only lycra clad middle aged men who wear a full face helmet are the ones cruising the streets, late at night, in an anonymous white panel van armed with a roll of duct tape.

 

Sheesh, the Guerilla Bodge Army's cover is blown.

I commute daily in London and ride an electric bike. I don't leave home

without the following - helmet (full face), camera and knee pads (after my expensive jeans were ruined after a crash) and decent gloves. I've had 3 crashes in 5 years, neither of them my fault. 1) black taxi doing a classic u-turn with out looking. 2) pedestrian stepping out into road suddenly. 3) car emerged without due care(she was on mobile phone at the time)!

The most dramatic being the run in with the taxi; straight over handle bars, over bonnet and head hit the road full on. I came away pretty unhurt apart from a bruised pelvis, some discomfort which went after a couple of weeks. My front wheel was a write off, broken bar end mirrors. Cabbie paid for all repairs on the day at my LBS and then drove me home! Spoke to cabbie a few weeks later. Cost him a days earnings and £500 to repair/ replace drivers side wing! Pedestrian received a broken arm. Car driver received a police caution! NB: All my accidents were on camera, so all of them admitted fault straight away!

Anyway, to the point, I hit my head on all 3 occasions, and not one scratch or bump.

Had I not been wearing a helmet, I would have definitely come away with a busted jaw, broken nose or worse! Less we forget that when riding an electric bike you are typically averaging faster speeds than non electric bikes.

An earlier poster mentioned cars driving closer to cyclists wearing helmets. Well a couple of things I do to stop cars getting too close (this is where my bar end mirrors help) is this, if see them in the mirror in time and I think they will overtake too close(basically cutting me up) then I'll pull out to stop them. Buses are major culprits and impatient 4x4 drivers (yummy mummies doing the school run etc..). I also never hug the kerb, I like to stick to the 1.5 - 2m rule, especially on narrow roads.

 

I think I read somewhere that in Germany all electric bikes are fitted with a handle bar mirror by law!?!

 

I love having the mirrors and feel safer with them. I ride a Brompton too, but I've yet to find a decent mirror for the Brompton and as a result feel a bit more vulnerable than I do on my electric bike.

My son has to wear his helmet and he is great as he will not ride without it, so in fairness I always wear mine too. I don't mind wearing it.

I see in the US ebike owners wear full face helmets while in the UK they don’t possibly it may make them look silly.

 

Do you wear full face helmet and what do you think about this?

 

I've never worn a full face helmet for cycling, and never will - I would get far too hot. I can imagine they might be useful for full-on downhilling, but even then only for short periods.

Snowboarding helmet for me (most of the time). Argos, £20 in the sale.

 

It feels more substantial than a cycle helmet. I have no evidence of this, but my guess is it would offer more protection in a crash. Somewhere between a cycle and m/c helmet at a guess.

 

It has detachable ear muffs, great in the winter.

 

I agree with Tilson, it saves me from overhanging branches quite often.

 

I love having the mirrors and feel safer with them. I ride a Brompton too, but I've yet to find a decent mirror for the Brompton and as a result feel a bit more vulnerable than I do on my electric bike.

 

Try and get a copy of the Rose Bikes catalogue, they have plenty of choice including helmet mirrors.

 

Here are a few. http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/search/find/?q=mirrors

I use my hearing a lot on country roads and junctions to check if a car is approaching. I imagine I would lose that with a full face helmet but I have just bought a DOT (US verified) half MB helmet. They are much more substantial than a bicycle helmet so would be more appropriate for the speed of an E-bike.

I wear a Giro full face and yes, some are quite garish, but they do a grey version with no graphics. The venting is quite good so I don't get hot wearing it. Also, all round visibility is just fine.

in fact since I purchased mine, the range has expanded. They now do a black and grey version (without the 'hooligan graphics' ) [sic]

 

http://www.tweekscycles.com/Product.do?method=view&n=3372&g=518263&p=518332&c=215&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=Base&utm_campaign=Full%20Face%20Helmets&gclid=CPXMut2pxL8CFQf4wgodKFcAlA

Thanks to EddiePJ for the mirror recommendation. It looks like these will do the trick without getting in the way of the folding mechanism:

http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/article/rear-view-mirrors-for-mtbatb-handlebars/aid:26496

The last time I looked, I'd not come across these.

NB: I tried a helmet mirror and binned it after its first outing, it was so shaky that I couldn't see anything properly!

+ 1 for rear view mirror.

I wear a full face when it's cold, also helps filter the flies on the woodland tracks keeping them out of your teeth as you grin.

On a more serious note, I used to snowboard quite a lot and helmets have saved me a few times. I know because I've been wearing one and still hit my head hard enough to have headaches for days. Anyway due to the fact I go similar speeds on my ebike (a dh Scott ransom) I think a helmet is the smart thing to do. Oh but there is the fact that dogs don't like full face helmets as much. It freaks them out more than the normal style. I pass a lot of dogs on the transpenine trail.

One more vote for a helmet here.

Got knocked off by a 4x4 when I was doing 20+ round a roundabout. Broken ribs, collarbone, strained hip joint, .... HEAD ? Helmet crushed, had concussion but not a scratch.

Almost always wear a helmet and will continue to do so.

Full-face helmet saved my face (twice) in my motorcycling daze.

Hi all.I wouldn't even go to the local shop without a helmet on ?? I have had 2 accidents over the last few years which actually smashed my helmet so badly they came apart!! ( and no not cheap ones )and the last time it knocked me out and that was low speed on a cycle path.I think it is up to the individual as to weather they wear a helmet or not but if you don't wear one then you should think very hard as to the cost to your family who may have to look after someone who is totally dependent on them and also the huge cost to the nhs !!!! I no it's the worse case scenario and it won't happen to you ????.

Regards Steve

Steve, I started cycling 68 years ago long before there was such a thing as a cycle helmet. I've never worn one and never will.

 

Hi all.I wouldn't even go to the local shop without a helmet on ?? I have had 2 accidents over the last few years which actually smashed my helmet.

 

I haven't had any such accidents, ever.

 

if you don't wear one then you should think very hard as to the cost to your family who may have to look after someone who is totally dependent on them

 

At 78 years I've outlived most of my family.

 

also the huge cost to the nhs !!!!

 

Being a cyclist has helped to keep me fit and I've cost the NHS hardly anything compared to most my age. Some of those I've outlived cost the NHS vast sums, perhaps if they'd exercised like me by cycling, with or without a helmet, they'd have cost the NHS far less.

 

I no it's the worse case scenario and it won't happen to you ????.

 

Well, my odds are looking pretty good don't you think?

 

You see Steve, it's all too easy to be blinkered about such a subject. As you see above on NHS costs, there's always many aspects to consider before reaching a conclusion. The country in the world with the most cycling, The Netherlands, has the least helmet wearing and the lowest cycling accident rates. That's because, like me, they ride sensibly knowing they have no special protection.

.

I have had 2 accidents over the last few years which actually smashed my helmet so badly they came apart!!

 

I had a couple of accidents on the road when I was younger but I managed to roll with them and avoid banging my head. Now I'm older and wiser I seem to be able to avoid accidents situations. Sometimes I go out with a helmet, sometimes I don't. Even if I'm going off road and I know the route isn't too knarly I'll leave the helmet at home - just feels much nicer without one.

 

In fact, the only accident I've had recently was getting on my bike outside my house and I dislocated my knee and collapsed into a heap on the floor!

 

I think it is up to the individual as to weather they wear a helmet or not

 

+1

 

if you don't wear one then you should think very hard as to the cost to your family who may have to look after someone who is totally dependent on them

 

I don't work anymore so they'll be ok, especially with the hefty life insurance I have.

 

and also the huge cost to the nhs !!!!

 

It's ok, I've already paid enough in for that as well.

 

I no it's the worse case scenario and it won't happen to you ????.

 

If I worried about worst case scenarios I'd never get out of bed and avoid the myriad of other fun things I do as well besides cycling. I wouldn't drive a two seater sports car with no windscreen, no roof, no ABS, no traction control and no airbags for one!

I am not keen on them, there uncomfortable, but I do wear one, nagging from her indoors, being an ex motorcyclist, dangerous car drivers, all this and more tells me I need to wear it. Its a cheap Lidl one, so no trendy name on it, hope its never needed ;-)... No its not full faced, cant see me ever wearing one of them on a bicycle.

No. Didnt really want to wear one at all. capitulated under pressure and bought a stars and stripey Nutcase.