Bike riding without a helmet?

I'm taking a small survey: Has anyone else seen an increase of serious (racer types) cyclists riding without helmets? I am increasingly seeing more and more people riding without helmets here in the Reno, NV area. I'm all for personal rights and these people should not be legislated into wearing helmets, but personally, I feel naked without a helmet and of course it is a good idea to wear one.

You people are missing the point. I wasn't asking for opinions on wearing a helmet or not. I was solely asking for your observations about other people out riding without helmets, especially those who appear to be serious about their riding.

I know most actual racers in my area, and they all 'wear', so the people going helmetless have to be either noobs or wannabe's.
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Hmm, three thumbs down already. Must be a lot of noobs and wannabe's in the forum today.
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Note to Aviation and Tebs: Bikes are more stable at high speed than low, and you are far more focused while racing than when you're "just riding around".

As with automobiles, bike crashes are most often caused by lack of attention or surprise. If I had to choose when helmets are most effective, it would be on casual rides when I'm more likely to be distracted.

We didn't even have helmets when we were kids!

The first bicycle helmets appeared in 1975. It was made by Bell, and it cost $500.00.
Five Hundred Dollars was a lot of money in 1975!

Bicycle racers wore caps with the name of an Italian Bicycle Company on them. It looked like a baseball cap, with a shorter brim. "Leather Hair-nets" were sometimes used by racers. They were leather, stuffed with padding, and had vent holes, much like todays helmets.

In the 1960's and 1970's, Teenage boys would sometimes wear their School Football Helmets when riding bikes.

I was twelve when I first got a bike helmet. It was a "Skid-Lid", that cost $70.00, and I had to buy it myself! My parents wouldn't kick in any money towards it!

Today, the kids have a law working for them. If the kid doesn't have a helmet, the parents have to pay the fine.

They don't know how lucky they are.

Of course, I was riding a twelve speed bicycle with other kids who rode mopeds. I had to go quite fast to keep up with them. (Motorpacing is when a bicycle drafts a motor vehicle to overcome wind-resistance).

But, if you're not racing the bicycle, and you are only riding at a leisurely pace (less than 18 MPH), a helmet really is not necessary . Just make sure you yield the right of way to cars and trucks.

I've seen some people saying that cycling helmets don't do any good and that any accidents they have ever been in they have never had serious head injuries or even had issues with worrying about their heads hitting. All I gotta say to that is you are some lucky SOB's.

I've got a couple of buddies that had they not had their helmets on would not be around today. One friend was hit by a car and its true the helmet didn't help him from the impact of the car but when he bounced down the road his helmet kept his head in one piece. Doctor even told him had it not been for his helmet he probably wouldn't be here today. I've talked to a number of other serious riders that have shown me their helmets split in half from an impact that they were able to walk away from because the helmet did its job.

You won't find me on road or off without a helmet on.

I've rode bikes from the early 50s, raced on the road from 1956 till 1970 and no one wore a helmet not even the Pros. or top flight amateurs. Sure, we fell off, we injured ourselves but I don't recall any serious head injuries. All cycle racing in the UK insists that you must wear a helmet while racing and I do agree with that, as you are riding in a closely packed bunch with more chance of an accident, but I do not wear one when I cycle on the road.

The helmets are only designed for low impact forces of about 15 MPH and they are not going to save you if you are hit by a car or truck. One other point, statistically there are more fatal and serious head injuries from car accidents than there are from falling off a bike. Why don't we make it compulsory for all motor vehicle drivers and passengers wear helmets while on the roads?

If you are happy and feel safe wearing a cycle helmet well and good but leave other people to make their own decision as to what they want to do.

I feel really stupid wearing a helmet- especially when there are younger kids and a lot of teenagers my age not wearing one. But I figure it's a small price to pay if it might save my life or prevent a head injury. Actually, a family friend hit her head and was sent to the hospital with a seizure of some sort when we were really little. Luckily, she's ok today. But I still don't think it's a good idea to go without a helmet no matter what type of riding you are doing.

I guess they can do what they want, but I saw a study that said 94% of all fatal bicycle accidents are with riders who didn't have a helmet... I see it a lot here we're near three major college campuses. But it's not good. When I was in Sao Paulo Brazil, they had on average 3-5 bike messengers killed in a day. Well the drivers were insane, there, but you get the point.

I've noticed just the opposite here in Minnesota. People tooling around town are not wearing them, nor are most teens or bmx'ers, but anyone who 'looks' like a serious biker that I see out on the road or in the woods is wearing a lid.

I have not seen this, but I have thought before that a helmet might create drag for some of the serious racer types. The most I've seen riders without helmets are the Central American immigrants on their mountain Treks in Washington, DC.

Personally I think that you should always wear a helmet, as when you are driving a car, you should always buckle up, but I had seen that too.

No, not on the "serious racer types". I ride and race through out the Southeast and have not seen this. I haven't even noticed this with the casual riders either.

If I'm on a trail goin down hills with rocks and roots I will but just riding around my neighborhood I won't...haven't really noticed anything one way or another with other people though.

i never go without. once i awhile i see some wannbe racers who go without. i guess they feel really cool-i think they look stupid. but then maybe my brain is worth more than theirs.

I only ever wear a cycling helmet if I am required to by race regulations, the only time I might wear one voluntarily is if I were ever to go 'off road', which I do not. The value of a cycle helmet is grossly over exaggerated, in the main by the helmet manufacturers, who have, in many countries, had a very successful pressure and advertising campaign to push for helmet legislation. I have been a serious cyclist for close on 60 years, I've lost count of the number of times my body has come into contact with the road, almost always at speed, and I have never ever struck my head on the road. I once fell and had a suspected broken collar-bone, I didn't, but I had bruised my chin on the handlebars, so, because I had been examined in a hospital for the suspected break, the bruised chin was classed in the records as a serious head injury, (because of the hospital visit) ! thereby inflating the statistics regarding head injuries sustained by cyclists, this was in Australia, the same rule applies here in the UK and I have been assured that most other countries have a similar practice. Maybe cyclists are at last becoming more aware of the relative inefectiveness of a helmet in a motor vehicle/cyclist collision.

Note, NCCyclist, yes those stats are often trotted out, but of those deaths, 97% were caused by multiple injuries, and would have occured even if the cyclists were wearing a helmet. (even the tiniest scratch is recorded as a head injury)
A cycle helmet is not some kind of magic shield that will protect you no matter what, it quite simply is not designed to protect in a violent or motor vehicle/cyclist impact, it will not even prevent a concussion, which can be fatal, and can occur in a fall even without the presence of another vehicle.
Using your stats, it can be said 6% of cyclists died from a
head injury, even though they were wearing a helmet, stats can be skewed in favour of any arguement, and by those with a vested interest, they are !