Cycle Helmets. Danish Public Information Film.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

The Danes do public information films so much better, if this is anything to go by. Only peripherally canal related, but people do cycle (very fast!) along tow paths and a helmet is a good idea. It made me laugh. ?

"But it messes up my braids!"

 

[Arthur Marshall]

I can understand why you would wear a helmet when cycling on roads, but it seems daft to me to wear one on the towpath. 

[Tonka]

44 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

I can understand why you would wear a helmet when cycling on roads, but it seems daft to me to wear one on the towpath. 

So if you fall off and bump your head on a tie bar

[Athy]

3 minutes ago, Tonka said:

So if you fall off and bump your head on a tie bar

But fashion accessory outlets are very rare along towpaths.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

2 hours ago, Arthur Marshall said:

I can understand why you would wear a helmet when cycling on roads, but it seems daft to me to wear one on the towpath. 

The real danger is falling over and hitting your head at any speed, including standing still. You are more likely to fall over on a tow path than on a proper tarmac road, as it is narrower, with often a worse surface and stuff to send you flying like mooring bollards, tree roots and steps. Horse riding has a horrendous head injury record. Much worse than cycling and that is because they have much further to fall before they hit the ground than cyclists.

The relative lack of moving cars, lorries and buses makes little difference. If you are hit by a car at any appreciable speed, then all a helmet does is help hold the shattered bits of your head together and make it quicker to clean up the road afterwards.

The idea that wearing a helmet makes you safe while cycling on the road is largely an illusion, given the principal risk to you is from motor traffic. If you fall off otherwise, without a cars involvement, then it can make the difference between being fine afterwards and having o spend the next several decades learning how to use a knife and fork and tie your laces again from the brain damage. Worth it for that in my opinion.

Mountain biking, yes definitely a good idea, due to the high likelihood of trying to knock down a tree with your face! ?

[restlessnomad]

3 hours ago, Arthur Marshall said:

I can understand why you would wear a helmet when cycling on roads, but it seems daft to me to wear one on the towpath. 

wearing a helmet on towpath makes sense as falling (either due to your own fault or pushed by pedestrian/boater) and bumping your head might cause lasting injury..

on roads it makes less sense, the helmets are too lightweight to provide help in case of collision with a motor vehicle, and it makes people in vehicles to take more risk(drive too close to you too fast)

[Arthur Marshall]

12 minutes ago, restlessnomad said:

wearing a helmet on towpath makes sense as falling (either due to your own fault or pushed by pedestrian/boater) and bumping your head might cause lasting injury..

on roads it makes less sense, the helmets are too lightweight to provide help in case of collision with a motor vehicle, and it makes people in vehicles to take more risk(drive too close to you too fast)

That sort of makes sense. Except... I've been riding bikes for 59 years now (including 30 every now and then on towpaths), and the last time I fell off was 1966. I realise you've only got to do it once  and on a road if hit by anything you're going to fall faster onto something hard. Still can't see the point on the towpath, any more than why cyclists wear masks (might stop them swallowing flies, I suppose). 

[Jen-in-Wellies]

Wearing a bike helmet, or not should always be up to some ones own judgement. Depends on how much each person values the contents of what would go inside a helmet! ?  ?

[Cheshire cat]

I've swallowed quite a few flies this year. If it wasn't for overheating masks when cycling would be a good idea. Regarding helmets I think it depends what speed you are going at. If C&RT manage to enforce 8mph then you really aren't going much faster than joggers and no one is asking them to wear helmets.

 

Last time I came off was November last year and it is the only time my helmet came in to play. I hit the ground, my helmet hit the ground and forced my sun glasses frame to slice open my forehead. The bike was a write off but my head was OK after a couple of weeks

[restlessnomad]

22 minutes ago, Cheshire cat said:

I've swallowed quite a few flies this year. If it wasn't for overheating masks when cycling would be a good idea. Regarding helmets I think it depends what speed you are going at. If C&RT manage to enforce 8mph then you really aren't going much faster than joggers and no one is asking them to wear helmets.

 

Last time I came off was November last year and it is the only time my helmet came in to play. I hit the ground, my helmet hit the ground and forced my sun glasses frame to slice open my forehead. The bike was a write off but my head was OK after a couple of weeks

how fast do you ride? and what kind of bike was it?

[Cheshire cat]

The bike was a 531 steel road bike. I had just negotiated a crossroads and I was probably doing 12 mph when I went through a puddle outside a farm entrance. The puddle disguised a very deep pothole that caused me to launch over the handlebars. The downtube and top tube both bent on impact although I didn't realise at the time and road the bike another 20 miles home. It was cheaper to buy another second hand frame than have the original repaired and repainted.