Am I crazy for not wearing a helmet.

First of all, I take a helmet with me if I know I'm going to ride aggressively in certain sections of the trail (and I obviously wear it for those sections) however when I'm riding my normal trails in a super "under control" fashion I just I find helmets super stifling, and restrictive.
In my 15 years of cycling, I can count on two hands the amount of times I've had a stack while riding non-aggressively, and I don't recall ever landing head first.

I'm not talking about playing chicken in traffic here, I'm talking about dirt track cycling.

Am I crazy? Should helmets be worn religiously or is judicious application reasonable?

How many of you ALWAYS wear one?
 

Tonio87

Squid
well, it's recommended to wear a helmet if you're going to do single or double blacks when you're riding aggressively as you might crack your head open from a crash, AND if you're out street riding with a mtb, especially when you're in the city when there's cops around.

But in my opinion, it's fine to not wear a helmet if you ride in a cruising pace, if you're comfortable with it but do it at your own risk.

I don't wear a helmet if my trip's not that far or if I'm riding along the beach, but most of the time, wearing a helmet is encouraged :thumb:
 

andrew9

Likes Dirt
Meh, in any other country this would be a silly question.
I would say that if you don't feel the need, then you're probably not really mountain biking, but there's nothing inherently dangerous about quietly​ rolling through the countryside with no lid

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JTmofo

XC Enthusiast
This has all been argued on here before. Pros, cons, nanny state, tax payers money wasted on Medicare to fix people Yada Yada Yada.....

All I'll say is.... go for it, knock yourself out... just do it at your own cost and not on any of the trails I ride. I hate my strava times being compromised by rescue crews out in the bush picking vegetables.

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aanon

Likes Dirt
If you carry your helmet in an appropriate back pack and you look ''Enduro'' I think it is fine not to wear it.
 
I think if you do not wear a skid lid then maybe you have fallen on your head one too many times already.
I say let natural selection take it's course.
 

rone

Eats Squid
Nothing wrong with it under the right circumstances. I often climb helmetless as it's less sweaty. Anything faster than jogging speed and it goes back on.
 

TheAzza

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I always seem to bin it when I least expect it, so pretty much always wear my helmet. I would feel pretty stupid if I cracked my head open when my helmet was hanging from my bars or pack.
 

johnny

I'll tells ya!
Staff member
My worst stacks have been unexpected when I've been JRA.


I wear a lid all the time.
This was me last week. Cruising home from work on my fav trail and pedal clipped a small log that I've ridden past so many times before. . Was not riding hard or even close to it and I've ridden these trails a couple of times a week for 6 years so I know them like the back of my hand. Still pedal clipped and offed hard enough to pop a rib and beat myself up pretty well. I hit my scone pretty hard and would have been out cold if I was lidless.

Some times it's not the speed you are riding but the unexpectedness of the fall and what you land on. If there's rocks about they will crack your skull even if you fall from a stationary position.
 

scblack

Leucocholic
Like johnny and golden path some of my worst offs have been when just plodding along.

The reason I reckon is that you are not fully concentrating, feeling full of confidence being so slow, and completely unprepared when something goes wrong. Then you may not fully axe yourself, but can do some pretty damn good damage.

Whenever I'm on a bike I always wear a helmet - especially now I have young kids its a good example to show to them, that ANY time bad crashes can and do happen, so best to be prepared for the worst.
 

ctguru

Likes Bikes and Dirt
if you fall over and hit your head, you are potentially fucked!

I've worked in medical imaging (CT scanner supervisor) for 20 years and it doesn't take much to cause a brain haemorrhage

my 2 cents
 

Dozer

Heavy machinery.
Staff member
First of all, I take a helmet with me if I know I'm going to ride aggressively in certain sections of the trail (and I obviously wear it for those sections) however when I'm riding my normal trails in a super "under control" fashion I just I find helmets super stifling, and restrictive.
In my 15 years of cycling, I can count on two hands the amount of times I've had a stack while riding non-aggressively, and I don't recall ever landing head first.

I'm not talking about playing chicken in traffic here, I'm talking about dirt track cycling.

Am I crazy? Should helmets be worn religiously or is judicious application reasonable?

How many of you ALWAYS wear one?
A few things spring to mind with this post:
-You have NEVER worn the correct helmet. A correctly sized helmet will always feel comfortable.
-You wear a helmet "when riding aggressively" but not when you're going between aggressive sections yet you say you've had a a fair few crashes while riding "non aggressively". You don't see the irony in that? You're admitting you're crashing regardless of the riding style and you're questioning whether a helmet is a good idea.
-When you say "dirt track cycling", it sounds like you aren't actually mountain biking but may be one of these fancy guys who rides a cyclocross bike?


To quote a famous human who yelled this very thing on April 9th 2017 to a class A fuckwit who thought it'd be okay to test a jump line out before official practice at a downhill race and subsequently landed on his face:
"Wear a fucking helmet!"
 
K thanks, between the patronising "you aren't mountain biking" replies and the frail old men who keep losing their balance, I'll go without the helmet. cheers for the advice guys

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