That's how pith helmets worked. They were soaked in water overnight and during the day evaporation caused cooling.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
THE Helmet Thread
(895 posts)-
Posted 11 years ago #
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Can't imagine wearing a helmet in these temperatures. I'd have foresworn a cap if it wouldn't have meant scorching my baldy bits.
Aye, I can indeed confirm that wearing a helmet today around 6pm was less than comfortable, as it was hitting 80°F (just over 26°C) in Corstorphine.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I refer you to my previous post on this thread:
I would like to add that the oft quoted fact that cotton cycling caps are cooler *than helmets appears to be a myth. I did a test last week & there was no doubt that the helmet was much cooler. Surprised me but there you go.*temperaturewise
Posted 11 years ago # -
I would tentatively suggest that mkns' point is that being bareheaded is cooler than either.
It is. I checked.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Indeed, @Uberuce, although I know nothing of cotton cycling caps. Something to investigate. But being bareheaded would definitely have been significantly cooler, temperaturewise, than with the helmet on.
I wear my Giro helmet tightened to my skull tightly, which also doesn't help when it is hot. As I was attempting to power my way south along the Maybury Road, the helmet was certainly making my head very, very uncomfortable.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Far being it for me to plug a product but my new helmet is a Catlike Whisper. Dunno what it would do in a crash, but it is more hole than helmet. The holes definitely seem to funnel the wind over your scalp in a very cooling way. No other helmet I've had seems to act in quite this way. 'course it'll be crap in the winter.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I collected my bike from the repair shop on my lunch break and forgot my helmet, so cycled back to work lidless. It's the first time I've done that since I started cycling again last year.
It felt nicely liberating; think I'll do it more often.
It was also far cooler than my behelmeted commute home later.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Specialized's helmet crash replacement service is pretty awesome.
I sent off my helmet yesterday and I've just had a call to check the size of the replacement and take payment - £24 for a tactic II rather than £55!
And there's half a chance I'll get the new one tomorrow. And then I can go back to be fervarently anti-helmet while wearing a helmet.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Numpty forgot his helmet today, and my gloves! Got to Ferrytoll and realised they weren't in car, sod it! Drive to Barnton.
Before the helmet thing, I wonder if there is any research which proves beyond doubt that wearing gloves prevent blisters, and dry bits on your hands? My anecdotal evidence is that they do!
Regards to not having a helmet on today, hmm, I wonder if it does give me 'confidence'. My journey from Barnton along the NEPN took about 4 minutes more than it normally would, I was noticeably slower.
I don't know whether it's because it's Friday and I've already done 120 miles this week, or because of the lack of helmet. I wasn't aware of my 'traffic' interaction being any different, still confident in primary position, dictating my road position etc. Lets face it I am acutely aware it's not going to help me if a car hits my head.
I do think though I had that niggling worry, that if I fall off (have done before) and smack my head, it's going to hurt more?
Posted 11 years ago # -
"any research which proves beyond doubt that wearing gloves prevent blisters, and dry bits on your hands?"
I get my hand-skin pinched by my brake less frequently when gloved. The back of a glove is certainly better at mopping sweat off a forehead than a hand. The mitts I was wearing today also have a couple of worn-through bits which would have reduced the amount of skin worn off my knuckles when I came off on Bank Street eight years ago.
Posted 11 years ago # -
My old helmet policy was that I'd wear it if I was going to be on roads for any length of time - as opposed to canal/WoL path etc. With the actual genuine summery weather I've stopped wearing it completely now and I have to say: wow. Much, much cooler head, less sweat trapped in the hair, all together a lot more pleasant to ride. I also seem to have more awareness as there's not that slight restriction in view and resistance when turning the head.. I'll still tolerate it while on the road bike as I ride more aggressively and quite a bit faster than when I'm just going somewhere. But for getting about town I don't think I'll be going back.
I do miss having the front and rear head light mounts when it gets dark so for now I carry the thing strapped to the rugsack or in the pannier during the day and wear it when I'm returning from being out somewhere in the dark. Going to dig out a lightweight hiking headlamp so I don't have to bother with that.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Copying link from other thread...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/bike-blog/2013/mar/04/compulsory-helmets-charity-bike-rides
Article talks about sportives etc being the thin edge of the wedge. Actually, in some respects you are talking about 'normalising' helmet use. Once it becomes 'normal', introduce a law etc etc.
Of course sportives/events may be guilty of this, but the 'normalisation' is actually happening far far away from organised events, and it is far more dangerous in some respects (depending on you point of view). The danger is parents. Parents control what their children wear, and most parents make their children wear helmets when out cycling.
For children, helmet wearing is 'normal', and when they grow up and (if they) continue cycling, they will continue wearing helmets. Parents are the thin edge of the wedge...
slant: I am 'pro' helmet, and would probably make any child of mine wear a helmet, so don't really see this as a big deal. Liberalists out there will probably have a different view of this, in a the worlds coming to an end kind of a way...
Posted 11 years ago # -
On the point on the other thread about event organisers saying riders 'must wear a helmet', logically:
1) bicycles are tall and tippy, therefore there is a long way to fall to the ground.
2) tall can be reduced by riding a recumbent bike.
3) tippy can be reduced by riding a tricycle.
4) the combination of (2) and (3) results in a nearly-zero probability of landing on one's head, but no protection from 'others'.
5) protection from others can be reduced with bodywork.Therefore I shall (hypothetically speaking, because I'm busy) turn up at said events with the velomobile but no helmet. In fact, logic should dictate that all event participants must at minimum ride a recumbent trike, unless it's the danger from other road users (or canoeists, or dog walkers, etc.) that is the reason for mandation.
Posted 11 years ago # -
My Longstaff trike is not significantly un tippy. Treat it like a bike and you will kiss tarmac fairly quickly.
My kids don't own bicycle helmets… they do have Roman, WW II, Power Ranger etc.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Well, I'm wearing a helmet just now - primarily because the only person's opinion that counts, my wife's, is that after my fall last Monday I should be wearing one.
It's interesting from the crash, I could have gone down the route of tihnking the helmet would have stopped any injury at all, but I'm of the mind that: it might have stopped me splitting my head (given it was a small split); it probably wouldn't have stopped the concussion (the difference in deceleration would have been fairly negligible, I hit the ground hard); I might have had a more sore neck (needing a brace?) as I already suffered mild whiplash.
But the helmet is on. For how long I can't say (in one respect it's a good thing as I'll have to wear one for the Bealach Mor, so I needto get back used to it).
And it's hot (despite being well ventilated).
Posted 11 years ago # -
I was going to post a link to the article on the guardian about continuing to cycle without a helmet despite having had a crash, but then I read the first two comments and I don't want anyone else to have to unnecessarily go through that.
Posted 11 years ago # -
@WC: I can say with the certainty of experience that you can still get concussion with a helmet on. The lingering and unanswerable question then being how much worse it might have been without one.
Though in my case I had a skate helmet on which tends to be sturdier than the minimalist vented road ones. For the record what caused my concussion isn't something commuters should be worrying about. Enter the vert wall at Saughton Skatepark, the near-vertical wall sticking up from the bowl at the left here:
While I have no memory of the impact or what came in the few minutes before it, from witness accounts you could replicate my experience by jumping off the top of the wall head first and landing on your face at the bottom of the slope. The bike was completely unscathed, the same could not be said for me. Interestingly the helmet had only cracked slightly inside, more of a small fracture, the foam had not cracked completely in half as in many helmet crash accounts. There was substantial crushing of the foam inside though, indicating it had done it's job.
Posted 11 years ago # -
@baldcyclist - yes, I agree about the normalisation part - its like weight - 25 years ago chubby folks were exceptional (and mocked?!) - today if you are fat with multiple tattoos you probably work in my office.......
More pertinent to your point, I make my son wear a helmet, but I am not sure why (wife, I reckon) as I never wore one at his age.
So I agree your point that in 10 years not wearing a helmet will be classed as 'odd' behaviour - people will point and shout at some of us.
I still cant see any compulsion law - totally unenforceable.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Oh, and on the Sportives point - simple answer, do a DIY ride with your mates which means you get a full choice of accomodation on offer / cake stops / pubs and save yourself the best part of £50.
Never understood what a sportive gives over a DIY ride (apparently some give you a plastic mug, timing chip or a T-Shirt......whoopee !
Posted 11 years ago # -
And similarly a North Lanarkshire council guy couldn't tell me how he would stop us riding along behind organised rides on the road.
We rode along the road at the same time as a Sky Ride a couple of years ago with no hats or tabards. Number 3 son learned a valuable lesson about pot holes but nobody tried to stop us and Mr Murdoch learned nothing about us.
Never done a sportive and not likely to, did an Audax once.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I was involved in trying to persuade a communications person that the council buying cycling jerseys promoting the idea of fostering children was a good idea. She was willing to hear this pitch, her husband is a keen cyclist. She said she did not allow him to cycle in the city centre.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Sportives... Because it's fun to be part of an organised event some times? It's horses for courses, normally I woudln't ride them, but I like the feel of this one (plus I'm raising money for St Columba's, which would be more difficult to do with "I'm going riding with me mates, give me some cash").
Some people like sportives, some people don't, neither opinion is wrong.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I spend so much time riding alone; they force me to socialise. I met several members of this forum for the first time on sportives. There are some people I've only ever met on them. But any sportive gets boring the third or fourth time so I'm giving them a miss this year.
For racy types they might be the only massed start, timed events over long distances.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Did I just post on a helmet thread? I said I would never do that.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Oh dear. Have you hit yourself on the head or something?
Posted 11 years ago # -
LOL @ Uberuce/CyclingMollie. Bring on protective headwear for computer users, it is the way forward...
Seriously @allebong, I understand that that crush damage is the way a helmet should fail if it is doing its job, while a helmet that cracked did not actually fail as it should do. (I think I am quoting cyclehelmets.org here.)
Posted 11 years ago # -
There was an amusing thing on Twitter last night about beer helmets, citing the fact* that the most frequent customer type in A&E is drunk person on foot.
*second being people in cars, third people off bikes. Source is people being funny on Twitter, so betteth not ye house on this.
Posted 11 years ago # -
@fimm
I understand that that crush damage is the way a helmet should fail if it is doing its job, while a helmet that cracked did not actually fail as it should do. (I think I am quoting cyclehelmets.org here.)
Dont think its that simple
no engineer,but I would guess it would take far more in depth checking to work out the forces a helmet took.
A cracked helmet may have still taken quite a lot of force(relatively) before it reached its limit and crackedPosted 11 years ago # -
So, it's the time of the month for the Guardian to do its clickbait/trolling helmet article, and what a cracker it has turned out to be. There are 2507 comments, so many that the first page of them refuses to load, try the following for page 2 onwards:
I'll say as much as I don't think one 'should' wear a helmet as in it's the expected decision and you're making a point of not wearing it. My stance on helmets has softened recently to the point where I'd say the default is not to wear one at all - after all, you don't while walking down stairs to get to your bike or whatever etc. Nevertheless the choice should of course remain that you may want to wear one in specific circumstances - for me, that'd be while doing lengthy fast rides on the road bike as opposed to short trips around town on the beater.
Interestingly while helmet articles normally go under environment/cycling this one was put on the main comment page which no doubt accounts for it's massive popularity compared to others. It also likely explains the absolute mindbending blackhole of stupidity found in the comments. If you had a penny for every time someone makes the 'well I'm not subsidising your healthcare then!' point you'd have enough for titanium spoke nipples etc....
Posted 11 years ago # -
http://beerhelmetaction.wordpress.com/
Might possibly have sprung out of people being silly on Twitter....
Posted 11 years ago #
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