WEAR A HELMET !!!

Thread started by
bondink at 08.10.08 - 7:48 pm

i never wore a helmet and when i did it was on my commute home from work every day - never on MR rides or late night strolls with my friends.
on friday night, my friend Brandon (B-Dawg - visiting from San Francisco, fellow MR rida here and up there) went to the SM Crosswalk Craps with me. after we hung out with some MRs and then took Pico back to the beach..
as we were coming down the last big hill, his brakes gave out on the rental road bike he had and as he went to save himself with a fred flinstone move (that he had just learned that night) his bike went out from under him..
he broke his collarbone and because HE WAS NOT WEARING A HELMET bruised his brain on both sides of his head where he had bleeding, also cracked his skull and had bleeding behind his eardrum..
it happened right in front of me -- and changed my perspective on riding in altogether. sucks that something bad had to happen to teach both he and i a lesson..
he is doing well at UCLA and hopes to be out this week.. back on a bike in two to three months..
Please, wear a helmet.
Thanks, love all you crazy and non-crazy MRsssssssszzzzz
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WOW, I THINK I TALKED TO THAT GUY, HOPE HE IS DOING BETTER.
eddieboyinla08.10.08 - 7:54 pm
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Oh man... that's a serious spill. Please wish him a speedy recovery.
digablesoul08.10.08 - 8:10 pm
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I wear my helmet in the shower. Sometimes in the car too. I'm most definently wearing it on the next airplane i take and always at parties.
Hope you get well soon man. That rental company should get a wedgie for giving you such a crappy bike.
stillline08.10.08 - 8:17 pm
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I'm wearing one right now.
No, in all seriousness, that sucks for your buddy and I can't agree more about wearing a helmet. I see a lot of Mridazz not wearing them, and riders all over this city, and it's the stupidest thing.
0gravity08.10.08 - 8:22 pm
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matte and mikey make em look cool. so does graham. who else ? chynna & maya. and andrea. who are some sexy helmet heads ?
HANDBONE08.10.08 - 8:30 pm
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and keiron's a sexy mofo. no homo.
HANDBONE08.10.08 - 8:30 pm
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Ari and Jacob and Raquel and Droobie and a whole bunch of others. Spook has a really heavy metal military helmet FTW!
stillline08.10.08 - 8:34 pm
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you all look sexxxxy in your helmets.. keep wearing them and encourage those around you that are not wearing a helmet to put one on..
Undercover Bob and I are heading over to UCLA now to go see B-Dawg.. i will send him your well wishes..
thanks gaiszzz..
hope to get all my pictures from last night done by Monday night for you!
bondink08.10.08 - 8:45 pm
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I started wearing a helmet again back in '06 while riding through some rinky-dink town outside of OKC.
I always wore one back in high school and knew a bunch of shitheads that thought it was dorky and had that "what happens, happens" attitude.
However, all of them stopped riding and I'm the only one that still has his ass in a saddle to this day.
They all have kids and drive minivans and/or SUV's now.
bentstrider08.10.08 - 9:33 pm
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oh man, I hope he heals from his accident, that sounds serious.
I wear one cause I tend to fall allot. You should wear one too and when people tell you to wear one, try not to go on the offensive, just remind yourself that that person GIVES A FUCK about you.
dannyzuko08.10.08 - 9:40 pm
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I've been wearing a helmet a lot lately. wow. I hope Brandon recovers well. wow. thanks for sharing,
Roadblock08.10.08 - 9:46 pm
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Yeah, I haven't been wearing mine as much as i should be and i totally zoned out today on fulton and burbank and had a extremely close call. Super idiot move.
Graham08.10.08 - 9:48 pm
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Hold up, dannyzuko falls?
I never found that to be a true statement, the juices are sloshing around within my dome.
bentstrider08.10.08 - 9:52 pm
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I recently started wearing my helmet because, well, it's a good thing to do, and for some reason I decided not to wear it last night, and guess what? I fall, and luckily I'm okay. Raquel always wears her helmet, and the day she decides not to, she has a concussion. I like your message, everyone, wear one. And also, don't wear one just because you're scared. Wear one because you care! :)
imachynna08.10.08 - 9:57 pm
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after alot of horror stories, im gunna start wearing one too. soon enough.
HANDBONE08.10.08 - 10:09 pm
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...maybe i should invest in a helmet.
me_gan08.10.08 - 10:13 pm
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remember the ole saying... buy a $10 helmet for a $10 head.
Roadblock08.10.08 - 10:14 pm
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"only on the velodrome"
(sorry, I had to)
imachynna08.10.08 - 10:15 pm
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just dropped a pretty penny on a giro. (-:
HANDBONE08.10.08 - 10:15 pm
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after getting hit by a car, i wear mine all the time. i shouldn't have waited, but it was a good wake up call.
i'm glad your friend is still alive. i hope he heals up fast!
tomato08.10.08 - 10:17 pm
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good post, agree mucho
brandon I wish you the best man--and for clarification he's giving a 'wassup' pose in that pic at the beginning of the post---he's solid and trooper
hitsthepoles_ow08.10.08 - 10:28 pm
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You aint no hipster without no helmet
Lizzard08.10.08 - 10:32 pm
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my helmet's not sexy, but it's not hot, either. it's never prevented anyone from respecting me or my riding ability/badassitude. Prove yourself in other ways, like being generous and buying beer for people/helping on rides, or awesomely hardcore and racing or hustling (wolfpack/bicykilers, etc.) WARRIORS wear HELMETS.
in other words,
BUMP!
vspangle08.10.08 - 11:04 pm
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I think the secret to getting everyone to wear a helmet is to deck them out and make them cooler. For example, instead of a plain helmet, why not hook up a bottle of gin on one side, and balance with a bottle of tonic on the other? You could connect them with straws, helping you stay hydrated on the ride. People would see that we're serious about safety but we're also not a bunch of dorks.
Safety is important. In fact, it is the third most important thing about midnight ridazz.
mullingitover08.10.08 - 11:34 pm
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There's a saying you hear often around responsible motorcyclists - "Dress for the crash, not the ride." It is oft repeated by the guys you see riding around in full protective gear even on 90 degree days. They are also the guys who can tell you at least one story of a crash, by themselves or a friend, in which someone was able to get up and get back on their bike after what should have been a crash that left debilitating injuries. If anyone knew when they were going to crash, we could all wear no protective gear except when it is actually needed. But we don't have that luxury. If you don't assume that every ride has the potential for a crash, then you just haven't spent enough time riding. And the vast majority of crashes for experienced cyclists happen in circumstances that are entirely outside of the rider's control, in my experience, so no amount of bike handling skills are going to save your skin (or skull).
If you've got a $5 brain, then, by all means, protect it with a $5 baseball cap. Road rash is painful and takes a long time to heal, but at least it does heal. There are no such guarantees with a brain injury.
ideasculptor08.10.08 - 11:43 pm
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e-rock is sexy in a helmut. so is michel l.a
HANDBONE08.10.08 - 11:44 pm
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bump!
let's sara's experience be another reminder of the importance of wearing a helmet NO MATTER what ride you are on..danger is always around the corner
it saved her life - thank goodness she was wearing one
tomato10.16.08 - 5:44 pm
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i'm full of typos today- let not let's
tomato10.16.08 - 5:54 pm
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can some1 pls recommend a good helmet and how much I should expect to spend to get one? I've been riding w/out a helmet 4ever and I think that with the laws of probability at work it's time for me to stop takin chances. Plus, I like my brains.
kryxtanicole10.17.08 - 10:29 am
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I have an extra bell black helmet you can have if you want it
if yes i can bring it to SnS tonight
MOM_RIDAZ42010.17.08 - 10:33 am
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The injection-mold microshell construction helmet is designed to crush on impact.
The idea is that the helmet absorbs the crash. It is suppose to not only protect your skull but your neck, which could snap in a serious crash.
The helmet is a one-time crash deal. Once damaged you must get a new one, though some companies like Bell, give you credit on a new helmet if you mail in the damaged one.
The BMX style helmet is a hardshell helmet.
It can be used in multiple crashes. The primary design is like a combat helmet, its hardshell protects your head from being cracked like and eggshell. Though you could still suffer from a concussion from the impact, or your neck could compress in the crash, since there is no absorption properties.
skd10.17.08 - 10:35 am
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"can some1 pls recommend a good helmet and how much I should expect to spend to get one? I've been riding w/out a helmet 4ever and I think that with the laws of probability at work it's time for me to stop takin chances. Plus, I like my brains. "
Like SKD said, there are basically 2 types of helmets, the Bicycle Helmet designed to be replaced after a crash, and a Skate/BMX helmet designed for multiple impacts.
The relevant standards are CPSC certification for bike helmets and ASTM F1492 for skate helmets.
You can get some that meet both standards pretty cheaply, like this one for $24.95 - https://www.helmetsrus.net/retail/product_info.php?cPath=43&products_id=113&osCsid=a2cb8805cc825d29d9ebde746b221d5c
(We should look into doing a group buy from helmetsrus.net, as they've got good deals - https://www.helmetsrus.net/)
Target has some basic helmets that are CPSC certified for less than $20.
You can spend more if you want, but (unlike motorcycle helmets where there are more levels of certification) the extra $ is more for aesthetics / venting than safety.
JB10.17.08 - 11:09 am
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OMG! OMG! OMG!
Tomato: i cannot believe you found this post. this brings the whole thing full circle. in fact, this morning i was able to reflect moar on what happened even moar so, it's because of my friend B-Dawg (Brandon) that i even wore a helmet.
Update on B-Dawg: he rode his bike for the first time since the accident last week!
YAYE! WEAR A HELMET like you scream "GET A CAR" all the time! all the time! all the time!
it's party time - i hit my head and i've gone insane!
bondink10.17.08 - 11:55 am
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or have you skin sanded off when you fall and slide.
Gav04.16.09 - 11:10 am
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i dont care what anyone says, i love my helmet and think its awesome.
oodlesofpoodles04.16.09 - 12:10 pm
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I love my helmet.It not leaving my sight.Im gonna be like stillline he wears it in the shower i bet.
Huey55504.12.10 - 4:48 pm
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