Always were a helmet for Muni

Hi, I looked for a thread relating to helmet wearing but couldn’t find one.

Anyway i was riding down a steep rocky technical bit of a trail last night when i ran out of skill and was thrown forward and ended up rolling head over heals down rocks bashing my head (with helmet on) and pretty much bashing everywhere (i was wearing gloves/wrist guards and knee/shin pads and i was wearing a backpack which saved my back from hitting rocks) so the only place that i actually got hurt was my elbow (i will now be getting elbow pads) which after the fall i was grateful for but if i had not been wearing all the other protection it could have been allot worse and i could have been off unicycling injured for a long time.

So what i am trying to say is that my advice to any one doing Muni is to put on protection especially a helmet as it might just save you from a bad injury.

I don’t think this only goes for MUni :stuck_out_tongue:

It’s weird though, we all know we SHOULD wear helmets (and other pads if possible) But I’ll bet many of us here never do (I know I don’t, and I ride about 10 miles a day on -and off -road)

I don’t understand why some of us don’t bother with protection… Are we scared of being nerds?

Goes out and buys a helmet

I am a firm believer in helmets, when I started riding at this new dh track that’s close I came down a drop feature and when I dropped I fell and rolled and split my helmet

I recently posted elsewhere about how I always wear a helmet when I’m riding a geared unicycle. My older Schlumpf became disengaged suddenly, one time, and I fell back like a bowling pin, breaking my helmet.

Luckily I have never had a serious collision with the ground to test my helmet, however I really prefer to be fully togged up when on any wheel larger than my 20" - I should probably where it when doing MUni on this trials wheel too…

My tip re helmet-wearing (excuse the obviousness of this statement) is invest in a cool-stylish-neat-fitting one and you’ll wear it. If it’s a pain to wear I suspect we can easily “forget” about it…

I got a Bern helmet as I liked the style etc and it seemed a mix of bike and skate, and have never looked back.

Tuppence worth donated! :slight_smile:

I hurt my neck in a UPD and I’ve never looked back…

I thank yew, I’m here all week.:smiley:

But seriously, I wear a helmet on almost every ride, only not bothering for short simple rides on flat surfaces. I also usually wear gloves.

I do not wear elbow or knee pads.

I originally typed “elbow and knee pads” but found the concept hard to visualise.

I have some leg armour and a full face helmet but seldom ride anything that severe these days.

It’s all about what you can ‘afford’ to smash up. I’ve always worn a helmet and gloves. I work a lot with my hands and can’t afford to have them mangled, same story goes for my head. Elbows and knees are pretty tough and heal pretty good so the risk isn’t too great for me (if I rode more aggressively i would pad up my knees for sure).

Realistically, the crash that smashes your skull in and causes serious brain damage is a 1 in a 1000 chance, maybe less. People win the lottery all the time, people get struck by lightening with worse odds. I won’t take the chance.

If you or your loved ones don’t need your head to be in order, don’t wear a helmet.

I only wear a helmet when riding my 36er. I don’t think it is necessary for flat and small street (= curbs and 2 sets for me :smiley: ). Only body parts I hurt are really my hands (only scratches) and butt whenever I fall harder. Shinpads are a must though for any 20" riding!

@mini I was riding street and trued to flip a 3setI and the uni went out infront of me and I landed on my butt and smashed the back of mt helmet into the concreat!

I never was a helmet.

Can I check those who are worried about small chances of hitting their heads always wear a helmet to drive? How about walking down the street? The statistics also suggest that wearing one in the bath or shower is probably a good idea.

Come ride with me, you won’t regret wearing one, i have had helmets save my life a few times, also I do wear a helmet in the car when I rally cross.

I would also recommend wearing a helmet that protects the back of your head. One time my foot slipped and got caught between the crank and the pedal, causing me to slip and fall backwards. At the time I was wearing a regular bike helmet, which provided SOME protection, but the unprotected lower back of my head did hit the ground. Fortunately I didn’t bang it too hard, but I saw the potential for significant injury. After some research, I ended up buying a Fox Flux helmet, which is well ventilated and provides protection to the lower back of my head. Luckily, since then I’ve avoided any similar UPDs, but I fear that the one day I do fail to wear a helmet will be the day I crack my skull open. That seems to be the way my life works.

I always wear a helmet, & wrist guards. It just takes one fall where u hit your head and mult mild concussions can cause severe problems. The brain is hard to fix, most other injuries can return to normal w/ time & therapy.

I For Muni I add knee/shin, elbow/forarm, and but pads. I’d rather take the time to put them on, and be a little warmer than take a trip to the hospital or be out of commission.

Since I often don’t land on my feet, w/o all the protection I’d have to limit myself to only easy stuff, I’d prob progress extremely slowly and eliminate all the fun.

I always wear a helmet and gloves out riding. Anything else would be way too hot for me. I started wearing gloves after my palms had lost most of the skin on them.

I couldn’t imagine wearing shin/knee pads or elbow pads. I’d be more worried about heat stroke than getting hurt.

I’ve got scrapes and banged some stuff up yeah, but I’m still alive. So far.

It can get pretty hot here. Hottest day I’ve ridden it got to ~105F by 1:00.

To fight the heat I get up as early as I can (ideally I hike to the top of the first trail by dawn) and back to the car by 11:00. I also wear breathable white shirt & shorts.

Ive gone through three helmets… and every time Ive broken a helmet I had a horrible headache for a few hours afterwards. I dont think I would like to experience a fall like that without a helmet. Your body can get used to the heat if you take the time and pain to endure it. One thing the body doesnt do to well is smashing into a rock unprotected.

Like the dude above me said, get up early to beat the heat. Or ride at sunset into the darkness. Both is what I do and prefer during the summer.

I have no qualms with a helmet. I think it’s more or less required equipment.

It’s all that other crap I can’t stand. :slight_smile:

Hey Jacob is the real boss with the full face

Sounds like you’ve already had your share of head injuries.:stuck_out_tongue:

You didn’t specify what type of riding you do. If it’s ungeared, small wheel sidewalk riding, I’m with you.

At 17 it’s harder to imagine serious injury or death so good for you for figuring it out! Smart people riding down steep, rocky technical (and some other stuff) wear helmets.

If you are, you don’t realize you’re already a nerd for being on a unicycle. :smiley: Like I said above, smart people wear helmets in those dangerous conditions. Everybody else is just cool.

I have ridden unicycles a lot more than 1000 times, which I guess means I’m way past a 1:1 chance of a brain injury. That’s why smart people wear helmets. It’s for that one time, not all the other times. Like a seat belt. You have to put it on before the accident, otherwise it doesn’t do you any good.

BTW, a severe brain injury can happen without smashing in your skull. All it takes is for your brain to slosh around really hard, or get rotated within your skull, and it can be enough to kill you. I lost family member that way (car). Also I work with people with developmental disabilities. Some of these people have had brain injuries and are now permanently disabled; in some cases barely able to do anything for themselves.

Someone always has to bring this up, like it’s a rule of helmet conversations. Yes, a small chance. If it were a big chance I might not do the activity. A small chance I’m willing to take, but I’ll be smart about it. A helmet is overkill for most car driving situations. The car is like a giant multi-ton helmet. Unfortunately my brother was an exception to that rule. Walking down the street? Be my guest.

This is a good point for riders of Trials, Big Street, and steep, rocky descents. Bike helmets are designed for the vast majority of bike crashes, which are to the front (often over the bars). Riding a geared 36" on the bike path, for instance, fits with the bike helmet design. But for riding around on miscellaneous obstacles, where you might fall in odd positions, a skate helmet is a much smarter choice.

BTW, this basic theme has been repeated dozens of times on here. If people on either side of the debate want to quote pre-written stuff, it’s there to be found… :stuck_out_tongue: