Although I have never used a helmet while road riding for its intended purpose I do ride with one. In fact I feel naked without it. I have cracked two helmets coming off my mountain bike while riding single track. My wife on the other hand needed one while road riding and didnt have one on her head at the time of her crash. It was in 1972 so I am not sure if they had hard shell helmets at that time. If they did they were not in wide spread use. We had just come back from Europe and had purchased bikes there. On a downhill, as I usually do, I picked up as much speed as I could as then rode up the hill at the bottom and waited for Alice there while riding in circles. Alice didnt show so I proceeded down the hill which I just climbed. She was at the bottom of the hill lying in the middle of the road with blood oozing from her nose, one ear and was unconscious. This was on a small back road in the country with not very much traffic. I couldnt move her because of possible spinal injury. So I had to wait until someone came by. Fortunately this was only 10 minutes or so, but seemed like forever. Alice spent 5 days in the hospital with a severe concussion. Needless to say neither of us will ride without a helmet. Having worked at a resort with a mountain bike program for the last 13 years I have seen my fair share of broken helmets, many of which saved the rider from very serious injury or even death. If the time comes when you do need a helmet you wont have time to put one on if you arent wearing one already.
Mark Poore
Slatyfork, WV
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