Bike to Work (since you all love talking about bikes) (1 Viewer)

Should I spend good money on a helmet or buy a cheaper one? They're essentially one use only (i.e. once you've fallen on it, you shouldn't use it again) so what's the cheapest I can go without sacrificing protection?
 
Should I spend good money on a helmet or buy a cheaper one? They're essentially one use only (i.e. once you've fallen on it, you shouldn't use it again) so what's the cheapest I can go without sacrificing protection?

A friend of mine has permanent brain damage from a very insignificant fall. Do the research ,spend the money.
 
Was he wearing a cheap helmet or no helmet? In fairness, I'm a neuroscientist, I'm more than aware of head trauma but I'm also aware that I can spend around €200 on a helmet that may offer no more protection than one for €50. And as I said, after one fall you should throw your helmet in the bin and buy a new one, even if the damage to the helmet isn't noticeable. I don't intend to fall but if I do fall, I don't want to be chucking out a €200 helmet every time. I'm not going to buy a €10 Aldi job but there comes a point where you're just throwing money away.
 
Was he wearing a cheap helmet or no helmet? In fairness, I'm a neuroscientist, I'm more than aware of head trauma but I'm also aware that I can spend around €200 on a helmet that may offer no more protection than one for €50. And as I said, after one fall you should throw your helmet in the bin and buy a new one, even if the damage to the helmet isn't noticeable. I don't intend to fall but if I do fall, I don't want to be chucking out a €200 helmet every time. I'm not going to buy a €10 Aldi job but there comes a point where you're just throwing money away.

She was wearing a reasonably priced helmet, not cheap or particularly expensive, but she fell sidewards onto her ear essentially, the helmet didn't properly protect this area of the skull and the resulting brain injury casues an imbalance between her inner ear and the part of the brain which controls balance. Some days she can't walk because of it. Like I said do the research cheap or nay some helmets don't provide any protection for some very important parts of the brain. It's not really a matter of investment in an object it's a matter of investment in your safety. You can put your own euro amount on that if you want, but if it were me I'd look at getting something which provides the most cover for the brain rather than the one that is most affordable.
 
Damn you johnnystress, went into a shop and got mesmerize by the closest thing I've ever seen to a Peewee Herman bike. Now, I kind of want it. It would be stolen in seconds and I'd be forever searching for the basement of the Alamo. It was super cute and shiny. Be more practical, Hives. Very tempted though as it was in my price range and my size.
 
From what I can see on the sites it seem a hybrid is what I'm looking for... are they really heavy?


its exactly what you want. I ride one in and out of work (110 miles a week). Its heavy enough but for that kind of bike heavy=sturdy and I reckon for the crappy Dublin streets thats what you'll need.

But when it comes to weight, we're not talking about something thats gonna buckle the wheels under the weight. We're talking maybe 10-12kg. If you want lighter than that we can talk carbon fiber or some of those modern alloy racers.

That link I sent you yesterday Jane, stuff the likes of that. Even just to be aware of their range so have something in mind when you head into Rothar.

Let us know how you get on and what you decide on.

Also, I still have that peanut-butter for you!
 
oh, and seconded about getting a good helmet, whoever was asking about that.

And Jill, get 2 locks. A good solid U-lock thats hard to cut through. And some kind of cable lock that you can use to lock the front wheel to the frame (can be cut easily but they're a nuisance to bike thieves)
 
She was wearing a reasonably priced helmet, not cheap or particularly expensive, but she fell sidewards onto her ear essentially, the helmet didn't properly protect this area of the skull and the resulting brain injury casues an imbalance between her inner ear and the part of the brain which controls balance. Some days she can't walk because of it. Like I said do the research cheap or nay some helmets don't provide any protection for some very important parts of the brain. It's not really a matter of investment in an object it's a matter of investment in your safety. You can put your own euro amount on that if you want, but if it were me I'd look at getting something which provides the most cover for the brain rather than the one that is most affordable.

Erm and what part of my original post wasn't clear about the safety aspect ("without sacrificing protection")? Your friend sounds like she was really unlucky but at the end of the day, apart from a motorcycle helmet, what helmets are going to protect your entire head from all eventualities? Surely there's a point where your whole head might be safe but your vision is compromised? I'm not trying to be an arse but you seem to think that I want to spend €2 on some sliced pan and sellotape it to my head when I'm in fact trying to find out what price range does it go from the best protection I can get to paying more money for essentially the same product but with a cooler brand name. Is a €200 helmet actually quantitatively safer than a €100 helmet?

oh, and seconded about getting a good helmet, whoever was asking about that.

Yeah but how good is good? Are the ones that are over €100 actually safer than those that are €50-60 or are you paying for lighter weight/more aerodynamic design or a cool brand? I'm getting my first bike in over 15 years tomorrow and honestly everything has changed so much. When I was a kid, helmets were cheap and they all looked the same. Now there seems to be so much variety, it's hard to see where safety ends and Tour de France level design begins.
 
Yeah but how good is good? Are the ones that are over €100 actually safer than those that are €50-60 or are you paying for lighter weight/more aerodynamic design or a cool brand? I'm getting my first bike in over 15 years tomorrow and honestly everything has changed so much. When I was a kid, helmets were cheap and they all looked the same. Now there seems to be so much variety, it's hard to see where safety ends and Tour de France level design begins.

I'd say 50-60 quid will do you grand. You're dead right, up around the 100 quid and more range you're talking weight and aero. Any helmet on sale will, I'm sure, have to have gone through some safety tests to even be on sale in the first place.

I'd say go for something thats comfortable, that looks ok (cos lets face it, they all look shite really), and that fastens in a way you can be sure will stay on should you ever take a tumble. My first helmet was a Giro Monza. It cost about 65 euro and I still wear it on the work commute today. My top end helmet is a Giro Ionos and it cost 180 quid. Its light as a feather but probably no safer than the Monza.
 
Erm and what part of my original post wasn't clear about the safety aspect ("without sacrificing protection")? Your friend sounds like she was really unlucky but at the end of the day, apart from a motorcycle helmet, what helmets are going to protect your entire head from all eventualities? Surely there's a point where your whole head might be safe but your vision is compromised? I'm not trying to be an arse but you seem to think that I want to spend €2 on some sliced pan and sellotape it to my head when I'm in fact trying to find out what price range does it go from the best protection I can get to paying more money for essentially the same product but with a cooler brand name. Is a €200 helmet actually quantitatively safer than a €100 helmet?



Yeah but how good is good? Are the ones that are over €100 actually safer than those that are €50-60 or are you paying for lighter weight/more aerodynamic design or a cool brand? I'm getting my first bike in over 15 years tomorrow and honestly everything has changed so much. When I was a kid, helmets were cheap and they all looked the same. Now there seems to be so much variety, it's hard to see where safety ends and Tour de France level design begins.

According to some sources there is very little difference in a helmets ability to take an impact, there is a EU standard and they all adhere to this so it's not a matter of the helmet being impervious to impact. So what you pay for is basically the design, If you fall off your bike and land on the side of your head or go over the handle bars at high speed it doesn't matter what helmet you have on expensive or cheap. From what I've looked at very briefly since I don't cycle, is a suggestion that most helmets aren't designed very well, The more stream lined ones are more likely to make your head rotate on impact and thusly fuck up your spine. I think the idea is to get something shaped like your skull as much as possible. Again this really up to you cyclists to research for yourselves. If you think your going to be cycling at 30mph down hill or more likely to flop off pissed onto your ear that's up to you.
 
So Saturday proved useless. I went into a shop and nearly walked out having bought two! The one I really liked, which was a single speed used bike from Germany that he was willing to let me walk out the door with for 190 and a brand new shiny one at 550, that would no doubt get stolen in seconds. He kept telling me the 190 bike was a waste of the scheme since I can only avail of it every five years. That I should get a good reliable new bike, but if I liked the second hand one to buy it out of pocket and to make him an offer. I buckled under the pressure of intense salesmanship and inability to haggle. I see his point, I should get a new bike and solid locks with the scheme and get a used bike if it get stolen or something happens. He kept saying, "you'll come back, right?" and I said I would but I probably won't. Crazy pressure. I test rode the old German one and forgot how much fun it is to ride a bike.
 
It may be a waste of the scheme but if it feels right go for it. If you get mad for cycling like Scutter you could use the scheme to get something for longer distances and weekends and the single speed for daily stuff around town.
 
And Jill, get 2 locks. A good solid U-lock thats hard to cut through. And some kind of cable lock that you can use to lock the front wheel to the frame (can be cut easily but they're a nuisance to bike thieves)

It might be a bit excessive (and I'm not sure if its the best combo) but I use a U-Lock, a cable (without a lock) and a 'snake lock' like this one:

bik_snake-cable-lock_11.jpg


I find its not always possible to find some where where you can put the U-Lock thru the frame/back wheel AND a pole/bikerack/permanent fixture. So I just use the U-Lock for that (most of the time) and use the Snake for back wheel/Frame and the cable for Front Wheel/Frame (and into the Ulock). Maybe a bit much but it helps me sleep at night :) All locks can be broken given time but just make sure they take longer than the bike beside yours.
 
I find its not always possible to find some where where you can put the U-Lock thru the frame/back wheel AND a pole/bikerack/permanent fixture. So I just use the U-Lock for that (most of the time) and use the Snake for back wheel/Frame and the cable for Front Wheel/Frame (and into the Ulock). Maybe a bit much but it helps me sleep at night :) All locks can be broken given time but just make sure they take longer than the bike beside yours.

Yeah, I got the fanciest U-lock and a cable one for the wheels (as an added step) if they want to steal it. Got everything (new bike on sale) and all gear for 400 euro so after the tax break it will be like 17 euro a month for a year out of my paycheck. It pays for itself if I commute to work one day a month, the days when I have appointments that some times involves taxis to get to due to transportion awkwardness. So if I commute by bike once a week (which is the plan) I actually save about 45 euro a month. Pretty good deal and if it does get stolen it won't break the bank. I went practical. At least I know I can get a second hand bike for under 200 euro out of pocket if the scheme bike does gets stolen.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Activity
So far there's no one here
Old Thread: Hello . There have been no replies in this thread for 365 days.
Content in this thread may no longer be relevant.
Perhaps it would be better to start a new thread instead.

21 Day Calendar

Mohammad Syfkhan 'I Am Kurdish' Dublin Album Launch
Bello Bar
1 Portobello Harbour, Saint Kevin's, Dublin, Ireland
Mohammad Syfkhan 'I Am Kurdish' Dublin Album Launch
Bello Bar
1 Portobello Harbour, Saint Kevin's, Dublin, Ireland
Bloody Head, Hubert Selby Jr Infants, Creepy Future - Dublin
Anseo
18 Camden Street Lower, Saint Kevin's, Dublin, Ireland

Support thumped.com

Support thumped.com and upgrade your account

Upgrade your account now to disable all ads... If we had any... Which we don't right now.

Upgrade now

Latest threads

Latest Activity

Loading…
Back
Top