[johnbryanpeters]

Who has occasion to thank their helmet?

Yesterday at lunch, riding solo, I lost it on a greasy clay downhill and head planted directly into a tree trunk. The impact was sufficient to fracture the foam shell of the helmet. I got up and rode on. Absent the helmet, I think I'd be a composting heap under the tree.

What are your stories?

J

 

[SuzyCreamcheese]

Absent the helmet, I think I'd be a composting heap under the tree.

J

Or sitting in a chair with a droolcup.

I was jra one day in the Fells and was weaving my way down a really loose section of the trail, probably too fast, when my front wheel twisted. I was airborn before I knew what was going on and had no time to react. I landed on my shoulder and as I was rolling down the hill my head smashed a babyhead in the trail. Then it was lights out for a couple of seconds.

When I came to I was in twisted heap of flesh and bike and everything hurt. I limped my way back to my car and when I removed my helmet I could see that the back was all caved in and the shell was cracked. If I was not wearing my helmet I might be typing this with a stick in my mouth. As it was I had a partially dislocated shoulder, a broken finger and a really bad headache.

The Cheese

 

[I Are Baboon]

For me, it was Monkeyfest 1. My head survived. My helmet did not.

'Nuff said.

 

[binary visions]

I remember this distinctly... Several years ago, I went for a ride just down the street to a convenience store. It was less than half a mile. I grabbed my gloves and my backpack and left without my helmet (it was in the bedroom). When I got outside, I realized I forgot my wallet so I ran back upstairs, grabbed my wallet from the bedroom, and on the way past, snagged my helmet.

Coming up on the store, a car came flying out of a side street, completely ignoring the stop sign, and forced me to swerve hard. My front tire hit the sidewalk, I went OTB and cracked my helmet on a 90 degree cement corner. I was dazed but might not have gotten up under my own power if I hadn't snagged my helmet. Weird coincidence, considering I went to that store without my helmet at least 3x a week for most of a year before that.

 

[hooples3]

nice slow speed fall. on a easy rocky downhill, banged my head noticed a nice sized rock stuck into it... guess it could have been worse with out one

 

[Andy_B]

I was skiing a couple of years back... 20+ inch of fresh snow and still falling. I was on way back to the car to get some lunch, just cruising along arms behind my back. Next thing I remember, Im on my back with my head pointed downhill. My friends are all looking at me like i just came back from the dead. I was out cold for 5min. Cracked the shell and foam on the helmet. Walked away with 2 concussions...

 

[-dustin]

attempting to ride in Virgin, UT, alone, w/o anyone else know where i was, in the middle of summer...tire washed out and i smacked my head nice and hard. kind of ruined the rest of my day off in Virgin....

 

[I Are Baboon]

I was skiing a couple of years back... 20+ inch of fresh snow and still falling. I was on way back to the car to get some lunch, just cruising along arms behind my back. Next thing I remember, Im on my back with my head pointed downhill. My friends are all looking at me like i just came back from the dead. I was out cold for 5min. Cracked the shell and foam on the helmet. Walked away with 2 concussions...

Yikes. That reminds me....

The first time (the only time) I went snowboarding, at the end of the day I had it figured out and was feeling pretty good about going down the main mountain. With my back facing downhill, my board caught an edge and I went flying onto my back, hitting the back of my head first on the hard packed snow. I have no doubts that I would have had a concussion had I not been wearing a helmet. Even with the helmet on, my head hurt like hell.

 

[-dustin]

oh yeah, that reminds me....

the times i regret not having a helmet are all while snowboarding. suddenly catching a heel edge sucks. ugh. won't ever forget that sound.

 

[Wumpus]

My worst one happened going for the city limit sign sprint. I was pulling on the front when I decided to surprise everyone by trying to jump off the front. Shifted into the 12 and stood up to crank, and the chain slipped. I was hanging off the front of my bike when I glanced behind me to see the guy that was on my wheel about to t-bone me. The look on my face must have been priceless. Wham! He hits me, and I land on my shoulder and head. That was worth a weeklong headache.

 

[splat]

Was doing a road ride once , and not quite sure what happened ( its all kind of blurry ) I went over the bars , didn't even get my hands out , head striaght into the pavement . Helmet shattered into 9 pieces.( and my fork was bent back 2 inches , I had negative fork rake ) I got back up continueed riding. It was about 5 miles from the end, I did a big climb , smoked everyone when I got to the top. I stopped because I couldn't remeber who I was riding with , I knew I was riding with people, I just didn't know who. when they caught up I told one of the guys this . and he asked me my Name adnd address , and I didn't know it ! that was when they sat me down and called 911. had dozzy of a concussion.

 

[macko]

Hauling booty down this hill next to my home, I'm on the sidewalk because there's no bikelane and got myself up to an amazing speed. At the bottom as I tried to follow the curvature of the sidewalk, front tire slipped and I spilled through a bush into a tree. The crash cracked my helmet visor and left a decent scuff on the helmet itself.

I don't think the crash would've killed me, but it definitely saved me from a migrane (re: concussion).

 

[luken8r]

Coming up on the store, a car came flying out of a side street, completely ignoring the stop sign, and forced me to swerve hard. My front tire hit the sidewalk, I went OTB and cracked my helmet on a 90 degree cement corner. I was dazed but might not have gotten up under my own power if I hadn't snagged my helmet. Weird coincidence, considering I went to that store without my helmet at least 3x a week for most of a year before that.

Very similar what happened to me last summer. Im riding home from work whilst passing cars stopped in traffic. This broad in some SUV made a right hand turn in front of me w/o a signal. I was probably crusing around 15mph and hit the brakes hard. I went OTB, bounced off the side of her dumb car bike hit the car and I went down in a heap, shoulder first followed by wrist and head into a curb. I was all tattered but was able to get back up. Some kids sitting next to a store on teh corener came runnign up to me and made sure I was OK. I ask them "what the hell happened?". They say the chicka in the truck just took off, probably obvilious to what had transpired. I made it home with some nice road rash and inspected my bike which was pretty scratched up. I take my helmet off and notice a nice gouge in it right around where my temple would have smacked the curb.
W/O helmet: Luke = dead
With helmet: Luke = just a bit banged up

 

[Rockland]

My 2 best:
1.) On a ride several years ago. Went to ride down a steep chute. It went all wrong, and I went over the bars. But, but - It wasn't the crash it's self (I was o.k. for the most part), it was my bike tumbling down the chute and landing right on my head. Helmet looked horrible after. Head was saved.

2.) Last year downhill riding. I slipped a pedal right before a drop. Sailed off w/ one foot on. Landed way nose heavy, I go lap first into the bars, and subsequently right over. Somehow it was the back of my head that hit the ground hardest. I should retire that full face, but haven't yet. The insides are loose in the outer shell.

 

[SuzyCreamcheese]

To paraphrase Woody Allen, I always wear a helmet now cuz my brain is my second favorite organ.

The Cheese

 

[MMcG]

Me, Case Mountain, Rocks, and a Giro Xen - thank God for that weird orange colored helmet that's all I gotta say!

 

[BigMike]

I think the end of This Video (Right click save as) is probably one of my most thankful times to a helmet

 

[LordOpie]

did y'all know that there are cyclists out there that advocate not wearing a helmet? I mean, how friggini' dumb is that?

 

[Cooter Brown]

here's vidya of the time I'm the gladdest I had on a lid http://tulsafreeriders.com/NateCrash0.mov


here is the pic after the ER of the helmet and my nice neck brace

 

[BigMike]

HOLY CRAP COOT! What happened there? Looks like your shock compressed all the way and then boosted you back up and over the bars.

Glad to see you are OK after that one!

 

[Cooter Brown]

yeah, I preloaded the rear a little too much, along with the teeter not being balanced correctly. We have since added a transition where the teeter rocks down, hits the tranny and you roll off, no more drop to it. I was scared when I got home, it hurt so bad. I went to the ER and they said my neck muscles were spasming really bad and the neck vertebrae had compressed slightly. Scary deal for sure, had I landed more straight on my head rather than on my head/shoulder it would have been a lot worse.

 

[odiwik]

I was skiing a couple of years back... 20+ inch of fresh snow and still falling. I was on way back to the car to get some lunch, just cruising along arms behind my back. Next thing I remember, Im on my back with my head pointed downhill. My friends are all looking at me like i just came back from the dead. I was out cold for 5min. Cracked the shell and foam on the helmet. Walked away with 2 concussions...

2 concussions? Is that possible?

 

[jimmydean]

I have only hit my head when not wearing a helmet, so I do all the time now that I'm old.

But my son used to beg to borrow my little bike when I had a cool urban dual 24" jumper. I told him to ride my bike, he had to have a helmet. One day he got sideways goofing off a loading dock, smacked the wall with the back, the ground with the front and split his Pro-Tec in half. The bike shop gave him a free crash replacment and he has worn one ever since.

I did one like IRB, but tuck-and-rolled, my shoulder took the impact. I don't have a cool picture of it though.

 

[Barbaton]

Or sitting in a chair with a droolcup.

I was jra one day in the Fells and was weaving my way down a really loose section of the trail, probably too fast, when my front wheel twisted. I was airborn before I knew what was going on and had no time to react. I landed on my shoulder and as I was rolling down the hill my head smashed a babyhead in the trail. Then it was lights out for a couple of seconds.

When I came to I was in twisted heap of flesh and bike and everything hurt. I limped my way back to my car and when I removed my helmet I could see that the back was all caved in and the shell was cracked. If I was not wearing my helmet I might be typing this with a stick in my mouth. As it was I had a partially dislocated shoulder, a broken finger and a really bad headache.

The Cheese

Hey, was that the gravelly hill about a third of the way around the loop going counterclockwise if you started at the gov's ave entrance? That's where my story i was going to add happened.

I lost it on that hill and distinctly remember seeing a big rock coming at my face as I was flying through the air and thinking that I should aim my helmet at it instead of my nose. Succeeded in having the helmet get nailed instead. Got up all delerious and started walking the wrong way up the trail without realizing it for a minute. Might have had a mild concussion but sure would have been worse without the lid.

ps. if you ever see a dude with a RM jersey in a group at the Fells at about 7:30 on Tuesdays, it's probably me.

 

[Zman]

i had one at the end of may at MTN creek, rigth after the US Open. was coming down alpine, having ridden the trail all day long had gotten some good speed, railing turns, hit a little jump that led right into a left hand turn. well i cleared the transition, landed in the braking bumps and my left hand came off the bars. so i basically faceplant into the berm and bounce back accross the trail. ended up bending a 888 to the point where it would lock down when it compressed. definitely didnt feel entirely with it afterwards. ended up blowing out my PCL in my knee and when i looked at my full face later the face mask part was quite crooked....would have needed serious facial surgery if i hadnt had that thing on.

 

[JRogers]

Riding at Ringwood in NJ, front tire caught a rock on a steep section. I went over the bars and landed at the bottom of the steep. Cracked my Bellistic in a few places.

Riding at Snake Mountain in VT, hit a jump and come down a little sideways....on wet leaves. As soon as I touched down, the bike flew out from under me and most of the impact went straight into my dome....cracked an E2.....

Riding on the road around here, had a little accident...I'll spare the details, but I ended up basically high-siding and flying then sliding on pavement....cracked another E2....

Hit a tree with my face/head a while back at a local park in NJ. Just missed a turn on a gravel road. Ended up cracking my Hammerhead and getting some pretty severe cuts and stuff.


Probably my most recent one was at Mtn Creek. Front wheel caught something I went OTB on Deceit (really steep, all big rocks basically). I landed a ways from the bike on my head and knees. Gave my moto helmet a good little gash, severely strained my back and right leg and blew up the bursa in my left leg. I still don't have full feeling in my left knee....at least I can still feel my head....

 

[Andy_B]

2 concussions? Is that possible?

Yea... Main concussion from the impact was on the back/left of my noodle... 2nd one from my noodle slapping the front/right of my skull after bouncing off the back of my skull. The MRI's look funny...

I had no short term memory for about a month... Along with no balance, or depth perception.

 

[BigMike]

<snip> Scary deal for sure, had I landed more straight on my head rather than on my head/shoulder it would have been a lot worse.

Yeah man, same thing would have happened to me. I got away with just a concussion, but had I landed a little bit more on my head, I could have broken my neck

 

[Zark]

Two incidents come to mind.

#1. 2 years ago a I grazed some rebar with my head during DH practice.....right where my jaw would have been!
#2. Clipped a low hanging branch with my head, split my helmet in half. I got whiplash from that, but it could have been much worse.

 

[jdcamb]

Mine happened at Pedrosfest. I was on a group ride and was trying to catch up with a bunch of faster riders. A rider stopped in front of me in a rocky gap that everyone launched. I tried to go around the rider and really launched off the rock. I landed and did a psylo wheelie and finally tumbled and went over the bar and tumbled down the hill. I landed on my head and then the bike landed on my head and I got a 3" to the bone cut on my leg. When I got up my helmet was crunched and I had a chainring mark on my face. I got back to the campsite and had a beer. I knew from the effects of the beer that I had a concussion and the gash definetely needed stitches. I still have the Xray. I finished the ride.

 

[Biscuit]

I've broken more helmets than I'd like to remember. Even broke the facemask off my full-face. Thank God I had that on.