Do you see it??  OK, how about THIS one?

Still don't see it?

OK, NO ONE is wearing a helmet!

Or is this necessarily "wrong" in the first place?

OK,  I have a couple of points I want to make, but First a warning.  I have a slightly off center idea that most people will not agree with, but I have my reasons.  This is :

   "I DO NOT THINK THAT BICYCLE HELMETS ARE NECESSARY!"

For the moment, bear with me and try to understand what I am actually saying about this sensitive subject.  I DO NOT believe that helmets are bad or dangerous or ineffective.  On the other hand, I believe that they are hyped far more than they necessarily need to be.  The choice is YOURS to make, not someone else, like me or worse, someone 1000  miles away from you who has no idea of who you are and what you are doing!

Bicycles are not TOYS!

This is my point.  Bicycles are tools, and useful objects.  They are not "toys" or sporting goods, or something to be taken out and used only in good weather and for "recreation".  A Bicycle is a TOOL!  Do you dress up specially in designer clothing to pick up a hammer and pound a nail?  Do you keep a $600 hammer in a velvet lined case and use it only occasionally because your "power hammer" is not available?

Do you put on special "driving clothing" when ever you want to go to the store or pick up your kids from school?  Well, WHY NOT?  Because it is RIDICULOUS that is why!  when I go to the grocery store, I walk out the door and GO!  I don't stop and put on special pants, special shoes, special shirt and special hat!  I slip on my sandals or loafers, or sneakers, or even FLIP FLOPS and trot out to my vehicle and head to the store!  MOST of the time lately, that has been my BICYCLE, not my CAR!   I don't throw on my helmet or don spandex shorts and a $100 bike jersey that makes me look like the Tour De France is passing through.  That is a STUPID notion!  I am not going to enter a RACE, I am going to pick up some Salad and some milk and some Gin if I feel like it!

Look around the world.  Check out websites regarding cycling in other countries.  What do you notice?  First, unless the riders are involved in racing or training for a race, 99% of the time, the bikes you see are pretty BASIC bikes that are set up to carry things!  These people take the kids to school, they go shopping, they go to work or to the gym or to the local pub!  And they don't really wear anything SPECIAL!  Look at this photo from Amsterdam in the Netherlands.  I got it from a web site about bikes in Amsterdam but you can find hundreds of photos like this.  Do you see anyone in this photo who is wearing anything out of the ordinary?  The cyclist is wearing JEANS and a shirt and even has a knapsack on his back!  the two girls on the back are wearing shorts, pedal pushers and are looking like they are simply RIDING to school or something!  Even the guy on the motor scooter is wearing "normal" clothing.  But then WHY be surprised?  the people eating at the restaurants in the background and the red car are ALSO not apparently wearing anything particularly special!  But then WHY SHOULD THEY?  They are not RACING!  they are not in a competition, they are simply going somewhere.  Why should you spend more money on something like a helmet ($30 to $200) a pair of orthopedic shorts with a padded butt that makes you look like you are wearing a diaper, or WORSE, like you are wearing paint as you can see in the photo to the left of this bit of prose!

This photo is not for titillation but to show you what I mean!  On

 the other hand, look at the other photo and tell me what you think here!  These people are all sporting (or nearly all!) bike specific clothing.  At this same event, simply because they REQUIRED that I wear a helmet, I did, but my shirt was a loud Hawaiian print, I wore SHORTS and sandals!  AS a slightly off bit here, On the same bike ride as is pictured on the right, one female rider was wearing a pair of cycling shorts that did as much to cover her as a coat of paint.  this is FINE. I have nothing against that, but she was also loudly complaining that the ride wasn't FAST enough for her taste and she needed to ride at LEAST 30-40 miles to get her workout in.  This particular ride was a family oriented event that included a good many small people, bikes with trailers, bikes with older riders, and people of all abilities. Some were not able to do the "only 8 miles" and there was a shorter, "Cut off loop" for those.

Unfortunately, I BELIEVE that the excessive emphasis on the racing culture and "sport" bicycling is a detriment to cycling in general.  How often do you see NASCAR racers or Formula 1 cars on the streets of the cities?  This does not mean that they are not a fine bit of engineering, but that they are unsuitable for daily travel!  The same goes for racing bicycles.  They are wonderful fun!  But they are not nearly suitable for daily commuting or riding!  I commute on my bicycle nearly every day and I have found that my bicycle has evolved to a very similar style as the European bicycle.  Fenders, a large carrier rack, lights, and a more upright riding style!  THIS is where cycling becomes a useful tool instead of a toy!

This whole attitude that bikes are TOYS carry over to the bicycle itself!  Look at the BIKES in countries where bicycles are used for transportation primarily and see the difference!  The rider is wearing a summer dress and flip flops.  she is talking on a cell phone and taking her child somewhere on an errand!  The bicycle has a cargo space, fenders, a lighting system and a cargo rack on the back!  It also has a big BELL on the handlebars and a stand that weighs as much as some American bicycles!    If you look at the photo on the right you can immediately tell that it is taken in the USA somewhere at a special event.  Why?  Because the bicycles are light weight, stripped down models with uncomfortable, racing style handlebars, no carrier rack and no fenders.  Even though the bicycle is equipped with toe clips, the rider is making a statement by not using them and wearing high heel pumps!  But I BET that she has a helmet on top of her head!  Why? because that is "bicycling safety".  which is BUNK!

Do I think Helmets are worthless?  No. I believe that they are useful and can help in some circumstances. I am not AGAINST bicycle helmets. I am against the whole philosophy of TOYS rather than tools!  Name ONE OTHER THING that you strap on several hundred dollars worth of special clothing to use!   Skis pop to mind! (recreation, they are not tools!)  surfboards...again, toys.

I am sorry helmet people, but bikes are NOT toys!  at least MINE isn't!  I wear whatever I have on!  I ride in shoes, sandals, boots or even bare feet if I have decent pedals. I HAVE and use special pedals, but they are double sided so that I can use regular street shoes as well.  My bike has FENDERS!  It has a light. In fact it has SEVERAL lights and will probably soon have a generator set too!  I use it to go to work, I use it to go to the grocery store and unless I am riding in the DARK, I generally wear a baseball cap or straw hat!  (My helmet has a head light and tail light on it  But that may change!)

Bikes are TOOLS!  I USE my tool!  do you?