woofboxer wrote:

Personally, I use one most of the time for commuting and longer rides.

Do you care about the look of your helmet? I sometimes think that I care too much about such stuff. I didn't care when I got that racing Bell helmet, but I really think it looks stupid on the Waffenrad... Hm. And I wouldn't have the bike already. Gonna take a look on it today. On sunday I'm gonna try it  out

1966 wrote:

^ Listening to the missus, I shopped around and saw these Yakkays. I thought they wouldn't clash too much with my clothes but when I tried them on they looked stupid nonetheless. Very cartoonesque, like giant hats.

http://www.yakkay.com/Images/Thumbnail. … &w=400

http://www.yakkay.com/Webshop/

Nah, there are helmets by "Abus" that look very similar. You can buy them here at the supermarket. They get bad reviews and look somewhat stupid. A helmet should look like a helmet... I like the "Giro Reverb", it's not too awful. If I take the Waffenrad, I'm gonna get me a Reverb.

Last edited by Leer R. (2012-05-02 07:08:59)

In the end I bought a cheap piece of foam shit and hardly wore it. Here in the netherlands, the only people wearing helmets are kids, the occasional lycra clad performance guy, and americans.

1966 wrote:

In the end I bought a cheap piece of foam shit and hardly wore it. Here in the netherlands, the only people wearing helmets are kids, the occasional lycra clad performance guy, and americans.

There was a lycra-clad dude tried to out pace me this evening, all lycra'd-up with a back-pack with his work clothes inside, I hate these cunts. It didn't take me long to catch him up and before the green man started flashing, I was away and that was the last time that sucker caught sight of me.

Let the lycra bloke "win", cycling to me is not about performance. Perhaps I "smoke" some of them but I don't do sport. I just like to ride.

woofboxer wrote:

You can talk all day about the pros and cons of helmets. Cycle mags often fill up their pages with arguements for and against when things are slow on the editorial front.

There is some evidence to suggest that cycle use drops when helmets become compulsory.

Personally, I use one most of the time for commuting and longer rides. However I quite often don't bother for short trips to the shops etc, equally dangerous, but my choice and that's the way I like it.

I've seen all the papers and reasoning on helmets. Most of it is ideologically driven and flawed.

Most of them miss the point. Of course a helmet won't save your life if you are hit by a truck head on. I'd doubt many lives are saved by helmets. However if you come off at 40kph when a dog hits your front wheel, or just fall over at the lights then a helmet will more than likely save you a few stitches but most importantly some brain damage. Acquired brain injury ABI, even if officially MILD  has effects for years, sometimes subtle, sometimes gross. Short term memory problems, vision issues, mood changes, executive brain functions less than optimal. Many , if not all of these can ameliorate over 2 or 3 years.

Nothing physically notable, in fact people look and act normal. But often big effects on a persons life and relationships.

Having said all that when I was in Weesp/Amsterdam I rode around, slowly on paths, without a helmet.

4F Hepcat wrote:

1966 wrote:

In the end I bought a cheap piece of foam shit and hardly wore it. Here in the netherlands, the only people wearing helmets are kids, the occasional lycra clad performance guy, and americans.

There was a lycra-clad dude tried to out pace me this evening, all lycra'd-up with a back-pack with his work clothes inside, I hate these cunts. It didn't take me long to catch him up and before the green man started flashing, I was away and that was the last time that sucker caught sight of me.

I can understand both your positions. When I first got into cycling seriously, I use to just ride out from the Wirral out across the great Cheshire plain around Beeston castle and then towards the Clwydian range in North Wales and then back spinning down the hills across the river Dee and on into the lanes and towns of my home. It was just good to be on the country roads and you could feel part of something greater than the school or the suburbs. No competition, then I joined a club and then it got serious training, double expensive buying all the righ gear and to the point where you can make the jump with extreme dedication to getting sponsors and the like, I lost interest in had become almost like school or a job with pressure which I didn't want in my leisure time. I had also discovered the delights of beer and chasing ladies extremely unsuccessfully, which in the end proved more delightful.

A long time ago now all of that, 24-25 years, seems almost like yesterday, and yet it so far out of reach, I can't even be sure the nostalgia and reminisces are even true anymore.

It's mine! No service required, only air into the relatively new Schwalbe tires... a tiny bit of rust, but nothing bad.. Pictures when I cleaned it and took it for the first ride!

Have to buy a "neutral" helmet. Can't help. I know I'm a bit OCD about such stuff. Probably that one...:





And, one question: Probably 1966 knows about that??? How can I get rid of the "rust film" (Flugrost) on some parts of the bike? Is it true, that Coke on a bit of aluminum kitchen foil works wonders?

Thanks in advance, Dominik

Thanks!

Thank you, 1966 - I'm gonna try that!

The bike looks nice, I have a late '80s Raleigh Chiltern, which seems very similar:



I beat the balls off it daily and never give it any love, it is the most reliable thing in the world. I have a feeling I have posted similar on this forum before so forgive me if I'm waffling, but I got chatting about old 3-speeds with the folks at Bobbins Bikes in Islington and the owner said he had been reading about some people who had cycled through the Amazon on them because of their low maintenance requirements. I bloody love mine, and have done some touring on it as well as lots of city riding.

And I don't wear a helmet.

Max