If people were really worried about the safety of their brain they would wear helmets while driving their cars, drive less and drive slower/more carefully. Nobody does of course...not because it wouldn't improve car safety a lot, but because it's not fashionable/cool/convenient. And yes helmets would help a lot in addition to air bags and seat belts. If you wear a FF helmet MTBing do you wear a helmet when you drive? It's undoubtedly the most dangerous thing most people do in their lives...especially for their brains.
In my personal life the three people I know have suffered serious facial/head injuries were \#1) walking in a store with a concrete floor and face planted \#2) were riding on the road in a group and clipped bars then OTB and \#3) was in a car crash. I've been on hundreds \[thousands?\] of rides where almost nobody ever wore a chin bar/FF and I'm trying hard to recall if there was a crash where we thought if only they had a FF on it would have been better. Nothing comes to mind.
Having been riding ~34 years now I have never damaged a helmet riding and had to retire it. They wear out from general wear/tear or they get too stinky and I get another. I rarely crash hard. Something like once a year or less. Other than a leg cut from pedal pin I've never needed to see an ER after a ride. I've never crashed and hit my head or face. I do put a lot of energy into avoiding crashes from happening \[well maintained, spec'd bike, ride at a speed and tech level within my abilities, don't let my ego drive the bike/make decisions, walk/take ride arounds if I am not feeling great on a given day, etc...\]
As I look at all this ^^ I just don't see the need for a FF when I ride.
And while I am not fashion immune I don't let it rule my life. For example I wear very uncool elbow pads every ride. I see lots of damaged elbows in my ride groups and at the trailhead and I've banged up my elbows so it seems sensible to protect them. I know people will say but your elbows are not as important as you face/brain. Okay no argument, but elbows are pretty useful if you want to wipe your ass, feed yourself, get dressed, go to work, etc... So it would make sense to avoid those common and potentially serious injuries.
Jan. 12, 2022, 7:15 a.m. - Vik Banerjee
If people were really worried about the safety of their brain they would wear helmets while driving their cars, drive less and drive slower/more carefully. Nobody does of course...not because it wouldn't improve car safety a lot, but because it's not fashionable/cool/convenient. And yes helmets would help a lot in addition to air bags and seat belts. If you wear a FF helmet MTBing do you wear a helmet when you drive? It's undoubtedly the most dangerous thing most people do in their lives...especially for their brains. In my personal life the three people I know have suffered serious facial/head injuries were \#1) walking in a store with a concrete floor and face planted \#2) were riding on the road in a group and clipped bars then OTB and \#3) was in a car crash. I've been on hundreds \[thousands?\] of rides where almost nobody ever wore a chin bar/FF and I'm trying hard to recall if there was a crash where we thought if only they had a FF on it would have been better. Nothing comes to mind. Having been riding ~34 years now I have never damaged a helmet riding and had to retire it. They wear out from general wear/tear or they get too stinky and I get another. I rarely crash hard. Something like once a year or less. Other than a leg cut from pedal pin I've never needed to see an ER after a ride. I've never crashed and hit my head or face. I do put a lot of energy into avoiding crashes from happening \[well maintained, spec'd bike, ride at a speed and tech level within my abilities, don't let my ego drive the bike/make decisions, walk/take ride arounds if I am not feeling great on a given day, etc...\] As I look at all this ^^ I just don't see the need for a FF when I ride. And while I am not fashion immune I don't let it rule my life. For example I wear very uncool elbow pads every ride. I see lots of damaged elbows in my ride groups and at the trailhead and I've banged up my elbows so it seems sensible to protect them. I know people will say but your elbows are not as important as you face/brain. Okay no argument, but elbows are pretty useful if you want to wipe your ass, feed yourself, get dressed, go to work, etc... So it would make sense to avoid those common and potentially serious injuries.