Nothing draws attention to cycling like a celebrity spotting.  I mean, if celebrities are gonna jump on the saddle, then maybe— just maybe— us mere commoners can.

OK.  Enough with the snarky comments on my part.  When I ran across the link whose title started with “LeBron Rides His Bike To Work…” I thought I’d have to at least give it a glance.  However, I found that the actual title had a little more to say than that: “LeBron Rides His Bike To Work, Thinks Safety First” [emphasis mine].  I could feel my eyes rolling.  Sure enough, the predictable helmet stanza was highlighted in the otherwise short article:

Not only did he lower his carbon footprint, he did it while giving children a great example of someone not “too cool” to wear his helmet.

My frustration, for those unfamiliar with my many, many, many ramblings on bicycle helmets, it that this article is fostering a stereotype and misinformation regarding bicycle safety.  The idea that the only reason someone would ride a bike without a helmet is because of fashion or “coolness.”  That assessment is patently false.  There are a great many reasons that a well informed, intelligent cyclist may make a conscious decision to not wear a helmet.

If right about now you’re thinking that JustAnotherCyclist is off his rocker and one of those radical anit-helmet guys, I suggest you take a moment to actually look at the data.  I came to my opinions on helmets (which are not anit-helmet, for the record) through a lot of reading, research and reflection.  If you are interested in starting that journey, I might recommend www.cyclehelmets.org to start.

Hmmm…  I happen to know a particular fitness editor that has ribbed me a couple of times about riding up to Integrate Performance Fitness without my helmet.  Maybe we should hash this out on the next podcast.

I’ve been doing a fence-straddling maneuver here at JustAnotherCyclist regarding the issue of bicycle helmets.  Again I will reiterate that I do not encourage folks to go about without a helmet.  Nor do I encourage you to ride with one.  It is entirely your choice (except for areas where specific laws apply.)  My frustration comes entirely from the dogmatic nonsense that the issue seems to instill in some folks.

I first started to become openly frustrated with the whole helmet situation when I was in the hospital for a broken collar bone due to a bike crash.  I distinctly recall one of the ER nurses asking me “Were you wearing a helmet?” I simply answered the question at first, but then I started to think a little more critically about the question.Does it actually matter, from the perspective of a health care provider, if I was wearing a helmet or not?  Will the hospital staff perhaps check for head injuries more diligently if they know that I was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash?  Would I perhaps have been better served medically by answering ‘no’ to the question?

The same issue comes up in the mainstream media.  All too often a car driving at speeds where the helmet would do absolutely nothing hits and kills a cyclist, and the media reports that the rider “wasn’t wearing a helmet,” continuing to perpetuate this exaggerated belief in the helmet’s protective merits.

However, it was actually a comment about one of my own posts here at VeloReviews/JustAnotherCyclist that finally made me decide – yup, I hate helmets.  The article (which, incidentally, has somehow become my most popular post to date) actually had nothing to do with helmets.  It really had nothing to do with bicycle safety at all.  It was mostly about cities forcing cyclists into bike lanes.  The first video from that post featured a guy getting a ticket for riding outside of the bike lane from a NYPD officer.  He then went on – with what would seem a comedic approach – to film himself riding in the bike lane, intentionally crashing into the many obstacles that an urban cyclist will often find in those narrow patches of pavement.  I took the entire effort to be a “the law is silly, refund my fine.”

But this was a comment that I got:

You’re right.  Because he wasn’t wearing a helmet in his video, his point is invalidated.

Wait – what?  It is probably important to understand the context – the comment the above was a response to:

Did Mr Neistat have a helmet on at any point during his little movie?  I get the impression that he cares more about his precious $50 than he does about really being safe.  Nice try tho.

This is infuriating to me.  There are so many aspects of being safe while riding – but yet we (especially in the US it seems) hold the mighty helmet as the one and only idol of bicycling safety.  I do not choose the term ‘idol’ loosely there.  The helmet really does seem to have reached a religious significance to some.

Come on folks.  We need to think about these things objectively.  There is a whole slew of information available for the person willing to read and really understand what is going on.  The surprising fact to many is that much of that evidence actually seems to indicate there may in fact be greater risk to those wearing helmets.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t actually matter so much if you are chose to wear a helmet or not to every other member of the planet.  Or rather – it shouldn’t matter.  Helmets are a convenient distraction from the real – the only – safety issue: minimizing crashes in the first place.  If we are going to immediately invalidate folks opinions unless they drink the Kool Aid and put on a plastic hat, we are not going to get very far at all.

Well – I thought winter was on its way. But the last couple of days have put me into a tail spin.  In the 90s this weekend.  I’d also taken a couple of days off from the bike (yes – that does indeed mean my #15mpd slipped.)  The result – I actually felt better and stronger than I can recall feeling recently.  What gives?  The season winds down and I seem to be peaking?  Well, at least I can say I reaching peak performance just in time for Worlds.

Except, of course, I don’t actually race.  *Sigh*

Not only have I not been riding in the last few days – I haven’t been writing much here either.  Hell, I haven’t even been keeping up with my favorite blogs.  I did, however, spend some time watching my daughter kick some arse on the soccer pitch (Go Sac Blaze!)  I’ve spent some time with the family, and have been laying the ground work for some significant career changes.  (No – I haven’t turned pro.  Still holding out for the right contract.)

And thus I find myself once again on a train, trying to figure out what is going on the world of two-wheeled, pedal powered motion.

BikingInLA.com related a story that added some interesting perspective about helmets and low-speed impacts.  It would seem that helmets, in fact, may be once again rising in the heirachy of cycling debates as the discussion spreads to other forums.  It is indeed nice to hear cycling discourse on non-cycling specific web sites that is not all targeted to either Lance Armstrong, running stop signs or “all pro cyclists dope” rhetoric.  Speaking of Lance Armstrong, you apparently don’t need to be a Nike sponsored Texan to get Nike cycling shoes.  I’m not joking when I say I honestly didn’t consider Nike as a cycling shoe manufacture for anyone but those associated with Mr. Armstrong.  All the while I’m still suffering from pain due to my overly wide feet – my new Sidis still not meeting my requirements unfortunately.

And speaking of equipment not meeting needs, apparently I do not possess a multi-tool that has the necessary size hex driver for a loose crank arm.  This was unfortunately pointed out to me on Sunday’s CycleFolsom Groupetto ride, when I couldn’t help my poor fellow rider with just such an issue.  Looks like Topeak may have a tool that fits the bill.  My lack of a multitool wasn’t the only inadequacy deomonstrated to me, as Felonious Fast Phil once again whipped up a blistering pace as the Groupetto ride split not once, but into three different groups.  I completely popped trying to bridge back up to the lead group of OZ, Kevin and others that broke away after the final water stop.  To make myself feel better, I still keep telling myself that I took the mid-point sprint to Discovery park, though (More accurately I just stuck on other folks wheels and never felt any direct wind in my face – aka win by backhanded sneakiness)  Oh yea – did I mention that Phil was shaking a long walk out of his legs – a walk that took him to the freakin’ summit of Mt Whitney on the Friday before the ride??

I’m still trying to reach contacts from other greater Sacramento area cycling groups as I continue to research my series of writups.  Hammerin’ Wheels – I’m looking to you now.  If any members are reading this, please get in contact with me – I’d love to talk to one of the leaders about the group’s history, focus and direction.

And finally, I’ve had my eye on MetriGear for some time – a startup company that was working on a product that embedded ANT+ capable power meters right in the spindles of pedals.  According to a recent announcement, they’ve now been purchased by Garmin.  The connection there is obvious.  What is unclear is what effect this will have on the time to market for the much anticipated (and somewhat delayed) Vector product.