Why are bicycle helmets so flimsy?

The http://www.bellbikehelmets.com/productDetail.asp?prodID=8 helmet has "SoftShell bottom wrap [...] made of a supple yet durable rubber that protects the helmet’s lower from the dings and wear of everyday use". That might be more to your liking. And, for what it's worth, I've hit my head in a solo crash before. I hit a puddle of grease while cornering sharply, and went into a rapid lowside crash, taking the impact mostly in my shoulder and head. I'm convinced the helmet saved me from a concussion. It did not, alas, save me from being coated in grease.

whom I first came across. http://www.ku.edu/~edit/whom.html.

pharm: sources for the idea that bike helmets don't help on the streets? I'd be interested in seeing that. thanks! The inestimable Guy Chapman (who I first came across on uk.rec.cycling) has an excellent list of references on the subject of cycle helmets and injury prevention. See http://cyclehelmets.org for the rundown, as well as his personal http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk/web/public.nsf/Documents/Cycle_Helmets?OpenDocument on the topic. http://www.geog.ucl.ac.uk/~jadams/publish.htm has done a lot of work on risk compensation and road safety. Perhaps I should do an FPP on risk compensation. It's an interesting subject.

pharm: sources for the idea that bike helmets don't help on the streets? I'd be interested in seeing that. thanks!

My helmet(s) have only saved me from low-hanging branches. I'm a mountain biker. I am currently wearing a child's helmet, because that was the one that fit best at Walmart. They last forever, I basically replaced the last one because it was geeky looking. I can't imagine paying $100 for a helmet.

Interesting comments everyone. Funny, as we were all commenting, I took another look at my helmet last night, and noticed a hairline crack in the front, right through the main area that holds the foam together. It's not large, but I'll replace it now since the integrity seems compromised. It's strange this crack should even appear, since I've not fallen on this helmet, fallen while wearing it, or whatever. The only thing I've done is put it in my messenger bag when I get off the bike and into the train, coffee shop, etc. And with just that kind of use, it's already cracked. Sounds like the Bell Metropolis is possibly what I'll purchase, or else a more durable "harder" shell helmet, as those used by freeriders or skateboarders. Why is the exterior shell on helmets as thin as it is?

I got a new helmet...I wear it all the time, and value the safety it provides. The protection provided by cycle helmets is extremely limited. The design limits for most helmets can be exceeded with a simple fall onto hard ground from a standing position. The evidence that cycle helmets actually reduce injuries overall is shaky at best. Some large-scale epidemiological studies actually suggest that they make things worse. Please don't think that wearing a cycle helmet wll make you safe: What makes you safe is riding style and awareness of what's going on around you. Avoiding an accident is always better than being in one, regardless of what safety equipment you use. What will make you less safe is believing that wearing a helmet makes you safer than you really are. http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/36992#573702. He was buried 2 days later. It's practically impossible to second guess what would have happened in any individual accident had the circumstances been difference: that said ISTR that Keith Alexander hit a concrete pillar head on at speed whilst trying to avoid a child who jumped into his path. Had he been wearing a helmet, this impact would probably have exceeded its design limits. Sometimes you're just unlucky :( Personally I'd wear a helmet wherever there was a good chance of low-speed falls: off-road stuff, bmx-style riding etc etc. Out on the streets mixing with traffic, the evidence says that helmets don't make a measurable difference. Wear one if you like, but please don't think it makes you any safer. Re: http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/36992#573232. There was an in depth article on cycle helmet design and manufacture in a recent edition of Cycle, the magazine of the British Cycle Touring Club, in which the author (an authority on these matters) said that unless a helmet has been damaged in some way there was no need to replace it — the foam doesn't age in a way that affects its performance. Of course, if you leave it out in sunlight, or drop it onto concrete then it should be replaced. I can track down my copy of the article if anyone's interested.

http://www.zentastic.com/entries/200507121426.htmlhit his head, without a helmet, last summer. He was buried 2 days later. It happens, wear the helmet, replace it as needed.

I witnessed an accident where someone fell and hit his head. He wasn't wearing a helmet. He started moaning and went into convulsions.