What is a comfortable hairstyle-preserving bike helmet?

June 23, 2009 2:43 PM

My spouse wants to bike to work, but doesn't want to wear a helmet, citing "heat" and "helmet hair" as the main reasons. With no concern for price, what helmet brands or models would best prevent those "horrible" conditions?

This is her first attempt at biking to work. She's ridden a bike many times before, but only on bike paths away from traffic or around quiet neighborhoods (she didn't wear a helmet then, either). The commute is approximately 15 minutes through a semi-residential area, along a busy multi-lane road. She intends to ride on the sidewalk. The condition of the concrete is pretty good for the most part, but there are two or three places where tree roots or soil erosion have created bumps. She would have to cross three intersections, each leading to a housing subdivision. Since it's rush hour, traffic is significant as many people are leaving or returning to and from work, which means there will be cars pulling out of driveways and turning into these main intersections.

My wife knows why she should wear a helmet, and she's heard enough gory stories and seen pictures of accidents to understand the consequences of not wearing one. I've also told her of my own close calls on city streets with inattentive drivers (however, I no longer ride to work).

Unfortunately, the two reasons of heat and hair appear to be deal-breakers for her. She feels the short commute and fact that she will ride on the sidewalk present less risk of injury, such that she will still arrive at work safe and beautiful. Therefore, this question is less about why she should wear a helmet, and more about what kind of helmet she could wear. I think if I can show her that she can still wear a helmet and preserve her style, she'll be more inclined to do so.

Her hair is in a bob, down to her neck, and the front bangs are usually pinned with a tiny (tiny!) clip. I've asked if she could style her hair at work, but she refuses to because she can't bring nor store her products at the office, much less find a place to freshen up. She will also not wear a bandanna or cap because she feels it will only trap the heat.

I intend to bring my wife to our local bike shop to perform some maintenance checkup on her ride. Whilst there I want to have her try on some helmets and ideally show her that some helmets won't mess up her hair and still provide ventilation and protection. I've also read a couple of AskMe threads about helmet hair, and started to look at brands like Giro and Limar (unknown if the bike shop carries them).

Are there other brands that will provide a level of comfort, negate the heat and preserve her hairstyle, so that my spouse will wear a helmet on her commute?

posted by CancerMan to sports, hobbies, & recreation (61 comments total)

This does not address your specific question, I only bike occasionally and haven't given much thought to my helmet, but I wonder if your spouse has considered the following. Where I live, you are not allowed to bike on the sidewalk. Say a police officer told her to bike on the street instead: would she feel comfortable biking on the busy, multilane road without a helmet?
posted by teragram at 2:53 PM on June 23

There isn't a lot of variety in bike helmets -- all of them are molded in pretty much the same sinewy alien egg-pod shape with vents. But since they weigh virtually nothing and are like 50% vent, they're not really as hot as she might think. All, however, will produce "helmet hair," a phenomenon best fixed with a little water in the bathroom at work.

A skateboarding helmet has a different vent pattern that won't produce the distinctive bike helmet tri-hawk, but they're heavier.

Not wearing a helmet is a good way to end up a drooling vegetable -- I've commuted solely by bike for about a year now, and have hit my head on the street twice. Neither of these incidents had to do with cars, BTW -- one was a pedal strike in a turn, and the other was just me being an idiot and falling. It is very easy to hit your head from such a high, precarious perch, and when you hit your head, it is very easy to cause serious damage.

A couple other thoughts -- riding on the sidewalk is illegal in most places, dangerous to pedestrians, and dangerous to bicyclists because at intersections it is hard for motorists to see a cyclist approaching the crosswalk.

She'll be much more likely to get hit riding on the sidewalk than on the road, where other motorists can see her and predict her next move. Lots of people pick up cycling for various reasons, and many begin by riding on the sidewalk with no helmet. If they stick with it, almost invariably they'll switch to the street and to head protection.
posted by M.C. Lo-Carb! at 2:54 PM on June 23

Wait, what: why would she be riding on the sidewalk?

Look, I'm no fan of helmets and not a consistent wearer of one (mine's a Bell, it's the same as every other helmet I tried on), but the circumstances in which I wear one are similar to your description of your wife's proposed commute. Helmet hair every day is better than ICU hair for even one day (much less dead person hair forever).

But for god's sake, do good bike people really ride on the sidewalk where you live? I don't even let my six year old ride on the sidewalk anymore. She is no less likely to be backed into by a car pulling out of a driveway (possible more likely, since they're expecting a bike to be on the STREET WHERE IT BELONGS and she may not be in the spot they're looking for her to be), and she's more likely to injure a pedestrian.

Ultimately whether she wears a helmet is up to her. She should rethink riding on the sidewalk unless this is really the done thing where you live.
posted by padraigin at 2:56 PM on June 23 [4 favorites has favorites]

Another non-answer to your question similar to the first one, but it is actually more dangerous to cycle on a sidewalk that on the street, especially in a residential neighbourhood. Cars approaching intersections/leaving driveways are not expecting vehicles to approach at anything above a walking speed while they are on a sidewalk.

Also, as a cyclist and a pedestrian it angers me to see cyclists riding on the sidewalk.
posted by vansly at 2:57 PM on June 23 [13 favorites has favorites]

This may be another non-starter, but how about a more tolerant haircut. Something short and purposefully tussled-looking she can wet and gel at the office (also cooler), or long and straight? I'm sure she likes her hair as it is, but again it's a matter of priorities. Would she rather have a haircut that is not her ideal haircut or spend the rest of her life disabled?
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 3:08 PM on June 23 [1 favorite has favorites]

In my experience, the thing that makes a helmet safe is also what gives you helmet hair. A possible alternative: has she spoken with a hair stylist about finding a style that's easy (or easier) to keep looking nice under a helmet, or that's super easy to fix up at work? I'm imagining something very short and pixie-ish that can be sort of ruffled back into place with her fingers, like this or this.
posted by Meg_Murry at 3:10 PM on June 23

D'oh! Penguin beat me to it.
posted by Meg_Murry at 3:11 PM on June 23

I have a short, straight bob and also bike to work and other destinations. I find that as long as it's not super hot (like today - 93 and humid) so I don't get too sweaty, there isn't much helmet hair to worry about. The helmet makes the ends flip out (rather than in, which is how I typically style it) but it looks cute. My bangs sometimes get a little bump in them which I cure using a tiny clip. Since she already does that, it should be fine if she waits til she gets to work, wets the bangs a bit to get rid of the bump, and pins back. An old school plastic comb weighs nothing and is easy to carry around for touch-ups.

I wear a run-of-the-mill Giro helmet that, in the white/turquoise color combo I have, is probably about as cute as those things get.
posted by misskaz at 3:12 PM on June 23

All I have to offer here is an anecdote.

I'm riding along a quiet, paved bike route, going steeply uphill so I'm really leaning on it ... and my chain snaps. My foot hits the ground. I go over the handlebars and plant myself headfirst on the pavement ... thus splitting my helmet in two. This all happens in about one second.

Only injuries, a scraped elbow and a sore neck for a few days. Sure glad I wasn't worried about helmet hair.
posted by philip-random at 3:13 PM on June 23 [8 favorites has favorites]

So this is tough to answer because the ultimate solution is for her to style her hair at work. If there's no place to do so then it's close to unsolvable. I bike every day but I completely shower at work plus I'm a guy whose hair is short. There's really no solution for helmet head except for having a hairstyle that is intrinsically messy and/or very short.

Also, per other non-answerers, don't bike on the sidewalk. It's less safe than biking on a busy road since cars can't see you as well and are more likely to run you over at an intersection. Plus it's for pedestrians.

is her hairstyle really such that she can't just keep a brush at her desk and give it a few minutes of brushing to straighten it out in the bathroom when she gets there? Maybe she could experiment on a weekend sometime by going for a short ride and then seeing what she can do with her hair at home before she takes it to the office.
posted by GuyZero at 3:14 PM on June 23

Your wife is seriously prepared to endanger other people by RIDING A BIKE ON THE SIDEWALK, just to save her from getting "hat hair"? I bet the old lady who steps out from behind a bush in front of a bike will wish she could have hat hair for a day instead of a trip to hospital.

How about buying a pannier for the bike, and putting the hair products in it, along with a small mirror? Surely her workplace has a sink in it somewhere. A pannier doesn't need to take up any more space in an office than a largish handbag.
posted by emilyw at 3:18 PM on June 23 [2 favorites has favorites]

I bike to school (40 min each way), and I do sometimes get helmet hair. However, my hair is such that it will do anything when it's wet and then stay that way when dried. I just comb it out in the restroom when I arrive and it's fine in 15 min. She should try a trial ride on a weekend: Style it, go for a long sweaty ride, then see what it takes to fix it. Might not be too bad. :)
posted by WowLookStars at 3:33 PM on June 23 [1 favorite has favorites]

If buying a pannier to store stuff in solves the problem somehow, every woman I know who has seen it loves this pannier and it holds a fair amount of stuff.
posted by GuyZero at 3:35 PM on June 23

If she's insured though your employer, take her off your insurance until you are sure she's wearing a helmet regularly.

It's non-negotiable. Really. You need to be firm.

If she commutes, she has to wear a helmet. A lot of people are alive because they had a helmet on when they collided with cars or the pavement (I know several) and a lot of people are dead, probably because they did not have a helmet on (I knew two of these people).

She needs to follow the rules of the road and she needs to wear a helmet or she needs not to bike.
posted by Danf at 3:40 PM on June 23 [4 favorites has favorites]

Yes, I agree with WowLookStars: it may not be as bad as anticipated. Give it a trial run.

As an aside to others who have answered thus far, after having clicked through to the OP's profile and seeing that he is located on the west coast, I would like to point out that in the western US, riding on the sidewalk is not necessarily such a heinous offense as it's being made out to be. It is done quite commonly where I live (Albuquerque, NM) because: (a) many streets are truly unsafe for bikes, and (b) there tends to be so little pedestrian traffic on the sidewalks that this is generally not a big issue.
posted by littlecatfeet at 3:45 PM on June 23 [1 favorite has favorites]

these fun graphs show you that riding on the sidewalk is 2-25x more dangerous than riding on the street.
posted by soma lkzx at 3:49 PM on June 23 [1 favorite has favorites]

To answer the "heat" part of your question, I have a pretty standard helmet from Bell that has pretty good ventilation and is light. It doesn't bother me too much. They don't seem to sell the same model anymore, but it looks similar to this one. Skip the new "skate-style" helmets, they have lousy ventilation. I hate wearing a helmet (and did just fine without one since I was a kid, including several multi-week bike tours) but it's the law here the police have threatened to take my bike away, so...

But yeah, the hair part is unfortunately not something you can do much about.

And lots of people have said so already, but riding on the sidewalk is definitely less safe than riding on the road. The vast majority of bike-car accidents happen at intersections (being hit from behind while riding on the road is very rare, and the most common is a left-turning car coming from the opposite direction at an intersection or going into a driveway). She needs to be where the cars will see her at intersections -- and that's on the road. On the sidewalk, cars are expecting slow-moving pedestrians and will NOT look for enough to see a speeding bike.
posted by Emanuel at 3:52 PM on June 23

What seriously? Remove her from his insurance (his *wife*) because she's not wearing a helmet? A helmet that may or may not help in accident? (Cycling is safer than being a pedestrian statistically.) Perhaps he should take her off his insurance until she starts wearing one while walking.

And to actually answer the question asked .. so far as I know there aren't any helmets that are going to not really affect your hair. I get around it by either not wearing one or just not caring what my hair looks like when I do. But my hair and job are pretty ... flexible.
posted by R343L at 3:53 PM on June 23 [1 favorite has favorites]

My spouse wants to bike to work, but doesn't want to wear a helmet, citing "heat" and "helmet hair" as the main reasons.

You're asking for a non-helmet solution to a physics problem that requires a helmet — namely, padding the collision of the soft tissues in the head with a hard substance like concrete or metal.

With respect, she is not a good candidate for a bike commuter. Consider suggesting a non-helmet solution such as riding the bus, or walking or driving to work.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 3:53 PM on June 23 [3 favorites has favorites]

Oh, although riding on the sidewalk may be okay, riding without a helmet really is NOT.
posted by littlecatfeet at 3:54 PM on June 23

I feel for your wife, but I worry this may be unsolvable. I'd love to bike more, but my sweaty scalp and fine, fluffy, often frizzy chin-length bob simply cannot survive any time together smushed under a helmet and still look even vaguely presentable and professional. For me, it's not a question of a brush a some water in the bathroom, it's more of a 30-minute shampoo, blowdry, and style before it's unhilarious. Even when I had a pixie cut, I'd still get funny bumps and flat spots that had to be soaked with water and dried to get out. I've just had to assume that some people's hair/scalp don't make the bike commute possible, but I'd love it if someone in this thread had a miracle preventative.
posted by mostlymartha at 3:58 PM on June 23 [1 favorite has favorites]

littlecatfeet: I actually think the opposite. By riding without a helmet, one is only endangering oneself (although, as someone else pointed out upthread, there are plenty of activities that are statitically at least as dangerous where helmets are not expected). Riding on the sidewalk, on the other hand, is also endangering others. That clearly makes riding on the sidewalk the less acceptable behaviour.
posted by Emanuel at 4:07 PM on June 23 [2 favorites has favorites]

What seriously? Remove her from his insurance (his *wife*) because she's not wearing a helmet?

Yes.

I have a good friend who is alive (albeit had to recover from a broken neck in an accident she cannot remember) because she had a helmet. I also went to a memorial service of another friend who died from running into a post. He did not come home from a ride, and his wife and daughter went looking for him and found him in a ditch, dead. He'd been wearing a ballcap on this ride.

Here in Eugene, there was a guy (David Minor) who died while biking. . .riding along, wearing his iPod, and turned left into an oncoming motorist who was not doing anything wrong but now has to live the rest of her life knowing her car killed someone. The is a permanent shrine for this guy, and a theater named after him now, neither of which I can understand, given the very avoidable (by him) circumstances of his death.

So, yeah, if she's with me, has to wear a helmet or not ride a bike.
posted by Danf at 4:09 PM on June 23 [1 favorite has favorites]

I have found that if my hair is completely or even mostly dry before I put a helmet on it, I hardly get any helmet-hair effect. My bike commute is 40 minutes each way. I wear the cheap, common Giro that misskaz mentioned above. Maybe a hair dryer, after shower and before bike, would help?

PS -- Also, put a little time between hair dryer and helmet, so the hair can cool off, or the heat will actually make the helmet hair worse.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 4:11 PM on June 23

Your wife may be way ahead of me here, one thing that really helps with the heat is clothing made out of a wicking fabric--something synthetic or wool. Cotton plus sweat equals misery. Panniers are good too, instead of a backpack or messenger bag that keeps your back from cooling off. Most helmets have so many vents that heat really isn't an issue. Maybe she could try keeping it in the fridge overnight.

She should make sure the helmet is properly adjusted (see the Eye-Ear-Mouth test.) Poorly fitted helmets are uncomfortable, and far too common.
posted by hydrophonic at 4:19 PM on June 23 [1 favorite has favorites]

A Bell Volt helmet will fix the heat problem. It's possible that getting enough ventilation inside will ameliorate the helmet-head too, since part of the problem is usually sweat.

I'd be really grateful if you could discourage her from riding on the sidewalk though. This is pretty rude behaviour from anybody who has outgrown training wheels.
posted by the latin mouse at 4:25 PM on June 23

If your hair looking good is more important than your safety, YOU SHOULDN'T BE RIDING A BIKE.

Period. She's an adult, suck it up. If her hair looking pretty is more important than not having bashed-in brains, which can happen at any time even on the sidewalk, she should keep on driving to work.

(I also find it hard to imagine that a chick with a flat bob's hair is going to be THAT messed up from helmet, but I can't see her head. If any hairdo is meant to go under a bike helmet, it sounds like hers is.)
posted by jenfullmoon at 4:26 PM on June 23 [2 favorites has favorites]

To all of those who are wailing about riding on sidewalks: have you actually tried to ride on 50+ mph suburban roads? Roads that are often 4 or more lanes in each direction? Drivers on such roads, especially during rush hour, are NOT going to spot a cyclist very easily since no one else will be riding their bike on that kind of road.

Especially in a "semi-residential" area, these roads probably don't run through business districts and have very few pedestrians. If OP's wife were to ride slightly above jogging pace and slow down to a walk when approaching pedestrians or intersections, how is that more dangerous than riding in the road? There's a reason some local laws do allow cycling on sidewalks outside of central business districts: sometimes, there are very, very few pedestrians actually using sidewalks, few enough that a responsible cyclist can avoid them.
posted by scission at 4:29 PM on June 23 [3 favorites has favorites]

I wear a Giro helmet and it's vented fine, not hot at all.

My last helmet was a Bell, if I recall. I cracked it good about a year ago when I fell and hit a low wall with my head. I had bruises along my hairline that matched the pads, some road rash, and a fractured elbow, but I walked away. Bike helmets are non-negotiable points for me and everyone else in the family.
posted by jquinby at 4:46 PM on June 23

My wife's main reasons for cycling to work are fitness and saving money on gas. I feel that trying to hammer in the correct protocol and safety measures for proper bike handling will only serve to make her say, "Forget it," and drive instead. And if she ultimately chooses to drive to work, she will feel that she's not getting enough exercise (she wants to lose some weight) and that we're spending too much money on gas, and she'll feel like she's not accomplishing her goals, she'll not feel good about herself, and then likely blame me because I'm the one that insisted she wear a helmet (which is probably a topic for another thread). Seems superficial, but that's what I'm working with.

Otherwise, I've suggested that she walk instead, as it's only a half-hour jaunt (45 minutes at worst), and she can bring a sun-blocking umbrella to keep the weather off her pretty hair. She didn't seem too enthused, citing the heat and sweat usually associated with long walks, but her reaction seemed to indicate it still remains a possibility.

What I will do in the meantime is walk the route with her and see if she finds it tolerable. Since she will still get exercise (more, I think) and save on gas, hopefully it will prove to be the best solution. She could wear those moisture-wicking performance shirts on the walk, and change at the office.

As a former avid cyclist who practiced safe commutes through suburbs and city streets, I recognize the fact that I'm dealing with some pretty flimsy excuses. However, I also recognize that it doesn't help change her mind if all I do is criticize her decision and lay out facts and anecdotes about why she's going about it all wrong. Therefore I'm trying to find some intermediate step, a real example of a helmet that negates the conditions of heat and hair, something that she can try on and experience how it fits for herself, and maybe realize that wearing a helmet doesn't mean the end of the world.

Hopefully the trial-walk will make this question moot, but in the meantime, besides Giro and Bell, are there any other brands or models?
posted by CancerMan at 4:51 PM on June 23 [2 favorites has favorites]

To all of those who are wailing about riding on sidewalks: have you actually tried to ride on 50+ mph suburban roads?

Sure. And on freeways. It's a vehicle. If you don't like the big busy roads, there's always some alternate route, usually longer, that avoids them. But that alternate route also uses roads.

When I see a grown adult riding a bike on the sidewalk, I am tempted to bump into them. One day I will be cranky enough.

I submit this addendum to note that the OP's spouse may ride near other cranky people on the sidewalk who have less self-control. That is, the sidewalk is not necessarily safer. It's an illusion.
posted by rokusan at 4:52 PM on June 23

I came here to ask why she doesn't just walk, but it seems you have already addressed that option. If she's worried about heat and sweat on a walk why does she think biking would be a good idea at all?

I walk a similar distance to work every day (35 minutes), and seriously, it's the best part of my day--even on the way home from work, when I'm tired and just want to relax. It's extremely relaxing, and walking has [some] health benefits too! I really appreciate the time I have to think and observe my surroundings in a way I wouldn't if I were busy operating a vehicle.

Also, have you tried telling her that he hair would be just as bad, if not worse, from the wind on her bike ride without a helmet? Walking cures that problem too, except on particularly windy days. That's life!
posted by sunshinesky at 5:12 PM on June 23 [1 favorite has favorites]

Cancerman: Just as an addition angle here, are you the one pushing for this? It doesn't sound like she really wants to ride or walk at all.
posted by rhizome at 5:24 PM on June 23

Bern and Yakkay have stylish helmets as well. No personal experience with them, though.

It appears to me that the stylish folk don't wear helmets (see: the stereotypical European commuter). I am not a stylish folk, and I wear a helmet--seems silly to me not to. But I don't have hair that's a problem to do this with, and I take a shower at the office.


To all of those who are wailing about riding on sidewalks: have you actually tried to ride on 50+ mph suburban roads?

Yes. I would rather ride on that road than a sidewalk, provided I was moving faster than walking pace. Now, if it's legal to ride on the sidewalk where you are (it usually isn't, but it is local to me), and you're going slow enough, I would wager to say that a sidewalk is acceptable. But you have to think of yourself as a pedestrian, not a vehicle. If she's planning on wearing street clothes while cycling and not getting sweaty enough to require a shower, then she might be going slow enough to do the sidewalk thing, and then risks of a head injury are less.

Roads that are often 4 or more lanes in each direction? Drivers on such roads, especially during rush hour, are NOT going to spot a cyclist very easily since no one else will be riding their bike on that kind of road.

You're going to be seen easier on the road than a sidewalk. Cars don't expect fast-moving things on the sidewalk. It's pretty easy on a bike to go too fast for the sidewalk, particularly if it's flat.

[S]he can't bring nor store her products at the office, much less find a place to freshen up.

Does her office not have a bathroom? Does her office not allow a hairbrush or hair styling products? Must be rough. I'm not trying to be snarky here; if they're not allowed they're not allowed. But maybe "can't" means "I can't see how it could be done", and a lot of people have solved that kind of problem. If you don't have access to a bathroom, it would be difficult to freshen up. But it seems rare to not have access to a bathroom.
posted by RikiTikiTavi at 5:28 PM on June 23

I live in Cambridge, MA, and you are legally allowed to ride on the side-walk in almost all of this area if you do not go above a walking pace (there are some areas where this is not allowed). I don't see a problem with this personally, if people bike slowly and are considerate, but in this example I definitely think the road is the better option.

I don't know the road conditions in your area, but I would like to point out one UK study that suggest wearing a bicycle helmet does influence drivers to overtake you more closely. But, car-drivers are also likely to give woman-cyclists more room too, so perhaps it is balanced out. The methodology has also been criticised here.

I think having a well-maintained bike and good bike-handling skills are also pretty important, as well as a helmet (I like rudy helmets). I personally have never had a problem with venting - if anything, other parts of your clothed-body will probably get too hot if your head is during your commute. Some folks I know wear a cycling-hat underneath, but that would negate the venting.
posted by a womble is an active kind of sloth at 5:36 PM on June 23

Cancerman - you may have idenitified a solution for your wife: walking. And she will lose much more weight that way.

Walking takes more energy to go the same distance than a bike. A bike, after all, is composed of simple machines and helps you perform more work for the same energy.* I noticed this personally when I roomed with someone, and we both commuted the same distance each day - he walking, and I by bicycle. He toned up much faster than I did - he was doing much more excercise each day. By how tired I got walking that distance, I would estimate maybe three times as much?

*NB: I failed high school physics, so don't snark if the details are wrong.
posted by jb at 5:45 PM on June 23 [1 favorite has favorites]

I spent a summer walking to and from my office, about a half hour each way, so maybe a bit shorter distance than your wife's commute. It made me feel great, both physically healthy and personally proud of myself for not driving or relying on someone for a ride. I didn't even think to bring a parasol--I just wore good walking shoes and carried a backpack or tote bag with my sweater (air-conditioned office), work shoes, and a make-up compact for touch-ups. Sometimes I got a little sweaty, in the dead of a humid Chicago July, but I just checked my reflection in the bathroom when I got to work to make sure I was presentable. Surely there is a bathroom at your wife's office and a place for her to stow a purse and/or tote bag?
posted by Meg_Murry at 5:53 PM on June 23

[few comments removed - please keep the sidewalk/insurance derails out of here, thanks]
posted by jessamyn at 6:21 PM on June 23

Two brands mentioned here I thought I'd comment on: I own some Giro helmets for my serious bikes (they are very well vented and just barely there enough to offer protection), but I also own a stylish Bern helmet for my lower speed city bike riding.

The Bern offers more protection but less venting. For a guy's head, it kind of mashes your hair on all sides equally and I'd suggest it to any guy, but I'm unsure of how it would affect a woman's hairdo.
posted by mathowie at 6:23 PM on June 23

I ride my bike to and from work 3-4 days a week. I have long curly hair, and what I do is clip the top with a big claw clip and then put the back in a low ponytail. It doesn't completely prevent helmet head, but after an hour or so after arriving at work, you wouldn't be able to tell I'd worn a helmet for a good 45 minutes.

Also, I ride my bike on both the sidewalk and the road, depending on the street, because a) I live in a city where there are barely any pedestrians and drivers here don't know how to react when they see someone walking or biking on the road, b) 75% of my trip is along side a highway, and c) most of my trip is up-hill, and I probably only ride about 10 mph. I can't tell you the number of times cars have come so close to hitting me that I could feel them as they brushed by me, or they've honked at me as they've gone past, or they've driven around me to turn right or left even though I was next in line.
posted by canadia at 6:31 PM on June 23 [1 favorite has favorites]

On the subject of cleaning up/staying fresh - I also have no place to store anything at school. I use a pannier to hold my backpack during the ride so it's not making my back all sweaty. In the backpack is a complete change of clothes, a spray bottle filled with 1/2 febreeze and 1/2 water, babywipes (unscented), and a hairbrush. To remove wrinkles in the clothes I'm changing into, I spray them and shake them out. Wrinkles gone! The babywipes are important to remove sweat from me - that way I don't smell and don't itch all day. Wicking fabrics are really important to stay comfortable, and don't forget a wicking sports bra.

I live in Texas where it's been about 100 degrees +90% humidity, so these tips may not be relevant.

Commuting by bike has really helped me lose weight, good for her for giving it a go!
posted by WowLookStars at 6:31 PM on June 23 [4 favorites has favorites]

Otherwise, I've suggested that she walk instead, as it's only a half-hour jaunt (45 minutes at worst), and she can bring a sun-blocking umbrella to keep the weather off her pretty hair. She didn't seem too enthused, citing the heat and sweat usually associated with long walks, but her reaction seemed to indicate it still remains a possibility.

I missed seeing this earlier.

Speaking from personal experience, she will get sweatier riding a bike, helmet or no, than she will walking. If she carries a parasol while walking (as I do), that's even more the case.

It sounds like my commute is similar to your wife's — 15 to 20 minutes by bike, half an hour to 45 minutes by foot, depending on the degree to which I stop to watch the birds or smell the flowers. When I ride my bike, I'm always at least a little sweaty at the end of the ride, regardless of the temperature and weather. When I walk, sweat is much less of an issue, for a couple of reasons. One, it's cooler in the morning, on the way into work, so sweating is less likely; sweating on the way home is less of a problem. Two, the parasol I mentioned. Blocking the direct sun makes a big difference.

sunshinesky makes some good points here, too.
posted by Lexica at 7:46 PM on June 23

just to play devil's advocate:

http://bikecommutetips.blogspot.com/2009/01/happy-bicycle-commuting-sans-helmet.html

http://gruntdoc.com/2006/09/bbc-wearing-bike-helmets-more-dangerous.html

I was born in China, where bicycle commuting is much more popular than here, and no one wears a helmet.

While statistically your chances of dying in a bike accident are much higher if you're not wearing a helmet, I think you also have to consider that surviving an accident may not be the single most important factor in safety: things like riding on the sidewalk, blowing through stop signs/red lights, waiting in cars' blind spots, riding excessively fast, etc. are all things that will make an accident much more likely in the first place. I see many people doing all of those things, and it seems quite plausible to me that risky riding behavior like that is very closely correlated with not wearing a helmet (more cautious cyclists would probably also tend to wear a helmet). Not sure how you would separate the signaling effect of helmets vs. their actual harm reduction though.

I haven't pulled the statistical evidence for any of this, but just some food for thought.
posted by I like to eat meat at 7:51 PM on June 23

I would like to point out that in the western US, riding on the sidewalk is not necessarily such a heinous offense as it's being made out to be.

I live in San Diego where the only people cycling on the sidewalk are children.

Like mathowie and others, I find the Giro helmets to pretty well ventilated. If she's committed to commuting via bike then she needs to wear a helmet correctly strapped to her head. As you admit, her excuses are flimsy. She can try a headband, a ponytail, brushing her hair at the office or she can drive and go the gym after work. She is asking for solution that does not exist - helmets smoosh hair, but when you need a brain bucket you're really glad you wore it.

Honestly you are much, much more tolerant than I am. Mr. 26.2 is an endurance cyclist. If I caught him riding without a helmet, it would be a rumble in the 26.2 household. You can't force your spouse to wear a helmet, but you don't need to offer any support to a bad, potentially dangerous behavior. Hold your ground.
posted by 26.2 at 8:01 PM on June 23 [1 favorite has favorites]

This is an impossible scenario. If you exercise enough to get a workout, you will sweat (walking or biking). If the helmet is protective enough for a crash, it will squash hair and hold some heat. The sidewalk may be illegal/unsafe (I mention having been hit by a car in an intersection between 2 sidewalk bits).

Compromised safety is not a viable trade off. She needs to be the one to resolve the contradictory aspects of fulfilling her goals/values (hair, exercise, gas, money, safety). The helmet will not resolve these, and so your job is to insist that safety can not be compromised. She will need to choose, and I don't think any 'right' helmet will solve the problem.
posted by kch at 8:21 PM on June 23 [1 favorite has favorites]

I have a Bern Brentwood, which is stylish but quite hot (it's also heavier than my Giro "let's go ride 60 miles in the country" helmet), so I don't think that would work for her. But maybe you could convince her to wear a stylish helmet (check out the Bern Muse! So cute!), if lookin' good is what she wants to do.

To all of those who are wailing about riding on sidewalks: have you actually tried to ride on 50+ mph suburban roads?

I do it twice a day. The secret is to get in a lane, and BE a vehicle, instead of pussyfooting around like some super-fast pedestrian. People in cars honk and act all menacing like they want to hit you (and they do want to!) but they're all chickenshits.
posted by rocketman at 8:29 PM on June 23 [1 favorite has favorites]

Cycling with a helmet can actually be cooler than without one. It depends on the exact helmet, color, venting, climate, amount of sunshine, etc.--so no absolute guarantee but in general with modern vented bicycle helmets, where keeping them cool is a big part of the design, and if you pick a light-ish color, you're going to be as cool as and maybe a bit cooler than without one.

Here's an article on helmets & cooling.

Also, the absolute benefit of helmets is not without some controversy. We don't want to get into a h@lm@t flame war here but the wikipedia article on bicycle helmets summarizes the issues pretty well.

In short, the risk of sedentary lifestyle very much outweighs the risk of bicycling without a helmet. However, those are very different types of risks so the fact that one type of risk is much larger than the other is the start of the discussion, not the end of it.

Also it's worth considering that aggregated over the entire population, the risk of being killed by automobile traffic while walking in the U.S. is somewhat higher than if you rode that same mile on a bicycle. So here we've seen walking recommended as a better solution, but is that because walking is actually safer? Or simply because walking without a helmet is socially acceptable in the U.S. whereas bicycling without a helmet--not so much.

Don't forget the risk of driving is also non-zero (and not that much lower than either bicycling or walking). Head injuries are a major cause of automobile fatalities so you would improve your odds quite a lot if you strapped on a helmet every time you got a car.

One reason we have a hard time dealing rationally with all those types of risks, is they are all really very, very low. Your lifetime risk of dying as the result of an automobile crash is about 1 in 70. Similarly if you're an avid bicyclist your lifetime risk of dying in a bicycle crash is about 1 in 70. Our brains just don't really function well in the realm of 1 fatality per 10 million miles vs. 1.5 fatalities per 10 million miles.

I'm rambling, but more to the point: If this were my wife and she wanted to bicycle commute without a helmet I might express some concern or try to find some solutions but ultimately I wouldn't discourage her from doing it just because of the helmet issue. My guess if she starts bicycling regularly, one of two things will happen:

1. She'll find it doesn't work for her for one reason or another and she'll quit.

2. She'll keep doing it regularly, start to be a little serious about it, do a little research here and there, and eventually figure out the helmet issue on her own--because most serious adult bicyclists in the U.S. generally wear helmets, and if your wife starts to consider herself in that group she will likely figure out a way to fit into it.
posted by flug at 8:31 PM on June 23 [4 favorites has favorites]

Ask the asker from one of the "helmet head" threads referenced, let me restate the solution I came to: Bern Brentwood helmet + Walz cycling cap. It keeps my hair in order and I like the look of the helmet better than the racing style helmets. I have not found it to be any hotter than my previous helmet (a Bell). Even with fewer vents and a cap on, I can still feel the breeze in my hair and for a short ride like the one your propose, I don't think it would be a problem. The cap might even help to wick away moisture.

For a woman, you might try the Bern Berkeley and handmade cycling cap. Turn it into a positive opportunity for self expression through shopping.
posted by imposster at 8:34 PM on June 23 [1 favorite has favorites]

"As the asker" rather.
posted by imposster at 8:34 PM on June 23

Before I started bicycle commuting, both heat and "helmet hair" were concerns for me. After I started commuting by bike, I found that the heat issue was not nearly as bad as I had anticipated, and it turned out that the benefits (for me) of riding were great enough (exercise, fresh air, being outside, freedom from bus schedules, no worries about parking) that I was willing to put up with what was (for me) the relatively small hassle of fixing my hair a bit once I got to work and/or perhaps looking a little funny to my co-workers (although no one ever actually SAID anything, and I did not solicit opinions :) ). That said, a lot depends on individual hair texture/style (mine is short and pretty resilient), as well as both individual and workplace standards (both on the low -- or shall we say "tolerant" -- side in my case). Unfortunately, the hair thing could be a dealbreaker, although I hope it won't be. Now I work from home and I actually miss commuting by bike!
posted by littlecatfeet at 9:02 PM on June 23

She's got to resolve the conflict in her own needs first. We use cars & gasoline so we don't have to use the energy from our own bodies and, therefore, possibly get hot and sweat a little. If she's giving up cars, she's trading for her own power one way or another (walking, biking, whatever).

And to further the sidewalk = dangerous argument: Not only are drivers not expecting to see a 15mph object on the sidewalk, but she'll be crossing countless driveways. A car has to back, what, one foot out of the driveway in order to send her flying? How long does it take a car to move one foot, even from a stop? It's just not enough time to react. If someone backs out of their driveway and doesn't see you on the shoulder/right lane, they've got 5-10 feet to cover before they get to you, which is a margin you'll be grateful for the day it happens (and given the rush-hour commutes, it will, guaranteed).
posted by range at 9:04 PM on June 23

i am also a lady with a short haircut, who bikes 15 mins to work and who has a propensity for sweat.

i have a bell faction helmet in matte black. it does not mess up my hair. sometimes, it even helps, like on humid days when my thick wavy hair prefers to pouff up and look stupid. i also think this is a somewhat stylish choice, but really helmets just don't often look chic, no matter what you do.

seriously, she will dry off in 10 mins tops when she gets into the office. seriously.
i get to work and my face is red and i am dripping sweat (only when it is 95 degrees and humid, thanks chicago), but after 10 minutes, i'm good to go.

seeing cyclists on the sidewalk also makes me frustrated. you know how we feel about cars on bikes? dangerous objects zooming mere feet away? pedestrians feel the same way about cyclists on the sidewalk.... it's scary.
posted by chickadee at 10:12 PM on June 23

I'm in the UK, where riding on the pavement is illegal but the law says nothing about helmets. It's generally seen as up to the individual for adults. liquidindian, who taught me to ride last year, told me that helmets not only protected the head but made other road users realise that you're serious enough to take precautions. Personally I would not cycle without a helmet, even on the pavement - I had a bad fall on foot a couple of weeks ago and hit my arm hard enough to make any weight on it really, really hurt - minor, but if I'd hit my head with the same force, I'd probably still be in hospital now. I wear a Specialised helmet which is very light and cool - I don't find it too hot.

As for the hair - bobs in my experience are pretty low maintenance, aren't they? Surely all she'd need to do would be to spray her hands with water or styling product and fluff it up a bit.
posted by mippy at 5:09 AM on June 24

Hair-specific feedback here: I've had a couple generic Trek helmets while rocking a chin/shoulder-length bob. Sometimes I think the helmet actually styles my hair better than I can.

Here's what I do:
* I pull my hair into a ponytail (or try to do most of my hair it's too short for that).
* Then, while putting on my helmet, I make sure my ponytail goes through the gap above the plastic tension thing and below the foam of the helmet (here's a picture of the back of the helmet so you can visualize).
* Then I fasten my helmet and take the hair elastic off of my ponytail. This means my hair is just held up by the straps on my helmet, yet I don't get that annoying crimp in my hair from a hair elastic.
* When I have bangs, I try to make sure they're swept to the side and not sticking out weird from my helmet.
* Arrive at my destination, take helmet off, let the sweat dry a bit, and finger style -- no styling products necessary. If for some reason my hair looks ridiculous (usually caused more by my inept pre-helmet styling than the helmet itself), then I'll put a barrette in or put it up in a real ponytail.

As my bicycling increased I eventually modified my bob haircut to have more layers so that my hair can do whatever and look pretty good (i.e. "intentional").
posted by Maarika at 8:42 AM on June 24 [1 favorite has favorites]

As a person who walks her commute to work, please get her a bicycle bell. I can't tell you how many times I've been almost hit by sidewalk riders who think it's sufficient to shout "excuse me" when they're just a foot or two behind you.

Also, as a person who walks her commute to work (in Florida!) I can tell you that my walk (about a half hour) is easily the best time of my day. Sure, I need to take a shower when I get home--this is Florida--but mornings are fine. I just pop in the bathroom to freshen up and make sure to keep some deodorant and dress shoes in my desk. No problems so far, it's incredibly relaxing, and in the three weeks since I've started this new job I've already lost some weight without making any changes to my diet.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:56 AM on June 24

I would try to convince her to ride on the road as opposed to the sidewalk first. Make biking fun first and routine first. A couple scares later the helmet (and the desire for bike doodads or a new bike) will come naturally.

I don't usually wear a helmet on my commute unless I'm feeling particularly unawake or its cold out.
posted by captaincrouton at 10:11 AM on June 24

I know some women who tie a silk scarf around their head, covering their hair, before putting on their helmets. I'm not sure if this would help with the heat at all, but it would definitely help prevent some of those dents and bumps associated with helmet hair. It's worth giving it a go before giving up biking to work entirely.
posted by k8lin at 12:49 PM on June 24

Buying her a copy of this book is (if she reads it) many times more likely to save her life than a magic polystyrene hat. Cheaper too.
posted by normy at 12:30 PM on June 25

A friend of mine came up with the following line from his experience as a surgeon

"There are two kinds of bikers:
Those who wear helmets,
and cadavers."

That line has convinced two other friends of mine to start wearing helmets. One went on to catch her front tire in a streetcar track (sending her flying ass-over-teakettle), the other wiped out his motorbike on a slick street in Bangkok. Both were quite happy they had been wearing helmets.
To hell with vanity.
posted by blueberry at 1:11 AM on June 26

Granted, this is during a race, but still: ouch.
posted by jquinby at 9:04 AM on June 26

I thank everyone for their suggestions. I researched the Bern helmets, but I think the lack of ventilation will not work (stylish, though!). It looks like Giro would perform better in that regard. I have my own experience with Giro ventilation, but my hair is not like my wife's.

However, thanks to a successful test-walk along her commute, she has decided to forego the bike in favor of an excellent pair of walking shoes (yay!). We found that at our slowest pace, it would take roughly 30 minutes, slightly more if we had to stop for crosswalks, but since it's along a main road, the lights are typically in our favor. We've reasoned that if she leaves the house 45 minutes to an hour early, she can use the remaining time to cool down and freshen up.

Yesterday, my wife walked to work for the first time. She wore light clothes and one of those performance shirts mentioned earlier, and carried her office clothes in a backpack. While she didn't come home bouncing with joy, she did profess excitement at having accomplished the commute.

I think now that she has experienced it for herself, she's much more comfortable with the concept of walking and is more likely to continue doing so. And, now I feel a lot better knowing that she's not putting herself in any needless risk.

Regardless, for those moments when we do bike somewhere, I'll be getting her a Giro.
posted by CancerMan at 1:45 PM on July 2