>>1019621I used to wear a helmet all the time.
Then I got a rear-view mirror that mounted on the helmet, and realized that the rear-view mirror actually helped me avoid cars, and the helmet didn't.
So I stopped wearing the helmet and just got a mirror that clips onto my glasses.
A head-mount mirror allows you to see behind you all the time (normally) and allows you to see in two opposite directions at once.
A helmet helps you if you get hit, but it doesn't help prevent you from getting hit. A mirror does, so it's more important.
In places like the Netherlands people generally don't wear any helmets when casually riding, and studies done there have showed that making people wear helmets doesn't decrease injuries. Only good traffic measurement (bicycles avoiding getting hit by cars!) does that.
Plus: you need a helmet more on a normal upright bike.... On an upright bike, when you apply the brake too hard or when you hit a stationary object, you tend to flip over the handlebars and land on your head.
I have recumbent bikes, that can't flip over forward in a crash. The most common injuries in recumbent crashes is ankles, and abrasions to the legs, hips and hands.
If you crash on a recumbent, you crash feet-first. For that reason alone recumbents are far safer than upright bikes.
Pic related: the long-wheelbase, under-seat-steering form (like the Avatar 2000) is not hardly the fastest, but is said to be the safest bike to crash on.
In an impact, the rider just slides forward off the bike, feet-first.
Longbikes makes a current version but are pretty expensive, starting at like $2800. They're made very nicely however.
