“Because your head is the only thing the doctors can’t fix,” so says my aunt Meagan, an ER nurse for 30 years. Many people who come on the bike tour are reticent to use a helmet. They register their protest by not clipping it, which seams silly to me. You have it on your head, let it do its job. We hold safety as our number one priority on our bike tours, and will provide everyone with a helmet and insist you use it.
Early in my cycling days I wore my helmet intermittently, until the day I was hit by a car, rolled off the hood and hit the pavement head first. It happened to be a day I had a bike helmet on, which broke in half, and left me with a concussion. Had I not had one on, I’m sure I would not have survived. From that day I’ve always worn a helmet on every bike ride.
When buying a helmet, I recommend going to a bike shop so you can try it on, as opposed to ordering online. A snug fit, with the right padding and you’ll hardly notice it out on a bike ride. Helmets these days are so light, and well crafted with ventilation, if you spend a few bucks extra, you won’t mind wearing it. Of course if you’re just riding a few times a year, you can get away with a $25 bike helmet as long as its labelled MIPS approved.
We replace our helmets every 6 months, but yours should last several years. Any bike tour you take should offer you a helmet, if they do not, they probably do not have insurance either, as most insurers insist on helmet usage for bike tour policies.
I see a lot of AirBnB experience type folks out on Metro Bike rentals leading, not very informative tours, without helmets and it makes me cringe. Why leave your safety in the hands of a stranger who hasn’t safety checked or cleaned their equipment, and doesn’t offer you a helmet? Go with a professional bike guide with safety standards, quality bikes and helmets.
Handlebar Bike Tours does everything by the book, with safety protocols, insurance and helmets. You can feel safe on our downtown Los Angeles bike tour. Its why we’re a top rated bike tour on Tripadvisor, Yelp and Google reviews.