"Legitimate" or not, helmets are the smart way to go. You could have the best bike handling skills and be at the utmost caution and still not be able to predict what's comin your way. A lot of people just think it doesn't look cool to wear a helmet, but if it weren't for mine, I probably wouldn't be here . When I bought my first road bike, my parents helped me out a little by giving some outdoor jobs to make extra $ and they said they would buy the helmet (purdy grey Giro Atmos at that ). But, when they ride bikes, they don't wear helmets because "they go slow", according to them. All it takes is just one car or one fall.