Absolutely... Just visit Amsterdam, Copenhagen, or Paris and see all the cyclists... What a joy. Instead of helmets the US cities should try to implement cycling lanes for a change.
The difference is of course that in those European cities, cyclists are part of the expected traffic and are catered for with bike lanes etc.
Being originally from The Netherlands, I always used to ride my bike, literally everywhere. I've been living in Sydney/Australia for the past 7 years and the bike riding culture seems very similar to that of the US. Loads of sporty mountain bikes and everyone forced to wear helmets. It's not so much the gear that is the issue of course but the fact that e.g. a city like Sydney (and I guess the same thing counts for many cities in the US) doesn't cater to cyclists at all. No bike lanes (maybe a handful) and in general very dangerous. Not to mention the steep bloody hills in this place!
