helmet - best impact resistance

KieranHardman

After a combination of factors, namely moving to alpine coutry with long twisty climbs and descents as well as seeing the Wouter Weylandt crash yesterday, I have decided to make sure I have the right helmet.

Dont care what i look like in it or if it comes in the same colour as my bike or how heavy it is, what helmet has the best impact resistance or is rated as the safest of the lot?

Any advice on braking techniques on long twisty descents to minimize Carbon rims from overheating would be much appreciated as well.

t4tomo

Full faced motor cycle helmet. :?:

Bar Shaker

Any cycle helmet is going to offer reasonable abrasion resistance as your head slides down the road but minimal impact resistance if your head hits trees/lamp posts.

You would not be able to ride a 30mph moped wearing a cycle helmet, so ride with that in mind.

kingrollo

I read a report on helmets recently which basically said, because of fear of being sued - Helmet manufacturers won't make any grand claims of how protective there helmet is. In turn this discourages them from investing in this area - ie why reserch a more crash resistant helmet - if they are never going to be able to market - and get a return on investment. This is stiffling progress in this area.

All the advances are in lightness - and in the shape of helmets. and fastening techiniques - Quite depressing really.

tiny_pens

Bar Shaker wrote:

<snip>
You would not be able to ride a 30mph moped wearing a cycle helmet, so ride with that in mind.

I'll see if I can dig up the correct reference but there were (c. 8 years ago) some cycle helmets (pi55 pot style) that have BS certification and are kite marked for use in the UK as a crash helmet for motorcycle use. Few and far between though. I think this is the reason that the alternative ACU gold standard and ECE standards were introduced.

I'd think that a downhill full face helmet offered a good compromise - not as heavy as a motorcyle helmet but with some protection for keeping your nose if you face plant.

Thinking about it, good leather palmed gloves and a few ju-jitsu lessons to teach you to roll your body in a crash might be a good idea as well

wildmoustache

kieranhardman (ironic name given your post BTW) ... you should ask yourself whether
riding carbon rims in the mountains is sensible for you.

Yes the pros do it and it looks cool and is a bit lighter, but the fact is that an alu brake trake will make you feel safer.

Don't take this the wrong way, but if you have to come on her to ask about how to ride carbon rims in the mountains, you probably shouldnt be riding them.

nakita222

wildmoustache wrote:

kieranhardman (ironic name given your post BTW) ... you should ask yourself whether
riding carbon rims in the mountains is sensible for you.

Yes the pros do it and it looks cool and is a bit lighter, but the fact is that an alu brake trake will make you feel safer.

Don't take this the wrong way, but if you have to come on her to ask about how to ride carbon rims in the mountains, you probably shouldnt be riding them.

that's unfortunate

Monty Dog

FWIW all helmets are designed to meet the same performance criteria therefore they will all perform much the same - rather than over-design a helmet for performance the market driver is to create a lighter and better-ventilated helmet. Re brake performance, it's simple, use alloy rims.

Bar Shaker

My first ACU gold helmet was bought over 15 years ago.

neeb

I think Specialized helmets are Snell certified, which is supposed to be a more rigorous standard than the obligatory EU and US ones. Unfortunately for me they don't really fit my head shape, and a good fit is probably more important.

It's amazing how many people go to the trouble of wearing a helmet but either wear one that is far too small or else leave the straps untightened so that it is not going to stay on in the event of an impact. Not to mention the people (usually casual cyclists / commuters) who wear it tilted way back so it's not even covering the front of their heads, and fit helmets to their children in the same way...

ThatBikeGuy

I'm sure i read something about helmets only protecting your head from impact up to 15mph? After that speed they didn't really have much effect, though i could be wrong :shock:

neeb

ThatBikeGuy wrote:

I'm sure i read something about helmets only protecting your head from impact up to 15mph? After that speed they didn't really have much effect, though i could be wrong :shock:

Yes, a bit of polystyrene with big holes in it isn't going to make much difference in a high speed impact or even quite a low speed one where you hit something solid head on, but it is probably going to save you from concussion and cuts/abrasions etc, or significantly reduce their severity, in many of the sorts of crashes that you are likely to have on a bike. Concussion is not pleasant and repeated concussions can cause permanent brain damage.

If you come off your bike at 40mph you probably aren't going to hit your head at 40mph unless you go straight into a solid object (in which case a helmet isn't going to help) but there is a good chance of a glancing blow at a lower effective speed as you bounce along the road...

DaveHudson

I watched "24 hours in A&E" last night which had a cyclist with severe concussion, Was quite shocking stuff. I don't think they mentioned if he was wearing a lid or not but for me it confirmed my gut instinct to wear mine every time.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/24-h ... od#3189258

KieranHardman

Thanks for the advice. While I already have a helmet, I wasnt sure if there was any tests that had been done by any of the magazines or if there was any independant investigations that had been done and were not readily available. If there is a set standard that no one helmet really exceeds, then Ill do as a few of you have mentioned and see if there is a better fitting helmet than the one I have. Though I think the DH or track helmets might be a step too far! :shock:

wildmoustache wrote:

kieranhardman (ironic name given your post BTW) ... you should ask yourself whether
riding carbon rims in the mountains is sensible for you.

Yes the pros do it and it looks cool and is a bit lighter, but the fact is that an alu brake trake will make you feel safer.

Don't take this the wrong way, but if you have to come on her to ask about how to ride carbon rims in the mountains, you probably shouldnt be riding them.

Ah the inevitable attempt at trolling. That is my actual name, not a nickname i thought Id choose for myself. If you find it humorous then have a giggle if you want, my 7yo cousin does the same. Id rather be embarrased asking for advice than terminally short of breath.

As for not riding carbon tubs because I have to ask for advice on riding in unfamiliar terrain that is more extreme to that which I learned on...please. Using that same logic you shouldnt be allowed to drive a car because you dont know how to drive on ice. Everyone pro riders will have ridden carbon rims for the first time on long descents at some point and Im more interested in whether there was a trick that people employed, such as using both brakes at once or switching from front to rear to dissipate heat etc.

rake

one little trick is to press the sole of your shoe onto the tyre.

thesquireofbanwell

It's a bit long winded but is this of any help?
http://bhsi.org/helmet11.htm