Helmets

Secteur

Hi - first time in this sub-forum, and no I haven't searched so sorry if this is a daft question, but I notice that up until just a few years ago (?early 2000's) none of the pro's wore helmets, and now they all do.

Was a rule introduced making it compulsory, or is there some other aerodynamic advantage?

epc06

Yeah, they were made compulsory some years back (no doubt someone will know the exact year)

frenchfighter

Compulsory helmet use in cycling sport
Historically, road cycling regulations set by the sport's ruling body, Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), did not require helmet use, leaving the matter to individual preferences and local traffic laws. The majority of professional cyclists chose not to wear helmets, citing discomfort and claiming that helmet weight would put them in a disadvantage during uphill sections of the race.
The first serious attempt by the UCI to introduce compulsory helmet use in 1991 was met with strong opposition from the riders.[25] An attempt to enforce the rule at the 1991 Paris–Nice race resulted in a riders' strike, forcing the UCI to abandon the idea.
While voluntary helmet use in professional ranks rose somewhat in the 1990s, the turning point in helmet policy was the March 2003 death of Kazakh Andrei Kivilev. The new rules were introduced on May 5, 2003,[26] with the 2003 Giro d'Italia being the first major race affected. The 2003 rules allowed for discarding the helmets during final climbs of at least 5 kilometres in length;[27] subsequent revisions made helmet use mandatory at all times.
No studies have been published yet into whether injuries to racers have reduced as a result, but modern helmets can help to decrease aerodynamic drag by approximately 2% over a rider with no helmet, giving a competitive edge in a bicycle race.[28]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_he ... ling_sport

Secteur

Thanks for that :-)

jonginge

but modern helmets can help to decrease aerodynamic drag by approximately 2% over a rider with no helmet, giving a competitive edge in a bicycle race.[28]

Hmmm. Don't think so. RR helmets != Aero helmets

paulcuthbert

JonGinge wrote:

but modern helmets can help to decrease aerodynamic drag by approximately 2% over a rider with no helmet, giving a competitive edge in a bicycle race.[28]

Hmmm. Don't think so. RR helmets != Aero helmets

I wonder if they were only testing for the use of performance enhancing helmets...

Down the Road

It is so. testing by briko back in the late 90's showed this and with modern streamlining it will be even more so. A human head is as aero as a brick