Helmets on Le Tour

RideOnTime
RideOnTime Posts: 4,712
edited July 2011 in Pro race
Having watched with interest old footage of Le Tour I have been trying to establsh when wearing a helmet became the norm. Comment in 2003 that the buckling-up of helmets wasn't being enforced and other comments that later it was still not compulsory if finish was an uphill stage..

Comments

  • dodgy
    dodgy Posts: 2,890
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_he ... ling_sport
  • tarquin_foxglove
    tarquin_foxglove Posts: 554
    With the amount of crashes so far it's incredible that we haven't had one "helmet saved my life" comment from the pro's.
  • Pokerface
    Pokerface Posts: 7,960
    tarquin_foxglove wrote:
    With the amount of crashes so far it's incredible that we haven't had one "helmet saved my life" comment from the pro's.

    If Soler could talk he might say that. Hopefully in time. And soon.
  • prawny
    prawny Posts: 5,440
    Stanley222 wrote:
    It's probably down to sponsorship - a helmet is another part of their kit that can be smothered in decals which means more money for the team. :wink:

    Caps were better, although probably not for the helmet manufacturers...
    Saracen Tenet 3 - 2015 - Dead - Replaced with a Hack Frame
    Voodoo Bizango - 2014 - Dead - Hit by a car
    Vitus Sentier VRS - 2017
  • gilesjuk
    gilesjuk Posts: 340
    As an illustration of how rubbish cycle helmets are, I came home one night to find that one of my dogs had chewed one up.

    I still don't see why they can't be made of a combination of foam/polystyrene, carbon fibre or fibreglass for strength. It seems cheapness is one reason.
  • shinyhelmut
    shinyhelmut Posts: 1,364
    gilesjuk wrote:
    I still don't see why they can't be made of a combination of foam/polystyrene, carbon fibre or fibreglass for strength. It seems cheapness is one reason.

    You obviously don't wear the same helmet as I do.
  • Gingerflash
    Gingerflash Posts: 239
    "I still don't see why they can't be made of a combination of foam/polystyrene, carbon fibre or fibreglass for strength. It seems cheapness is one reason"

    Weight.

    Mountain bike full-face helmets usually have a tough, often carbon, skin. They weigh a ton.
  • Bronzie
    Bronzie Posts: 4,927
    gilesjuk wrote:
    As an illustration of how rubbish cycle helmets are, I came home one night to find that one of my dogs had chewed one up.
    Luckily, every time I've crashed and landed on my head (at least 3 times now), there wasn't a dog waiting to eat my helmet before I hit the tarmac.
    It's a Lifestyle! -+-+- Coggan Training Levels
  • emadden
    emadden Posts: 2,431
    ShinyHelmut wrote:
    gilesjuk wrote:
    I still don't see why they can't be made of a combination of foam/polystyrene, carbon fibre or fibreglass for strength. It seems cheapness is one reason.

    You obviously don't wear the same helmet as I do.
    Is your one shiny? :-)
    **************************************************
    www.dotcycling.com
    ***************************************************
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    It was Andrei Kivilev's death in Paris-Nice in 2003 that forced the UCI to make them compulsory for pro-racing. The purpose of a helmet is to absorb the impact of the crash, and in doing so it's perfectly acceptable for the helmet to partially disintegrate. The cost isn't down to the materials or manufacturing, but the ongoing tests and certification of the products - particularly as this can often involve 3 or 4 different sets of requirements. In terms of your dog chewing your helmet, it's down to the salt from your sweat- dogs chew through bones, so quite what a dog-proof helmet would look like / weigh remains another question..
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    It's good to know my dog isn't the only one to chew helmets.

    Caps were way cooler.
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • stoobydale
    stoobydale Posts: 535
    Caps were way cooler

    still are? :D
  • Crankbrother
    Crankbrother Posts: 1,695
    stoobydale wrote:
    Caps were way cooler

    STILL ARE? :D

    Fixed ...

    More on topic ... Helmets in the pro peleton must have been a godsend to Specialuzed, Giro etc. ... I, for one, only really have a road helmet cos it is now seen as part of the kit ... Mountainbiking is different, you're going slower and more likely to fall so there is an actual need and function to it (as well as the helmet being manufactured to do it's job properly at lower speeds) ...

Categories