U.K. or U.S. market helmets - which offer best protection?
neeb
Posts: 4,448
Most people probably aren't aware that the same brand and model of helmet sold in the U.K. and in the U.S. is often a different product. The big manufacturers actually make different helmets to conform to the U.S. CPSC standard and the European EN1078 standard. They look identical, but the U.S. versions are usually slightly heavier and made to absorb slightly greater impact forces, at the possible expense of not being as good at absorbing smaller impact forces.
I read about this somewhere (Cyclist magazine I think) and was able to confirm it myself as I had two Bell Gage helmets in Medium, one bought from a U.K. retailer and another from the U.S. The U.K. one weighs 221g and the size label on the inside actually says "221g" too. My U.S. Gage in the same size weighed 240g and the size label inside said "244g". The fact that the labels state the weights shows that this isn't just individual variation.
Anyway, I crashed in the U.S. one recently and cracked it, so it did its job. I'm looking at replacing it and am tempted to go for a U.S. one again, but it would be good to know if there is any data about the relative safety benefits of the Euro and U.S. standards.
On the face of it, you would think that the stricter U.S. standard would be better, but I also read an article in the U.S. Bicycling magazine suggesting that the CPSC standard might actually mean that U.S. helmets are "over engineered", and that because they are designed not to crack until greater force is applied, don't offer as good protection against concussion, which is the most likely head injury you are going to have in a cycling accident. That said, I only had very mild concussion when I cracked my U.S. Bell Gage (mild headache for 2 days and no other symptoms), so based on that it's tempting to get a U.S. model again to provide more protection against bigger impacts.
It's just about as easy for me to buy online from the U.K. or from the U.S. on ebay and the net price is not very different, given that the U.S. prices are cheaper but then VAT is added on import.
I read about this somewhere (Cyclist magazine I think) and was able to confirm it myself as I had two Bell Gage helmets in Medium, one bought from a U.K. retailer and another from the U.S. The U.K. one weighs 221g and the size label on the inside actually says "221g" too. My U.S. Gage in the same size weighed 240g and the size label inside said "244g". The fact that the labels state the weights shows that this isn't just individual variation.
Anyway, I crashed in the U.S. one recently and cracked it, so it did its job. I'm looking at replacing it and am tempted to go for a U.S. one again, but it would be good to know if there is any data about the relative safety benefits of the Euro and U.S. standards.
On the face of it, you would think that the stricter U.S. standard would be better, but I also read an article in the U.S. Bicycling magazine suggesting that the CPSC standard might actually mean that U.S. helmets are "over engineered", and that because they are designed not to crack until greater force is applied, don't offer as good protection against concussion, which is the most likely head injury you are going to have in a cycling accident. That said, I only had very mild concussion when I cracked my U.S. Bell Gage (mild headache for 2 days and no other symptoms), so based on that it's tempting to get a U.S. model again to provide more protection against bigger impacts.
It's just about as easy for me to buy online from the U.K. or from the U.S. on ebay and the net price is not very different, given that the U.S. prices are cheaper but then VAT is added on import.
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Absolutely no headache. UK version.
Draw your own conclusion
https://twitter.com/roubaixcc
Facebook? No. Just say no.
https://twitter.com/roubaixcc
Facebook? No. Just say no.
I guess the point I am getting at here is that it is the particular standards in the E.U. and in the U.S. that determine how the helmets are made and respond to impact, and it's not immediately obvious (to me at least) which standard is better. The U.S. standard requires that the helmet absorbs more force, but this may not necessarily be a good thing - if the helmet can absorb higher forces, it will be less good at absorbing lower forces, because it needs to deform in order to work and will effectively act like a solid object until the force is high enough to cause it to crack/crush.
So there may be an ideal, just-right-Goldilocks "squishiness" for a bicycle helmet, and one or other of the standards may be better. Too hard and the helmet needs a lot of force to crush, too soft and it crushes before it has absorbed enough force.
I crashed at 30mph and my head didn't hit the ground.. so do we even need to wear helmets?
http://www.bicycling.com/training-nutri ... protection
Makes me wonder if the reason for the lighter (less dense?) Euro versions is to make them better at preventing concussions, which maybe they can do under the Euro regs but not the tougher U.S. ones.
I agree, when I was a kid and learnt to ride we never had helmets, why bother now
seanoconn
Just buy the US helmet if thats what you had before and be done with it. You shouldnt be crashing that often to worry about it surely?
:roll:
I'm kind of hoping that an industry insider will chip in anonymously and give us some more information.
At the end of the day, if I can buy two physically different versions of the same helmet certified to different standards, I'd rather like to know which one is going to be most likely to protect my head better.
Err.. right... I'll let you work out the logic problems with that one..