Which helmet

mikerd4

Looking at getting a new helmet and before visiting shops etc I was looking at the planet x clearance sale page that someone posted.

I know all helmets have to meet minimum standards regardless of price so in effect all are good, but I don't mind spending to get a "better helmet" after seeing two people I know have bad smashes and being told their helmet saved them.

Planet x are selling the giro ionos 2011 and 2012 models for 120€ and the kask Vertigo for the the same price. Both are top of their respective range helmets. Has anyone any experience of either or am I blowing money on a brand and there is better available for less?

I know it's subjective and I really should go somewhere that sells them to try them but please try and help

morana

mikerd4 wrote: »

Looking at getting a new helmet and before visiting shops etc I was looking at the planet x clearance sale page that someone posted.

I know all helmets have to meet minimum standards regardless of price so in effect all are good, but I don't mind spending to get a "better helmet" after seeing two people I know have bad smashes and being told their helmet saved them.

Planet x are selling the giro ionos 2011 and 2012 models for 120€ and the kask Vertigo for the the same price. Both are top of their respective range helmets. Has anyone any experience of either or am I blowing money on a brand and there is better available for less?

I know it's subjective and I really should go somewhere that sells them to try them but please try and help

Helmets ...dont get me started...120€ ffs.

I got a bell venture after my last Giro I think it was the overpriced heap of **** model.. €50 for the bell cant go wrong but its your money...Iwould buy the bell and buy a club comp licence with the rest (and a pint for me at a race!)

tomasrojo

mikerd4 wrote: »

I know all helmets have to meet minimum standards regardless of price so in effect all are good, but I don't mind spending to get a "better helmet" after seeing two people I know have bad smashes and being told their helmet saved them.

When Which? magazine did a comparison of helmets, the expensive ones fared no better than the cheap ones. They all seem to just meet the standard and no more (if that; several actually failed the EN1078 test when administered by Which?). If you find one you like for cheap and it meets the EN1078 standard, you might as well get that one. Better still, if you can find one that meets the Snell B95 or B90 standards, get that one, since those standards are higher.

(Being told in the event of a collision that a helmet saved you is a ubiquitous phenomenon now, and the basis for it is rather slender.)

Dali Farmer

mikerd4 wrote: »

Looking at getting a new helmet and before visiting shops etc I was looking at the planet x clearance sale page that someone posted.

I know all helmets have to meet minimum standards regardless of price so in effect all are good, but I don't mind spending to get a "better helmet" after seeing two people I know have bad smashes and being told their helmet saved them.

Planet x are selling the giro ionos 2011 and 2012 models for 120€ and the kask Vertigo for the the same price. Both are top of their respective range helmets. Has anyone any experience of either or am I blowing money on a brand and there is better available for less?

I know it's subjective and I really should go somewhere that sells them to try them but please try and help

I agree with both posters above. Helmets are only meant for one fall, and then have to be replaced. I generally buy the cheapest most aesthetically pleasing one

mikerd4

After seeing the state of the helmets after the collisions i doubt the consultants were messing with their statements.

Any info on the Snell standards and which helmets meet them? Or the Which test results?

manwithaplan

I bought an expensive helmet and I haven't even crashed yet. Talk about a waste of money. Don't get me started on the VHI - if I don't get seriously ill this year, there will be hell to pay.

CramCycle

manwithaplan wrote: »

I bought an expensive helmet and I haven't even crashed yet.

I bought a pricey one as well, 1 crash, hit my hand and hip off the ground, presume the helmet is still OK to use, though I do now have a permanent creak in my neck from the weight of the helmet :eek: I only bought it because CI forced my hand and it matches the colour of my bike.

Talk about a waste of money. Don't get me started on the VHI - if I don't get seriously ill this year, there will be hell to pay.

My cover starts in February, if I get sick before then, so help me Mithra, I will be up set.

rich.d.berry

tomasrojo wrote: »

Being told in the event of a collision that a helmet saved you is a ubiquitous phenomenon now, and the basis for it is rather slender.

I fell and hit the back of my head. The helmet shattered. I had a week's worth of headaches following the concussion. How can you say that my head was not protected by the helmet? I would assume that the energy that went into shattering the helmet was dissipating the force that could have been transmitted directly to my skull. What do you base this statement on?

Beasty

This is a discussion on "Which helmet", not the merits or otherwise of wearing one. We've had plenty of threads on that topic if posters care to do a search

Thanks

Beasty

Chips Lovell

My understanding of the helmet market is that generally the more you pay, the lighter and more ventilated a helmet is likely to be, rather than the safer they are.

Beasty

Vladimir Kurtains wrote: »

My understanding of the helmet market is that generally the more you pay, the lighter and more ventilated a helmet is likely to be, rather than the safer they are.

Which makes absolute sense, given there are safety standards to be met, and manufacturers are unlikely to get any "value" out of significantly exceeding the statutory requirement.

I've got to say, I really do prefer a light helmet (certainly when compared to my winter setup, which has a helmet light attached)

Lumen

Beasty wrote: »

I've got to say, I really do prefer a light helmet (certainly when compared to my winter setup, which has a helmet light attached)

Do you worry about what would happen if you crashed into the ground using your head whilst the light is strapped to the helmet?

doozerie

Whatever about cost, bear in mind that not all helmets fit the same. I've found that modern Bell helmets don't suit my head shape and are very uncomfortable to wear. I've also found that Giro either have the same issue or maybe I just fall in the boundary between sizes as none of them that I tried were a comfortable fit (came much closer than the Bell though). I've clearly got a funny head.

For me personally, both Catlike and Lazer fit reasonably well on my head. Of the two the Catlike is a more comfortable fit, but the adjustment mechanism on the Lazer is superior. So my advise is to try on one of the Giro helmets in a local store before committing to buy one.

The quality of the adjustment mechanism contributes to the cost (though I think Lazer mechanism might be the same on all of their models of helmet, I'm not entirely sure), but if you find a helmet which fits well from the start then adjusting the fit it should be a rare need anyway so the benefits of a better mechanism are marginal at best. Lightness and ventilation certainly also help determine the cost, and like others I prefer a lighter helmet.

...not to mention looking fabulous, that doesn't come cheap either

Beasty

Lumen wrote: »

Do you worry about what would happen if you crashed into the ground using your head whilst the light is strapped to the helmet?

Funnily enough I have thought about it - it's attached via this:

The plastic bolt through the middle is relatively flimsy, and I think it would snap without too much force, hopefully allowing the helmet to absorb any impact (although I've not tested that aspect!)

tomasrojo

Beasty wrote: »

Which makes absolute sense, given there are safety standards to be met, and manufacturers are unlikely to get any "value" out of significantly exceeding the statutory requirement.

Yes, that's exactly what Brian Walker, who tests helmets, said:

The manufacturers of all forms of safety helmet have to sell their goods in a brutally competitive global market. With very few exceptions, safety helmets are made down to the lowest standard permitted within a given 'local' market.

http://cyclehelmets.org/1081.html

tomasrojo

mikerd4 wrote: »

Any info on the Snell standards and which helmets meet them?

Slight thread resurrection:
I see that Wikipedia says that Specialized helmets meet the Snell standards.

currently, Specialized is the only bicycle helmet brand in the world to meet the Snell standard. All of their helmets are Snell certified.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_helmet#History_of_standards

kuro_man

list of certified helmets here
http://www.smf.org/certlist/std_B-90A_B-95A_B-90C_B-95C

including some not made by Specialized!