Maelochs

I just agreed with i-like-to-bike. Y'all better pack your survival gear and ready your bunkers, The End Is Nigh.

Gresp15C

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veblen_good

Monkey Face

Aha, but my use of the word was not a matter of who you talk to, but who you listen to. I accept the various dictionary definitions, but what I actually meant is rather different to what you decided I meant. Nuance, old chap, nuance.

Gresp15C

More about pricing:

Another strategy: If you’ve noticed shops selling dishes that feel particularly over-the-top — say, the $1k “Golden Opulence Sundae” from Manhattan’s “Serendipity 3” dessert shop, or Ben & Jerry’s 20-scoop Vermonster — you might have stumbled across a “decoy item.”

As Gregg Rapp, a prominent menu engineer who has worked in the industry for 38 years, explains it, decoy items are not actually designed to be ordered.

The goal, he says, is to “get dopamine kicked into your brain.” You probably can’t afford to buy a golden sundae, but its mere existence excites you about the rest of the menu.

-- https://thehustle.co/meet-the-menu-e...-the-pandemic/

I-Like-To-Bike

I suspect that some consumers think $100 helmets are a real bargain at the LBS after the salesman shows them the $300+ price tags on others that do not appear to be much different and have the same stamp of approval from the CPSC.

Doug64

I didn't gp through all the posts but good helmets do not have to be "expensive".

This happened yesterday when my head came in contact with the bumper of a car. The helmet is a mid-priced Giro (MIPS). The force was pretty substantial, and I am certain it would have been major if I was not wearing a helmet. Other than a sore neck and the loss of some skin on various body parts, I came out of the accident in good shape.

I believe that the MIPS technology helped, but I have no way to verify this. The impact was on the side of my head above my ear.

cyclingtrav

some manufacturers will advertise that they have their own in-house standards that exceed mandated industry requirements... as long as they meet government standards, this should be the first box to check.

with MIPS, I haven’t really bought into its value and whether or not it justifies the price. The concept makes sense, but the variation in how it’s executed varies from one manufacturer to the next... which causes me to be skeptical of its efficacy.

I agree that the price is usually a reflection of comfort in terms of ventilation and weight, and also performance aerodynamics. Your regional climate would influence priority in these characteristics.

Purchasing any helmet on eBay is a gamble. Depending on the region/market for which the helmet was made to be sold in, safety standards may not be the same as where you live. US Consumer Protection Safety Commission establishes policy and standards for helmets made for sale in the US, and has different (not necessarily better or more strict) safety standards than EU or AUS. Where I live, although I’ve never seen it enforced, you’re not allowed to race wearing a helmet that hasn’t been approved by the CPSC.

sjanzeir

After the original padding of the older of my two Bontrager helmets no longer... well, padded, I glued some pieces of insulation rubber foam to small strips of velcro and stuck them in the right places. No issues other than the occasional piece ungluing itself every once in a while.

stephanlinn

Consumer Reports Excellent impact protection ratings to:

Lazer Cyclone $50.00, 295g

Scott Arx Plus $86.92, 261g

Louis Garneau Sharp $89.95, 285g

Bontrager Circuit $99.00, 290g

Poc Trabec $79.88, MBX

Giro Reverb $35.00, closed

Raskullz Mohawk $20.00 , boys

grumpyoldguy

Helmets are one piece of kit I would want to try on before buying, as opposed to ordering online. They all meet mandatory safety standards, but they all fit and feel different. You'll pay more for light weight and better ventilation. More expensive helmets often have better fitting retention systems with easier adjustability, and more comfortable strap designs. Some come with a crash replacement warranty. Also, you don't want your head to look like a mushroom.

RiceAWay

Virtually all deaths to pedestrians or bicyclists are caused by multiple blunt trauma from being struck by cars at speed. This is why I always wear bright colors and am careful at intersections where most of these events occur. Wearing the best imaginable helmet ever designed doesn't save your life when the majority of the bones in your body have been broken and shoved into your organs. Of course I'm sure that you can find exceptions but they are so rare that they don't show up in any of the statistics that I've encountered. And, indeed, there COULD be someone whose life was saved by their helmet but they too are the small exception and not the rule. My serious concussion might be the closest but I don't have any faith that my helmet did anything other than keep my head from getting cut up. If I didn't have an early carbon fiber fork improperly built by an Italian company I would not have been leaning over to see what the noise was and hence be too close to the ground to put my hands or at least my arms out to protect me.

sdliebman

I was in the same boat a couple of years back. I picked up the "Base Camp" helmet on Amazon ~$40 I like it because of the magnetic visor and it is cool and comfortable. The liner is washable. It has served well for several years multiple triathlons and a few thousand miles on the road. Well on my head while I was riding on the road.

Maelochs

This is the actual issue I have been raising repeatedly.

Most cyclist deaths have nothing to do with helmets. if a drunk ninja salmon gets hit by a car, the issue is not that he wasn't wearing a helmet, but that he shouldn't have been a drunk ninja salmon. For the people who unfortunately get rammed even while riding smart, again, it is not the helmet the survivors discuss---it is the pelvis, femurs, ribs, punctured lungs, ruptured spleens .....

There is no correlation supported by data that a helmet helps in Any car-bike collisions.

As @RiceAWay notes, his helmet stopped him from getting cut. Helmets lessen the severity of low-speed impacts. The are more like mouthpieces which keep your teeth intact even if your face is ground off ..... not essential lifesaving protective devices, but basically, kneepads for your head.

I am not opposed or in favor of other people wearing helmets. I am somewhat in favor of people accepting reality and facing facts. But obviously i don't have a lot of control over any of that.

roskobosko

Bontrager also offers -

1. Crash Replacement Guarantee provides a free helmet replacement if involved in a crash within the first year of ownership

alanf

This time around I got one @ Costco for 25 - 30 CanD. Works like a charm. I bought a fairly expensive bicycle helmet previously out of curiosity.

The only time a helmet was used for protection was when I wiped out on my motorcycle (a 1974 Honda 500/4) because someone who I did not know on a Motorbike wiped out in front of me when a lady ran a stop sign in front of us. I dumped mine because it was that or drive over him. Anyhow I had a full coverage Bell helmet at the time when full coverage was not cool. My head bounced off the pavement slightly. How do you test a helmet against the spurious events like that.

CAT7RDR

^^^^^^ The Lazer helmet was toast after I dropped a chain and went over a curb and landed upside down on the side of my head, neck and back. My Camelbak still had water in it and also took some of the punishment. Still had a concussion but was able to get back on the bike and ride home. The Lazer MIPS did its job. No fractures and was able to bounce on the pavement without a major injury.

Sy Reene

Gotta love the incentive-based programs!

Crazier Dave

I bought one up from the bottom of the line Giro tested here to get the MIPS feature. I did some research before I bought and as far as I could tell, the more expensive helmets are not any safer. It was very comfortable and had good ventilation. I'm very happy with my purchase.

Doug64

Read this: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full...2.2019.1650201

Take a look at the bibliography at the end of this paper.

DangerousDanR

More anecdote. YMMV.

Last winter I was riding laps on a local mall parking structure. Speed, cadence, and HR, sensors all in place. I misjudged the available traction. Uf Da! My helmet was a Kali Phenom. My speed sensor reading went from 22.5 KPH to 0.0 KPH in one reading interval, so it is safe to say I was going 22.5 KPH when I hit the concrete. I did not slide, I did a nice hard slap down on the deck.

I picked up my badly bruised ego and rode home slowly. About 6 years ago I had a serious TBI (not bicycle related) with which I am still dealing. I did not notice any worsening of my symptoms. And with Kali's replacement program, I sent them a demolished helmet and I got a new one delivered to my house.

My memory from years ago when I was a Firefighter / Medic was that a "high energy impact" was defined as one at 20 KPH or greater. My instruments indicated that I was going 22.5 KPH which put me over that threshold. The helmet was visibly crushed on the impact side. I was not aware of any head injury, so the helmet did its job and absorbed enough energy to limit the amount that was played into my brain.

I am well aware that helmets will not prevent all types of injuries, but, for the most part, the patients I treated who were wearing helmets did better than those who were not. No, I did not treat a statistically valid number of patients in those ten years. But with my life experience I hope to be buying another Kali when mine needs replacement due to age.

sunburst

Now that you mention it, a similar thing happened to me. Went over the bars, broke my collarbone and didn't even hit my head.

SpeedyBlueBiker

I bought this helmet about 1.5 years ago. It works very well and has lights on all four sides. In addition to the white light in front it has blinking lights in the back and on both sides. The only problem is that it isn't certified in the USA, only in Europe which is why when I came to the USA I left it at home. I also have heard that in the USA blue lights are reserved for law enforcement and this helmet has flashing blue lights on the sides and rear. I still use a handlebar mounted white light but the helmet light just adds to the illumination.

https://rockbrosbiking.com/products/...31935096062046

canklecat

I got one of those Base Camp sorta-aero helmets with shaded visor too. Seems to be a knockoff of an older design Giro or Garneau aero helmet. Really good for the money. I think the price dropped to $25 just before they discontinued it. I was a bit skeptical of the quality but a couple of users posted photos of their post-crash helmets and said they worked fine.

The visor is better designed that some name brand rounded aero helmets of a few years ago. A common complaint about some aero helmets was the magnetic connectors weren't secure on the name brand helmets, especially in the stowed mode. The Base Camp 3-magnet clasps appear very secure in either position.

I don't wear it often because the rounded shape doesn't quite fit my oval noggin, and is just a little small. But I've worn it a few times when chasing Strava PRs and KOMs, and it did seem to help a bit with lower wind resistance. It's not well vented so I don't wear it in summer.

big chainring 

I bought a helmet from the "Wish" app. $16 plus $12 shipping. Drop shipped from China. Took a little over a month to get it. Nice helmet labled "Victagoal". And a month after I recieved it I got another one in the mail. Unexpected two for one!

The Old Peddler

Wow, it seems to me that HELMETS as a biking component are a really hot topic. Lots of good viewpoints that, I admit, surprised me. Being out of biking for so long, I lost touch with the market for such things as helmets. I wrongly assumed that not much has changed in helmet tech. Perhaps they are somewhat like cell phones(?) ... if it's newer it has got to be better! Well maybe, but I wear an old Giro helmet with which I am quite satisfied.

Yes, it does provide some head protection in a low speed impact but I really like it because it makes a perfect mount for a big rear view mirror. Being able to see traffic coming behind me, I feel, is a constant benefit to my personal safety; more so than any possible benefit involving a high speed crash.


The Old Peddler