pnj

Why do they have to look so goofy?

plus, why do they only cover the top of your head?

most it seems don't come below the ears.

has anyone crashed on the side of their head and not had enough helmet to keep their cheeks from hiting the ground?

the helmet I ride w/ is an old (1970's) ProTec. it is the kind that comes down over the ears and looks really really dumb but I can't bring myself to buy a new one because I think they look dumb too....

bac

I would guess the rationale is that the top of the head is the most vulnerable spot for head trauma. So, it's a matter of picking the low-hanging fruit, if you will.

FYI, you could always buy a full face, moto-cross/downhill type helmet, if the look of a typical helmet is really that offensive to you.

pnj

i've hit my head a number of times but never the very top of it.

for now i'll stick w/ my goofy 70's helmet.

everyone looks at me like i just got off the short bus but i can live w/ that.

f86sabjf

Hi PNJ

I personally would be scared to death to ride with whatever type of styrofoam the old helmet is made of.Who knows what chemicals have been near it and might affect the performance of it.
My wife just had a 20mph get off the other day in a paceline incedent .Needless to say she cracked the left rear side behind the ear all the way through.This is on a new helmet and was on grass and sand that she hit.I would hate to think what could happen to an old helmet like you described,and no helmet at all is unacceptable in my opinion.I don't think she would be in to good a condition right now.
Oh well just my 2cents.


SeeeeYaaaa
Jeff

usnagent007

helmets are more fashionable than skull fractures this season...

Pete Clark

Check out this read:

https://bikexprt.com/bicycle/helmtrd1.htm

Especially the part about Dr. Eugene Gaston.

thbirks

I think PNJ raises a good point. Most helmets do not provide protection for the side of your head, the back of your head or your face. In only accident I've had where I hit my head, only the very front of the helmet was impacted and a peice broke off. I still have a scar above my eyebrow from this accident. I know in Pete Clark's little pedestrian caused accident he also hit his face. In the link Pete posted, the cyclist also hit his face.

My point is that this seems like a common occurance. Yet most helmets don't address this. The modern helmet seems designed for a impact to the top of your head. This kind of accident seems less likely to me than an accident where the cyclist hits the ground with their face. Does anyone agree?

As for style, most new helmets are more stylish than my unmanagable hair.

John E

I favor continuing research to improve the protection afforded by a helmet. I wonder whether a full-face helmet, favored by some extreme offroad bicyclists, could exacerbate a neck injury.

For the record, I wear fairly conventional Giro and Bell helmets.

Pete Clark

That's exactly what happened to me.

When I got my new helmet (courtesy of Louis Garneau) after my crash, it was supposed to be exactly like my old helmet. But it was modified: the front part that broke away, which had horizontal vents in it, had been redesigned as a solid piece--no vents.

I'm glad someone's on the case.

pnj

well i not down w/ skull fractures, but as mentioned by others, i don't think the helmets of today are that good.

some don't even cover the ears.

i have fallen on the ground more times than most people.

i have hit my head with and without helmets. i may have had concussions, i don't know. i don't go to hospitals unless someone takes me against my will.

but now i'm at the point were i would like a new helmet but i don't like anything i see.

i think alot of people don't even question the fact that the helmet they have on will do any good. they just assume that if they have a helmet, it will work.

it reminds me of the people that ride motorcycles and wear the smallest helmet they can find just so they don't get a ticket (in those states that have helmet laws)

any helmet is better than no helmet, I think we will all agree on that.

unrelated

You can get a full-covered motorcycle helmet if you want ultimate protection

The modern helmets are designed for light weight and "aero dynamic" reasons. Sometimes I think if the aero dynamic doesn't matter I must as well just get a skateboarding helmet.

I think one has to be smart when an accident occurs, to be able to put yourself in such position that will reduce damage to your vital parts, like your head. Maybe you can watch more motorcycle racing and observe how the riders react when they are thrown out of their bikes.

I have never had any major accident relating to cycling. I think I am still too conservative in terms of riding, though I am sometimes too fast for people( not experienced) to catch.

chewa

I thought the helmet design was to protect the occiput, and the temples, and by extending out sideways to provide an impact point to protect the cheekbone.

As far as I'm aware all helmets available in the UK do that.

poululla

What do you base that silly believe on?!!

Todays helmets are made of lighter and stronger, improved materials, many of which was not available in the 70's. Computer design is used in developing and improving them, and a lot of time is spend testing it. My LIMAR helmet has passed numerous quality and strength tests for headgear in Europe for ex. CE, TUV (the German institute for testing) and GS.

Now, as for your 70's model helmet, you might as well put a tupperwear dish on your head. There is no comparison when comparing 70's helmets with todays tested helmets.

CycleMON

I don't want to repeat what wasd already said, so I'll say this: A helmet should be replaced after 5 years of use. Your helmet is over 30 years old . Time for a new one!

deliriou5

haha... talk about lookin goofy. people will think you're a wannabe motorcylcist, but you cant afford one yet

roadbuzz

A quality, name-brand modern helmet is rigorously tested and is quite likely safer than your 70's era helmet. Also much lighter, and probably cooler and more comfortable. Current models are designed to self-destruct on impact, but as in Pete's case, most manufactures will replace for free or at a discount. In any case, check for agency certifications when making your selection. Do a GOOGLE search on "bicycle helmet safety" to get additional info.

Full face protection helmets are available if you really think you need it. And, frankly, what bicycle gear doesn't look funny? We're only used to it!

unrelated

Then when do we need goggles? I have a couple of stylished sports goggles given by my friend who's relative makes them. First of all it's hot and when there is no air flow mist accumulates. Secondly unless it some really high-tech lense or polarised lense will it really serve its purpose.

So other than to look like Ultraman( Japanese superman) I can't think of a practical use for them.

MtnBikerChk

ever see those cheap styrofoam coolers? the eventually start to fall apart - water, sand etc. do you sweat? does it get dirty?

replace it!

stewartp

Goofiness is in the eye of the beholder.

I'm a sucker for the shallower things in life. I used to refuse to wear a helmet coz they looked so crap, and anyway, non of the pros wore them. Plus all the research quotable that they may not be effective.

Bot now they're aggresively styled, well vented, and available in team colours and the pros do wear them.

So I do too.

Fickle, me.

Occasionally tho', on a really hot day, I've taken the helmet off and strapped it to the back of the saddle, and let the wind thru my hair again. You pays your moneay, and you takes your chances.

Stew

pnj

the proTec skateboard helmets and bmx helmets have foam.

they are no different than the one I have now, minus age.

webist

I agree that helmet design takes into consideration factors such as weight, aerodynamics and ventilation as well as protection. Thus, I suppose, we end up with the "goofy" look. I prefer to think of it as a specific cyclist look rather than goofy.

My wife says I look like an ant. Actually, now that she too is a helmeted cyclist, she claims we look like a pair of ants.

I believe we have to have a limited expectation of protection from the typical helmet. The only way to achieve complete protection from injury due to cycling is to stay completely away from bicycles, our own and anyone elses. Thus protection is a compromise.

After an accident, I suppose one could look at a scraped elbow and conclude that elbow protection should have been in place. A scraped chin might call for chin protection. Broken ribs suggest some measure of chest protection. A good deal of the protection we enjoy from our equipment is dependent on the type of riding we do. Agressive sports enthusiasts, I opine, may be subjecting themselves to more serious injury than we more conservative riders.

Absent any protection at all, we are statistically more likely to sustain more serious injury. statistics however, do not apply to each specific incident.


Carl

poululla

I think PNJ is being difficult, to the point of being plain stupid. There is no greater fool than those who choose not to know any better, and that sounds like him. It has been explained to him, quite logically, why his old helmet should not be used anymore. I have nothing more to say to him. Good riddance!!!

pnj

I think some of the post were just re-hashed from what the guy at the bike store said.

first off, if you think the same helmet you ride is good for everybody else, your not thinking clearly.

what i mean to say is, what type of riding is being done by the rider?
alot of your are strictly road riders. riding at high rates of speed.
no one asked what kind of riding i'm doing, but just assumed i was doing the same as y'all.

no big deal, and i wasn't trying to be a pain in the arse.

I've learned alot from this thread and that is why I started it.

I will still stand by my belief that todays helmets look goofy.

to damm areo dynamic and too many holes.

but, as they say, opionions are like a$$holes.
everyone has one, but no body thinks theirs stinks.

have a good day.

Tarantula

Some of the top of the line helmets are works of art. They are both functional and beautiful. The Giro and Limar and Briko helmets have grace and beauty and adorn heads better than the crowns of kings and queens.
As for the safety, these modern day crowns have protected head after head in minor to very serious crashes. Cycling will be inherently unsafe to a point. It is up to all of us to take every precaution we can, then ride out to the edge. If we want total safety, we should have OSHA design our protective outfits and our safety cyles. But, my god would they be ugly and cumbersome and slow. We would drift away from the recreation we love and try something else, like street luge or blading.
Signed,
Pompous Ass