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I need a new helmet. Why so expensive?

Old 09-01-20, 10:34 AM
  #126  
IGH_Only
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When my bike arrives, I don't plan on using a helmet for various reasons. How dangerous can it be if the state doesn't declare it a law?
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Old 09-01-20, 10:46 AM
  #127  
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Originally Posted by IGH_Only
When my bike arrives, I don't plan on using a helmet for various reasons. How dangerous can it be if the state doesn't declare it a law?
The state doesn't tell you to wear a coat when you go outside in January when it's -5F.
It's very dangerous if you are involved in an accident. Don't be "that guy", wear a helmet.
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Old 09-01-20, 12:29 PM
  #128  
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For those looking for empirical data, a peer-reviewed study was published in the Journal of Accident Analysis & Prevention - "Evaluation of a novel bicycle helmet concept in oblique impact testing". It actually explains well why some of the newer helmets, including those with MIPS and WaveCel, provide improved protection for head injuries due to the rotational acceleration forces experienced in realistic bicycle crash scenarios. Previous bicycle helmet studies only measured lateral (direct) acceleration to the helmet and brain. Think bounce-passing a basketball (your brain) versus dribbling the basketball.

I'm a new poster, so I cannot provide the URL, but you can google it by name or find it at sciencedirect.com and article number S0001457518303713.

A few disclosures:
(1) Trek (Bontrager) sponsored some of the research.
(2) My brilliant daughter participated in the research while pursuing a biomedical engineering degree at the University of Portland. She was selected as lead author of the article.
(3) She later bought me a new $150 Bontrager WaveCel helmet as a Christmas gift, but it didn't fit well on my bald noggin, so I went back to the MIPS helmet that I find more comfortable. My wife benefited however and loves wearing the WaveCel helmet.

Last edited by mbliven; 09-01-20 at 12:59 PM. Reason: technical accuracy
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Old 09-01-20, 03:43 PM
  #129  
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Originally Posted by IGH_Only
When my bike arrives, I don't plan on using a helmet for various reasons. How dangerous can it be if the state doesn't declare it a law?
Spain requires helmets.
Read this:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full...2.2019.1650201

Take a look at the bibliography at the end of this paper.
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Old 09-01-20, 04:32 PM
  #130  
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the more expensive helmets are lighter and have more ventilation. They are not necessarily safaer, and in some instances, less safe...some of the testing places rate how well a helmet will slide across the pavement (with your head in it) and some of the more expensive (at least a few years back) did not do well at this. Here's some places to look at.
https://helmets.org
https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicyc...t-ratings.html
..and consumer reports
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Old 09-02-20, 12:46 AM
  #131  
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I'd like to get a helmet. I don't presently have one, and I ride 100 miles per week.

I assume they all fit differently. I rode motorcycles for a long time, and know that with those helmets, you have to try them on. A lot of them.

I'd like to find a local shop that's open, and lets people try on helmets, but right now I don't know if that's possible.
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Old 09-02-20, 01:34 AM
  #132  
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Originally Posted by IGH_Only
When my bike arrives, I don't plan on using a helmet for various reasons. How dangerous can it be if the state doesn't declare it a law?
Don't rely on the state or the posters here. it is your life. Make your own choices.

I have more than 50 years' experience riding in traffic and i have worn a helmet very few times--when mandated on group rides, or when riding off-road, where I expect to crash a couple time per ride if I am trying to clear new obstacle. I believe helmets have saved me from getting cut or scrapped a couple times .... but didn't prevent concussions.

People who live in fear of everything try to justify that fear by getting everyone else to share it. That is silly.

Your fears are valid---they are also yours. They are valid in that you are really afraid---not in that they are realistic. But we all have our comfort zones. I always wear a seatbelt since the frst time I hit something hard enough to hit the windshield. And once, while wearing a seat belt, i was hit hard enough to break the seatbelt and the seat---so I hit the windshield anyway. I still wear a seatbelt. That's me. Means nothing for or to anyone else.

Same with wearing a helmet off-road. I feel better so I do it. it never stopped a concussion .... but I feel better.

That is pretty much the extent of what 'science" can do for me. In hypothetical situations or lab tests, safety gear can do certain things---but people die of head injuries while wearing helmets, and a lot more die of other injuries while wearing helmets---and still it is less than 1000 people per year, each year. So screw all the fear-mongering. Wear a helmet if you want. Odds are far higher than you will hit your head in a fall in a bathroom---yet nobody recommends wearing a helmet in the shower.

In fact, head injuries are the chief result of car crashes, but nobody even considers wearing a crash helmet while driving unless they are racing. But they preach here about wearing bike helmets.

By the way I looked at the references of one of the papers cited here and found "There was no significant association between the severity of the TBI, ISS scores, GOS-E or death and helmet wearing." (https://www.cambridge.org/core/journ...510376251643E9)

Interesting that the authors of a cited study on helmets would find that wearing a helmet basically say that among the people they studied (TBI while riding or death while riding) wearing a helmet made no difference.
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Old 09-02-20, 04:56 AM
  #133  
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Originally Posted by Maelochs
Don't rely on the state or the posters here. it is your life. Make your own choices.
Good advice, you should taken it yourself rather than crossing over to trying to convince others of your take on the subject.
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Old 09-02-20, 07:27 AM
  #134  
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What if I buy that $300 helmet but nobody knows how expensive it is? Still "worth it?" My wife has an aunt that leaves the price tag on everything, kind of like Minnie Pearl.

It's not like a car: everyone can tell the difference between a new S-Class MB and a 10 year old Honda.
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Old 09-02-20, 08:09 AM
  #135  
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Originally Posted by Maelochs
By the way I looked at the references of one of the papers cited here and found "There was no significant association between the severity of the TBI, ISS scores, GOS-E or death and helmet wearing." (https://www.cambridge.org/core/journ...510376251643E9)

Interesting that the authors of a cited study on helmets would find that wearing a helmet basically say that among the people they studied (TBI while riding or death while riding) wearing a helmet made no difference.
No, that is not what the authors concluded. The very next line after the one you quoted:

"Conclusion : Cyclists without helmets were younger, less educated, single and unemployed. They had more severe TBIs on imaging, longer LOS in ICU and more neurosurgical interventions."

And, if you read more of the article:

"There exist many studies in the literature that compare medical outcomes of cyclists wearing helmets to those who do not, including perspective case-control studies. These studies, discussed in a meta-analysis by Attewell and a Cochrane review by Thompson, have overwhelmingly concluded that helmets protect against serious head injuries and death. Furthermore, convincing biomechanical evidence exists supporting helmet efficacy against severe TBIs."

TBI: Traumatic Brain Injury
LOS: Length of Stay
ICU: Intensive Care Unit
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Old 09-02-20, 09:37 AM
  #136  
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Originally Posted by bblair
It's been a few years, so time for a new helmet. It is my understanding, perhaps wrong, that they all meet the same safety standars. Most use the MIPs type of retention/adjustments. Look to be of the same materials.

So why should I buy the $350 one and not the $75 one? Just because it's new or my favorite TDF rider endorses it? Or is it actually safer and more comfortable?

Yea, I know that this has probably been rehashed a million times. But like everyone else, I don't pay attention until it effects me.
Actually there are a lot of $50 helmets or less that are just fine. They all meet Gov standards.
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Old 09-02-20, 10:13 AM
  #137  
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Originally Posted by bblair
What if I buy that $300 helmet but nobody knows how expensive it is? Still "worth it?"
You will know know, and will have the credit card receipt to "prove" to yourself how much better the helmet is than the cheaper versions bought by people with brains allegedly worth less yours, or at least that is the pitch offered by some apologists for the price gouging by some bicycle helmet/LBS retailers.
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Old 09-02-20, 12:58 PM
  #138  
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Originally Posted by IGH_Only
When my bike arrives, I don't plan on using a helmet for various reasons. How dangerous can it be if the state doesn't declare it a law?
That is a reasonable approach to life. Do anything that the state doesnt explicitly tell you not to- thats how you win!***
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Old 09-02-20, 01:01 PM
  #139  
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Originally Posted by Maelochs
Odds are far higher than you will hit your head in a fall in a bathroom---yet nobody recommends wearing a helmet in the shower.
An adult has a higher likelihood of falling in a bathroom than when on a bike?
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Old 09-02-20, 01:16 PM
  #140  
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Originally Posted by mstateglfr
An adult has a higher likelihood of falling in a bathroom than when on a bike?
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/cdc-re...ry?id=13802036 Now you do.
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Old 09-02-20, 01:22 PM
  #141  
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Originally Posted by Maelochs
Interesting. It doesn't prove your claim, but its interesting.
I think an average of more than 640 people 15 or older fall off of a bike each day, which would disprove your claim.

But really, I just wanted to post that gif because I laugh every time I think of that SNL commercial.
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Old 09-03-20, 09:11 AM
  #142  
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Originally Posted by rydabent
Actually there are a lot of $50 helmets or less that are just fine. They all meet Gov standards.
This thread has been informative, especially highlighting some of the recent peer-reviewed published scientific research on bicycle helmet testing and safety. Agree, in part, with the poster above, but wish to offer some additional context.

An important point is that recent advances in bicycle helmet design help reduce rotational forces on the brain caused by an oblique impact. Those forces often occur in bicycle accidents and have been shown to cause more trauma to the brain than a linear impact does. Some helmets include such design features (MIPS, WaveCel, others) and are marketed accordingly, some don't.

A second point is not all testing methods are the same. The U.S. Government's testing agency, Consumer Product Safety Commission, began developing its current testing method for bicycle helmets in 1994, more than 25 years ago. The procedure, approved in 1999, measures only the force of impact due to linear acceleration, and not rotational acceleration. MIPS helmets were introduced in 2010 and WaveCel helmets in 2019. The CPSC does not currently provide a standard or test helmets to assess their efficacy in reducing rotational forces.

The independent organization Consumers Reports evaluated some MIPS and WaveCel helmets in the June 2020 magazine, noting however: "Though our labs don't test the efficacy of anti-rotational force technology, we do "impact absorption testing," which includes dropping the helmets at approximately 14 mph onto a flat anvil and measuring the impact." I believe CR's tests is identical or similar to the CPSC testing method.

Most riders would agree that wearing any helmet is better than none. Read the scientific research so you can make an informed consumer choice on how to best spend your money to protect yourself or those you love. All helmets do not necessarily offer equal protection, but you can also find some helmets which have incorporated anti-rotational force protection start at $60 - so most can afford the newest safety technology without breaking the bank. Helmet fit and comfort is important, of course, otherwise it won't do its job or you won't want to wear it.

Finally, and perhaps it has been mentioned before, but you should inspect your helmet regularly, and seriously consider replacing it if you've been in an accident or after several years of riding and abuse.

You were only issued one brain. Take care of it.
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Old 09-03-20, 11:21 AM
  #143  
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Personally, I won't buy a helmet that doesn't have MIPS or wave cell, which help with concussion prevention. These added safety features don't add much cost and personally are worth it to me.
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Old 09-07-20, 10:41 AM
  #144  
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Jensen has a Giro MIPS "Register" on sale for $60! Good buy!
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Old 09-08-20, 07:04 AM
  #145  
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i thoroughly enjoy my POC helment (sic). it's maybe not "the best" but i'm sure it will be okay as is everything else in my life. the best part is the slots being wide enough to scratch almost every part of my head without resorting to the dreaded "chopstick" i used to carry.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and the color has successfully interconnected my mental stability with my physical prowess = win/ win!

https://www.energymuse.com/apophyllite-meaning
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Old 09-08-20, 10:34 AM
  #146  
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Originally Posted by mstateglfr
Interesting. It doesn't prove your claim, but its interesting.
I think an average of more than 640 people 15 or older fall off of a bike each day, which would disprove your claim.
Where the heck did you get a stat like that? I can't imagine someone reporting that they fell off a bike, certainly I wouldn't.
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Old 09-08-20, 11:15 AM
  #147  
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Originally Posted by alanf
Where the heck did you get a stat like that? I can't imagine someone reporting that they fell off a bike, certainly I wouldn't.
I didnt come up with that stat, Maelochs effectively did. He claimed there is a higher chance of falling in a bathroom than on a bike and provided a link that states there are an average of 640 falls per day in bathrooms by people 15 or older.
I say that across the US, there are more than 640 falls off a bike per day by people 15 or older. Mountain biking, BMX, road riding, gravel riding, downhill MTB, etc etc etc.
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Old 09-08-20, 11:55 AM
  #148  
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Originally Posted by mstateglfr
I didnt come up with that stat, Maelochs effectively did. He claimed there is a higher chance of falling in a bathroom than on a bike and provided a link that states there are an average of 640 falls per day in bathrooms by people 15 or older.
I say that across the US, there are more than 640 falls off a bike per day by people 15 or older. Mountain biking, BMX, road riding, gravel riding, downhill MTB, etc etc etc.
There have been mountain-biking days when I think I fell 640 times myself.
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Old 09-08-20, 12:14 PM
  #149  
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Actually .... "A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that approximately 234,000 people ages 15 and older were treated in an American emergency department for non-fatal bathroom-related injuries" is sort of what it says.

I have definitely crashed many times .... occasionally at stoplights because of foot-retention issues .... but I would rather die on the pavement than go to the emergency room because of a clip-fall. I might not have skill, but I have pride.
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Old 09-08-20, 07:09 PM
  #150  
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Originally Posted by Maelochs
Actually .... "A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that approximately 234,000 people ages 15 and older were treated in an American emergency department for non-fatal bathroom-related injuries" is sort of what it says.

I have definitely crashed many times .... occasionally at stoplights because of foot-retention issues .... but I would rather die on the pavement than go to the emergency room because of a clip-fall. I might not have skill, but I have pride.
I'm not sure how quoting the study supports what you said earlier.
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