cycling helmets

Greetings,

This is NOT a flame bait.

Only after I bought the $20 hemet did I research the manufacturers's
Web
sites. I found cycling helmets were divided into categories like
Road, Mountain, etc. My helmet is under the lesser Sport category.

My question is, what are the differences between the helmets with
different prices? Their explanations of "technology" were not
enlightening. I could care less about the style, ventilation. I do
care
about the fit. And safety is the most important.

About safety. Are there government-regulated safety standards?

Thanks.

Roland, genuinely confused

"Roland" wrote in message
om...
Greetings,

This is NOT a flame bait.

Only after I bought the $20 hemet did I research the manufacturers's
Web
sites. I found cycling helmets were divided into categories like
Road, Mountain, etc. My helmet is under the lesser Sport category.

My question is, what are the differences between the helmets with
different prices?

Marketing, # of vents, possibly retention systems, colors. Above all,
marketing.
Last years $130 highzoot design is this years $50 sales leader, and next
years police giveaway.

Their explanations of "technology" were not
enlightening. I could care less about the style, ventilation. I do
care
about the fit. And safety is the most important.

About safety. Are there government-regulated safety standards?

*All* lids sold in the US must meet the current CPSC testing standard. There
is a slightly tougher standard (Snell) but very, very few lids are tested to
that standard. And it probably doesn't really make that much difference.

There should be a certification sticker inside the helmet.
http://www.bhsi.org/standard.htm#CPSC
http://www.cpsc.gov/businfo/regsumbicyclehelmets.pdf

If your $20 lid fits well, is comfortable, and not too ugly, it's fine.

Pete

Roland wrote:

Greetings,

This is NOT a flame bait.

Only after I bought the $20 hemet did I research the manufacturers's
Web
sites. I found cycling helmets were divided into categories like
Road, Mountain, etc. My helmet is under the lesser Sport category.

My question is, what are the differences between the helmets with
different prices?

Typically, if you compare a more expensive helmet with a cheaper one,
this is what you'll find:

The more expensive one is a little lighter, has more vent holes (so less
styrofoam), has a slightly better strap system, is made by a company
with a more recognizable name, and is more in line with _this_ year's
fashion. It may also have been worn by some famous racer.

The cheaper one is a bit heavier and has fewer holes, so they can be
sure it passes the certification test on the first try. It may need
more careful strap adjustment, since they didn't spend quite so much
time on strap details. It may be made by a less familiar Oriental
manufacturer. It may have (horrors!) _last_ year's styling. It won't
have been used by a famous racer, since they saved money by not
sponsoring one of those guys.

And it will be more protective.

Yes, the cheaper one will protect better. Much of the development time
of the high-end helmets goes into figuring out how to minimize weight
and maximize ventilation while barely - just barely - passing the test.
They sell them to racer-wannabees, and those guys look at grams and
styling more than anything.


Their explanations of "technology" were not
enlightening. I could care less about the style, ventilation. I do
care
about the fit. And safety is the most important.

Of course. We Americans realize, more than anyone, that if we just
spend enough on bike helmets, big enough SUVs, side curtain air bags,
carbon monoxide detectors, etc, we'll never actually die. ;-)


About safety. Are there government-regulated safety standards?

They're not allowed to sell a helmet in the US unless it passes this
test: A magnesium "headform" (no body attached) is put into the
upside-down helmet. The helmeted "head" is dropped from a stationary
six foot height (roughly). It impacts a hard surface at about 15 miles
per hour. If the linear deceleration of the headform is more than 300
gees, the helmet fails.

There are lots more details, but that's the essence in quick summary.
It doesn't test the helmeted head with an actual body attached. It
doesn't measure rotational acceleration of the subject's brain, which is
actually thought by many experts to be the major mechanism behind
serious brain injury. It's essentially equal to what would happen if
you lost your balance while stopped at a traffic light and landed on
your head. That's what the helmet's designed to protect against.


--
--------------------+
Frank Krygowski [To reply, remove rodent and vegetable dot com,
replace with cc.ysu dot edu]

"Roland" wrote in message
om...
Greetings,

This is NOT a flame bait.

Only after I bought the $20 hemet did I research the manufacturers's
Web
sites. I found cycling helmets were divided into categories like
Road, Mountain, etc. My helmet is under the lesser Sport category.

My question is, what are the differences between the helmets with
different prices? Their explanations of "technology" were not
enlightening. I could care less about the style, ventilation. I do
care
about the fit. And safety is the most important.

About safety. Are there government-regulated safety standards?

Thanks.

Roland, genuinely confused

Ya I'm confused about helmets too. i see a lot of people these days wearing
those skater type helmets or climbing helmets which look like they give
better coverage in the back.

On Sat, 07 Aug 2004 20:23:41 -0700, dreaded wrote:

i see a lot of people these days
wearing those skater type helmets or climbing helmets which look like they
give better coverage in the back.

It seems those lids have less styrofoam in the front where you'd most
likely impact. May or may not be something to consider, just an
observation. I've also noticed that many inexpensive helmets have more
bulk than the racier versions with the expensive airholes. Perhaps they're
even safer?

At any rate, it would make sense that fit and proper helmet adjustment
would be the most important things to focus on--I see a lot of folks
around here wearing their helmets like yarmulkes, leaving the foreheads
open for business so to speak.

Roland wrote:

Greetings,

This is NOT a flame bait.

Only after I bought the $20 hemet did I research the manufacturers's
Web
sites. I found cycling helmets were divided into categories like
Road, Mountain, etc. My helmet is under the lesser Sport category.

My question is, what are the differences between the helmets with
different prices? Their explanations of "technology" were not
enlightening. I could care less about the style, ventilation. I do
care
about the fit. And safety is the most important.

About safety. Are there government-regulated safety standards?

The most stringent safety standard is Snell. Few helmets (no Bell or
Giro models, AFAIK) meet it these days as there's been a general
reduction in standards to achieve weight and ventilation targets.

If anything, the cheaper less ventilated helmets will offer better
protection, but don't expect *any of them* to save you in a collision
with a motor vehicle.

Fit depends on the shape of your head, and you'll just have to try
different brands.

On 7 Aug 2004 16:54:54 -0700, (Roland) wrote:

Greetings,

This is NOT a flame bait.

Only after I bought the $20 hemet did I research the manufacturers's
Web
sites. I found cycling helmets were divided into categories like
Road, Mountain, etc. My helmet is under the lesser Sport category.

My question is, what are the differences between the helmets with
different prices? Their explanations of "technology" were not
enlightening. I could care less about the style, ventilation. I do
care about the fit. And safety is the most important.

As people have been telling you, the price gets you a lighter helmet with bigger
vents and up to a point better strap systems.

As for your stated priorities...

Style, ventilation: these are where most of the money for a premium helmet goes.
I suspect but can't prove it, that since reducing the amount of material used is
the main way to achieve those goals, much of the increased price goes into
insurance and lawyers.

Fit: more money gets you better straps and mounting systems. This affects safety
in terms of a second hit, like after your noggin bounces off the edge of the car
and hits the ground. That said, it's mostly a matter of the shape of your melon
and what's comfortable to you.

Safety: I would not be surprised if the less expensive helmets (up to a point)
were safer in terms of general ruggedness. The fit and retention thing starts
affecting really cheap helmets.

To be honest, if the thing fits and feels like it's gonna stay on, there
probably isn't much difference in safety.

About safety. Are there government-regulated safety standards?

There are CPSC standards and there is, probably more importantly, the standards
that help keep them from losing lawsuits.

I feel not the least bit endangered by my $30 helmet. The primary safety factor
is to not crash.

Roland, genuinely confused

So was I, until I realized that there was only so much protection I should
reasonably expect from one of these things. Besides, I'm old and rode forever
with no helmet at all, and now only do so when heavy traffic or club rules are a
factor. I don't mean to denigrate the 21st Century idea that no activity should
be accompanied by any danger whatever, but....

Ron

On 7 Aug 2004 16:54:54 -0700, (Roland)
wrote:
This is NOT a flame bait.

Only after I bought the $20 hemet did I research the manufacturers's
Web
sites. I found cycling helmets were divided into categories like
Road, Mountain, etc. My helmet is under the lesser Sport category.

My question is, what are the differences between the helmets with
different prices? Their explanations of "technology" were not
enlightening. I could care less about the style, ventilation. I do
care
about the fit. And safety is the most important.

As other respondents have mentioned, most of these are marketing
distinctions. "Sport" means "inexpensive." "Technology" in marketing
speak means something like "useless frills to make people buy more
expensive things instead of less expensive alternatives" in English.

You may (or may not!) find a visor on a "Mountain" helmet; presumably
road riders use sunglasses and would have a hard time elevating their
heads to see underneath the visor. For some reason, probably having
to do with prescription glasses and late afternoon sun and glare, I
like using a visor on the road. As for ventilation, my
ultra-expensive $35 helmet does feel slightly cooler when the
temperature's over about 80 degrees, but below 45, the "sport" $20
helmet is warmer and more comfortable.

Slightly off topic, my wife asked the waiter a few days ago where the
restaurant's "special imported baby back ribs" were imported from. He
couldn't find out. I suspect Iowa...

Pat

Email address works as is.

"Roland" wrote in message
om...
Greetings,

This is NOT a flame bait.

Only after I bought the $20 hemet did I research the manufacturers's
Web
sites. I found cycling helmets were divided into categories like
Road, Mountain, etc. My helmet is under the lesser Sport category.

Well, like other posters have mentioned, all helmets sold in the US meet the
same safety standards. If you like your helmet that's all that matters.
However, you're more likely to wear it if you think it looks cool. I'm kinda
paranoid about helmet usage. I wear a Giro Eclipse when I'm training on my
road bike, but in town I wear a sixsixone bmx/skate helmet. It's heavier and
hotter but it provides a lot more coverage and it makes me feel safer. Of
course, I act like a hooligan teenager in town, so it's probably a good
idea. People look at you funny when you're 34 and still jumping your bike
off stuff......am I a poseur for wearing a BMX helmet covered in stickers at
my age? LOL

"gooserider" wrote in message
. ..

"Roland" wrote in message
om...
Greetings,

This is NOT a flame bait.

Only after I bought the $20 hemet did I research the manufacturers's
Web
sites. I found cycling helmets were divided into categories like
Road, Mountain, etc. My helmet is under the lesser Sport category.

Well, like other posters have mentioned, all helmets sold in the US meet
the
same safety standards. If you like your helmet that's all that matters.
However, you're more likely to wear it if you think it looks cool. I'm
kinda
paranoid about helmet usage. I wear a Giro Eclipse when I'm training on my
road bike, but in town I wear a sixsixone bmx/skate helmet. It's heavier
and
hotter but it provides a lot more coverage and it makes me feel safer. Of
course, I act like a hooligan teenager in town, so it's probably a good
idea. People look at you funny when you're 34 and still jumping your bike
off stuff......am I a poseur for wearing a BMX helmet covered in stickers
at
my age? LOL



not if it's a JFA sticker!