Crash sensors and compatible helmets?

[Time Waster]

I'm looking at crash detection. What's a good option?

Two use cases.

Case one is my 12yo son who's getting into mountain biking on local trails and trail centres. We got him a secondhand giant stance full suspension 4 months ago and he's got very skilled with it on trails. Before then we mostly went road riding and touring with a little off-road. Now he's very quick on trails and fearless. 2 crashes he's walked away from hurt but ok in those 4 months. So I'm getting him a new spesh Camber mips and ANGI compatible.

Me I'm a road rider who mostly commutes by train then bike and who's going to end up getting a secondhand MTB hatdtail to take him out to trail centres and then on routes in the lakes and nearby areas. I'm thinking one might be good to let my partner know if I've been hit early one morning by a driver and also when crashed on a trail too.

So are they worth it and which one is best for both of us?

I already own a Fenix 6 which has it I think. I might end up getting a bike GPS unit (Garmin as I'm tied into the ecosystem already). My son wears no watch and won't want a GPS for his bike.

I'm thinking Tocsen or ANGI with a spesh Camber for son and another spesh helmet for me. Possibly get a different helmet for my son as I think there's a decent helmet (MTB full face one from another brand) that is compatible with the spesh ANGI sensor

So does anyone know about this and have some advice for both these two use cases (my son who definitely needs something unobtrusive, and me who might not really need one).

 

[kingrollo]

Cheap option might be strava live track ?
You can set it up so a link is emailed at the start of each ride. The link will give current location.

Might want to get some personal injury cover - that will cover physio/ dental repairs - heaven forbid should the worse happen.

Good idea to cover as many risks as you can. But remember your son is probably having the time of his life.....good for him.

 

[Red17]

I have a garnin fenix watch which has accident detection. Issue I had using it off road (mainly cx) was that it was detecting accidents regularly due to sudden drops etc so I ended up turning it off.

 

[Oldhippy]

Does it not dull the senses thinking you will be informed before anything happens? I had a car that bleeped all over ghe place deciding things were too close or lane drifting. It was a pain and I turned them off as they were more of a distraction in honesty.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I own two things with crash detection. I'm afraid I don't use it, but you may want to investigate.

One is my Specialized helmet. It has a gizmo in it that you can link to your phone. It's called ANGi and I think you can buy the sensors separately. It links to your phone and sends alerts if it detects a crash.

The other is my Garmin Edge 1040. Again it can link to the phone and sends alerts.

Just 2 leads to research further. No useful experience, sorry

 

[fossyant]

Good god no. Mine would be phoning home all the time - it's switched off. I can generally phone home if a little bad (like breaking your pelvis), but falling off on the MTB is a regular thing.

 

[Time Waster]

The Spesh ANGI sensor is one I'm considering. The helmet I'll be getting for my son is the camber 2 with MIPS and a space on the rear strap for an ANGI sensor, or another brand too perhaps.

The basic 130 head unit has crash detection I heard. However, he's 12yo so I'm not spending on a Garmin bike GPS when there's still some element of him being likely to leave the bike alone with it on for some time. So I've ruled that out.

The cheapest watch from Garmin with it is the Forerunner 55. However he doesn't like watches. Well he wants a normal watch but not a GPS tracker watch. So that's not going to be an option for him.

So far I think there's only ANGI from Spesh or Tecson from Aleck brand IIRC. The second has a good rep with use being better, but it has only one type of motion sensor compared to two with the ANGI plus connection only BT iirc not got the WiFi of the ANGI.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

If he’s at trail centres someone will come across him. Make sure he has some form of ID and emergency contact details on him.

 

[Drago]

Get him some tuition, make him a more skilled and faster rider and less likely to tank it in the first place.

 

[Time Waster]

Good god no. Mine would be phoning home all the time - it's switched off. I can generally phone home if a little bad (like breaking your pelvis), but falling off on the MTB is a regular thing.

Mine would never get any action. I was 50 with 46 years of riding before I had an accident that was more than a bit of bruising and grazing. That event resulted in a broken elbow, sprained wrist and gravel rash on my cheek & chin. It seemed it's not great to use your face as a brake! Also not good for my elbow and wrist to go for flying lessons without anything to keep me in the air!

Still my broken elbow got recorded as a cycling injury due to not wearing a helmet! The A&E doctor couldn't explain why a helmet on my head would have prevented the broken elbow. I did ask but no he found an excuse to leave before he had a chance to give me his answer. Still I did see him record no helmet before he told me off for not wearing one. Of course that's a digression.

I do think that I'd possibly not need it but I do know my son will at some point. At home area he's had two over 4 months since getting his full suspension bike when he got back into cycling. He's got some friends into riding the trails in the local woods.

I've seen videos of both his accidents. First was a good one with a good jump he washed out on. The second he messed up completely and landed on the front wheel which meant he took a flyer over the bars. Fortunately he seems to end up rolling out and not face planting.

I'm wondering whether at some point he'll need a full face helmet or a convertible one where he can wear it without the full face. There's a few good 3 in 1 helmets. As in folk face, more side protection without the chin and normal helmet without side or chin protection.

I'm thinking that a crash detection sensor on his helmet might be good so he's not having to limp back pushing his bike if he's hurt a bit more than those two times. My partner or myself are likely to be in the area to react to a local spill. If in the nearby Lakes riding we'll likely be with him or in the general area if in a trail centre. Or he's with his friend and his friend's dad riding in the same centre.

I could get the app set up to send to both me and my partner (his mum). Then on days he's taken to ride by his mate and mate's dad I could get it to send to the dad. Either way a fast response.

Technically the ANGI one seems better as it's got two sensors and communication methods. However, the Tecson one has one of each but it can send to other users to get help from anyone with the same device nearby. So better for remote use and of he's every on his own. A community rescue system if you like.

I do wonder how many actually use these devices. I know a lot of cyclists probably just use a Garmin GPS device or watch with crash detection. So I do wonder whether these helmet mounted units are going to have a community of users at a trail centre to use this stranger rescue / alert feature. Not sure it's useful personally. The Tecson feature that shares your spill with anyone nearby with the sensor and app that is.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Good god no. Mine would be phoning home all the time - it's switched off. I can generally phone home if a little bad (like breaking your pelvis), but falling off on the MTB is a regular thing.

Yep, when the bike bounces bringing it down the steps in the garden, it’d trigger the damned Garmin Incident Alert countdown. Desperately stabbing at screen to cancel it within 30 seconds. I too have turned it off.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Still my broken elbow got recorded as a cycling injury due to not wearing a helmet!

Nope, if you come off your bike and end up in A&E it’s a cycling incident to be recorded. Nowt to do with heads.

 

[Time Waster]

Yep, when the bike bounces bringing it down the steps in the garden, it’d trigger the damned Garmin Incident Alert countdown. Desperately stabbing at screen to cancel it within 30 seconds. I too have turned it off.

I'm looking at the helmet sensors which seems to me to avoid this issue. I rarely bounce down stairs whether wheeling a bike or not so not the same issues, perhaps.

 

[PaulSB]

I have crash detection on my GPS. It's permanently switched off. What purpose does it serve for my wife to know I've fallen off 30 - 40 miles from home? I usually get back up and continue. On the two ocassions I didn't jump back on medically qualified people rang her with the full story.

I've ridden with several people who thought it was a great idea. All have subsequently switched it off. Once sat in a cafe a buddy got a call from his wife. It was basically "Are you OK? You haven't moved for 30 minutes."

 

[steveindenmark]

No disrespect to TimeWaster. But reading the original post, you realise cycling today is a world away from cycling around the council estates in the 70s. It was also a lot cheaper then and probably more fun.