Girlfriend's Helmet

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Jim77

New Member
Sorry I couldn't resist that title. Childish I know.

So to the point: My girlfriend is returning to cycling and his due to get her first bike since childhood this week. I have told her she needs to get a cycling helmet but she hates the cycling helmets she has seen so far. She has found these which she likes:

http://www.cyclefashion.co.uk/helmet.html

These seem more like what I would think of as Skate board / multi sport helmets to me. Are they as safe as conventional cycling helmets? She is going to be riding on cycle paths at a very leisurely pace.

I am expecting the response of it not being a fashion accessory - which I already know. What i what to know is - is it scientifically less safe?
 
fossyant

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
Well .....each to their own. Not well vented and might get rather hot !
 
gavintc

gavintc

Guru
Location
Southsea
I suppose it will be easier to polish her helmet with this type than the normal ones.

There is no comment on the type of helmet or its performance beyond giving your girlfriend a more attractive helmet. It would be worth having a good look at your future girlfriend's helmet to make sure that it is likely to meet the requirement.
 
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Jaded

New Member
Jim77 said:
I have told her she needs to get a cycling helmet
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Hopefully the first thing she will do is ask you why.

If she doesn't ask this, you are quite right to dump her.

If you can't answer sensibly, then she is quite right to dump you.
 
OP
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Jim77

New Member
Jaded said:
Hopefully the first thing she will do is ask you why.

If she doesn't ask this, you are quite right to dump her.

If you can't answer sensibly, then she is quite right to dump you.
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Eh What?!:biggrin:
 
PrettyboyTim

PrettyboyTim

New Member
Location
Brighton
Jim77 said:
I don't know. what does everyone think? I do.
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Bike helmets do not offer anything close to the kind of protection you'd get from a motorcycle helmet. They are only designed to protect your head at fairly low speeds, which are also the kind of speeds that you're unlikely to suffer serious head injuries anyway.

Any time you're in an accident on a bike, you've already lost. A bike helmet may reduce your suffering a little bit, but it only protects a bit of your head. Therefore you'd do best trying to reduce the chances of an accident.

Given the choice of spending some money on a bike helmet and spending some money on some bike training, she'd be far, far better off going for the bike training which should substantially decrease her chance of getting in an accident in the first place. That will protect the whole of her body, not just the top of her head.

If she doesn't like the helmets, don't try and force one on her. It's really not going to make a huge difference to her safety, especially if she's not going particularly fast.
 
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Joe24

More serious cyclist than Bonj
Location
Nottingham
Let her choose weather to wear one or not. Take her to some bike shop with those helmets in she likes, get her to try one on, and see if she looks good in one. Personally i think they look pretty shite and no good.
If she wants a helmet then go for one which suits her bike. Like a mountain bike helmet if she does mountain biking. There are some decent looking helmets about, its just finding one that suits her head. Show her some women doing the type of riding she does, see if that makes her want to wear one.
There is a huge debate on one of the sections about if its good to wear a helmet or not. Its a huge undecided thing and its just personal preference.
 
gavintc

gavintc

Guru
Location
Southsea
Jim you have entered an alternative world here - the arguments for and against helmet wearing. Some people are extremely passionate about not wearing a helmet. Make your own decision up. If you are interested - google it.
 
OP
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Jim77

New Member
gavintc said:
Jim you have entered an alternative world here - the arguments for and against helmet wearing. Some people are extremely passionate about not wearing a helmet. Make your own decision up. If you are interested - google it.
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Yes it seems that way. I would have thought it was safer but that appears too naive now lol
 
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bonj2

Guest
sorry to thread hijack but could someone please explain why helmets "are only any good at low speeds". Surely if your head hits something and the helmet is between your head and whatever it hits, then it is going to protect your head, regardless of whatever speed you're travelling forwards at, which isn't necessarily proportional to the speed your head hits the ground at.. I'm not saying you're definitely going to be ok, nor do I expect it to guarantee me to be perfectly safe, but RELATIVE to going fast and NOT having a helmet, surely it's got to be better...
 
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bonj2

Guest
You're right bonj. Slide along the road at 25mph, and hit the kerb at an agle head-first once your skin had slowed you down and in theory you could be helped by the helmet.

However, lie still on a road while an artic drives over your head at 3mph and it isn't going to help.
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That doesn't really make much sense. But the fact is, a helmet could be the difference between life and death if it you DO happen to have a head impact with the road and your helmet instead hits the road first instead of your skull and brain.
 
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Jaded

New Member
There was a calculation done on the effectiveness of a helmet at speed, based on the energy of the crash at that speed and the absorbing powers of the helmet. It was on another forum and the posts have now gone.

However, from memory, it went along the lines that at 40mph a helmet would ensure that your head hit the hard thing with the same effect as if it hit it at a speed of 38mph without a helmet.

You can draw your own conclusions.

Which, no doubt, will be coloured by you own acceptance of what speeds are possible..
 
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