If you wear a helmet does the type matter?

[ufkacbln]

I'd just answer the questions before you start spreading propaganda !

Putting aside the fat that the OP asked about standards....


The certification of the helmet is the only way that the consumer has to assess how effective that helmet is in an impact. It is an international market and Keith Oates above has a prime example, his helmet is CPSC certified and offers a higher proven impact tolerance

A Snell certified helmet is tested at a higher impact energy than EN1078 on a flat (2.2 m fall as opposed to 1.5 m) and kerbstone (1.2 m as opposed to 1m fall) anvil than EN1078, and also on a hemispheric anvil (1.3m) which EN1078 does not even test

CPSC, ANZI ASTM(now ANSI) in the US, Canadian and Australian standards all test at a higher impact than EN1078 and are proven by these tests to withstand a higher impact.

If you dismiss all these tests as propaganda, how do you suggest a consumer assesses the level of protection a helmet will offer in an impact

How do you assess which of two helmets can withstand a higher impact?

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

How do you assess which of two helmets can withstand a higher impact?

First you have to assess at which point in your life you will fall on your head from a height of 2.2m

 

[ufkacbln]

First you have to assess at which point in your life you will fall on your head from a height of 2.2m

So you have in one statement argued against all helmets being effective!

Your argument that negates all proof that helmets absorb impact unless you are going to fall directly vertically on to the crown of the helmet!

The concept is very simple :

Helmet A is proven to withstand a drop from 2.2 m
Helmet B is proven to survive a drop from 1.5 m

Which one has the higher proven ability to absorb an impact?

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

So you have in one statement argued against all helmets being effective!

No. If you can control every variable of a crash/smash or impact, then you may have a chance of a helmet helping, IF you hit your head.

In the real world (unlike lab tests) I have little to no control over how other road users hit me,how hard and where.

Your argument that negates all proof that helmets absorb impact unless you are going to fall directly vertically on to the crown of the helmet!

The concept is very simple :

Helmet A is proven to withstand a drop from 2.2 m
Helmet B is proven to survive a drop from 1.5 m

Which one has the higher proven ability to absorb an impact?

Neither. If the impact force(to any point on the helmet) in the real world is higher than that of the lab tests. Did you consider that?

Before you ask. I wear a helmet and I don't care for the standard it's based on, only that it has been made to a standard.

 

[Deleted member 23692]

All the manufactures listed on that poorly designed Snell site seem to be Chinese. Where are all the major players like Bell, Giro Met etc? Does the Snell standard actually mean anything?

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

All the manufactures listed on that poorly designed Snell site seem to be Chinese. Where are all the major players like Bell, Giro Met etc? Does the Snell standard actually mean anything?

I found that rather interesting also.

 

[ufkacbln]

No. If you can control every variable of a crash/smash or impact, then you may have a chance of a helmet helping, IF you hit your head.

In the real world (unlike lab tests) I have little to no control over how other road users hit me,how hard and where.


Neither. If the impact force(to any point on the helmet) in the real world is higher than that of the lab tests. Did you consider that?

Nope, never occurred to me.....

Why do you think I have been suggesting that helmets with a higher proven ability to absorb an impact would be more protective in an incident?

Mind you it is interesting that you are now stating that helmets are unproven to work in real life incidents

Before you ask. I wear a helmet and I don't care for the standard it's based on, only that it has been made to a standard.

As before, this is your choice to compromise the level of protection that you could achieve

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

Nope, never occurred to me.....

Why do you think I have been suggesting that helmets with a higher proven ability to absorb an impact would be more protective in an incident?
Mind you it is interesting that you are now stating that helmets are unproven to work in real life incidents

Nope. I didn't. I said the testing probably isn't a true comparison to the real world.

As before, this is your choice to compromise the level of protection that you could achieve

It's also my choice as to what I think is adequate. As far as I'm concerned the certification of the helmet I bought in CRC, is adequate.

 

[ufkacbln]

Nope. I didn't. I said the testing probably isn't a true comparison to the real world.


It's also my choice as to what I think is adequate. As far as I'm concerned the certification of the helmet I bought in CRC, is adequate.

My mistake. I really thought that you were suggesting that accidents in real life could exceed the proven abilities of the helmets to absorb an impact

 

[ufkacbln]

Because Snell is voluntary, stricter, and unequivocally more difficult to pass


They also test consumer helmets from stores as opposed to batches made for testing

This is not universally popular, however if you look at CPSC, ANSI etc which are compulsory you will find more efficient helmets than those passing EN 1078 only

 

[User6179]

If you wish to compromise your safety by choosing an inferior helmet then that is of course your choice.

It just seems a bizarre decision to choose to wear a helmet and then not put the protection it offers to the top of the shopping agenda

I would be interested though why you dismiss Snell certified helmets as heavy and non-breathable, some of the lightest and best ventilated helmets on the market are Snell certified.

What helmet do you wear?

1 If protection was top of the list for cycle helmets cyclists would just wear full face motorbike helmets, its not !, I would say most cyclist I know wear the one that looks good .

2 I never said snell helmets were heavy and non breathable!

3 I wear a giro monza.

 

[fossala]

I was in a bad crash 3 months ago (return to work today). My cheap aldi helmet saved my life (or so the doctors say). I've replaced it with some giro one and bought it because it was comfortable. I think that a helmet has to be comfortable otherwise you will never put it on.

 

[green1]

Yes I do think manufacturers would spend more money making helmets more adequate( if they are infact inadequate) as Im sure a lot of products far exceed safety standards they need to.

If I'm am designing something it is developed until it reaches the desired standard then all development work is stopped and it is put into production. So if my brief was to design it to EN1078 and it passed the Snell Standard I have cocked up and wasted time and money.

 

[Rob3rt]

If you wish to compromise your safety by choosing an inferior helmet then that is of course your choice.

It just seems a bizarre decision to choose to wear a helmet and then not put the protection it offers to the top of the shopping agenda

I would be interested though why you dismiss Snell certified helmets as heavy and non-breathable, some of the lightest and best ventilated helmets on the market are Snell certified.

What helmet do you wear?

I just bought a new helmet (recieved it today), there were several considerations in this purchase:

Is it aero?
Will it suit my ride position?
Does it match my bikes colour scheme?
Will it clash with my club colours?
Can I afford it?

and...... most importantly....

Does it look pro as f*ck?

The answers to the above were, yes, yes (it is configurable to suit a number of ride positions), yes, no, yes (on sale, saving of ~£100) and finally, YES!

 

[XRHYSX]

my helmet is black and red, it could be made by bell I've never thought to look, it cost about £14 5yrs ago
its a comfortable piece of Polystyrene I strap to my head when I ride my bike, I feel anything is better than nothing. a couple of years ago a car knocked me off my bike I bumped the back of my head as I hit the ground, it could have been worse if I had nothing on my head