Sniffie Posted June 23, 2015 Posted June 23, 2015 I recently had a bad over the handlebars incident on our local trail, after one of the wooden bridges over a fence had been vandalised. The bridge is about 1,4 m above ground, and given the height at which one rides a mountain bike, I estimate the height from which I fell, almost on top of my head could easily have been 2 m. The Giro Xar helmet obviously saved me from concussion, possible broken vertebrae, and other more serious isues. Due to the fall I am suffering from a disc protrusion which are impacting on a nerve on the C6 level. This incident and the remark: "Buy the best helmet you can afford.", that Andrew Mclean made recently after his heavy fall, made me think: What is the safest helmet out there at the moment? Does Giro in SA have a crash replacement initiative?Is it true that Giro is now owned by Bell?I would like some of the expert hub opinions on this subject before buying my next lid please.
Spinnekop Posted June 23, 2015 Posted June 23, 2015 We once had a VERY good expert. Well respected and very knowledgable guy with Hub alias Linega. He would have told you that NO helmet was the safest option. And I saw his logic in it. That together with loads of research to prove his theory. That said, it is the law and as such one must wear one. All helmets go through standards and tests etc. Thus all pretty much the same protection. Some cover more area than other but it will all depend on how you crash....road.....branches through helmet.....ears cover etc..
Sniffie Posted June 23, 2015 Author Posted June 23, 2015 We once had a VERY good expert. Well respected and very knowledgable guy with Hub alias Linega. He would have told you that NO helmet was the safest option. And I saw his logic in it. That together with loads of research to prove his theory. That said, it is the law and as such one must wear one. All helmets go through standards and tests etc. Thus all pretty much the same protection. Some cover more area than other but it will all depend on how you crash....road.....branches through helmet.....ears cover etc..I just wondered where I would have been without the helmet. Looking at the way it cracked it must have absorbed a lot of the shock which otherwise would have travelled into my head, brain and vertebrae. Isn't there an international standard acording to which helmets are graded acording to their safety properties?
velomonatiCT Posted June 23, 2015 Posted June 23, 2015 We once had a VERY good expert. Well respected and very knowledgable guy with Hub alias Linega. He would have told you that NO helmet was the safest option. And I saw his logic in it. That together with loads of research to prove his theory. That said, it is the law and as such one must wear one. All helmets go through standards and tests etc. Thus all pretty much the same protection. Some cover more area than other but it will all depend on how you crash....road.....branches through helmet.....ears cover etc.. maybe he fell off his bike onto his head the ppa also used to argue nonsense like helmets discourage cycling back in 2013 its 2015 (I hope they don't say that anymore) its a lot of moronic nonsense to think not wearing a helmet is safer and anyone who advocates no helmets is a dangerous idiot who should be ignored buy the best helmet you can afford and wear it as per the directions
Cav' Posted June 23, 2015 Posted June 23, 2015 Most top manufacturers will cover the same "protection". Get the one with the shape/colour you like.
Joe Low Posted June 23, 2015 Posted June 23, 2015 Is there any problem wearing a skate helmet? I saw them for R300 and thought they'd be fine on a MTB, have seen a couple of guys with them and figure they're doing the same job.
Lefty V Posted June 23, 2015 Posted June 23, 2015 It either complies or does not comply with the industry standards (ANSI, ASTM, etc) - I am sure there must be a difference in how strick the various stanbdards are, but there is no Euro NCAP-like star rating that ranks helmets the way that cars are ranked, so there is no way of easily knowing that this one is better than that one. Once you rule out the non-compliant ones it largely comes down to fit and wearing it correctly. "Buying the best you can afford" is not wrong, but knowing what is best is unfortunately not that easy and price is not such a good indicator of quality or fit (which is nice for a change) Mine has saved my life.
marko35s Posted June 23, 2015 Posted June 23, 2015 Is there any problem wearing a skate helmet? I saw them for R300 and thought they'd be fine on a MTB, have seen a couple of guys with them and figure they're doing the same job.Heat would be a major issue I would guess.
Lefty V Posted June 23, 2015 Posted June 23, 2015 Is there any problem wearing a skate helmet? I saw them for R300 and thought they'd be fine on a MTB, have seen a couple of guys with them and figure they're doing the same job.Ventilation and shock absorbance will not be ideal
Meezo Posted June 23, 2015 Posted June 23, 2015 its helmut http://whatthevogue.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Kermit-The-Frog-Memes-Thats-None-Of-My-Business-Tho-What-The-Vogue.png
DIPSLICK Posted June 23, 2015 Posted June 23, 2015 We once had a VERY good expert. Well respected and very knowledgable guy with Hub alias Linega. He would have told you that NO helmet was the safest option. And I saw his logic in it. That together with loads of research to prove his theory. That said, it is the law and as such one must wear one. All helmets go through standards and tests etc. Thus all pretty much the same protection. Some cover more area than other but it will all depend on how you crash....road.....branches through helmet.....ears cover etc.. who said mods had no sense of humor
'Dale Posted June 23, 2015 Posted June 23, 2015 Get one with a good fit.Try on many.A loose or poor fit can reduce the safety of a lid during a boom bang crash.
Maniax Posted June 23, 2015 Posted June 23, 2015 My specialized helmet saved my life. They have a replacement policy as well. I paid 50% of the replacement. Now I upgraded to a Bell. I feel just as safe. Helmets are there to protect you, regardless of brand or name. Yet, I prefer to stick to the brands that I trust and see in the pro-peloton.
Sniffie Posted June 23, 2015 Author Posted June 23, 2015 Mine has saved my life.After my experience, I tend to agree, mine has saved my life as well. For the sake of those interested, if you don't mind to share, what brand of helmet was it?
sadamhussein Posted June 23, 2015 Posted June 23, 2015 I recently...................I would like some of the expert hub opinions on this subject before buying my next lid please. the best helmet is the one that fits properly - i've seen too many people with helmets sitting on the back of the head, back to front, on the side of the head, loose straps....etc etc. all well known branded helmets conform to the same international standards, so buying a bell, giro, specialized, troy lee, POC, and so forth makes no difference. the fact that you are wearing a helmet that fits securely is what matters. if you are after a helmet that offers "more" protection, a lot of enduro style helmets do this by extending lower around the ears and in the back.specialized just added the Ambush enduro helmet to their line-up: http://www.specialized.com/us/en/ftr/helmets/mens-mountain-helmets/ambush i use the specialized Vice. It fits my head better than any other helmet i've tried in 25 years, but i find it ventilates too well sometimes and my head feels too cold: http://www.specialized.com/us/en/ftr/helmets/mens-mountain-helmets/vice and as always, more expensive does not mean safer. you can see with the two examples given above how the new model is more than double the price. i dont see why? it's the same brand, and at the end of the day it does the same job.
NixM Posted June 23, 2015 Posted June 23, 2015 We once had a VERY good expert. Well respected and very knowledgable guy with Hub alias Linega. He would have told you that NO helmet was the safest option. And I saw his logic in it. That together with loads of research to prove his theory. I like this, we need more organ donors
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.