Buying an expensive helmet (hopefully) should be a waste of money

[RookieSports.co.za]

3 hours ago, DieselnDust said:

I'm always a bit sceptical when I see this. Does the helmet carry the CE EN 1078 mark?

Can the manufacturer produce a certificate of conformity?

 

I remember a certain bicycle light vendor once claiming SABS accreditation but when I checked with SABS the product had never been tested because they lacked the ability to test...

We are the importer for Cairbull helmets, each model is tested and certified based on EN 1078 (for EU market) and CPSC 1203 (for US market). We are in possession of the test report and certificates.

These certificates are required for the helmets to be imported into those regions. We do however not have the same requirement in South Africa. 

The manufacturers design helmets mainly for EU and US markets so most helmets in the market will conform to the standards. 

Helmet manufacturing becomes more expensive due to tricky designs that would include more than one moulding process, higher rate of rejects etc. Safety very rarely plays a role (except with systems like MIPS which is expensive to licence - the actual system is extremely cheap). 

[DieselnDust]

19 hours ago, RookieSports.co.za said:

We are the importer for Cairbull helmets, each model is tested and certified based on EN 1078 (for EU market) and CPSC 1203 (for US market). We are in possession of the test report and certificates.

These certificates are required for the helmets to be imported into those regions. We do however not have the same requirement in South Africa. 

The manufacturers design helmets mainly for EU and US markets so most helmets in the market will conform to the standards. 

Helmet manufacturing becomes more expensive due to tricky designs that would include more than one moulding process, higher rate of rejects etc. Safety very rarely plays a role (except with systems like MIPS which is expensive to licence - the actual system is extremely cheap). 

thanks for this insight. This is what I would expect of a serious manufacturer and distributor 👍🏼

Edited September 13, 2023 by DieselnDust

[Bub Marley]

3 hours ago, RookieSports.co.za said:

We are the importer for Cairbull helmets, each model is tested and certified based on EN 1078 (for EU market) and CPSC 1203 (for US market). We are in possession of the test report and certificates.

These certificates are required for the helmets to be imported into those regions. We do however not have the same requirement in South Africa. 

The manufacturers design helmets mainly for EU and US markets so most helmets in the market will conform to the standards. 

Helmet manufacturing becomes more expensive due to tricky designs that would include more than one moulding process, higher rate of rejects etc. Safety very rarely plays a role (except with systems like MIPS which is expensive to licence - the actual system is extremely cheap). 

Ive actually had experience with accidents with both MIPS and non MIPS helmets. The non MIPS helmet was actually a cairbull brand I had. Got hit by a car and was left concussed on the side of the road. Had a slight bruise on my head but the helmet did it’s job. 
 

Also had an accident with an Oakley MIPS helmet. This was a much lighter crash but the helmet was destroyed again. My skull seem to have survived this crash also. 
 

Now I’m not really sure how much difference MIPS technology makes but I don’t think it’s the be all and end all if the Helmet doesn’t have it in. I also feel like of the technology made that much of a difference it would be in every helmet. 

[Pandatron]

Have had two off accidents this year, due to other riders unfortunately.

 

S Works Prevail 3 has come in clutch both times, cant recommend enough.

 

A good article on MIPS and why you need it

https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/what-is-mips/

[Zebra]

7 hours ago, DieselnDust said:

Thanks to Headshot for posting that helmet review site. It is very insightful in terms of helmet performance. There are brands that stand out as consistent top performers and I was surprised to see Leatt not even feature in the top 100, just as I was surprised to see as many Giro helmets In the top 100 despite their very good cooling characteristics (Still 5 STAR rated too).…

I strongly suspect Leatt Corp /helmets were not TESTED for this report; maybe Paul M. of Leatt can comment?
 

Leatt is a SA Company that was then globalised (?), unsure of their HELMET Int’l presence; whereas their neck-brace international availability is well known…

Cheers

Chris

[ChrisF]

20 minutes ago, Bub Marley said:

Ive actually had experience with accidents with both MIPS and non MIPS helmets. The non MIPS helmet was actually a cairbull brand I had. Got hit by a car and was left concussed on the side of the road. Had a slight bruise on my head but the helmet did it’s job. 
 

Also had an accident with an Oakley MIPS helmet. This was a much lighter crash but the helmet was destroyed again. My skull seem to have survived this crash also. 
 

Now I’m not really sure how much difference MIPS technology makes but I don’t think it’s the be all and end all if the Helmet doesn’t have it in. I also feel like of the technology made that much of a difference it would be in every helmet. 

 

Each fall, or rather landing, is different ...

 

 

Mine was a high speed over the bars.  Less than half a rotation before the helmet hit the dirt .... MIPS activated and the helmet moved down like a visor ... 

 

Without MIPS that rotational movement would have been on my neck.

[Pandatron]

17 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

 

Each fall, or rather landing, is different ...

 

 

Mine was a high speed over the bars.  Less than half a rotation before the helmet hit the dirt .... MIPS activated and the helmet moved down like a visor ... 

 

Without MIPS that rotational movement would have been on my neck.

Agreed, 6 weeks ago i went bouncing across the tar and MIPS clutched it.

If it doesnt have MIPS you should be replacing in my view.

[DrRichard]

Picking up new helmet tomorrow! Sticking with specialised - did it's job 

What is never known is how much better / worse off you would have been given your helmet quality. Decent is paramount, the rest is probably not testable.

The one other thing I learnt after going through concussion testing, was that when your brain takes a knock - it needs good time to recover, slowly back to work, get neck muscles seen to as whip lash is real and don't get your head bumped any time soon again - the rugby players who get knocked week in week out get into huge trouble - so rest well till all head symptoms better before risking a second bump (free doctor advice!) 

[NotSoBigBen]

The 'timers amongst us should remember the Bell ad from decades ago...

If you have a $10 head, wear a $10 helmet!

[Bl4d3]

Something to note that a lot of people dont know. Helmets expire, generally 3 - 5 years from production date. Im not 100% certain of the chemistry behind it but your chances of injury increase the older the helmet it due to age of the material.

Also something to bare in mind, if you drop your helmet, the point at which hit the ground becomes compromised and weakens the helmet quite substantially.

Another point, cost of a helmet shouldn't determine level of protection. Sure, some more expensive helmets have additional technologies such as MIPs. For instance a Scott Supra helmet, priced between R500 - R1000 depending where you shop, is great bang for buck but will also do a fantastic job protecting your noggin. Now im not saying go to Game and buy a Totem / Raleigh helmet for R100, obviously dont, but sticking to known brands will keep you safe.

[MongooseMan]

Alright, after looking up the safety rating of my current helmet (a concerning 3 stars) I pulled the trigger on the Spez Align II MIPS.

Picked it up this morning, I like it so far

[DieselnDust]

1 hour ago, MongooseMan said:

Alright, after looking up the safety rating of my current helmet (a concerning 3 stars) I pulled the trigger on the Spez Align II MIPS.

Picked it up this morning, I like it so far

Good looking lid

[splat]

I have a Lazer MTB helmet for sale (Shameless plug)
I think I wore it 5 times.
Lovely piece of kit.
Its a large, but still too small for my fat pip if I wear a sweat band. Its strange, as my Lazer road helmet fits fine.

[DieselnDust]

4 hours ago, NotSoBigBen said:

The 'timers amongst us should remember the Bell ad from decades ago...

If you have a $10 head, wear a $10 helmet!

The woke among us will call that as elistist and demand an apology from Bell

[DieselnDust]

14 hours ago, Zebra said:

I strongly suspect Leatt Corp /helmets were not TESTED for this report; maybe Paul M. of Leatt can comment?
 

Leatt is a SA Company that was then globalised (?), unsure of their HELMET Int’l presence; whereas their neck-brace international availability is well known…

Cheers

Chris

Dbx3.0 received a 4star rating and came in at 169th.it was the only Leatt that featured so I don’t know how the others would have faired

 

[Zebra]

Just now, DieselnDust said:

Dbx3.0 received a 4star rating and came in at 169th.it was the only Leatt that featured so I don’t know how the others would have faired

 

Thanks, noted: I did voice-mail contact Paul M, of Leatt, to clarify, etc.