Buying a new helmet. What you like and what you don't like

[ChrisF]

1 hour ago, Bub Marley said:

I’ve had 2 crashes where I’ve written off a helmet. One helmet had MIPS, the other didn’t. The one without MIPS was a much heavier impact, got hit by a car, and it still saved my head.

 

So I dont think MIPS is the be end and end all. If the helmet has it then great, but all helmets have to pass a certain safety standard anyway. Of course if you have the option, then go for the one that has MIPS, but there are some manufacturers like Abus that still don’t use MIPS. 

 

It probably depends a lot on the "type of impact"

 

Straight on .... MIPS has nothing to add in that case.

 

Mine was very much an impact and then one massive torsional force on my neck.  I do believe it saved me.

 

 

But I am the first to acknowledge this is anecdotal at best ..... (good enough for me ... in this case)

[Thomo]

1 hour ago, Bub Marley said:

... there are some manufacturers like Abus that still don’t use MIPS. 

Pretty sure Abus has started introducing MIPS to their latest helmets.

Perhaps late to do so, but being a competitive segment, I don't see much choice but to.

[Robbie Stewart]

Leatt also have something akin to MIPS which works well. I've had a few smacks and it dissipated the force each time.

One thing I would ensure is that the helmet you get has replaceable helmet liners. My current lid only came with one, and it is starting to fall apart from regular washing. It's about a year old.

[Spinnaroonie]

2 hours ago, cadenceblur said:

That’s just ridiculous 

Yip! Mind you, it was only 15Euros on the MET website versus R1,2k at CL.  

When I pushed back, they said a better price would still put me around R1k. 

So again, I would emphasize asking about parts backup availability if you're investing in a nice helmet. 

[amac]

I was recently gifted a new mtb helmet. When I first put it it on it was noticeably thicker on  my forehead than the one it replaced. It has a very small peak which adds to the protrusion. At first I thought I did not like this and it would compromise looking ahead. But I soon realised that it is noticeably better because it shades my eyes against the low early morning sun. With the previous one I had to lift a hand against the early rays. 

[Frosty]

22 hours ago, MudLark said:

Tenth, colour.

Having previously had white lids, with the current two being black or black/red, I would prioritise colour (white >black) further up the pecking order.

[V18]

 

I go with fox. Fits my head. Breathes well. Adjustable straps and fidlock mechanism. Happens to have MIPS. 

Unpopular opinion. MIPS is a scam. 

Works on dummies that don't possess scalp soft tissue.

Not much more than a gimmick on live wearers.

We all have scalp soft tissues that do much more than MIPS. Can confirm from thousands of CT scans that the scalp plays a major absorbtive role in ameliorating glancing/rotating injuries.

Diffuse axonal injuries that demonstrate rotational site mechanism is often seen in cases with an intact scalp and rotation was forced due to the natural head shape. Think cam type linear-rotary translation. 

If I had to ad value to helmets, I'd get the outer surface (not the absorbtive layer) as hard and snagg free as possible. Much more likely to eliminate additional rotational acceleration by not getting hooked on some rocks whilst taking a fast tumble. 

[MORNE]

Replacing my black spez tactic which already had a few dings on it from mildly spicy falls, with a white version (they didnt have the color i wanted) ive decided that black helmets, although sexy, are too hot for the african sun. My head is sweating notably less in white. 
 

[PhilipV]

On 3/26/2024 at 4:59 PM, Robbie Stewart said:

Leatt also have something akin to MIPS which works well. I've had a few smacks and it dissipated the force each time.

One thing I would ensure is that the helmet you get has replaceable helmet liners. My current lid only came with one, and it is starting to fall apart from regular washing. It's about a year old.

I rinse my helmets in the shower  after every ride. Haven’t replaced pads in 4 years. No soap, nothing. Just rinsing out the sweat.

[PhilipV]

MIPS (or turbine360)

fit

ventilation

colour.

 

[lechatnoir]

23 minutes ago, PhilipV said:

I rinse my helmets in the shower  after every ride. Haven’t replaced pads in 4 years. No soap, nothing. Just rinsing out the sweat.

yeah, the concept of finding your helmet in a darkened room by smell alone is a bad one....

[Robbie Stewart]

3 hours ago, PhilipV said:

I rinse my helmets in the shower  after every ride. Haven’t replaced pads in 4 years. No soap, nothing. Just rinsing out the sweat.

I reckon its the washing machine killing the liner. My helmet is still new but in dire need of a new liner. Here's hoping Leatt have replacement stock.

 

[Robbie Stewart]

2 hours ago, lechatnoir said:

yeah, the concept of finding your helmet in a darkened room by smell alone is a bad one....

that, and your gloves . . . when you realise you are breeding e-coli on your fingers  

[lechatnoir]

34 minutes ago, Robbie Stewart said:

that, and your gloves . . . when you realise you are breeding e-coli on your fingers  

I'm afraid to ask the obvious.

[Robbie Stewart]

3 hours ago, lechatnoir said:

I'm afraid to ask the obvious.

to appease your mind. No, never.

What I have discovered that even with washing gloves immediately after every ride they still develop a pong after time. I use an anti-bacterial wash now that sorts out the smelly business.

[betaboy]

On 3/26/2024 at 2:20 PM, Spinnaroonie said:

One thing I'll now consider when buying a new helmet is the accessibility and price of replacement parts. 

I bought a MET Rivale MIPS in 2021 for R2550.00. Great helmet but the forehead inner padding started falling apart last year. No problem, I see the padding as a consumable item. I asked the local MET dealer for a quote for replacement padding... R1200! 

I struggled to pull the trigger on 6 pieces of material, seemingly worth half the entire helmet. 


 

Your helmet is suffering some serious MIPS -Mad Insane Price Syndrome!🤭