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Importance of a good helmet


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My wife and 3 other cyclists were doing their morning ride about 10 days back in the dark with heavy mist (yes I know,very silly) when they had an accident- came across a t-junction which they only saw very late.

On breaking hard my wife went over her handlebars,head first onto the tar road.She was knocked out completely for about 5 minutes,frothing at the mouth with convulsions etc.

She was rushed to hospital with her head a mass of blood.She ended up with 11 stitches on her head.She is a bit better now but still suffers from headaches,depth perception problems with sight and even gets confused with spelling.

She has always been extremely strong on having a good helmet,fortunately so,as she would have had much more serious injuries and/or even might not be with us any longer.A big thanks therefore to the Giro Atmos that saved her.

The best thing about this helmet is that they have a warranty whereby if you have a crash and it is cracked etc,you trade it in for a new one at about 25pc of the purchase price.

Fellow cyclists,never ever save a few rand by going for a cheap helmet,it can save your life.

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Hope she recovers fully.

I have personally destroyed 3 helmets, they certainly are worth every cent spent.

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riding in mist... IMO VERY VERY VERY VERY SILLY!!! One morning on radio I heard the presenter said he saw runners and cyclists in heavy mist, and I agree with him , "Are you people crazy?" As they say, rest that day, and go out the next. Or go to the gym or get an indoor trainer. Your life isn't worth that hour/two training.

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Thanks helmet, and God's grace, This is why I would like to visit Schools and tell the parents of the kids cycling to school to wear helmets, Jenns voight said if it was not for his helmet!!

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Glad she is okay but I want to be the spanner in the spokes (get it?)

Anyway, my helmet cost me R900. It's made by Bell and comes with all the TUV, safety this and safety that stickers. I bought it because it was the only one that was comfortable at the time. Does that mean it will only protect my head half as much as a R1600 helmet?

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Glad she is okay but I want to be the spanner in the spokes (get it?)

Anyway, my helmet cost me R900. It's made by Bell and comes with all the TUV, safety this and safety that stickers. I bought it because it was the only one that was comfortable at the time. Does that mean it will only protect my head half as much as a R1600 helmet?

 

I think protection is the easy part, I think the difficullt/expensive part is making the helmet light and aerodynamic whilst still protecting to the best degree possible. IMO that's the difference between a R1000 helmet and a R3000 helmet... I'm not saying buy a R99 Pep special.

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Glad she is okay but I want to be the spanner in the spokes (get it?)

Anyway, my helmet cost me R900. It's made by Bell and comes with all the TUV, safety this and safety that stickers. I bought it because it was the only one that was comfortable at the time. Does that mean it will only protect my head half as much as a R1600 helmet?

 

Nah, I think what he's implying is that you'll only have half a brain if you buy an inferior (not necessarily cheaper) helmet.

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Glad she is okay but I want to be the spanner in the spokes (get it?)

Anyway, my helmet cost me R900. It's made by Bell and comes with all the TUV, safety this and safety that stickers. I bought it because it was the only one that was comfortable at the time. Does that mean it will only protect my head half as much as a R1600 helmet?

 

...point taken!

 

I don't know much about fancy helmets, but I'm sure a large part of the high price is for the weight weenies, or those that like the feel of the wind in their hair.

 

...I'm pretty sure my R750 (before duty, VAT and shipping) Helmet offers better protection than 90% of the schmancy weight weenie R2000+ pip protectors... but then again, it's a 661 Evo Full Face :P

 

But jokes aside... I'm glad your wife is relatively ok LegTrap.

 

Good helmets are essential... and for those who think wearing a helmet makes one look goofy (hopefully no one on a cycling forum such as this)... I think that riding without a helmet makes one look like an idiot!

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Glad she is okay but I want to be the spanner in the spokes (get it?)

Anyway, my helmet cost me R900. It's made by Bell and comes with all the TUV, safety this and safety that stickers. I bought it because it was the only one that was comfortable at the time. Does that mean it will only protect my head half as much as a R1600 helmet?

no, it will protect your head just as good, It is the the realy cheap helmets R150 that you should be worried about, It also depends how your head hits the ground, and how fast you ride. A kid of five riding at 3km/h can use a R99 helmet

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Does that mean it will only protect my head half as much as a R1600 helmet?

No, it will probably protect it more since it has more material.

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I think majority of helmets will do there job & protect your pip.

 

I agree with Squier, you pay more for light weight & design and some must also go to the brand.

 

 

Glad your wife survived & is in good health. Hopefully you've already gotten her a new helmet.

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Sooo...there you have it! DO NOT CYCLE in the dense mist (itake it you are from CT?? Today was particularly bad...)

 

What pisses me off as much is the dumb ass motorists that do not even bother to turn any headlights on!! :angry: :angry: :angry:

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I have destroyed two helmets in 2 months (bit of a crash crusade),

 

Uvex FP1 - Cracked in three places, went over the bars and landed head first - also was wearing Oakley eyewear that was so scratched if I was not I would have serious eye gauging. No after affects or complications afterwards besides bruising, not even a headache.

 

Then my Specialized S-Works 2D - Crashed through a donga and went head over again. rolled twice over rocks and fynbos. Again helmet is not cracked but tactical crushing saved me from ANY head trauma. I remounted and carried on racing - only to bail another 3 times.

 

Replaced helmet with another S-works.

 

As the post suggests - spend as much as you can on a helmet. You only get one chance to get it wrong.

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What Edman said sounds correct....... cheaper has more styrene hence the "egg" will be a more protected. More expensive helmets have more holes to vent thus they need a more rigid skeleton inside the styrene, the have fancy fsatening systems they have carbon inserts and thecost considerably more. If the helmet is certified it will protect as much as a small piece of puny styrofoam between you and the hard earth can be epected to do. I am sure it is again a falacy and hype designed by manufacturers to convince gullible cyclists that more espensive is safer.

 

EM also fell on her head during a crash..... her Giro was broken in seven places, she owes here life to wearing a helmet.

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