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01-24-08, 09:06 AM
I've been in the market for a new helmet lately, to replace my zillion year old Trek. It's been a bit of a battle trying to figure out what to buy.
I found a website on the road forum with great information that I've used as a guideline: http://www.bhsi.org/helmet08.htm. This was set up and is championed by a guy who is very involved in helmet safety and standards.
I've tried on various models, and tried to stick with their recommendations for a more rounded, less snaggled lid.
Last night, I tried on a Bell Solar at the LBS and liked it, however I was somewhat put off by the fact that it is less expensive and lighter weight...would it work? Or do I go with the more pricey Ghisallo?
I've sent a couple of e-mails to Randy (from the website) and received very fast responses. I'd like to share these with you for your own info.
The first time I asked him about the Ghisallo...his answer:
"A modest snag point is better than a pronounced snag point. It's in the range where it's probably a reasonable choice.
Life is full of compromises. You may not find the ideal round, smooth helmet with a style you would like. I hope we don't oversell that point--a lot of riders are getting very good service in crashes from the pointy, elongated helmets. Most of the time the snag points probably don't snag on anything. A lot of riders don't want the safest helmet on the road if it doesn't fit their style. You have to decide where the compromise point lies. I do wear a round, smooth helmet, but then I don't worry much about fashion."
Last night, I asked about whether a "cheap, entry level helmet" is any good compared to a top level one. His reply:
"The biggest positive for the high end helmets is that they have more vents and sometimes fit better. You can't open up huge vents without using some expensive production methods.
Low and high end helmets are designed to the same CPSC standard.
Low end helmets with a little less vent area are a better bet if you crash, since they have more foam in them, and it tends to be less dense than the high end models. You would notice that in an impact that was less than catastrophic, where the less dense foam would give you a softer landing than the hard foam used between the vents of high end helmets. It might prevent concussions better than the high end helmet. We always advise consumers to look at the cheaper helmets and that price and protection are not related.
Consumer Reports found that Giro's cheap models did better than the high end ones when they tested back in 2002.
http://www.helmets.org/cu_2002.htm"
Well, found that Performance has a clearance on the Solar at $20, which with Team Perf. membership is even better. I want to try on the Ghisallo first but may just lean towards the Solar!
Sheldon
I found a website on the road forum with great information that I've used as a guideline: http://www.bhsi.org/helmet08.htm. This was set up and is championed by a guy who is very involved in helmet safety and standards.
I've tried on various models, and tried to stick with their recommendations for a more rounded, less snaggled lid.
Last night, I tried on a Bell Solar at the LBS and liked it, however I was somewhat put off by the fact that it is less expensive and lighter weight...would it work? Or do I go with the more pricey Ghisallo?
I've sent a couple of e-mails to Randy (from the website) and received very fast responses. I'd like to share these with you for your own info.
The first time I asked him about the Ghisallo...his answer:
"A modest snag point is better than a pronounced snag point. It's in the range where it's probably a reasonable choice.
Life is full of compromises. You may not find the ideal round, smooth helmet with a style you would like. I hope we don't oversell that point--a lot of riders are getting very good service in crashes from the pointy, elongated helmets. Most of the time the snag points probably don't snag on anything. A lot of riders don't want the safest helmet on the road if it doesn't fit their style. You have to decide where the compromise point lies. I do wear a round, smooth helmet, but then I don't worry much about fashion."
Last night, I asked about whether a "cheap, entry level helmet" is any good compared to a top level one. His reply:
"The biggest positive for the high end helmets is that they have more vents and sometimes fit better. You can't open up huge vents without using some expensive production methods.
Low and high end helmets are designed to the same CPSC standard.
Low end helmets with a little less vent area are a better bet if you crash, since they have more foam in them, and it tends to be less dense than the high end models. You would notice that in an impact that was less than catastrophic, where the less dense foam would give you a softer landing than the hard foam used between the vents of high end helmets. It might prevent concussions better than the high end helmet. We always advise consumers to look at the cheaper helmets and that price and protection are not related.
Consumer Reports found that Giro's cheap models did better than the high end ones when they tested back in 2002.
http://www.helmets.org/cu_2002.htm"
Well, found that Performance has a clearance on the Solar at $20, which with Team Perf. membership is even better. I want to try on the Ghisallo first but may just lean towards the Solar!
Sheldon