Originally Posted by
dbf73
Brian - I have no reason to quibble with (and in fact appreciate) your real world evaluation. I guess that leads to the question - why hasn't Snell updated the standard to reflect these advances. Their SA standard (auto racing helmets) is updated every five years.
:shrug:
It is what it is. I'm not Snell. In fact, they aren't even the relevant standard for most helmets anymore; that honor goes to the CPSC.
All of the advances in safety have to do with the second hit. With earlier helmet designs, the helmets were one-and-done. The first time your head bounced, it had protection. The second time, probably not. New helmets stay in one piece and they stay on your head. In fact, they are durable enough I routinely use them for a time after a minor hit, something I'd never do with the taped shell designs. It allows me to make a determination of helmet damage without worrying that some unseen little crack in the foam will cause the shell to collapse under a moderate hit.
The moral is: sometimes newer is better.
Secondary moral is: don't trust lawyers.
Corollary to secondary moral: standards are akin to lawyers.
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Cat 2 Track, Cat 3 Road.
"If you’re new enough [to racing] that you would ask such question, then i would hazard a guess that if you just made up a workout that sounded hard to do, and did it, you’d probably get faster." --
the tiniest sprinter