I git ya 888, They offer minimal protection. Of note I reluctantly had to slow down one of my local ride descents. My reward for a staged climb to the top of a hill was a long decent into a shallow gully. Needless to say, Fast, Fast, Fast... Probably its the only fast ridding section on my routes. I have had to slow down knowing that my bones, skin, and proprioception are not what they used to be, helmet or not! In the old days a front wheel blow out on a fast decent meant a few weeks of road rash. Now days it would mean an ICU... Ha