helmet question
 

I just purchased a new helmet, it has padding in it already. Also in the package were four little sponge things with sticky on one side. What are these sponges for? The directions didn't say anything about them.

You put those on the back of your gloves. Then when your eyebrows get sweaty, just put your glove up to your brow and the pads dabs the sweat away.

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Just kidding. Those are extra pads. If you bought a helmet that was actually too large, you can put the over size pads in and it makes the helmet sit on your head better. Can also be used as replacement pads when the originals wear out.

you guys are cruel

Not so cruel, it's all in good fun, no? A little humor goes a long way.

No joke, the index finger on my left motorcycle glove came with a shield wiper.

You stick those to the top tube so you can look directly at them while riding. As you find time, and while picking your nose, you can stick the boogers to the pad then toss it when you get home.

Et' Voila.

It was good he asked on BFs. If he asked a riding partner in person, they would help him put the pads on the gloves and wait a week before letting him in on the joke.

Since nobody's answering yet...

The padding that's already in the helmet -- leave it there. It's basically Velcroed in -- you can remove it (carefully, so you don't also remove the "hook" pads that hold it in) and wash it out if it gets really grimy.

The four small pads are for customizing the fit. For the last helmet I used them with, I felt around for places where there was more of a gap between my scalp and the helmet, then used the pads to fill those gaps. They ended up relieving a pressure point on the very top of my head, and it was definitely more comfortable.

I haven't used such pads on any helmet I've bought since, but for that one, it worked well.

Since nobody's answering yet...?

Seems our answers are along the same lines. Some manufacturers say replacement pads and others say custom fit.

I would imagine that, beacuse this is a one size fits all, that they are for custom fitting.

Maybe if you didn't put ten carriage returns in your post it would've LOOKED like you posted something worthwhile. :rolleyes:

I've seen them with "universal" helmets and also with sized (S,M,L) helmets. Some helmets come with them, some don't, even among the same brand.

You have absolutely no sense of humor!:p

I would have thought you would have understood the purpose of the returns.:rolleyes:

Geesh! I was told this forum was an adventure in sado~masochism. Now I see it's so. Listen to BarracksSi. His answer is the right one. :thumb:

Good thing we have these pads because we all know the most important thing when selecting a helmet is fit, and since the closest fit is one of 3 sizes, these pads will make a crucial difference! :innocent:

Actually, in a sense, I think a good fit is crucial, because it addresses one of the complaints that people usually have. You can't really get away from helmet hair or the heat retention of poorly-ventilated designs (like my helmet I mentioned in my first post), but anything that makes it fit more comfortably will also encourage the rider to wear it more.

And, whether someone believes in the effectiveness of helmets or not, they'll agree that, if they wear it more, they'll get their money's worth.

the more they crash and hit their head (within the designed specs), the more they'll get their moneys worth.

If we can agree the point is to avoid injury, isn't prevention more effective than mitigation? Your suggestion implies the goal is wearing helmets, not preventing injuries.

Can't use a helmet if they're not willing to wear it.

Right. Over 98% of head injury victims don't wear helmets (and they weren't riding bikes either).

http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/en/dow...ar2004_1_e.pdf

There was (yet another) helmet thread here recently, mostly asking why there was such a price difference between helmets. Naturally, one suggestion was that pricier helmets tend to be better ventilated, along with doubts about whether paying quadruple the price of an off-the-shelf Wal-Mart helmet would be worthwhile.

One of the posters talked a bit about his first ride with a light, well-vented helmet, comparing it to the less-vented lid he had before. He said that at his first stop, he took the helmet off to examine it, wondering if it had broken apart and had a big chunk taken out of the front. He was surprised by how much wind he felt blowing through the helmet.

Some people who don't wear helmets because they're too hot. But, if they're designed right, that complaint is addressed, and are more likely to be used -- contributing to safety for more people more of the time.

Like we always say, any helmet you can buy provides a standard level of protection. However, not everyone is willing to put up with the discomfort of a badly-fitting helmet that makes them sweat buckets after five minutes. Fixing those complaints is one way towards more widespread helmet use, which should be a goal.

fitting is very important, and why manufactures could do a far better job than just offer 3 sizes and cheap pads

Mmm... Well, car and motorcycle helmets don't come in many more sizes, though, although they can use widely different pads to get a very snug, custom fit.

I din't men to star a debate, I just wanted to knw what they were for.

Oh, you're such a noob... ;)

It looks like it didn't degenerate into the usual A&S forum debate, though, so don't worry about it. :thumb:

Yeah. I did my part to stir it up, but that's not what this thread is about. I'll (try to) drop it.