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Originally Posted by TC1
(Post 23216756)
You believe that EPS foam magically absorbs 100% of energy applied to it, as stated earlier.
Your straw men about helmets increasing head size and thereby increasing hazard are just that. I'm not worried about a glancing blow such as might occur if the impact vectors are perfectly aligned so that the helmet makes contact, but my head would have cleared. Those impacts are by definition at a speed and an angle that makes the likelihood of injury small to start with, and I'm willing to incur the slight increased possible frequency of this kind of contact by wearing a helmet. No, I wear a helmet to protect me against the kinds of solid, straight-on impacts where my head will be making direct contact with a hard object — I want something to crush to dissipate some energy such that 100% of the impact is not transmitted to my head. You are free to choose otherwise, but to try to claim that I am less safe via this choice is utter nonsense. Earlier in this discussion you pointed out that:
Originally Posted by TC1
(Post 23215428)
If the only retort that you can manage is a sad ad hominem attack, you may wish to reconsider, and investigate Twain's comments on fools and silence.
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Originally Posted by TC1
(Post 23216585)
Originally Posted by Eric F
(Post 23216162)
Impact energy absorption is what I've been talking about, and the fact that it's happening is evidenced by the resulting crushed EPS foam. That means 100% of the impact energy was not transmitted directly to my/your head. That's a good thing. This is simple stuff.
Originally Posted by TC1
(Post 23216756)
Speaking of holding water, I'm glad you replied again, because I wanted to educate you about your EPS foam misunderstanding. You believe that EPS foam magically absorbs 100% of energy applied to it, as stated earlier.
Originally Posted by TC1
(Post 23216585)
And again, you are missing half of the equation. The increased size of your effective "head" necessarily results in more and more-severe impacts. So the question is not "Does foam absorb some energy?" It is "Does foam absorb sufficient energy to offset the increase caused by the effective head-size increase?"
Road riders aren't "threading the needle" such that the small increase in size would result in more collisions. There could be rare (really rare) situations where the small increase resulted in a collision but that's a case of "nothing is perfect". Mountain bikers, who are much, much more "threading the needle" (and still not even that often) nearly all wear helmets. ============================ The "question" is whether you would whack branches/whatever more with a helmet than without (missing your head by a couple of inches). The answer is obviously "yes". But the defect of this as an argument against helmets is that, for road riders, it's a microscopic risk (so small it should be ignored). For mountain bikers (who nearly all wear helmets), the risk is (likely) going to be much higher but they (implicitly) treat it as a risk that is outweighed by other benefits. It's a "grasping at straws" argument. It's an argument one uses when one doesn't have a compelling argument. |
Originally Posted by njkayaker
(Post 23218672)
You didn't understand what you replied to and said something silly.
You "wanting to educate" somebody about something you aren't understanding is hilarious. This is silly and seriously disconnected from the real world. If you have go there to make your case, it means you really don't have a case. Road riders aren't "threading the needle" such that the small increase in size would result in more collisions. There could be rare (really rare) situations where the small increase resulted in a collision but that's a case of "nothing is perfect". Mountain bikers, who are much, much more "threading the needle" nearly all wear helmets. |
I don’t leave home without my helmet. I’ve cracked two with hits to the pavement. Hit it again yesterday.
I see ebikers doing 15 - 25 mph without a helmet. Hope they don’t fall! A helmet is great protection for the melon… |
Originally Posted by retswerb
(Post 23218384)
...
Your straw men about helmets increasing head size and thereby increasing hazard are just that. I'm not worried about a glancing blow such as might occur if the impact vectors are perfectly aligned so that the helmet makes contact, but my head would have cleared. Those impacts are by definition at a speed and an angle that makes the likelihood of injury small to start with, and I'm willing to incur the slight increased possible frequency of this kind of contact by wearing a helmet. No, I wear a helmet to protect me against the kinds of solid, straight-on impacts where my head will be making direct contact with a hard object — I want something to crush to dissipate some energy such that 100% of the impact is not transmitted to my head. You are free to choose otherwise, but to try to claim that I am less safe via this choice is utter nonsense. ... |
Fascinating
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Originally Posted by retswerb
(Post 23218384)
No, what EricF said was that "100% of the impact energy was not transmitted directly to my/your head," which you continue to obtusely read in a way that you know perfectly well wasn't what was meant. 100% of the energy was not transmitted — instead, some smaller percentage was transmitted after some other percentage was dissipated. This is plain since if no energy had been dissipated, the helmet would be in perfect un-crushed condition.
Your straw men about helmets increasing head size and thereby increasing hazard are just that. I'm not worried about a glancing blow such as might occur if the impact vectors are perfectly aligned so that the helmet makes contact, but my head would have cleared. Those impacts are by definition at a speed and an angle that makes the likelihood of injury small to start with, and I'm willing to incur the slight increased possible frequency of this kind of contact by wearing a helmet. No, I wear a helmet to protect me against the kinds of solid, straight-on impacts where my head will be making direct contact with a hard object — I want something to crush to dissipate some energy such that 100% of the impact is not transmitted to my head. You are free to choose otherwise, but to try to claim that I am less safe via this choice is utter nonsense. Earlier in this discussion you pointed out that: After reading through your dozen or so posts since that, I can't help but remind you of the same. I once wiped out on my bicycle and my helmeted head BOUNCE twice off the asphalt (tarmac). Another bicyclist coming up behind us was going to call 911 and couldn't believe that I was still conscious and uninjured. My helmet though had a very noticeable dent in the temple area. The poster on that Usenet group also said t hat if I had not been wearing the helmet that my head would NOT have struck the asphalt (tarmac). Amazing what some people thousands of kilometres (mils) away from a spill can tell you about what would have happened. It's a personal choice in a lot areas whether or not to wear a helmet. I love mine because it's a fantastic place to attach a rear-view mirror. Cheers |
Originally Posted by 79pmooney
(Post 23298462)
And a little off topic since this isn't brains saved - that additional size of helmets has enabled me and several other forumites to hang onto their ears when car doors were opened. That increased size isn't all bad.
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Originally Posted by billew
(Post 23303545)
Of course you could just avoid the door zone.
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anyone tried the "Favoto Lightweight Bike Helmet" on amazon? it says it's "CPSC Certified Safety Protection". is that enough? some of the giro helmets mentioned the same cert but is that enough?
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Any budget helmets for a bigger head. My head measures about 62cm and my rides are mostly under 4 miles. Pretty heavy traffic and major roads. I’ve seen other threads but all the helmets recommended are $70 and up
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Originally Posted by TheheavyJ
(Post 23309715)
Any budget helmets for a bigger head. My head measures about 62cm and my rides are mostly under 4 miles. Pretty heavy traffic and major roads. I’ve seen other threads but all the helmets recommended are $70 and up
https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicyc...-ratings.html#! |
Since I am chiming in on random threads today...
My daughter hopped on a bike when she was ~13 and went down about 15 feet away. Cracked her skull (literally). She is 18 now and still has hearing problems on that side. Would it have saved her hearing? Maybe. Never know. I wear a helmet. Gone down 2 times on my bike. Once I fell and bounced my head off 2 bridge railings on the way down. No injuries. Probably helped me that time. Second time, muppet walked out in front of my on the trails and I swerved, went over the bars, used a park bench to complete my mid air acrobatics and bounced my head off the ground. Mild concussion. Might have been worse. I have a helmet and causes no problems wearing it so I wear it just in case. I have seatbelts in my car, causes no injuries wearing it so I wear it just in case (been rear ended multiple times not sure they helped in those) I do not condone laws forcing people to wear them (helmets or seatbelts) and I don't think that they help with EVERY incident. Rarely, they cause more injuries... But I wear mine because: Why not? |
Old school helmet rider here. No better way
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Newbie hear
I’ve been lucky enough that I haven’t had the need for a helmet on a bicycle. I wear one though i had a high speed crash on a sport motorcycle R6. I broke the bike. The helmet has deep grooves starting from the middle of the visor to around where my ear area. And scratches on my leather jacket Absolutely no injuries except a sprained ankle. proper gear to accident ratio- almost Yes if I would’ve worn my riding boots, would that have saved my ankle… probably and would’ve had no injuries. i always wear my helmet when riding a bike. well… I always try to wear it when I don’t forget it at home lol should everyone else wear one, I think so. But that’s not gonna happen. But i definitely think kids should at least till they get to that level of maturity that lets them decide for things on their own. Thats just a newbies 2 cents |
Originally Posted by Dx7
(Post 23414389)
Newbie hear
I’ve been lucky enough that I haven’t had the need for a helmet on a bicycle. I wear one though i had a high speed crash on a sport motorcycle R6. I broke the bike. The helmet has deep grooves starting from the middle of the visor to around where my ear area. And scratches on my leather jacket Absolutely no injuries except a sprained ankle. proper gear to accident ratio- almost Yes if I would’ve worn my riding boots, would that have saved my ankle… probably and would’ve had no injuries. i always wear my helmet when riding a bike. well… I always try to wear it when I don’t forget it at home lol should everyone else wear one, I think so. But that’s not gonna happen. But i definitely think kids should at least till they get to that level of maturity that lets them decide for things on their own. Thats just a newbies 2 cents |
helmet
helmet helmet
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Originally Posted by katsuya
(Post 23424174)
helmet helmet
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Originally Posted by Dx7
(Post 23414389)
Newbie hear
I’ve been lucky enough that I haven’t had the need for a helmet on a bicycle. I wear one though i had a high speed crash on a sport motorcycle R6. I broke the bike. The helmet has deep grooves starting from the middle of the visor to around where my ear area. And scratches on my leather jacket Absolutely no injuries except a sprained ankle. proper gear to accident ratio- almost Yes if I would’ve worn my riding boots, would that have saved my ankle… probably and would’ve had no injuries. i always wear my helmet when riding a bike. well… I always try to wear it when I don’t forget it at home lol should everyone else wear one, I think so. But that’s not gonna happen. But i definitely think kids should at least till they get to that level of maturity that lets them decide for things on their own. Thats just a newbies 2 cents |
Don't have to be going fast to have an accident...wet railroad track, the tar they fill road cracks at the bottom of a steep hill, the open gate that blends into the background, the separated cement expansion joints, the sand blown up onto cement on a sharp corner...
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Originally Posted by curbtender
(Post 23448223)
Don't have to be going fast to have an accident...wet railroad track, the tar they fill road cracks at the bottom of a steep hill, the open gate that blends into the background, the separated cement expansion joints, the sand blown up onto cement on a sharp corner...
I was also taken out by another rider half wheeling me over a wet railroad track. He went down with his front wheel taking out my rear. It was perfect timing especially for my first worn rain jacket which got ripped up - as well shorts. You just never know. |
Recommended Best Helmets?
Prompted by a recent post by @MonsieurChrono wherein he related his recent experience with head-meets-ground and how his helmet saved him from more serious damage, I'm wondering what others here (who confine their activities to road bicycling) feel are the best value-for-safety helmet brands / products currently available?
I've made a return to road biking the last couple of years, bought a Bell-something in 2023 that seems adequate enough. I'm thinking about adding a second one to my kit as our outdoor biking season approaches (yeah, there are some around here who go out & ride when it's 15°F & snowing, but I'm not one of 'em) so I'm looking for user experiences and recommendations before I start browser shopping. |
Start here, and then look up online reviews of the top picks.
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Originally Posted by Koyote
(Post 23482723)
Start here, and then look up online reviews of the top picks.
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Originally Posted by Koyote
(Post 23482723)
Start here, and then look up online reviews of the top picks.
I currently have the Sweet Protection MIPS at #7 on that list (3rd if you apply the road helmet filter). I also have the Lazer G1 MIPS at #18, which was top of the road list about 4 or 5 years ago and now sits 7th. Fit is king for helmets too. So make sure you can try them on properly and find the right size. |
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