Drunken Chicken

My friend recently told me how he bought an MET Parachute over a Bell Bellistic because his LBS told him that on big falls, it's easier to damage your neck in a heavy FF helmet (like the Bellistic, for example) while this risk is reduced in lighter helmets. It sounds right, but I still wanted to ask you guys: true or false?

alcahueteria

seems false to me. I ride a full face and don't really notice the weight. And I can't imagine that the physics the of it being so either. I would think that with a small(lighter) helmet it wouldn't provide the neck support that a full face does. Basically I think the lbs is bunk.

Drunken Chicken

OK, just checking. Good thing I have a different LBS.

alcahueteria

I agree, if I remember right, when I was looking at full face helmets that MET was a good $100 more too, so they may just have greed in mind, as opposed to just not knowing what they are talking about.

vrkelley

I use the FF Bell also. The Met Parachute is light weight alright but I didn't see a safety rating on it. The price doesn't bother me, because my helmets work hard and need to "hold up"

Drunken Chicken

I kinda feel like "OK, this will protect my face" but I also feel that if I have a bad crash in the mountains (for example) or while urban assaulting and I faceplant a tree/the pavement I get the feeling the chin guard thing would just shatter. No, I don't mean how helmets crack on a big fall to save your head.

alcahueteria

yeah, I'm pretty sure thats just a bolt on accessory. I mean I am sure it meets standards, which ones, I have no clue, but it just doesn't look trustworthy.

anthonaut

Ive always thought that chin guard looked flimsy. I'd rather a one piece shell.

bikerider05

yah id definetly want a one piece shell.

Brian

That helmet does not inspire confidence.

vrkelley

https://www.ferryhillfreeriders.co.uk...ews/helmet.htm
Sorry I didn't see any safety certs for the Met line of helmets. But they do have a nice 3 year crash replacement warranty. Look for like Snell, CPCS or some other rating.

Here is the 2005 review from https://www.helmets.org/helmet05.htm

Drunken Chicken

So THAT'S what those screws in the chinguard are: to take the chinguard apart. Doesn't exactly inspire confidence, probably the first thing it does in a crash is it splits in half.

Maelstrom 

Remind me of the giro built a similar way. I bet it would be great for regular trails that people might want the extra confidence. But for full on dh it would be deadly.

4hardrocks

the only reason I stick with a regular helmet is that its so dang hot in Arizona but I think that a full face helmet would be better. (I chipped my two front teeth i'd like the mouth protection to)

Drunken Chicken

Holy crap, a friend from the LBS told me about this great trail, DH. Me and a mate checked it out, it took 1 1/2 + hours to get up which was a bummer but then we went on the trail. It was awesome, first 4 mins or so it's just medium downhill, some roots, nothing too hard. Then there was 100m section where there were rocks EVERYWHERE, we seriously went at the pace of an old person with a walking stick. I fell 3 times, nothing big, going at that speed but I still scratched my ankle up bad. Then, when we got off the trail, the fastest way home was to go down this dirtroad and follow a big road home. I'm 100% sure I broke my speed record going downwards, I was scared because I knew that if I fell at that speed with my MET Parachute, it wouldn't protect me well enough. All the way down I was scared of braking too hard for fear of slipping and falling. Awesome ride overall, would do it every day if it wasn't for the long, boring climb.

RdHrd138

I think that's false. I ride in a FF helmet and sence so additional weight in the front.

vrkelley

If it splits in half that's OK...question is...will it protect your jaw. Jaws are not very fixable, I know

Also...Just because the web doesn't post the certs doesn't mean the helmet is unsafe. It's better to go to a shop and check them out. Your shop owner may have more details about other riders who bought that helmet and have ridden/crashed on the same trails that you ride on. The web-shops usually can't give you that kind of insight.

Drunken Chicken

I know, I didn't mean it splits in half to protect your head but rather that the chinguard just breaks off in a crash. Anyway, I've calculated that exactly by the end of the summer term I'll be able to get the Bellistic.

Hopper

That helmet would be good for light riding where someone wants additional peace of mind (whether this is valid is not known) but that thing is not good for DH.

I have seen the chin plate of Giro Mad Max II's ripped off in highspeed crashes, I have seen a TLD D2 hith a huge dent and hole in the chin plate. Hell I never saw the crash, but saw a guy with broken jaw (really disgusting, blood gushing out of mouth bottom fron teeth on two totall different levels) and this guy uses a Giro Mad MAx II.

No helmet can offer total protection, but some offer better protection, there can be problems with the neck in accidents when the helmet doesn't fit properly or if it has a longer back part which goes down the neck.