MIPS helmets worth it?
 

I'm in the market for a new helmet and can't make up my mind. I'm i trigued by the MIPS technology, especially for the potential reduced concussion risk. But the more I search, the more I find conflicting information. Also, most articles were written a few years ago, when the helmets were first being released. What do you think? Better technology, or just sales hype? I have had a very serious concussion before, about 3 years ago, and preventing another one is very attractive. But, there are substantially more options available in traditional helmets, in mich brighter colors for safety.

Also, i'm fairly new to road cycling and have been using my mtn bike helmet. Is there a reason road helmets don't normally have a visor? Do you miss not having it? It's very useful when sun is in front of, or above, you. There also don't seem to be many road helmets with a visor.

I too am intrigued by mips technology as I'm in market for new helmet next year.

I recently replaced my 4 year old helmet with a Giro Synthe MIPS. The MIPS option was only $25 more so i figured.. .why not.

I agree with this. $25 more for something that may save you $10,000 on medical bills? I'd take the chance.

Next question is what is the difference between a $100 hemlmet an a $250 helmet? Weight, aerodynamics, comfort, safety? I'm looking at the Giro Savant and the Giro Synthe. The Synthe is a great looking helmet. But, all helmets look like mushrooms on your head. What makes it over twice the price of the Savant?

Take the synthe. Best helmet I've ever had and I think it objectivelly is.

I own a synthe aswell, best helmet I've owned by far, and I've had a few in the same price range as it.

Only $25 more if you're shopping the $200+USD price bracket.

Whereas you can get last year's and 2013's top-of-the-line helmets for half that Amazon Prime/\.

You can get MIPs helmet for 60 bucks:
Giro Sonnet MIPS Helmet - Women's | Backcountry.com

As to whether the MIPS technology which allows the outer shell to slip relative to the inside of the foam - a little story: I have had a major head trauma years ago and several hard crashes with concussions since. (All wearing helmets.) It is very apparent that my brain is loose inside my skull and that it take far less to get concussions now.

A couple of summers ago I crashed hard going 20+. Slammed the side of my head on the pavement. Apparently my chinstrap was loose because the helmet slid down, nearly taking my other ear off and knocking off my glasses. (A medium quality Bell Influx helmet. I have full memory of my head hitting, then grinding into the road surface. And all the rest of the crash until my brain said 'you really do not have to witness this". As soon as I stopped, I was fully aware of where I was, looked back and the car behind me was right where it should have been. And after, I was fully with it. No headache, then or later. (Broken collarbone, cracked rib and miles of road rash. Thank you brain, for deleting that second.) Helmet had real damage, both impacted foam and abrasions on both sides. (Lots of bruises and road rash on my right side also.)

Two weeks after that crash I read about MIPS. There's a helmet that does what my helmet did without taking my ear and glasses off? I want it!

Ben

Visors on the road are strictly banned. See rule 35. If you need shade see rule 22.

Velominati ? The Rules

Yes.

All helmets need to meet a minimum, but the more expensive ones exceed them. My Synthe is incredibly lighter than my Bontrager Circuit.

My only recommendation is to test helmets before buying. Some helmets fit much better than others, not all heads are the same.

MIPS may be great, or it may be just marketing hype. I don't really know.

That said, I'm willing to pay the small up charge for the potential additional protection in may provide. I like to think my head is worth it.

As for the differences in helmets, more expensive helmets may fit better, offer better venting or aerodynamics or be lighter. They all protect the same.

Do you have actual documentation that more expensive helmets provide more protection than cheaper ones?

I can dig up proof that the Synthe MIPS is safer than a $50 helmet, but so can you with a Google search.

Well doesn't the MIPS system contradict that statement?
Wouldn't it be more accurate to say that they all meet, or exceed, some 'minimal' rating standard (and I assume that many of the different brands are sinking lots of time, effort, money, research and development into trying to far exceed this minimal standard on their top models?

I must say I'm skeptical. The only way to meaningfully test helmets would be maybe using crash test dummies under a lot of different crash scenarios like car companies do, and I don't think it's happened. MIPs smells strongly of an unproven idea. It is entirely plausible that they could be worse for reasons yet undiscovered.

Velominati rules are arbitrary and dumb, and therefor not applicable.

Ah, that's not what you said - you said "more expensive ones exceed them". This is different from "MIPS helmets are better". So, is a Giro Aeon safer than a Bell Lumen? Is it broadly true for most combinations of helmets where one is more expensive than the other?

MIPS is more than just allowing the helmet to move a bit when you crash. It's also about reducing rotational weight and stopping the heck from getting whiplash by lightening the helmet altogether.

However, MIPS isn't for everybody. If you are going REALLY fast or riding REALLY hard, if you crash the MIPS won't help you any more than a normal helmet would. Once you "max out" the helmet, it acts just like a normal helmet, since you've reached the limits of the travel for the shell relative to the mounting parts. I'm paraphrasing from someone who runs a bike shop and saw all the new MIPS technology at a bike show earlier this year.

Also note, MIPS will not help you any more than a normal helmet in terms of a concussion. They don't have any more or less padding/foam than a normal helmet.

In all honesty, I think MIPS is a solution in search of a problem. However, it'll probably be on all helmets in the next couple of years. If you're crashing hard enough to hurt/break your neck, the main thing MIPS protects against, you're going to still hurt/break your neck regardless of which type of helmet you're wearing.

Please note, while I don't particularly support MIPS, both my helmets have it. Not because I wanted it, but because I didn't have a choice otherwise. (I bought expensive helmets.)

Also, how the heck does MIPS work for full face helmets? There's no way in heck that my full face would slide in any direction without taking half my face off. That's the point of a full face...

Yes, you are correct. I should have written, they all meet the same minimum standards for protection. MIPS claims to provide additional safety benefits. I am not an expert on what those benefits are.

I should also qualify, more expensive does not always mean lighter. My Giro Ionos was much heavier than the Atmos it replaced.

It's my understanding that MIPS helmets are designed to help minimize torsional forces to the brain caused by sudden twisting of the head (something made worse by the larger diameter of helmets than a bare head) which is far more likely to cause a concussion, or fatal brain injury than a straight on blow. Nothing at all to do with neck injuries. Motorcycle and other hardshell helmets are better than most bike helmets are preventing torsional injuries as their hard shells don't tend to catch the pavement and twist your head around. However, they are also much heavier and less vented than bike helmets.

MIPS is a system developed to reduce concussions. It is based in allowing some movement of the helmet to reduce the inertia on the brain. A regular helmet is very effective at protecting you from cranial injuries, but not so from concussions which happen when your brain slams into the cranium due to inertia.

MIPS attempts to address concussions while still protecting from skull fractures. It appears to be based on some sound science and has gone through quite a bit of testing -go to the MIPS website for details. But only time will tell how effective it really is.

I'm reasonably certain I saw a video of engineers (Giro, I think) who were building jigs specifically to test MIPS technology. My impressions? First, they take this stuff damned seriously, as they should. Second, they had an air of being skeptical about MIPS too, so they knew they had to test it.

The upshot, if I remember right, is that there are some types of falls where MIPS should offer a benefit, and other where it will make little or no difference.