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Is a helmet a helmet a helmet?

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Is a helmet a helmet a helmet?

Old 09-09-12, 08:43 PM
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Is a helmet a helmet a helmet?

I'm new to road cycling and the one thing I can't wrap my head around ( no pun) are the price differences in helmets. The schwinn at Walmart looks and feels like a Giro that costs 10X the price. I know it's my head I'm protecting but really. Just picked this bad boy up this weekend. My water cages haven't arrived yet.

Last edited by Brandon2002; 09-10-12 at 07:09 AM.
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Old 09-09-12, 08:54 PM
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They all are required to meet the same standard. The cost comes from more exotic manufacturing techniques to reduce weight and add larger vent holes, as well as more sophisticated head retention systems.

Get whatever helmet fits you and you like within your budget. There are a lot of choices for every budget.
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Old 09-09-12, 09:04 PM
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You wont look very pro with a walmart helmet.
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Old 09-09-12, 09:07 PM
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Old 09-09-12, 09:09 PM
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Old 09-09-12, 09:12 PM
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No, not every helmet is equal. All helmets are required to meet the minimum standards, but that doesn't mean they are all the same. Helmets with "in-molded" shells, more plastic on the outside, and thicker foam are more protective, in my opinion, than those with taped shells and/or minimal plastic shell/minimal foam. But they do meet all the minimum standards.
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Old 09-09-12, 09:22 PM
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Originally Posted by Brandon2002
The schwinn at Walmart looks and feels like a Giro that costs 10X the price.
Get the Schwinn then.

I don't think they look or feel the same at all.
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Old 09-09-12, 09:25 PM
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Originally Posted by Brian Ratliff
No, not every helmet is equal. All helmets are required to meet the minimum standards, but that doesn't mean they are all the same. Helmets with "in-molded" shells, more plastic on the outside, and thicker foam are more protective, in my opinion, than those with taped shells and/or minimal plastic shell/minimal foam. But they do meet all the minimum standards.
That is a myth.
A $25 helmet offers the same level of protection as the top of the line $300 helmet.
This has been tested and proven.
This is great as safety is not constrained by budget in the case of helmets.

However, the features of more expensive helmets may make them much more comfortable and ventilated as well as be far better looking to some.
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Old 09-09-12, 09:25 PM
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The safety factor has already been addressed. Just Friday I picked up a Lazer O2 to replace my Costco sourced Bell. The difference is night and day to me...new helmet breathes so much better and is much more comfortable (and lighter)
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Old 09-09-12, 09:27 PM
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Thumbs up on the Lazer! Love that helmet
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Old 09-09-12, 09:30 PM
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Originally Posted by cruiserhead
That is a myth.
A $25 helmet offers the same level of protection as the top of the line $300 helmet.
This has been tested and proven.
This is great as safety is not constrained by budget in the case of helmets.

However, the features of more expensive helmets may make them much more comfortable and ventilated as well as be far better looking to some.
Consumer Reports published a report that pretty much said this. I have a Giro Atmos I paid $110 for and I bought a Bell mountain bike helmet that my wife uses for $20.00 at Costco. The retention system is almost the same between the two helmets. The Bell is only slightly heavier and it has smaller vents. If my Atmos is every destroyed, I will be buying another $20.00 Bell mountain bike helmet from Costco to replace it.
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Old 09-09-12, 09:37 PM
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Originally Posted by Carbon Unit
Consumer Reports published a report that pretty much said this.
That link I posted above has a page that says the same thing.
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Old 09-09-12, 09:39 PM
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Originally Posted by cruiserhead
Thumbs up on the Lazer! Love that helmet
Thanks! Only done 2 rides with it but I really like it too. I went in pretty set on buying a Giro, but the salesman showed me the Lazer and explained why he liked it better. After wearing both, the decision was a "no brainer" for me (bad, somewhat related pun intended)
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Old 09-09-12, 09:46 PM
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As far as helmets in general go it must meet NHTSA standards so in that regard it's passed safety standards it will protect your head the same as any other that meets NHTSA standards after that it's all personal preference, convert, style and color etc...

Here everything you need to know about helmets Helmets for 2012
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Old 09-09-12, 09:56 PM
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Originally Posted by Carbon Unit
Consumer Reports published a report that pretty much said this. I have a Giro Atmos I paid $110 for and I bought a Bell mountain bike helmet that my wife uses for $20.00 at Costco.
The article also recommended several medium-priced helmets ($55-100) that they felt were a nice blend of comfort, style, and price point.
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Old 09-09-12, 09:57 PM
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Originally Posted by BustaQuad
is this real life?
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Old 09-09-12, 09:59 PM
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This made me laugh for all those who want Made is USA only or say overseas made stuff is well no good.
From a page about Bell
Made in USA Helmet
Some consumers ask us where to find a helmet made in the US, or in another country. Although most helmets sold in the US market are now made in China, Taiwan and other Asian countries, Bell is still making millions of helmets every year here for its discount store line. See the Bell discount line comments below. Others are still made in Belgium, Germany, Italy and France. You will find comments on that in the writeups below on a number of European brands, and we have a page up on where helmets are made. Note that most country of origin statements may neglect to inform you that components were imported from elsewhere, including China. Bell has explicit labels saying that.
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Old 09-09-12, 10:01 PM
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Originally Posted by save10
is this real life?
I've seen people with cycling helmets on backwards LOL also.
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Old 09-09-12, 10:10 PM
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[QUOTE=JTGraphics;14710744]This made me laugh for all those who want Made is USA only or say overseas made stuff is well no good.
From a page about Bell
/QUOTE]

While I'm speaking to Bell's motorsport helmets, their quality went up moving production from Rantoul, IL to China, and their price went down.
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Old 09-09-12, 10:23 PM
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Originally Posted by BustaQuad
This is some funny ****.
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Old 09-09-12, 10:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Carbon Unit
This is some funny ****.
Even mispelling profanity doesn't work. Great sensensorship software.
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Old 09-09-12, 10:27 PM
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Originally Posted by BTM87
Thanks! Only done 2 rides with it but I really like it too. I went in pretty set on buying a Giro, but the salesman showed me the Lazer and explained why he liked it better. After wearing both, the decision was a "no brainer" for me (bad, somewhat related pun intended)
This is a cool looking helmet. I may need to rethink my stand of cheap is just fine. When it is time to replace my Atmos, I think I will have to look at this Lazer O2.
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Old 09-09-12, 10:29 PM
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Congrats on your new bike, all helmets are required to meet the government standards, you want to get a helmet that is going to match yourbike, just my $0.02

https://www.cpsc.gov/businfo/frnotices/fr98/10mr98r.pdf
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Old 09-09-12, 10:49 PM
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The more expensive helmets use very high quality, enriched, weapons grade styrofoam only available from secret Russian factories and refineries in Siberia.
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Old 09-09-12, 10:50 PM
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Originally Posted by cruiserhead
That is a myth.
A $25 helmet offers the same level of protection as the top of the line $300 helmet.
This has been tested and proven.

...
Strong words. All helmets meet the same minimum standards; they all offer the same minimum level of protection. It is pretty obvious that they won't all be equal, since designs, you know, vary. I did not say the price correlated with protection. I said design correlated to protection. That they meet the same minimum standard does not mean they are all the same; this should be obvious on the face of it, since, like I said before, designs vary.

To make an extreme example, this:


offers less protection than:


One is designed for people who put an emphasis on cooling and light weight; the other is built for track sprinters who might hit the track with 2G's in a crash. They both meet the same minimum standards; one protects your head better than the other.
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