Calborn

Ouch man, glad you're alright (I'm assuming).
What happened though?

Syscrush

Yes. In addition to the extra coverage, I am convinced that this helmet has a much higher likelihood of actually staying put than a regular shorty bicycle helmet - it's on so much more securely as it kind of cradles the back of your skull.

Same here, I would not consider an open-face or even a flip-up when I'm on one of my motorcycles, and I see the impact risks when riding my bicycle to be almost exactly the same. In the motorcycle world, the Hurt Report gives some good stats on where head impacts occur in motorcycle collisions, and it shows that about 60% are happening in the area covered by a full-face and left uncovered by a shorty:



I went looking for similar data for bicycle collisions, but have never been able to find it. I feel like the most reasonable and safest working assumption is that the profiles would look similar for bicycles as for motorcycles.

The helmet in question is a Bell Bellistic - used by the BMX and downhill crowds. They're inexpensive and easy to find - I've had mine for a long time and have always been very happy with it. People ask "Don't you find it hot with that on?" and I honestly answer "I don't know", because my only comparison is a motorcycle helmet, which is much hotter. Also, I don't mentally put warmth and impact protection on the same spectrum.

j3ffr3y

I just got a new road helmet for my birthday.
Bell Sweep R, for ~$70, pretty sweet. Too bad it has been raining too much to actually wear it.

Greyryder

Bicycle helmets in general are only tested for low speeds. (14mph on a flat surface, is the number I've seen) The shape and venting in the typical road bike helmet is also prone to causing torsional injuries to your neck. The all around lacy design, and total lack of anything to spread out the impact forces over a larger area of the foam means those helmets don't have a snowball's chance of protecting you in a high energy impact, like being hit by a car. That type of impact instantly overwhelms them, and about all they spare you from is extra bruising and road rash. The ability to protect you from a concussion or skull fracture is dubious, at best.

I've done work with different kinds of EPS foam, and I just don't trust it without some kind of a rigid shell. Every time I've had a road/MTB helmet in my hands, the thought of relying on it to protect my head has genuinely frightened me.

Skate/park style helmets are lined with the same type and density of foam that road bike helmets are made from, but have a thick ABS shell to spread the force out, so that the foam isn't instantly compressed, transferring that localized force directly to your skull. Those helmets are designed to protect someone's head in a high speed impact with a steel pipe, or sharp concrete edge. Most of those helmets have been put through the same testing as your road bike helmets, and tend to rate much better.

But then, I'm convinced that a park style helmet increases the chance for heat stroke. Those things can get really hot.

Honestly, the ideal helmet would have the airflow of the road helmet, and the functional outer shell of the park helmet.

nutcase

That's Purdy! No really it is a nice looking helmet. Looks like plenty of air air circulation. I liked the helmets the riders were wearing in last years Tour De France. Lot's of ventilation. I can"t remember which brand it was, but a lot of them were wearing it.

Dannihilator

When it's cold. I use a polar fleece skull cap and a road helmet.

When warmer, road helmet.

Syscrush

Pretty close here:

the_don

I have a 661 full face helmet for chair assist DH days (and full body armour).

And a Alpina road helmet for the city. I ride hard and fast, i know if i crash at the speeds I ride i will be in serious trouble.

If you ride along the sidewalk slowly, then i can see why people don't wear helmets though.

nutcase

Interesting diagram

cyclezealot

I found a cycling cap made from Coolmax materials.. Keeps the head cool when worn under one's helmet and hides helmet hair post ride. .

illdthedj

once again (third time lol) i will recommend the bern brentwood i have.
meets all the bike safety standards (all those standards w/ acronyms i cant remember)
has all the elements you describe, but while most park style helments have little to no ventilation, the bern has a bit more than most. AND a visor lol

ok ill shut up about my helmet already ;p

Syscrush

Motorcycle helmets are tested at a similar speed, and the "ride free" crowd points to this as proof that a helmet offer no protection whatsoever at any speed above 13-14 mph, which is patently false.

The number is a bit misleading, because if you're talking about a case where you fall from your bike and your head strikes the ground, the speed at impact is generally a lot lower than your road speed. In terms of impact, falling from 6' at a road speed of 10, 20, or 100 mph aren't appreciably different. In terms of abrasion there is a world of difference, of course.

This is reflected in a study I saw years ago (sorry, I can't find a citation now) that the severity of head injuries (not the frequency) in various activities related to the height of the participant's head from the ground - so road cyclists tend to suffer worse head injuries than motorcyclists, and equestrians tend to suffer worse head injuries than cyclists - despite the fact that motorcycling is done at the highest speed and equestrian at the lowest of those 3 activities.

Bobby Sixkiller

I've been reluctant to don a helmet as I find all bike-specific helmets to be quite hideous. I suspect that I'll pick up one of those visored Bern summer models in the near future though.

nutcase

This is what I wear, and it does comply with U.S. C.P.S.C safety standards for bicycle helmets.

Six jours

The "I don't want to relearn the alphabet blah blah" crowd is kidding themselves about the capability of a few ounces of Styrofoam. The full face guys are the only ones getting real protection from their helmets.

And if you've repeatedly landed on your head while cycling you need to find something else to do. Cycling obviously isn't what the gods have planned for you.

badonis

No need to hate on people who'd much rather prefer to be safe than sorry. To each his own.

Syscrush

Do not underestimate the effectiveness of styrofoam at absorbing impactwhen combined by a carbon, fiberglass, polycarbonate, or ABS shell.

It's an amazing material - and there's a reason that nobody makes helmets or body armor out of bone.

badonis

+1

pazzmore

wear a cycling cap under a helmet for the best looking combo. when I don't wear a cap I almost always wear a bandana underneath (headband style) to help with the sweat. i wear a helmet most the time when riding. just get a good helmet (giro, bell, specialized, etc))and your stoked... those Bern helmets are like wearing a weight on top of your head... avoid them at all costs. way too heavy.

Bobby Sixkiller

Is this intended to mean for you personally?

Six jours

That's the kind of post that really annoys the "pro choicers", actually: the smug assumption that helmet wearers are "safe" and non-helmet wearers will eventually be "sorry".

Six jours

Even assuming that Styrofoam has magical properties -- at least when combined with plastic! -- it's obvious that a helmet cannot protect what it is not covering. That's why I say that the folks wearing the normal cycling helmets are deluding themselves when they think it makes them "safe". Again, the full face guys are the only ones using truly protective gear.

illdthedj

do you have atrophied neck muscles? ;p
i dunno man, mine dosn't feel heavy at all. must be a personal problem. unless you are talking about the winter ones, which have a bunch of extra earmuff material and some have headphones in the earmuffs, but even still, those arn't that heavy either.

j3ffr3y

I have one and like it quite a bit, but I don't try to pretend that it doesn't feel heavy.
Stop kidding yourself , try out a light helmet and you'll see the difference

Bobby Sixkiller

How much do you weigh? According to the specs on the Bern site the Watts weighs between 16 and 18 ounces, which is normal for a multi-sport helmet. I haven't worn that type of helmet in several years, but I don't recall ever finding their weight notable, much less uncomfortable, even during 6 hour durations.

They absolutely weigh more than road helmets, but I'm confident that getting my hair cut and wearing contacts instead of frames would all much marginalize any appreciable weight difference.