How helmets have improved over the years
 

I'm sure all of you see ads on the forum, and this one always make me laugh. I certainly notice that the young lady is very attractive, but going from the helmet she is wearing, I figure she must be my age by now because that helmet looks very much like the first helmet I ever owned, probably 1990 or 91.
Just like this young lady, it was hot, hardly any air vents and I used to take it off on hot climbs because I sweat so much with it on, and I've never been much of a sweater.
I left it on the grass one day when locking up my bike and someone stole it.
Fast forward about 20 or 25 years and it's great how there are so many reasonably priced helmets with excellent ventilation and very well thought out strap and those dial adjusters--fantastic for me commuting when I change layers of thin beanies or balaclavas in cold weather.
A few years ago when riding to Boston, it was often around 100f and sure, it was damn hot, but it was easy to always have my helmet on, given how well it lets air through.
I've had this helmet at least 5 years, have tried on some new ones recently, and there are improvements.
I am surprised however by $350+ helmets out there, where there are numerous in the 75-100 dollar range that are really quite nice.

Remember those goofy Bell early ones? The best story of those early ones is from a friend, her husband had one back in the day, and when entering a small store in New England somewhere, the clerk asked with his Maine accent, "So, d'ya fall down a lot?"

I don't know what you are talking about ;)

It's all about Fashion.

Yes racing fashion is about expensive helmets full of vents.

But trendy hipsters wear Bern style.

In the Netherlands regular folk don't wear helmets.

Fashion.

Happy, i mean the first Bell ones, all white with a red stripe or two, hardly any vents at all.

And aura, when I said 75 bucks, heck there are $45 helmets that are pretty darn good, with good ventilation.
Really, all I was getting at was how is great that reasonably priced helmets are light enough and comfortable enough with good ventilation to wear on hot day climbs.
Seeing the cute young lady with that helmet just made me remember how uncomfortable the early ones were.
Along of course with the added bonus that wearing a helmet is complete second nature to me now, and it doesn't bug me even on hot climbs.
I tend to keep them for ages before replacing them, usually when the inside stuff is completely worn away.

Interesting connection to how i grew up skiing without a helmet but it took only a few runs with one on to become completely comfortable with it, and wouldn't ski without one now (keeping warmer is a nice bonus too)

My first helmet, purchased in 1990, was a slab of black Styrofoam reinforced internally with metal bars. I found it uncomfortable, but I understood how easily accidents happen -- I had slipped on wet leaves a few years earlier and broke a bone in my hand. I was lucky that time. The fall happened in less than a second, not enough time to do anything to protect one's head.

After 26 years, I don't even notice I'm wearing a helmet anymore. Donning it is automatic/second nature. I'm more likely to forget my house keys!

In Holland three years ago, I saw thousands of cyclists. Maybe two or three wore helmets. I rented a bike to toodle around the city of Tilburg, and felt naked and vulnerable without a helmet, despite the exquisite cycling infrastructure. I guess I'm habituated to helmet wearing.

The only person I know who got a traumatic brain injury from a bicycle accident is from Holland. I met him several years post-TBI, and he still had not fully recovered.

Old helmets were hot and pretty terrible. I admit I rarely wore one. New helmets are cool and awesome. If you don't wear one you are stupid. It has nothing to do with fashion.

The Netherlands has a whole infrastructure and cultural familiarity with bicycles. Drivers there know how to deal with them since they probably ride too. The US is a totally different story.

Wouldn't dream of using one on tour. Horrid things. I much prefer a hat that keeps the head much cooler in hot weather. Also, helmets weigh a ton.

In general I don't think helmets are any kind of requirement when touring EU countries.

The lady at the store kept teasing me about the age of my Bell Pro (1988).. something about the foam getting hard. Recently I`ve upgraded to a 1997 helmet I bought at the flea market for $5. I feel so modern.

Helmets can get better still for commuters/tourers. Cooling slots can have sliding bits to rain-proof so one doesn't need a helmet cover. Current helmet covers don't allow for helmet-mounted lights. & current helmets aren't designed (with 1 or 2 minor exceptions) to accommodate lights. Should be a front & rear std light bracket plus optional top-mounted battery bracket. Helmet light a valuable addition to bike-mounted lights esp to see on sides & around sharp corners.

Modern helmets are light so they don't have much padding anymore & replacement pads not available on many older models. Fine for crit racers & fitness riders but a nice commuting/touring helmet might have gel-cushion strips. On long rides I find even a light helmet can feel a bit uncomfortable.

I too have a Dutch friend who had a concussion from a fall off a bike, but not as serious as your acquaintance.

Bottom line for me is risk assessment, and controlling the things I can. I certainly didn't want to get into a helmet or not debate, was really more how impressed I am with helmets being so much more comfortable than before, and how in all kinds of riding conditions and temperatures, I don't really even think of it being there.

What kind of crappy helmets are you talking about? Anything decent made in the past 10 years or so is pretty light unless it's a full face deal meant for downhill racing. The MTB helmet w/ visor I use these days is a heck of a lot more comfortable in hot weather than any of the hats I've tried, purely due to the better ventilation it gives when moving whenever humidity is really high.


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Crux, that's too bad that they bug you. I ride pretty much every day and my helmet is very much something i don't think about, and we have had 33 and 34c days lately.

I've been trying on new ones lately and like with shoes, some fit much better than others. Most have a little sticker inside with the size and weight, mine weighs 231 grams plus whatever my helmet mounted take-a-look mirror weighs.

Good stickering.

I'm not sure what year my helmet is from, but I'm guessing maybe 5, 6, 7 years ago, and the big improvement to my old helmet similar to your 97 one is the remarkable airflow increase. Lighter too , but the air flow is a big priority for me, and there are lots of mid range priced ones in the 50 to 80 90 that have just as good vents/airflow. It's much hotter and more humid here in Montreal, so these aspects are very much appreciated.

Re helmet availability, I guess I'm lucky here in this large city with lots of bike stores, as there are quite a lot of pricing and style options available.

This certainly isn't the case everywhere I imagine.

Ok here's a $60 hemet. I think it looks good. Guess why I say that?

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...db3d052d3f.jpg

A here's a helmet that I don't care for.

https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/insp...-Lance008p.jpg

The faces right? That must be an ad, the straps match her shirt perfectly, and those Eric Estrada Chips glasses are pretty hip. The other one, with all the holes in his character/soul, well it really doesn't apply to just wearing a helmet that isn't hot , but hey.
I don't really get those Bern style ones with no air flow. Sure maybe on a ski slope at -15c with a strong wind, but biking? In a bike store last week I saw an older couple trying one of these ones on, but at least the saleslady was good and said that it would be too hot.

Aura, sure I get it, fashion and consumerism is a huge part of our lives, including cycling, I'm just happy that there are comfortable affordable helmets for me and my family to wear, cuz I'll take any structure on my head that is purposely designed to crumple in an impact and reduce and slow down the forces going to my head.
Touch wood.

I wear the Bern style (Allston). I have a big head and wear the largest size it comes in. Most other lids do not fit at all. I have tried on many of them.

I cracked my 1st helmet ever about a week ago, it was a no-speed crash. I basically fell mounting my bike, it was embarrassing, but it would have been tragic had that been my head hitting the pavement. Today's helmets are much more comfortable and cooler, there isn't much of an argument not to wear one.

I guess for me it's the comparison of memories, sweating like a pig on a hot day in France with my first helmet, taking it off because it was unbearable on slow climbs, and fast forward to being 25 years older and being surely less tough but keeping my helmet on all the time and it being ok.

Yep, I buy literally the cheapest helmet I can find (okay, so I avoid the pink ones and might splurge an extra $5 on one with a visor) and even that is lightweight and ventilated enough. My current helmet is this one, which I think I might have paid $30 for (on sale):

http://www.bikeforums.net/data:image...ABAAEAAAIBRAA7http://www.giro.com/media/catalog/pr...niumsilver.jpg

Incidentally, I bought this helmet about a year ago. I still keep my old helmet, complete with cracked foam, as a sort of memento mori.

I like these ideas, although I'd also like to have some kind of bracket for video camera(s) too.

EPS that is the passive safety part of all helmets Has a functional lifespan, although the material, Styrofoam,

is Very long lasting , as waste, like floating in the North Pacific Garbage Patch.

One thing that would concern me with any helmet mounted light is the point loading that'd result if in a fall that light hit first and didn't immediately snap off. The light would put a lot of prssure on one small area of the helmet. I wonder too if mounting a light on a helmet would void any warranty.

Cheers

Yep, I like my old Bell for sentimental reasons and the fact that it is bomb proof (dropped so many times without a crack in the hard shell) but my newer helmet is about half as light and feels like it's not even there.

MOD NOTE: Just a friendly reminder that forum policy mandates that any thread that delves into the safety debate of whether or not to wear a helmet, or their effectiveness will be merged into the "Helmet Thread" in A&S. Fashion, weight, comfort, airflow, etc.? No problem. Carry on.