How annoying..The media & helmets

[OakLeaf]

I don't think it's the "media" per se, it's the idiotic organizations that promote this kind of stuff. Never heard of it in bicycling before, but they're all over the motorcycling world.

Just yesterday, our local paper made a point of emphasizing that a helmet had saved a rider from serious head injuries in a hit/skip.

[KnottedYet]

Was the Australian study looking at the helmets with the pointed "aero" back sides?

I've read things about how those can cause your head to rotate in a crash, but that's one of those very rare occaisions. Certainly flukey enough that no-one would damm all helmets because of it!

[Jolt]

I had heard something similar to this before, but I don't buy the statement that helmets do more harm than good. I think the issue is with some of the "aerodynamic" shaped helmets that have parts that can "catch" on the pavement in a crash as opposed to a more round helmet that wouldn't do that. If the helmet catches on the ground I can see where it would cause extra rotation. I think it was somewhere on www.helmets.org that recommended looking for a helmet with a very rounded shape to avoid this issue. As for helmets discouraging people from riding, I don't buy that either. Especially with as lightweight as helmets are now (my first helmet as a kid was one of those hard-shell Jammer ones that weren't all that well ventilated either, and things have improved a lot since then!). I think I'd be nervous riding without mine.

[Geonz]

Lots of people feel safer on sidewalks, too ... studies are good things.

I would say the study should inspire improvements in helmet design, not giving up on helmets.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I have always felt that they should go back to the older bike helmet designs which were more rounded. I love my roller skating helmet!:
http://img.inlinewarehouse.com/ProductImages/PBH.JPG

Those pointy alien helmets are not really safe if your head is skidding on pavement at 30mph.

[bean fidhleir]

I have always felt that they should go back to the older bike helmet designs which were more rounded.

+1 on that. I looked up mine the other day after the "what color's your helmet" thread because I couldn't remember - it's a 23yo Bell V1 Pro, and is nicely rounded with nothing much to catch on anything (not completely unlike your skating helmet really). The ventilation is lousy, but that's my only complaint. If I decide to buy a new one, it'll be a Bell Metro or similar, not one of the Alien Queen ones.

[invsblwmn]

Not sure about mandatory helmet laws, BUT if you don't wear a helmet, make sure your organ donor card is with you. Makes the process easier.

[Eden]

+1 on that. I looked up mine the other day after the "what color's your helmet" thread because I couldn't remember - it's a 23yo Bell V1 Pro, and is nicely rounded with nothing much to catch on anything (not completely unlike your skating helmet really). The ventilation is lousy, but that's my only complaint. If I decide to buy a new one, it'll be a Bell Metro or similar, not one of the Alien Queen ones.

You really ought to replace it..... most of what I've read indicates that helmets should be replaced every 5 years whether they've been crashed in or not.

[KnottedYet]

Love my Bell Citi.

Smooth and rounded is beautiful....

http://www.bellbikehelmets.com/produ...asp?prodID=10#
(I have the screaming yellow one)

[bean fidhleir]

You really ought to replace it..... most of what I've read indicates that helmets should be replaced every 5 years whether they've been crashed in or not.

I've read that too, E, but I've never really seen anything to support the idea, just the flat statement. Have you ever seen any support for the claim?

I wonder whether it isn't one of those dogmatic "everyone should drink 8-10 glasses of water a day" things that has no real basis but everyone repeats because it sounds good. (Maybe I'm just overly suspicious of recommendations that sound like Full Employment For Helmet Makers?) I can understand the idea of replacing a helmet that spends most of its time getting UV-baked in some place like Arizona, because even a UV-stable plastic will eventually degrade. But that doesn't seem as though it would apply to me in Mass, where I ride in rain as often as not and the helmet lives indoors with the bike when I'm not riding.

Of course the idea of having my skull break like a dropped pumpkin isn't too appealing, so I haven't discarded the idea of a new helmet. It would also be nice to have modern fitting, since one of my ears is further back than this helmet likes and the difference is uncomfortable. I know that if I do go for one, I want a bright yellow one like Knot's Citi to match my rain cape.


EDIT from helmet.org: "The Bell V-1 Pro was designed to today's standards, but the foam is very stiff, and if you are over 65 you probably should replace that too.

...

Most manufacturers now recommend that helmets be replaced after five years, but some of that may be just marketing. (Bell now recommends every three years, which seems to us too short. They base it partially on updating your helmet technology, but they have not been improving their helmets that much over three year periods, and we consider some of their helmets since the late 1990's to be a step backwards, so we would take that with a grain of salt.) Deterioration depends on usage, care, and abuse. But if you ride thousands of miles every year, five years may be a realistic estimate of helmet life. And helmets have actually been improving enough over time to make it a reasonable bet that you can find a better one than you did five years ago. It may fit better, look better, and in some cases may even be more protective. For an alternate view that agrees with the manufacturers, check out the helmet FAQ of the Snell Foundation. Snell knows a lot about helmets and their views on this subject should not be dismissed lightly, even though we disagree with them."

I think maybe I'll look around and see who's selling the Citi cheapest (the Metro seems to have gone extinct *sigh*)

[OakLeaf]

studies are good things

Studies authored by the president of an anti-helmet organization are prima facie not good things. If they want to have some data to grind their ax with, fine, collaborate with a pro-helmet organization to co-sponsor an independent study, and agree to publish the results regardless of what they are.

[GLC1968]

It sounds as if the quote "they are causing more harm than good" wasn't actually in reference to the helmets, but to the LAWS requiring the helmets. The journalist appears to have twisted the quote to get a flashy headline.

Personally, helmets when I'm riding are like seatbelts when I'm in a car. I feel naked and vulnerable without them.

[bmccasland]

The worst thing my helmet gave me was bad hair. I haven't heard many cyclists complain about helmet hair either.

It did prevent me from having something worse than a broken nose when I did a face-plant into stairs. Durn learing curve for toe clips. Klutz.

[HillSlugger]

Journalistic integrity would have had it prominently stated that the author of the study is head of a group that opposes the helmet law! Can you say "conflict of interest"?