Helmet Suggestions

[Susan Otcenas]

But have in the past been satisfied with a lesser model, who, after crashes too numerous to mention, takes a licking and keeps on ticking. (with no structural damage, of course!)
Nanci

If you have a helmet that has been worn in a crash, I would encourage you to stop wearing it and replace it! Damage to helmets is NOT always visible. A helmet that's been worn in a crash is compromised, and may not adequately protect you if you take a hard fall like Helga's.

Helmets are costly, but cheap compared to the alternative.

Susan

[Duck on Wheels]

If you have a helmet that has been worn in a crash, I would encourage you to stop wearing it and replace it! Damage to helmets is NOT always visible. A helmet that's been worn in a crash is compromised, and may not adequately protect you if you take a hard fall like Helga's.

Helmets are costly, but cheap compared to the alternative.

Susan

Ditto to that. Your helmet did its job by falling apart. Like the crumple zones in cars that keep the energy of a crash out of the cab where you're sitting. Even if it hadn't broken, you now need a new one. Get one that fits right and feels right, so it's where it needs to be next time you (G-dess forbid) need it -- not slipped out of position, and not left back at home.

[mellic]

I am a mountain biker and in the last 3 years I have owned 5 different helmets - what can I say I fall on my head a lot. Unfortunately no matter what helmet you buy they all fracture on heavy impact to absorb the forces from the fall.

I personally prefer a helmet with hard casing covering most of the helmet as these have been a little bit more durable for me. These helmets cost a bit more but better to have the best possible protection for your head.

Most helmet manufacturers have a crash replacement warranty.

[fixedgeargirl]

I learned when shopping for a ski helmet that they come in different relative shapes, that is oval as compared to round. I may have this backward, but I believe that European heads, and thus most Euro brand ski helmets, are more oval and North American heads/helmets are more circular. I wonder if this is true of bike helmets?

[Grog]

I have both a Giro Atmos and Bell Sweep (don't ask me how I ended up with TWO such expensive helmets... it dizzies me just to think about their price). The Giro is about half the weight of the Bell, but at first I prefered the feel of the Bell, and its adjustment mechanism is a bit superior (although the list price for the Bell Sweep is much less than what they ask for the Giro Atmos... but heavier, too). After getting the Atmos, I think it fits pretty well too, after all, it just took me more time to adjust it.

And they're stylish! And they make BF jealous. They feel much, much more comfy and above all less hot than the previous helmet I had (a commuter's Bell helmet). The fit is quite impressive. On the other hand, I have a cheaper helmet that fits wonderfully. It's just much heavier. Go figure. I use it for commuting and leaving attached on my bike.

This being said, you can get your helmet inspected by a bike shop that does inspections for triathlons. Often you fall but aren't sure whether your head touched the ground or not (or you're convinced it didn't and... it did).

[Nanci]

I'd have to be a millionaire to replace my helmet every time I crashed my mountain bike. It's never had a hard wallop directly to it, like tree contact, or anything. It's ok, don't worry!

Nanci

[DeniseGoldberg]

Helga -
Happy helmet shopping! If you're ready to replace your helmet, you must be continuing to make great healing progress.

One word of warning though... if you're anything like me, I'd advise not buying your helmet until your body is ready to ride again. I found that once I replaced my helmet I absolutely had to get back on my bike (I had an ok from the orthopedic surgeon at that point, but not from the neurosurgeon... I figured I knew my body well enough to judge that is was safe. That turned out to be true, but you never know...)

--- Denise

[Jen]

Performance had a nice looking helmet for 1/2 price, the Bell alchera. After reading one of the links on helmets, it says that helmet in europe don't have the same rigid standards. the Alchera has limited us availablity, Europe???

[Jen]

Denise,
Enjoyed your website. What a fall you too girl.. Wow. And, how about that bike "Friday". Looks like a cross between a road bike and a mountain bike. You must have a lot of fun.

[Brandi]

yeaaa! Helga is helmit shopping! I am so glad to see she is moving forward! Helga do you have a pic of your cracked helmit? Or did you toss it? Denise had a pic of her helmit and let me tell you it was good reminder of how safe we need to try and be with ourselves.

[Jen]

After reading all these posts about crashes, I think I will be more particular about the helmet I buy. My dog chewed the last one, not badly but perhaps i should look into a new one. I am not going to let you guys scare me though. I am going to get out there and have fun. I will probably crash alot while learning though. Been down there 2 1/2 times already. The 1/2 is the time that could have been a biggy but I compensated and stayed up..

[velogirl]

One interesting tidbit I read when the national helmet safety board (or whoever they are) released their annual study is that helmets with more vents and pointy extensions (such technical terms -- it's late) are more likely to cause cervical spine injuries. The reason for this is they get caught up on the pavement when you crash. Apparently the cheaper helmets, with more smooth surface area, allow you to slide when you crash, reducing the risk spinal cord injury. Makes sense to me, although I wouldn't volunteer to field test it. I guess if your body is sliding and your head gets stuck to the ground (due to a pointy helmet), it can pull on your neck.

I think the link was already posted. Lots of interesting statistics.