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Helmets
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Key Search Terms: bike bicycle helmet; Louis Garneau helmet; Giro helmet; Bell bicycle helmet, Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute.
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Text and Photos by: Rich Ries.
Our thanks to BRAT sponsor Tim Weber of Weber Sports for suggesting this topic.
Note that this is an overview of helmets. Because a helmet is so crucial to your health and safety in the event of an impact, you should get one-on-one advice from a knowledgeable expert to ensure your helmet will provide optimal protection if and when it's required.
Like bikes themselves, bicycle helmets run the gamut of cost, style, and performance. So what's the difference between a $20 helmet from a big-box retailer and a $200 helmet from an independent bicycle dealer? How do you decide which helmet is right for you? Once you've selected a helmet, how do you optimize the fit? And when should you replace your old helmet?
Cost:Features Ratios
All helmets have to meet the Consumer Product Safety Commission's minimum safety standards to be sold in the United States. This law took effect on March 10, 1999. The CPSC standard displaced the older ASTM F1447 and ANSI standards. Some helmets also meet the Snell B-90 standard, which is comparable to the CPSC standard, and some also meet the Snell B-95, which is a premium standard. But again, all helmets must meet the CPSC standard at a minimum and will have a sticker somewhere confirming their compliance. (The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute, www.bhsi.org, has much more information.)
Virtually all helmets have some sort of fit adjuster at the back. This adjuster draws up the slack around the periphery of the helmet to create a snug fit. Some are better at this than others. And some are easier to operate with gloved hands or for pony-tail wearers to use. The correct placement of this device is below the occipital protuberance on the back of your head. The adjuster should cradle the underside of that bony bump to be effective. Try these tests. Is the adjuster easy to tighten and loosen? With the adjuster as snug as it would be during a ride, leave the straps unclasped and try to rock the helmet back-and-forth and side-to-side. Does the helmet remain solidly in place and does the adjuster not release tension?
Costlier helmets generally flow more air to provide better cooling and usually lose weight. But too many vents or vents that are too large compromise structural integrity, as does an incessant race to build the lightest helmet. The performance gap between budget helmets and high-dollar models has narrowed considerably from a few years ago.
Two features remain the domain of higher-priced helmets. One is co-molded (or in-molded) design. On budget helmets the plastic shell is applied to the foam body in a separate process. In more expensive helmets the shell and body are bonded together during production; they are “co-molded.” In theory this creates a stronger helmet, and that theory would seem to be valid. It's certainly true that co-molded helmets are more aesthetically attractive as it's easier to get the shell to follow the complicated contours of the body. Non-co-molded ("two-part") helmets can be indentified by the strip of tape where the shell meets the body. Co-molded models usually start around $50.
The other feature of better helmets is a range of sizes. Budget helmets usually have a universal size and are supposed to be adaptable through the use of pads and the rear adjuster. Manufacturers do this to control production costs; it's easier to make a jillion helmets of one size that it is to make some percentage of a jillion in each of several sizes. It seems, however, that these universal-fit helmets fit 80 percent of the population badly and since poor fit equals poor protection, you're probably better off with a helmet model that is available in a range of sizes. As with co-molding, sizing options also tend to kick in around $50.
Head Games
Now that you understand the basics of bike helmets you're ready to start shopping. The first step in finding the right helmet for you is to analyze your head shape. Human heads can be broadly categorized as either round or oval (as viewed from above). Mine is definitely oval. In the past I was unable to wear Bell helmets while Giro and Louis Garneau helmets fit very well. Although the distinctions are less pronounced than they used to be, it's still crucial to try on helmets until you find one that fits your particular cranium.
Be sure to wear whatever headgear you ride in while trying on helmets. A headband or dew rag changes fit more than you might think. And wear the helmet while in a riding position. Ideally you'd be sitting on your own bike, but sitting on any bike its better than standing up. Make sure the fit is still correct when you're on the bars. Pay special attention to whether any part of the helmet, such as a visor, intrudes into your field of vision. You don't want your view obstructed.
Have a Fit
If there's an area where helmets desperately need design improvement, it's strap adjustment. The goal is to have the helmet level on your head in both planes (side-to-side and front-to-back). You want to have the straps tight enough that the helmet stays put in the event of an impact yet not so tight that they're uncomfortable.
In reality helmets don't have straps. Helmets have a strap; just one. It's anchored at the front right of the helmet, snakes through the back, and is anchored again at the front left. Along the path are four plastic parts - one below each ear and one each male and female buckle components. But since "straps", plural, is an accepted convention, we'll stick with it to avoid confusion.
While a primer on strap adjustment is beyond what will be covered here, there are some tips that will help. Having a helper perform adjustments saves lots of frustration. The helper can make some adjustments while you're wearing the helmet. Try to keep the helmet level as adjustments are made. Also try to keep the buckle in position under your chin. If the straps are too loose, start tightening with the front right strap, then the back right, then the back left, then front left. If the straps are too tight, pass strap from the left rear to the right rear and then to the right front. The straps are properly positioned when there's no slack in them and the helmet is level on your head. Opening your mouth widely should create a slight downward pressure on the helmet. Once the strap tension is set, position the binders under each ear.
Getting the proper fit is one of several excellent reasons to buy your helmet from a good independent bicycle dealer. (Others include a range of models and sizes and the opportunity to try out helmets while in a riding position.) But not all IBDs know how to fit a helmet or want to take the time. Find one with both know-how and patience.
The good news is that once your helmet is adjusted you'll have to make no further major adjustments. You may have to make minor adjustments, such as loosening or tightening the straps a bit at the buckle to accommodate different headgear for hot- and cold-weather rides.
When to Replace?
There was a time when manufacturers encouraged users to replace their helmets every two years, arguing that helmets degraded over time. Now they say that unless your helmet has received an impact or has somehow been abused, it should last for many years. In the event of an impact or abuse, however, the helmet must be replaced immediately as its ability to provide protection has been compromised.
What constitutes abuse? Excessive heat, as when a helmet is kept in a closed vehicle or trunk. Exposure to chemicals, such as cleaning solvents or fuel. Modification, such as sculpting out foam to alter the fit, painting, or even the application of stickers. And how much impact is too much? If you went down while wearing your helmet, that's enough. There may be no visible cracks in the body or dents in the shell, but even helmets with no obvious physical damage may not work as intended. A helmet provides an extended period of negative acceleration for your brain before it slams against the inside of your skull. The helmet does this by collapsing in a controlled fashion. It is a miniature crumple zone. And “extended” in this application means a few extra nanoseconds of slowing down. Once this process of structural collapse begins, it remains in place. Once it begins, the helmet is never restored to full effectiveness. Once it begins, the helmet is trash.
Photos
Above are a two-part helmet (left) and co-molded helmet (right). Note the strip of black tape that encircles the two-part helmet where the shell meets the body (the strip has "Louis Garneau" printed on it).
Two-part helmets used to not follow the contours of their helmet bodies very well. While they still have limitations on complex compound curves, the shells of two-parters integrate well in vents and other less-demanding areas. Compare the two-part above and co-molded below.
Where co-molding really shines is where the shell doesn't resemble a simple pan. In the photo below all the shell above the red line could be done in a two-part process, but the shell below the line would have to be co-molded. This provides strength in areas where two-part helmets can't apply a shell.
The fit knob should be easy to use and effective at keeping the helmet snugly in place.
The helmet should sit level front-to-back, as seen above, and side-to-side, as seen below. Note how the fit tensioner on the rear cups the underside of my occipital tuberosity in the photo above. If anything it could go a little lower. In the picture below, the helmet is level relative to a vertical centerline through my head, but everything else (shoulders, jaw, nose) is skewed. It's amazing how you become the sum of your injuries as you age. A broken nose, a shattered jaw, and a couple of broken shoulders have taken their toll on my alignment. Oh, well. This is what you get when you seek photo models who are willing, available, and work for free.
One of the most common fit problems is when a helmet is tilted back, as shown above. I don't know why so many riders - especially beginners - make this mistake. The frontal lobe is exposed to impact and the helmet can easily shift farther to the rear upon impact. Make sure you don't ride around with your helmet in dork mode.
If your helmet frequently becomes too loose, check to make sure the strap ends are still secured. Most helmets use an O-ring for this purpose, as shown above, to keep the free ends from creeping back through the buckle and creating excessive slack.
I crashed heavily on some rocks and my helmet had hard impact. Even so, it took careful inspection to find this small crack. Had I not seen the crack I would have replaced the helmet anyway, knowing that its usefulness was spent on that one crash.