Helmet Protection.

[joeninety]

Hi,

After having a mild crash last week were I didn't have enough momentum up a small steep rooty climb and the bike flipped. I fell off the back cracking the back of my head on the hard stoney ground. At this point there was a sequence of events that went something like this, helmet hits ground and stops dead, head then hits inside of helmet (reasonably hard) to cause a bump & bruise and when I rode two days later on Saturday the bump must have been quite pronounced and it hurt to wear my helmet.

I've had my helmet for about 18 months, it’s a Spada helmet that are fairly cheap but not the cheapest and before anyone asks, the fitment of the helmet is correct.

So, I'm in the market for a much better helmet with regards to protection, I know they are all made to the relevant standards but when I once asked a motorcycle shop assistant "how much do I need to spend on a road helmet?" and his reply was "that depends on how much you value your head!"... Well, my head is priceless to me, so what are people’s recommendations and I'd really like to hear from folks that have had a crash experience?

On a side note, Saturday after this experience it really made me cringe when I see guys pottering around the car park warming they're bikes up without a lid on, I have no-doubt that if I hadn't been wearing my helmet that could have been "it"... game over!

Cheers,

Gary.

[totty79]

Cost doesn't directly relate to level of safety, there are many other factors but marketing has as much to do with cost as safety does.

For road helmets check out http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/

I'm not aware of any similar tests for trials bike helmets.

The head hits inside of helmet comment does make me question the fit though. Helmets aren't all the same shape, ideally you need one that suits the shape of your head not just the size that's the closest fit.

[cleanorbust]

Some observations which may be of interest:

Any blow to the head which remains painful a day or two later is worth having checked out by a medical practitioner

I remember the boss of a well known helmet company saying that what causes serious injury in bike accidents is not so much a hard object hitting your head, it's the brain hitting the inside of the skull when your head comes to a sudden halt (as in the incident described here).

A helmet's ability to absorb shock as it should after an accident or the passage of time cannot be determined by a visual inspection. For the cost involved, might as well replace it.

The automatic wearing of helmets in trials is (relatively) recent. The major driving force initially harks back to the days when most trials involved road work and helmets became compulsory for road riding in the 1970s. Prior to that almost nobody wore a helmet, a woolly hat or flat 'at was the most anyone bothered with. It may seen strange, but I can't recall a single case of any kind of serious head injury in trials in those days.

[0007]

Helmet manufacturers have only recently started to explore "Crush Zones" similar to car impact testing

I think the biggest setback to our industry was Snell testing standards which rely related to static impact where a weight or puncture test was applied to a helmet and then submitted to a crush test

Not really applicable to a motorcycle crash but an adaptation from hard hats where a hammer falls from a building onto your head for example

There's a few brands using new standards thankfully but it will be a few years til the old ideas fade away

[joeninety]

I take your point 'totty79' that maybe the helmet isn't the right shape for me, I will be more aware of this when with my next purchase.

I realise they all surpass the minimum standard, a bit like a cheap car tyre suprpass' the minimum standard but a twice price Michelin is much better in the wet so hence maybe a twice the price helmet might offer more cushioning??? I know with the increase in price, factors such as weight, comfort, airflow, buckle release ease etc get better.

@cleanorbust, thanks for your concern, I feel fine and the bump seems to have gone now. The experience was similar to "hitting your head on the garage door" or "bending down to get something and hitting your head on furniture on the way up", these things happening everyday to people and I would imagine very few get seen by a doc! Also, going back to the shape of the helmet I definitely remember the sensation of my head hitting the inside of the helmet, hence the bump the next day.

[cleanorbust]

Glad to hear you're OK! I agree people bump their heads all the time doing work, DIY etc and usually are able to ignore the results until they wear off. Occasionally though the consequences can be serious.

Could be that a more cushioned liner would be worth looking out for when buying a new helmet, and of course it's helpful to be able to try on before buying but as there are relatively few stockists of trials helmets across the country this can be difficult.

[joeninety]

Could be that a more cushioned liner would be worth looking out for when buying a new helmet, and of course it's helpful to be able to try on before buying but as there are relatively few stockists of trials helmets across the country this can be difficult.

Especially when one lives on the South Coast!

Just to clear up something from a previous comment "Any blow to the head which remains painful a day or two later is worth having checked out by a medical practitioner", my head didn't hurt the next day or after, it was only when I went to put my helmet on too ride again a day or so later it hurt, hence my conclusion that I was okay it was just a bruise.

Edited September 10, 2013 by joeninety