comfy helmet advice needed please........

[deano69]

I never worn a helmet not because im anti helmets but just because i never bought one. I have tried several on but because i have a bald head they hurt like hell dig in and feel generally uncomfortable.

The reason I ask i went for a long ride yesterday and on way back cut through the local country park trails as shortcut but travelling through trails there was a sharp right hand bend coming up fast as i was travelling at a fair rate of knots towards it then braked then just on the rear brake threw the back round to carry on the trail when the bike tyres dug in some loose dusty leafy soil and threw me and the bike sideways to the left despite putting out my left leg to compensate I ended falling off onto left shoulder

It hurt at the time but as I hit the rock hard baked ground but my head was still travelling towards the ground without helmet on .....oooops, so to compensate I tensed up holding head up and pulling in opposite direction of ground but the result is today my neck is aching and i can barely lift my head of turn it without pain and getting out of bed this morn lifting head from pillow was total shock as pain kicked in its like having a kind of whiplash.

The moral of this story is that I want a helmet but dont like the alien head style they all seem to have and how hard and uncomfortable they feel agaist a bald head with little hair to pad them out .......I think there should be more styles available and like a motorbike helmet properly padded inside instead of hard foam material.

I also understand that riding on the road a full face motorcycle helmet style would nt be too good as your hearing of traffic would be further impaired as I think hearing is as important as seeing on roads although all the young teenagers would disagree as they like to ride with ipods on full blast in their ears

 

[Andy_R]

hmmm.......your automatic reaction is going to be the same whether you wear a helmet or not (holding head up out of the way, etc. and to be honest the accident you described wouldn't have been "improved" by wearing a helmet as it actually increases the area likely to impact. If you read carefully though the online literature you will firstly see that the BS standard for helmets is how effec tive they are in a low speed flat impact, but at this point I'm not going to go into a helemt argument as they get quite heated. If you feel safer wear one, if not, don't.

My personal view is that if you are likely to fall off at low speed, then wear one. If not, then it's up to you.

 

[Nebulous]

Hi Deano - I don't know how long ago it is since you tried a helmet.

My head is completely bald - as a result of alopecia - and I had a helmet which was about 5 years old. It was always uncomfortable and seemed a bit tight at one particular point. My head is also rather big, about 7 and 5/8ths hatsize in old money.

On getting a new bike I decided I wanted a new helmet and eventually got a Specialized max. It is designed for bigger heads, is relatively cheap by comparison with most helmets, but fits very well and is very comfortable.

I suppose the point is that you need to keep trying different ones, but you may find as I did that fastenings have come a long way, and they are much more comfortable than they used to be!

 

[sabian92]

Have a look at a Bell Venture. Not expensive and comfier than some wooly hats I've had! Doesn't make you look like a wally either, which is good.

http://www.bikeradar...-venture-10524/

*Disclaimer - I'm not bald, but it's still comfortable*

 

[Red Light]

The reason I ask i went for a long ride yesterday and on way back cut through the local country park trails as shortcut but travelling through trails there was a sharp right hand bend coming up fast as i was travelling at a fair rate of knots towards it then braked then just on the rear brake threw the back round to carry on the trail

Bad form. What happened to the "Ride don't Slide" off-road rule?

It hurt at the time but as I hit the rock hard baked ground but my head was still travelling towards the ground without helmet on .....oooops, so to compensate I tensed up holding head up and pulling in opposite direction of ground but the result is today my neck is aching and i can barely lift my head of turn it without pain and getting out of bed this morn lifting head from pillow was total shock as pain kicked in its like having a kind of whiplash.

Your instinctive reaction is going to be the same helmet or not only with the helmet your neck will be having to deal with an extra 0.3-0.5kg on your head so would probably end up worse if you think about it.

 

[screenman]

Does that mean if you have long hair or a beard you should shave it off, to save weight off of your head. Of course glasses may add to your head rotation so those are a no go.

 

[Globalti]

I am also bald on top. The simple answer is to wear a buff under your helmet; it keeps you warm in cold weather and cool in hot weather, absorbs sweat and makes the helmet a lot more comfortable. In fact if I do wear my helmet without the buff I can't believe how uncomfortable it is!

There are dozens of ways to wear a buff but mine is to knot it at one end (there's a trick for this) and wear the knot at the back of my head, which also helps to protect my neck from the sun.

 

[ACS]

I too wear a buff all year round for all reasons indicated by Globalti. One he missed out was insects getting caught in the helmet vents and crawling around on my head, drives me nuts.

 

[Jezston]

I never worn a helmet not because im anti helmets but just because i never bought one. I have tried several on but because i have a bald head they hurt like hell dig in and feel generally uncomfortable.

Like others have said, wear a buff. I wear one and I have hair.

It hurt at the time but as I hit the rock hard baked ground but my head was still travelling towards the ground without helmet on .....oooops, so to compensate I tensed up holding head up and pulling in opposite direction of ground but the result is today my neck is aching and i can barely lift my head of

This is what I've always had when I've fallen off and hit helmeted head - my neck has been utterly screwed. What's worse, sore head or sore neck? This is why I HATE current helmet design (despite wearing one!) and HATE creeping mandatory-ness(?) because they offer little to no absorption. Someone needs to make bicycle helmets that actually have an absorption layer so energy from impact isn't just transfered to your neck!

I also understand that riding on the road a full face motorcycle helmet style would nt be too good as your hearing of traffic would be further impaired as I think hearing is as important as seeing on roads although all the young teenagers would disagree as they like to ride with ipods on full blast in their ears

Must ... resist ...

 

[MGBLemonrider]

Being a bit of a fatty I sweat like a pig and have the hair style of a baby elephant. I found the foam pads just get soggy and smell no matter how often you wash them. I use either a buff or a DHB skull cap which gets sodden but drys quickly, washes easily and pads out the helmet shell. My helmet smells much better now.

The skull cap offers abit more padding but is much hotter, even so it has been my liner of choice even on the hotter days we've had so far this summer.

 

[david k]

i wear a relatively cheap one from halfords, it doesnt look very good but is comfy, it also doesnt have a peak, they look better but i feel they restrict my view, so maybe its an age thing but ive sacrificed looking good for comfort! something i also do when buying elasticated waist trousers,

 

[hotmetal]

Someone needs to make bicycle helmets that actually have an absorption layer so energy from impact isn't just transferred to your neck!

If I extrapolate from motorcycle helmet design (which may or may not be the right thing to do), the expanded polystyrene that most cycle helmets are made of IS supposed to be the absorption layer. A motorbike helmet consists of a thick hard shell to take the brunt of the blow and to stop penetration. The inside is made of EPS which is supposed to deform during an impact and soak up those pesky kilojoules, and the soft and fluffy lining is just to make it more comfy. A bicycle helmet seems to be largely similar in design but the hard shell is very thin, there's lots of holes for ventilation, and the 'comfort padding' is so minimal that it hardly does anything. And usually displaces or falls out altogether after a while. Hence why they can be a bit uncomfortable.

I don't know whether it would be possible to actually construct a helmet that would stop impact and twisting or whipping forces being transferred to your neck though.

 

[Dave Davenport]

Cycling cap underneath works for me, soaks up sweat, keeps a bit of rain/sun off your face and I find a thin one cooler than a buff.

 

[al-fresco]

I'm not quite bald (a number 2 all over) and I bought a Bell Slant when Halfords had them at 1/2 price. So comfortably I hardly know it's there.

 

[Red Light]

Does that mean if you have long hair or a beard you should shave it off, to save weight off of your head. Of course glasses may add to your head rotation so those are a no go.

You would have to have thick hair down to your ankles all piled up on top of your head to come close to the weight of a helmet but then you wouldn't be able to get you helmet on anyway.