Giro helmets - huge appreciation

[Davidc]

25mph - twice the speed at which it was designed to do anything!

 

[david k]

should have worn 2

 

[gaz]

I understand what a helmet is designed to do and at what speed. My helmet is the same as the OP's and had a similar crash only at a lower speed. Both of us experienced a crack in the helmet. Is that meant to happen? I certainly wasn't expecting that and won't be buying the atoms again.

 

[Red Light]

better than expected?

No, pretty typical. No compression of the foam which is what is designed to attenuate the impact to the head but instead a fracture of the foam that does next to nothing. You would do as well with a cotton cap.

 

[david k]

No, pretty typical. No compression of the foam which is what is designed to attenuate the impact to the head but instead a fracture of the foam that does next to nothing. You would do as well with a cotton cap.

we wear them all the time up north

 

[Red Light]

I understand what a helmet is designed to do and at what speed. My helmet is the same as the OP's and had a similar crash only at a lower speed. Both of us experienced a crack in the helmet. Is that meant to happen? I certainly wasn't expecting that and won't be buying the atoms again.

In its defence it was never designed to work at 25 or 35mph and there is no reason to believe it would behave sensibly at those speeds. Take a pair of oven gloves for example. Just because they protect you getting stuff out the over around 200C doesn't mean they are going to behave in the same way or protect you if you want to remove something red hot from a furnace.

 

[Red Light]

we wear them all the time up north

I know someone that crashed at 50mph into a pile of boulders and broke his back. He attributes his complete lack of head injuries to his cotton cycling cap saving his life.

 

[david k]

cloth caps are underrated, thats why every northerner in the cotton mills wore one, ppe

 

[gaz]

In its defence it was never designed to work at 25 or 35mph and there is no reason to believe it would behave sensibly at those speeds. Take a pair of oven gloves for example. Just because they protect you getting stuff out the over around 200C doesn't mean they are going to behave in the same way or protect you if you want to remove something red hot from a furnace.

That is a good point, my expectations of what it should do at any speed is crumble, i guess i am incorrect. Either way it protects my precious facial features from scraping along the tarmac

 

[PpPete]

Just idly wondering what kind of helmets the TdF riders wear? Surely they cannot be undertaking 90 kph descents wearing helmets designed to provide "some protection" at less than one quarter of that speed ?

 

[Davidc]

I think the ones pro riders wear are for aerodynamic benefit and any head protection is coincidental!

 

[Dan B]

The pro riders wear ordinary cycle helmets just like the ones that you or I can purchase. This is largely due to the Politicians Fallacy

 

[tigger]

Wow - didn't intend to spark off a debate!

I can't believe people are taking an anti helmet slant here!!|??? You must have banged your head in a past cat accident or something! All I can say is that every part of my body which was in contact with the road is smashed, grazed, bloodied or broken. The only exception is my head - which is still perfect thankfully. That is not a coincidence.

Gaz - your helmet also did its job. The polystyrene will crack, split crumple. Thats what its designed to do. The same as motorbike helmets, one accident and you must discard - thats how helmets work. So the fact that Giro will replace at half price is a great service.

Armchair scientists saying helmets don't do this or were not designed for that and only have a % effect of this.... total nonsense in the real world. I'm a real life crash test dummy, and my grossly over-priced piece of plastic venting and aerodynamic faff saved me from a lot worst for sure.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

Wow - didn't intend to spark off a debate!

I can't believe people are taking an anti helmet slant here!!|??? You must have banged your head in a past cat accident or something! All I can say is that every part of my body which was in contact with the road is smashed, grazed, bloodied or broken. The only exception is my head - which is still perfect thankfully. That is not a coincidence.

Gaz - your helmet also did its job. The polystyrene will crack, split crumple. Thats what its designed to do. The same as motorbike helmets, one accident and you must discard - thats how helmets work. So the fact that Giro will replace at half price is a great service.

Armchair scientists saying helmets don't do this or were not designed for that and only have a % effect of this.... total nonsense in the real world. I'm a real life crash test dummy, and my grossly over-priced piece of plastic venting and aerodynamic faff saved me from a lot worst for sure.

I like your style.

 

[Davidc]

The pro riders wear ordinary cycle helmets just like the ones that you or I can purchase. This is largely due to the Politicians Fallacy

I didn't realise that - but you know more about racing than I do.

Quite what good they'd do in a crash is anyone's guess - not a lot I suspect. At their speeds (wasn't one clocked at over 70 mph on a downhill this time?) I'd be worried about torsional injuries such as a broken neck or brain stem destruction being caused by the helmet if I came off.