Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Not sure I would want a helmet named after a laxative.
Smart Helmets
- Thread starter Cathryn
- Start date
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IaninSheffield
Veteran
- Location
- Sheffield, UK
At first I thought ... meh.
But for my preferences when cycling, there might be some utility ... even though the majority of my miles are solo. When touring (perhaps 10 - 15% of my annual mileage), i prefer to enjoy my surroundings in peace. However, for oft-travelled, local miles i enjoy listening to podcasts through a set of Aftershokz. A Sena helmet at £100 initially seems expensive (to me), but considering a set of Aftershokz is likely to be £70+, it begins to make more sense ... and that's before any potential communication benefits. For me, they would be few, but for my annual week away with a buddy who is a stronger rider than me, it would make life so much easier. We probably spend about half the time further apart than shouting distance, but within the 900m range. To be able to warn him, 'Just stopping for a photo' or 'Cafe coming up, shall we stop?', might be handy. Even when riding closely, it can often be hard to hear what each other is saying, so improving clarity of conversation might be another advantage.
So yes, I'd want to try one first to test the claims, but maybe I would give it a shot.
But for my preferences when cycling, there might be some utility ... even though the majority of my miles are solo. When touring (perhaps 10 - 15% of my annual mileage), i prefer to enjoy my surroundings in peace. However, for oft-travelled, local miles i enjoy listening to podcasts through a set of Aftershokz. A Sena helmet at £100 initially seems expensive (to me), but considering a set of Aftershokz is likely to be £70+, it begins to make more sense ... and that's before any potential communication benefits. For me, they would be few, but for my annual week away with a buddy who is a stronger rider than me, it would make life so much easier. We probably spend about half the time further apart than shouting distance, but within the 900m range. To be able to warn him, 'Just stopping for a photo' or 'Cafe coming up, shall we stop?', might be handy. Even when riding closely, it can often be hard to hear what each other is saying, so improving clarity of conversation might be another advantage.
So yes, I'd want to try one first to test the claims, but maybe I would give it a shot.
figbat
Slippery scientist
- Location
- South Oxfordshire, UK
We use a similar system in motorcycle group rides. Apart from the banter, which can be a distraction, it offers the opportunity to give fore-warning of hazards, which way to go at a junction etc. It also gives the opportunity to say when an overtake is clear, so a person caught behind a vehicle can get the benefit of some eyes in front of said vehicle - what this does mean is that if that person then decides to overtake it can, to an onlooker, appear to be a risky manoeuvre without the context of the comms system.
In a cycling context the forewarning could be useful but I could do without the banter, which you can generally do as you ride alongside someone or at stops. I could do without panting in my ear too (at least under these circumstances). I could see this working in a family context though, since the chatter would be more innocent and the effort less, plus it's an opportunity to coach and encourage younger riders. It might also work well in a training context - eg MTB trails or skills.
In a cycling context the forewarning could be useful but I could do without the banter, which you can generally do as you ride alongside someone or at stops. I could do without panting in my ear too (at least under these circumstances). I could see this working in a family context though, since the chatter would be more innocent and the effort less, plus it's an opportunity to coach and encourage younger riders. It might also work well in a training context - eg MTB trails or skills.
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T4tomo
Legendary Member
Indeed it very much aimed a families or regular groups, not those who ride on their own and like the escape the world, and hence only ever likely to be niche. When i ride with mates we are pretty much always in shouting distance and when riding with the OH I'd be in big trouble if I left her behind
so I don't!would be very handy for a ski helmet version, where you can be very close but cant hear each other, but then the same issue as raised above comes up: "i already have a helmet" but then a non integrated solution to move between / fit any helmet would be clunky and not as neat as an integrated solution. - Is this the integrated solutions inventors paradox?
Stand alone bluetooth mic & earpieces exist - I've used a twin / pair version (I think intended for Motorbike rider & pillion) when umpiring at hockey so the two umpires can communicate, which are excellent, but you end up taping the mic to your cheek with micropore tape, which doesn't really work for cycling, and I don't think they come as an unlimited group / mesh solution. EDIT having read @figbat above - maybe they do, not sure that is a system which stand alone from the helmet or not?
IaninSheffield
Veteran
- Location
- Sheffield, UK
I'm not sure that's the case. Bluetooth has a range of about 10m, but
I think the Bluetooth is for pairing with a smartphone, but if my understanding is incomplete, I'm happy to be corrected.
IaninSheffield
Veteran
- Location
- Sheffield, UK
T4tomo
Legendary Member
ah sena actually do a stand alone solution to clip to a helmetIndeed it very much aimed a families or regular groups, not those who ride on their own and like the escape the world, and hence only ever likely to be niche. When i ride with mates we are pretty much always in shouting distance and when riding with the OH I'd be in big trouble if I left her behind
would be very handy for a ski helmet version, where you can be very close but cant hear each other, but then the same issue as raised above comes up: "i already have a helmet" but then a non integrated solution to move between / fit any helmet would be clunky and not as neat as an integrated solution. - Is this the integrated solutions inventors paradox?
Stand alone bluetooth mic & earpieces exist - I've used a twin / pair version (I think intended for Motorbike rider & pillion) when umpiring at hockey so the two umpires can communicate, which are excellent, but you end up taping the mic to your cheek with micropore tape, which doesn't really work for cycling, and I don't think they come as an unlimited group / mesh solution. EDIT having read @figbat above - maybe they do, not sure that is a system which stand alone from the helmet or not?
https://www.sena.com/product/pi
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
Errr, why not just ride together and chat in a normal voice while cycling? Never seemed a big problem except if in noisy traffic and adding more noise to a noisy situation seems like it would be bad for one's hearing.
figbat
Slippery scientist
- Location
- South Oxfordshire, UK
Mostly these are add-on systems that you retrofit to any helmet - the success of their installation can depend in helmet design and whether they have, for example, deep enough recesses to take speakers. There are a few helmets with systems built-in but I prefer the option to be able to replace the helmet and move the headset across. Mine is a Cardo Packtalk Bold although Sena do a similar system.
markemark
Veteran
Nah, some Bluetooth frequencies can be in the hundreds of metres. The ranges for this product is a theoretical limit based on each rider being 3-400m (or whatever their range is), evenly spread out in a straight line.
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
Put me down as a sceptic.
I suspect that at best it probably wouldn't work very well. There would be an initial flush of enthusiasm with people saying HELLO CAN YOU HEAR ME a lot. But then once that had died down it would prove not very useful, people would forget to use it and would use old fashioned speaking, and if/when you did actually need it because someone had punctured or something then a key person would have it switched off, or flat battery or something and out would come the mobile phones.
My view is that if you are going to the trouble of wearing a helmet then get the best* helmet you can and don't try to turn it into a mounting system for stuff like radios, lights and cameras which will detract from its primary purpose.
* You define "best" yourself. Not a good idea to get into that here.
I suspect that at best it probably wouldn't work very well. There would be an initial flush of enthusiasm with people saying HELLO CAN YOU HEAR ME a lot. But then once that had died down it would prove not very useful, people would forget to use it and would use old fashioned speaking, and if/when you did actually need it because someone had punctured or something then a key person would have it switched off, or flat battery or something and out would come the mobile phones.
My view is that if you are going to the trouble of wearing a helmet then get the best* helmet you can and don't try to turn it into a mounting system for stuff like radios, lights and cameras which will detract from its primary purpose.
* You define "best" yourself. Not a good idea to get into that here.
PaulSB
Squire
- Location
- Chorley, Lancashire
The groups I ride with chat on the rolling and flat sections and silent on the climbs. We glance over our shoulders as well. Dropping someone by 900 metres is poor form and if it's a child simply shouldn't happen.
Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
If it’s Bluetooth you won’t have a range of 900m. Bluetooth has a range of about 10m. So sure if you had 90 or more riders spread out over 900m the person at the back could in theory speak to the one at the front. Though they’d be some latency as the connection would have to go through 90 other helmets. As to the public mode speak to up to 33,000 other users. Sure if you want your brain to explode.
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
From what little info there is, I don't think the voice comms go over bluetooth. But it's not really clear
the blurb said:
So as long as your phone is in your pocket or bike luggage you should be able to connect via bluetooth and distract yourself with music.
