Road helmets with good protection
 

SO, I am in the market for a new helmet. I mostly ride road bikes, but have recently gotten back into MTBing. I am a recreational rider. I owned a wayyy to big Lazer O2 that I recently got ride of and now use an old and battered Bell as my only helmet. I want a nicer/newer/safer one.

I like the looks of the POC Octal, but am put off by the pricetag. I am also a bit leery about using a white helmet off road, as I assume that it will very quickly get disgusting and ugly owing to the terrain and my sweaty face.

Are there any helmets *like* the Octal in terms of protection that don't cost $250 and look quite so pristine and fragile?

My LBS had a Fox Stryker and a Giro Savant that both felt good, but the Fox looked pretty aggro and the Giro looked just like all the other helmets that I have owned, plus didn't sit as low on my head as the POC and Fox.

Any thoughts? I would like to limit cost to $150 if I could.

Giro Atmos . I purchased my last one for about $125,,, after I 'tested' my previous Atmos 3 years ago. Umm,, it worked. I know the two look NOTHING alike, but for the money and protection..........

Mike in AR:beer:

Road helmets with good protection
 

I have an essential brand new Met Parachute XC MTB helmet that needs a home.


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Yes! I should use a full face helmet on my road bike!

I am actually aiming for a road-looking helmet with coverage and features of a mountain helmet.

The Giro Savant MIPS helmet claims to be something special with regard to safety, and is in your budget. I've heard a couple people say it's probably the "safest" helmet out there, right now. Hearsay.

And that is the limit of my knowledge on the topic...

I've crashed a few helmets and riders I work with have done in a lot of them. Here are some thoughts on what we've seen.

First, most helmet manufacturers build to meet CPSC testing, and thereafter to make the helmet as light as possible, stylish as possible, ventilated as possible. CPSC is very focused on the top of the head and the back of the head, which is why helmets tend to be tall on top and have big masses high up on the rear. Now what are the most common dangerous crashes? Onto the forehead, onto the occipital region in the rear (down low rear), and the temporal area (just in front of the ears). Temporal crashes tend to bring about the most concussions, occipital crashes cause the most spinal injury, and forehead crashes tend to cause both concussion and, in extreme cases, the most lethal injuries -- very very generally speaking. Compare bike helmets to high end motorcycle helmets and while the needs aren't necessarily the same, you have to wonder why bike helmets are such odd critters.

Second, the tests tend to be simple ones -- slam one side of the helmet into a plate of steel and see what happens. But accidents typically involve more movement than that. A case in point: Long-tailed aero helmets have a record of causing bad spinal and concussive injuries because the tail catches the ground in a fall and twists the head around. Big '60's automotive fins on the back of your helmet tend to do the same -- they are cosmetic to make you think the helmet is fast, or they are there to build up the upper rear of the helmet to pass CPSC testing. Most testing is done assuming consumer speeds -- how a helmet performs at 10 mph is a far cry from how it does when you crash at 40 in a field sprint.

Third, these helmets shred in a serious accident but they still have to keep together because you may be sliding, ricocheting, bouncing, whatever. It may be the last contact that does the real damage. To make big holes for ventilation and to keep weight down, you have deep but narrow ribs (to pass CPSC tests) and lots of open space between with narrow connecting crossmembers. If those crossmembers break, you no longer have protection.

Fourth, most helmets depend on an internal plastic skeleton to hold things together, a certain cross section of foam to pass CPSC testing, and a thin plastic skin on top to limit shredding so the helmet stays together. Once upon a time Giro and others would show you that skeleton; notice that they don't do so any longer? Because they are building to pass CPSC testing, they have marginalized that skeleton. Also, the skeletons can allow cracks in the foam from minor crashes that compromise the helmet in a subsequent serious crash -- better to let the helmet fall to pieces now and replace it. That's especially the CPSC talking -- they know we will often keep using a helmet after a small crash, and they know statistics say not to. But we also have to depend on that skeleton, so the overall strength of the helmet decreases.

Fifth, the helmet has to stay on the head in a crash to be effective. CPSC testing is pretty light in this regard. They do test to ensure the strap doesn't separate, but that's not much good if the whole head fitting assembly comes loose. Take an old helmet and rip hard -- all the adjustments points in some helmets come loose and the assembly either loosens or comes completely off. We've seen this particularly in some of the smaller Euro brands.

See a thread here? It's a rather artificial test, making about as much sense as how UCI tests frames or wheels. There have been some helmets subject to more testing -- the Specialized Decibel (with Snell ratings), the Casco Warp (no ventilation; mostly for track, though Kask and others have copied aspects of it for road and tri use), and the new POC Octals. I'm not saying that Snell (which is a widespread standard for testing helmets for motorcycles and certain other sports) is the right choice, but it is a better conceived testing procedure and ultimately is more demanding for real-life situations. The Specialized Decibel is a legend in helmet demand for the protection it offered without compromising ventilation; it did end up being pretty heavy, and not fitting everyone. Some of us are on the new POC Octals, and I have to say that -- at the potential sacrifice of aesthetics -- they are cool, light, and very high quality protection. Of helmets today, that's the one I'd recommend. The strap and adjustment system are tightly embedded in the body of the helmet, very similar to the Decibel.

Other helmets? Giro designs seem to favor a very small bridge dead center at the front of the helmet. This bridge was so small on the Pneumo that they would crack there just in regular daily use. It's part of the design model they use, partly the cosmetics and airflow they strive to achieve. But I tend to be careful of some of their helmets where I can snap that bridge in my hands, without much effort. Again, looking at the old Decibel, it had a broad horizontal vent to cool the forehead and allow a much more substantial bridge there. Over the years, accident records showed that it handled frontal impact better than almost any other helmet. After cautioning about Giro helmets, I do have to say that for racing, the Air Attack is one of the best thought out helmets from a safety standpoint. It won't injure you if you slide, it'll stay together better than almost any other helmet, and it offers a high index of protection against both impact and abrasive crashes. It may not be ventilated enough for some riders, but it appears to be one of the most protective helmets out there. There are so many helmets, that every maker has one that does a pretty good job and probably one that's a bit sketchy. Plus, remember that different sizes may work quite differently -- a minor compromise in a bridge in one size will degrade its protection while other sizes are very good. I wish we -- all of us -- had good data on all of this. We rely on a CPSC sticker, but we really need to think it out a bit better than the government does.

The current issue of Consumer Reports has an article on helmets
and testing thereof.

Seems you have to subscribe to get any info..?

They say they do impact testing at 7 and 14mph... seems really useless for guys crashing at 25-50mph

Looks?

Every other rider will accept what you look like no matter what helmet you wear. Every non-rider will think you look ridiculous no matter what helmet you wear. So why even consider looks? When I shop for a helmet I ignore looks and price, and just search for a helmet that's so comfortable I forget I'm wearing it.

I can vouch for the Giro Atmos if you like the fit. I recall "testing" an Atmos: as my body sailed over my head and my head contacted the pavement, I remember thinking, "This helmet's great! It feels like a pillow!"

You can pick up an Atmos for as little as $90 if you find one on sale.

I ride a white helmet mtb. it doesn't get any dirtier. the dust shows up but it just wipes off. same plastic up there as any other color helmet, it's not like it stains.

as for the POC, if it offers the coverage you want and you like the fit, just save up and buy it. by all accounts its a great helmet if you're into the aesthetic. i'd have one myself but my head shape doesn't play nice with the POCs.

if you really want an alternative, i'd look to the specialized line as mentioned. even the 'mid' level helmets are fantastic. essentially just their top tier helmets from a few years ago getting bumped down the hierarchy as newer models take the throne.

see here: http://www.specialized.com/us/en/ftr...untain-helmets

:banana:lololol

This is great advice. I think wearing a white/silver helmet is really important. Specialized has a great reputation and their helmets fit my head the best. I drool over the prevails but I use an Echelon and it looks modest and it's so much more comfortable than my Giro.

Personally the way giro looks, it's like most of their helmets are a little too recessed in the front/forehead area but I have no experience falling on my face in one!

I'm curious about the Smith Overtake with MIPS system.. Someone in our club just got one and she really likes it, looks great, too.. Anyone have any experience? She has the red/white/black one.

http://i1.wp.com/vanitydrift.com/wp-...ike-Helmet.jpg

Not always, sometimes slow speed crashes are worse than skin eating high speed ones, especially for your head YMMV.

You can always take off the face guard. But my post admittedly was made in the hope that someone else might be interested.

A recent review of one of the major sites (road.cc or bikeradar or something) was extremely critical of this helmet's ventilation, or lack thereof. One of the only really negative reviews I've seen on those sites, which I always assumed existed just to say every product through their door was the best they'd tried.

I rode my Catlike Mixino once before destroying it in a race. Light, great ventilation, saved my noggin. Saving up for a replacement.

Exactly. And that calls into question of the validity of current bicycle helmet design and testing.

As mentioned earlier, helmet manufacturers primarily design to meet the CPSC standard. The current CPSC standard only tests to a maximum speed of 14 mph. And furthermore, they only consider the energy of the mass of a rider's head impacting at that speed - they don't consider the extra energy imparted by the rest of the rider's body on the impact forces.

Thank you 11.4 for all the information. I had been wanting to get an Octal but the other day when I was at a shop that actually had them, I found it a tad ugly and they didn't have my size. I'll definitely take a second look.

Do you have any thoughts on the MIPS version of the Octal? And do you know what the difference is with the "raceday" version? They could've made it clearer without the marketing talk.

For the OP, for mountain biking, I would definitely not get an airy road helmet. The places I used to go were rocky - so I always preferred less ventilation so that I wouldn't get a rock scratching me on top me hitting the ground. Also, I found a visor necessary and a rounded off back if you ever carry a camel-bak so the top loop doesn't get caught on the pointy edges on the back of most Giros and Bells.

I grabbed a Giro Savant MIPS a few weeks ago and have been pretty impressed with the comfort/fit.

Bicyling Mag had a solid article last year, I think, about MIPS helmets and their design rationale. Essentially, MIPS helmets, with their slip interface, give some mitigation of rotational forces of an impact. Since it is likely that a crash will include some rotational force, this is a good additive feature.

POC helmets look "different" from what we are used to, hence can be perceived as goofy. But the current standard replaced some earlier even more goofy helmets. Think hairnets, Skidlids :eek:

Mentioned have been a MIPS helmet from Giro. Scott makes one (Linn) which looks "normal" but has the mips system. I got one. It has been just fine.

If you want more mtb-like coverage check out the POC Trabec MIPS. I have one and it fits great, has mips, and has good coverage. Downside it's really Kazoo-like, and because of my unfortunate choice of white (which looked good on my old Bell Ghisallo), it looks like i'm wearing a giant ping-pong ball. I may get uncheap sometime and get a dedicated road helmet but for now it works well, seems like it's the best protection i can get for the money maker, with the downside of looking like a d-bag (IMHO) esp on the road. Seems to have ok ventilation, i can feel the air when moving, but haven't used it on a really long hot ride yet.

I got mine on sale end of last season for $180 at the LBS. Just consider the extra $30 gets you more temporal protection...

To OP, Did u mean more PROTECTION (i.e. linked to testing standarsds) or r u simply looking for more COVERAGE on ur head??

I was thinking about this helmet and a POC. I spoke to a good friend of mine who picked up a Smith Overtake without MIPS and he loves it. He/I live in Central Florida (hot and humid) and he's had no problem with ventilation. No complaints at all. He says it fit better than his last helmet (I think it was a Giro). Also says he doesn't have any issues with wind noise.

I am simply looking for more coverage, balanced with a nice appearance. I am perfectly fine with the CPSC standards in place, as I think any reputable company achieves those standards (though I appreciate the earlier incredibly detailed post about variance in safety standards!)

Yes, just one that sits deeper on my noggin. And good point on the pointy fairing at the back - my Laser constantly caught on the top of my backpack when commuting.

Can helmets be sprayed with water to be cleaned? (i.e.., POCs with the white foam)? Truth be told, I never wash my helmets. I simply wait until a solid rainstorm (I live in PNW where it does rain alot!) washes all of the nasty filth from the helmet down my face and into my eyes :).

Wow, admitting this proves just how gross i am... and its a reminder to take my weekly shower!

I shower with my helmet everytime I ride. I haven't noticed any degradation in the foam but I also usually replace my helmets after 3 years since I'm vain.

Why do you shower with your helmet?

I take mine into the shower from time to time and wash it out with soap and water.

Do you mean it makes a buzzy semi-musical tone as wind rushes through it, like a kazoo?

http://i0.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/...155/latest.jpg

...or do you mean it makes you look like the Great Gazoo character from The Flintstones or The Jetsons or whichever cartoon he was in?

http://cdn-frm-us.wargaming.net/wot/...1396964707.png

Spraying helmets with H2O for cleaning wont't hurt them - otherwise they would carry a warning not to wear in rain. Any cleaning solution you might add would need to be "EPS-friendly".

The POC Octal Raceday and AVIP (non-MIPS) have white shells over black EPS. Only the Octal AVIP MIPS has a white shell and white EPS.

I recently ordered one of each - haven't worn either one yet. They are basically identical, with the exception of 4 anchor points in the MIPS EPS liner that connect to 4 "tethers" holding the slick yellow formed plastic MIPS layer in place. Instead of the fit pads being attached to the EPS, they are attached to the MIPS layer in the same locations.

Still deciding if I will keep either POC (or both). Tried both on to check fit. Have been wearing Giro Atmos helmets for a number of years and the POCs are both slightly more comfortable. The POC retention system completely encircles the head - front, sides, and back - so pressure is applied evenly in a 360* manner as the retention wheel is tightened. My Atmos retention systems anchor to the EPS near the temple area on both sides, so tightening the roc-loc snugs the forehead directly against the EPS/pads ... more of a front/back clamp mechanism that puts more pressure on the forehead.

Thanks for this input on cleaning my helmets - good point on the water/foam combo. Now that you mention it, the one shop that sells these had a white MIPS model to try on - NOT the more basic one, which is what I am after. I didn't actually ask if they had a non_MIPS in white, so there you go. The more I hear about the POCs, the more I am thinking to spend stupid money on one. It was really comfortable.

Part of the CPSC requirement is that 2 of the 8 sample helmets required to be tested are immersed in water for up to 24 hours before performing impact testing. A little sprayed water shouldn't be a problem.

(In addition to some helmets being immersed, 2 of the helmets are kept at cold temperature between 1 and 9 deg. F, 2 helmets are kept at a high temperature between 117 and 127 deg. F, and 2 are kept at normal room temperature. In other words, they perform impact testing on helmets over a wide range of ambient conditions.)

FYI, the non-MIPs Octal in "white" actually has black foam with a white plastic shell, vs. the MIPS version which is all white. The non-MIPs version should thus be a bit easier to keep clean since the foam is what will attract and hold dirt.

I have the MIPs version because, well, because. Surprisingly, the medium just fits my big head. Normally I wear a large but the head last they used for these seems to suit my narrow but deep head. So I think it looks less huge than my other various large sized helmets.

I've been wearing the Octal for almost a year. My trauma doc helped pick it out after I crashed and broke my LAS Victory. The doc liked the coverage toward the rear. I find it extremely comfortable. I had it on for almost 40 consecutive hours last year during the 508.

I would go with white if you're considering it. My orange is faded almost beyond recognition. I wear a small in the non-MIPS but the fit seems different and I would be a medium in the MIPS

Yes, I noticed there was a difference in fit between the MIP and non-MIPs version of the Octal. The MIPS version fits tighter, probably because the extr MIPs layer takes up some room, albeit minimal. So if you are on the border between sizes, try be for you buy based on your non MIPS fit.

I never considered that the color would fade -- glad I got the white.

Yes, that one, and I suppose I'm the, as Mr. Gazoo would say, dum-dum for not spelling his d*mn name right :)

because, for most people, aesthetics are part of the purchasing decision.

if it doesn't please their eyes, most consumers aren't going to buy a product... regardless if it's a toaster or a bike helmet.

I rarely buy something I perceive as 'ugly'...

This shows the fade a couple months ago. The underside wasn't exposed to the sun.

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p...2_154630_1.jpg

The type of plastic they use for bright colors on cycling helmets just sucks for UV. My alpine climbing helmet, on the other hand, is bright orange and has been under the BLARING sunlight of high altitude and glacier reflection for countless days over 3-4 seasons, and hasn't faded a hue.

Totally different kind of plastic, I guess

Yes - POC put a sticker on it warning about this but I've observed the same thing on my hivis Giro and others. Someone in the industry told me that Lazer uses a different process and those aren't susceptible to fading.