Attaching Stuff to Your Helmet

[marle]

It may very well be a bad idea to attach stuff (like Go Pros, lights, etc) to your helmet

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/10/13/michael-schumacher-brain-injury-gopro-helmet-cam-report/

[guido]

I wonder if that mirror tucked up under one side counts too...

[schwa86]

There is a guy who rides around downtown Boston with a stuffed pigeon on his helmet -- I always think it serves to warn the drivers cause they can't help noticing him. But I'll warn him next time I see him...

[Cornfed]

I think it would depend on how and where the camera is mounted on the helmet. I've seen people actually screw the mount into a helmet and that never struck me as wise. Even glue could weaken the materials, not to mention add a lever force to any impact. Equipment or chest mounts work the best and seem the safest to me.

[professerr]

Essentially gluing a piece of very hard, tough plastic (that sticks up 5 inches) to the relatively soft plastic shell of most ski (and bike) helmets does seem like a bad idea. Then there's the worry about what the glue might do to the plastic. I tried one of these on a (much tougher) motorcycle helmet once, and still the whole set up seemed like a bad idea. Cars, however, seemed to be much more respectful.

[MeatPuppet]

Bike helmets specifically are made to die a hero's death and bust apart on impact... adding something into the mix (goPro, headlight, etc...) that'll scramble your eggs if it gets caught between your head/face and the road always struck me as a bad idea.

[bobswire]

I'm surprised helmet makers haven't put out a warning and declare attaching anything to the helmet will void the warranty because of safety reasons.

I was attempting to attach a cheaper version of action cam to one of my cycling helmets but because of vent holes and design on the helmets the straps were useless the only way to really keep the camera secure I would have to bolt it on and in order to do that I would have to do some creative Frankenstien work on it.
So I gave up on that idea and just have to put up with the handlebar mount.

[Repack Rider]

I see whole groups of riders all equipped with helmet-mounted GoPro cameras.

The next step has already been taken. At the recent Interbike show I saw helmets with the camera built in. On a mountain bike I think a chest mount or one on the bike gives you a better result. The head moves around too much.

[Tom]

Oh, so I have to tell this story.

A guy I used to work with was an avid sky diver. Like some weekends 20-30 jumps avid. This is back in the late 80s. Think what video cameras looked like back then. So, he gets the brilliant idea of mounting one to the top of his helmet. Worked great... until one day the shroud lines caught on the camera. He came into work to show a box full of little tiny camera shards, having just enough time to rip open the chin strap on his helmet before his head would have been torn off by the opening parachute. Strange, too, he was an otherwise pretty sharp guy. No idea why he didn't anticipate what would happen.

[malcolm]

Oh, so I have to tell this story.

A guy I used to work with was an avid sky diver. Like some weekends 20-30 jumps avid. This is back in the late 80s. Think what video cameras looked like back then. So, he gets the brilliant idea of mounting one to the top of his helmet. Worked great... until one day the shroud lines caught on the camera. He came into work to show a box full of little tiny camera shards, having just enough time to rip open the chin strap on his helmet before his head would have been torn off by the opening parachute. Strange, too, he was an otherwise pretty sharp guy. No idea why he didn't anticipate what would happen.

I used to skydive a fair amount back in the '80 and I think most of the cameras were helmet mounted and quite large. I could be mistaken as it's been awhile though.

[kevinvc]

I have a Contour camera that I mount to my helmet on occasion. The sound quality is terrible, the video is distorted, the battery life is limited and wearing it for more than a couple of hours makes my neck sore. But I like it for commuting during the summer. I figure if I get taken out the camera might help my family track the culprit and assign responsibility.

I also wear a Blackburn Flea light on my helmet. It is set on low and angled down, but it works well for getting the attention of a driver when necessary. It has been extremely useful a few times with cross street traffic threatening to roll through a stop sign. It also works when reflected in a side mirror of a car about to commit a right hook.