best helmet ever?

[bicycletricycle]

http://www.hovding.com/

crash test videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7Oud3iGXWY

(if you don't watch the whole thing then at least fast forward to cool slow motion at 4:10)

At first I thought that this was dumb but I have changed my mind and now I think that it is awesome.

what do you guys think?

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . on the youtube video are quite entertaining. :banana:

BBD

[rice rocket]

I don't think there's a good way to determine whether or not there's an impending accident on a bicycle. On a car, if you decelerate quickly, there's enough "buffer" time for the sensors to react before you smash your face into the steering wheel. On a bicycle though, there aren't any clear indicators of an impending accident and would result in many false (read: expensive) triggers.

[bicycletricycle]

maybe but i am not sure. accelerometer data might be bale to indicate a crash more easily than you think. If you can isolate the z access, any sudden and prolonged change would probably indicate a crash.

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . is the one that took the hit last August and kept me from killing myself.

BBD

[san]

is there any difference on why certain helmets are more expensive?

[Fixed]

. . . is the one that took the hit last August and kept me from killing myself.

BBD
+1 my 39 dollar on sale bell from nbar
cheers

[Fixed]

is there any difference on why certain helmets are more expensive?
better creature features
cheers

[BumbleBeeDave]

is there any difference on why certain helmets are more expensive?

. . . safety regulation requirements. It's (almost) all style. Look in the cycling sites and catalogs and look at weight and you'll see there are helmets lighter than the Giro Ionos that only cost half as much.

But Fixed is right--I have a couple of the more expensive ones that just have more comfortable fit because of the strap systems.

BBD

[jpw]

Perhaps a helmet with integrated mini air bags that deploy through the vents and down the around the rim and brim will be the next stage in the evolution of this idea.

Or, Oakley glasses with a deployable bag.

Or, a total body suit that inflates like a Michelin man within a nano second.

[Germany_chris]

I can't bring myself to wear a helmet, let alone this. Bikesnob had rather amusing commentary on the airbag too.

[sean]

I vote for the return of these (but with updated padding technology of course):

http://i.ebayimg.com/01/!B5mQy5!BWk~$(KGrHqV,!h0Eyc)GBh+PBMuRtz,w6!~~_3.JP G

[InspectorGadget]

is there any difference on why certain helmets are more expensive?In a word, yes.

In a few more words: Typically, as you spend more money on a helmet, you get lighter weight and better ventilation. It takes more engineering to create a helmet with lots of big vent holes than your typical porridge pot type BMX helmet.

Also, as you spend more more money, you cross a threshold where you move from one-size-fits-most to helmets with shell sizing, i.e., small, medium, large. However, spending more money does not equate to greater safety.

Does that answer your question?

[Chousen One]

a lot of the expense of the higher end helmets goes to molding carbon skeletons, and the R&D that goes into making something with less mass absorb the same amount of energy and protect yr noggin, while poking evermore holes into them.

[san]

In a word, yes.

In a few more words: Typically, as you spend more money on a helmet, you get lighter weight and better ventilation. It takes more engineering to create a helmet with lots of big vent holes than your typical porridge pot type BMX helmet.

Also, as you spend more more money, you cross a threshold where you move from one-size-fits-most to helmets with shell sizing, i.e., small, medium, large. However, spending more money does not equate to greater safety.

Does that answer your question?
yes that does. i know that all helmets put out are supposed to meet a certain safety requirement so i just didn't understand see people pay so much. Then again i did have a 200 dollar helmet save my life in a recent accident. just went with a lower end one knowing it'll do the same

[Charles M]

People that look deeper at helmet tech should see it. There are loads of helmets with 20+ holes but crap channeling in between. The tooling to make them costs a fraction of something as detailed as the ionos or bell sweep or catlike whisper...

Then add the internal reinforcement that allows for the channeling but will still hold together...

Weight and the number of vents are two things that can be really misleading. It's the whole package that matters and loads of the cost requires you flipping the helmet over and looking close at the inside to see...

[InspectorGadget]

People that look deeper at helmet tech should see it. There are loads of helmets with 20+ holes but crap channeling in between. The tooling to make them costs a fraction of something as detailed as the ionos or bell sweep or catlike whisper...

Then add the internal reinforcement that allows for the channeling but will still hold together...

Weight and the number of vents are two things that can be really misleading. It's the whole package that matters and loads of the cost requires you flipping the helmet over and looking close at the inside to see...
You are absolutely correct.

[bicycletricycle]

the hovding doesnt need internal reinforcements or vents.

[Hawker]

I think this is very cool and probably will continue to evolve. Motorcycle road racing in Europe has been testing a helmet with an airbag for several years now and there is also an airbag suit. However, I don't think either are actually being used in the pro ranks.

http://www.diseno-art.com/encyclopedia/vehicles/road/bikes/helmets/APC_Airbag_Helmet.html


http://www.helmethairblog.com/entries/motorcycle-airbag-suit-in-action/

[fiamme red]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/bike-blog/2012/may/22/airbag-bike-helmet-way-forward

[keevon]

At $550, I'd say it's doomed to win a few more design awards before fading into history.