morse@sketch.DEC (Bob 223-5660 MLO11-3/L12) (10/15/85)
After riding for a while without, myself and a friend have finally smartened up and decided to buy helmets. I am looking for recommendations and/or warnings about the various helmets on the market. Our criterion are for selecting a helmet are safety first, followed by comfort and price. Looking at the Bike Nashbar catalog I saw two possibilities - the Bell Biker II (about $32.00) and a Vetta (about $20.00). From the catalog descriptions, these two sounded about the same - is there anything good about the Bell (or bad about the Vetta) the makes the Bell worth the extra bucks? What other helmets should I consider? Are there any articles in biking magazines reviewing articles? Thanks in advance. Bob Morse Digital Equipment Corp. decvax!decwrl!rhea!sketch!morse
dw@yale.ARPA (David Wittenberg) (10/17/85)
Summary: Expires: Sender: Followup-To: Distribution: Keywords: The difference between the Vetta and the Bell helmets is that the Bell (Biker or Toulite) have a lot more styrofoam in them. The thickness of the foam is similar, but the Bell has much more surface area. Thus the Vetta will crush faster. This is good, as you get less energy transmitted to your head. The problem comes if you "bottom out" the Vetta, at which point you get no more energy absorption. For this reason, the Bell, which transmits more energy in a minor fall (before the Vetta bottoms out) is much better in a bad fall as it is much harder to bottom out. In any kind of a fall with the Bell, you will probably get a concussion, but in a really bad fall, you'll survive. With the Vetta in a minor fall you may avoid the concussion, but in a really bad fall things get bad. I use the Bell, as I haven't fallen off my bike in 10 years, and I'm willing to get a concussion every 10-20 years in exchange for surviving a really bad fall. These are both good helmets (they both pass the ANSI and Snell tests), so I'm making relatively small distinctions between them. David Wittenberg decvax!yale!wittenberg (uucp) Yale University wittenberg@yale (csnet or arpa)
matt@absolut.UUCP (10/17/85)
**** TESTIMONIAL ON ****
Not to long ago, I was maneuvering to avoid an oil slick on one of our
major streets when a turkey threw his car door open. Normally I would have
been able to avoid it but the combination of road conditions and the suddeness
of the door being thrown open made it impossible.
The result: I went flying through the air and landed squarely on my head.
Fortunately I was wearing a Bell Tourlite, and came through with nothing but
a sore neck.
Were it not for the helmet, I have no doubt that I would have ended up in
the hospital, or perhaps even have been killed.
**** TESTIMONIAL OFF ****
The only complaint I have is the visor shattered into two very sharp
fragments, so I suggest removing it if you don't have other eye protection.
matt
Matt Leo {ucbvax!cbosgd!ima!cfib, decvax!cca}!absolut!matt
Absolut Software 617-232-8377
2001 Beacon Street
Boston, MA 02146-4227dmt@mtgzz.UUCP (d.m.tutelman) (10/17/85)
I bought a Bell V1-Pro early this year, and recommend it highly. It's a little more money than the Biker model, but worth it I believe. SAFETY - All the Bell helmets have a good safety record. I recall seeing that the V1-Pro passed the new ANSI test for bike helmets. COMFORT - this is the big plus for the V1-Pro over the Biker (or anyuthing else I've seen). My biggest gripe about other helmets is that they restrict your vision when riding the drops. The result is that I have to hold my head higher, with the result being earlier tiredness of my neck muscles. Since I got the V1-Pro, this hasn't been a problem. It's very light, and it rides high on and close to the forehead (like a "leather hairnet", but much safer). Dave Tutelman Physical - AT&T Information Systems 200 Laurel Avenue Middletown, NJ 07748 Logical - ...ihnp4!mtuxo!mtgzz!dmt Audible - (201)-957-5535 ---------------------------------------------------------------
libes@nbs-amrf.UUCP (Don Libes) (10/18/85)
WABA puts out a booklet every year titled "A Consumer's Guide to Bicycle
Helmets" which is the latest word on what to look for in a bicycle
helmet. It includes WABA and Snell survey results on most helmets
including leather hairnet and hockey helmets for comparisons. It also
gives tips on where to buy them, with a special note about childrens
helmets. Price: Free. Available from:
Washington Area Bicyclist Association
1332 I Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 393-2555
(I can't say enough good things about WABA, a nonprofit lobbying
organization for cyclists, so I won't even try.)
Don Libes {seismo,umcp-cs}!nbs-amrf!libesrdb@drutx.UUCP (BurnhamRD) (10/20/85)
>After riding for a while without, myself and a friend have finally smartened >up and decided to buy helmets. I am looking for recommendations and/or >warnings about the various helmets on the market. When I bought my helmet I compared a Bell helmet to a Kiwi. I decided on the Kiwi because it has a cloth lining that makes it very comfortable. Both passed the ANSI standard. Bob Burnham
winters@uiucdcsb.CS.UIUC.EDU (10/30/85)
I vote for the V1-Pro also. It's nice because it has such
good air circulation and good visibility. I originally
bought a Bell Tourlite (sp?) which I never really liked
wearing, but once I traded it in for the V1-Pro, I actually
ENJOY wearing a helmet and wouldn't think of riding without
it.barrys@hercules.UUCP (Barry Steel) (11/01/85)
In article <16200123@uiucdcsb> winters@uiucdcsb.CS.UIUC.EDU writes: > I vote for the V1-Pro also. It's nice because it has such > good air circulation and good visibility. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Depends on what you mean. In black (a macho requirement) they are NOT at all visible to drivers. Obviously you mean it does not block your vision. The V1-Pro in white may be a good solution. barry steel
porat@sri-unix.ARPA (Ron Porat) (11/01/85)
I've been using both the old bell biker and the V-1 Pro. The V-1 Pro is much cooler and lighter (because of the cutouts) and therefore very comfortable compared to the biker. It also generates less wind noise and is cut higher in front, so that the field of vision is better (no interference). The advertising claims about air scoops and spacer pads letting air circulate around your head are probably true for bald mannequins (not for me). Cutouts as in the V-1 are order-of-magnitude more effective for cooling. After about 3,000 miles, the plastic clasp on the V-1 broke. I called bell and they immediately sent me a replacement with a form letter acknowledging problems with their old clasp. Indeed, the new one is stamped with a '2', whereas the old is stamped with a '1', though they look identical. Must be a materials change. Another factor to consider is helmet color (white v. black). The Black gets hot under the sun, but fortunately there is an inch of styrofoam insulating the shell from your head. The color also affects visibility. I use my old white biker for commuting, because it's more visible in the dark and warmer than the V-1 on these colder days.
fish@ihlpg.UUCP (Bob Fishell) (11/06/85)
> > Depends on what you mean. In black (a macho requirement) they are NOT at all > visible to drivers. Obviously you mean it does not block your vision. > > The V1-Pro in white may be a good solution. *** E A T IT *** The only trouble is, nothing that's white stays white for very long. At least the black ones don't show the dirt as much. Following your line of reasoning, you'd probably want white lycra shorts, too. Now look, fella's those things are silly-looking enough without wearing something that looks exactly like a girdle.... __ / \ \__/ Bob Fishell ihnp4!ihlpg!fish
maa@ssc-bee.UUCP (Mark A Allyn) (11/07/85)
> The only trouble is, nothing that's white stays white for very long. At > least the black ones don't show the dirt as much. > Following your line of reasoning, you'd probably want white lycra shorts, > too. Now look, fella's those things are silly-looking enough without wearing > something that looks exactly like a girdle.... I have a white hemet which has been white for nearly a year. Although I dont have them, I think that there is nothing wrong with white lycra shorts even if they look silly. I would rather look silly wearing a 'girdle' as you put it rather than beeing dead. There is no sense being dead right is there? Mark Allyn !uw-beaver!ssc-vax!ssc-bee!maa
michaelk@azure.UUCP (Mike Kersenbrock) (11/08/85)
You guys/gals worry about white helmets getting dirty! My helmet is an MSR yellow one (their XL one is the only thing that (just) fits my very large head). It makes me look like a giant bumblybee. DUMB! (but I wear it anyway). Did someone mention that there was a helmet testing article in one of the early issues of Bicycle Rider magazine? They tested them at the ANSI drop and at a more reasonable (5 feet I think) drop distance. -- Mike Kersenbrock Tektronix Software Development Products Aloha, Oregon
carlson@ssc-vax.UUCP (Lee R Carlson) (11/11/85)
*** PROTECT THIS LINE WITH YOUR HELMET *** > > Did someone mention that there was a helmet testing article in one > of the early issues of Bicycle Rider magazine? They tested them > at the ANSI drop and at a more reasonable (5 feet I think) drop distance. > -- The issue is the spring 1985 Bicycle Rider. The article discusses the helmet topic in varying depth, and the have a couple of charts that summarize their testing results. You can see that the peak load of a Bell is far lower that the peak load of a Skid Lid, but they don't give you much background to interpret the nuances of the table. This is also on impact only test. There is no discussion of ventilation, strap arrangement ... Anyway, its a good starting point. If anyone has trouble finding the issue, send me a Stamped-for-two-ounces-Self- Addressed-Envelope and I'll send you a copy. Lee R. Carlson 824 NE Ravenna Blvd Seattle, WA 98115-5578 -- -- Lee Carlson -- Boeing Errorspace, Seattle ...{uw-beaver|fluke}!ssc-vax!carlson