alan@entropy.UUCP (05/18/84)
I have been following the Helmets discussion with great interest. Recently I came across a copy of an article summarizing data from a test sponsored by the Washington Area Bicycling Assoc. and the Snell Memorial Foundation. The reference is Bicycling, March 1983. The test consists of dropping a head shaped dummy wearing the helmet onto a flat steel anvil from various heights. Inside the dummy is an accelerometer. The standard adopted by the Snell test is that the dummy should experience a deceleration of less than 300G as reported by the accelerometer. For comparison the article notes that the standard for motor- cycle helmets is 400G. The reason for the lower test standards is that the researchers feel that the lower standard is a more reasonable measure of the range of deceleration the human head can absorb without damaging the brain. The article also notes that all helmets which failed the test in fact would have failed a 500G standard. They tested a broad range of helmets. Here is a partial list of those which passed and those which failed. Passed a 6 foot drop: Fury Bell helmets--Biker,Prime,Tourlite Bailen Passed a 5 foot drop: MSR Hannah Pro Supergo Cooper SK2000 Failed a 3 foot drop: Pro Tec -- all of them Skid Lid ...many others Helmet rating is a very complex project. The article points out that the Snell test is very simple and does not take into consideration factors of the helmet design which may induce rotational forces. In particular they print a very interesting rebuttal by Montgomery, the President of Skid Lid mfg co. The article also points out that many of the helmets which passed this test recieved low marks for comfort. In particular none except MSR had a sweat band! For those really concerned about helmets, I strongly recommend reading this article. I myself am reluctantly re-evaluating my choice of a Skid Lid. Why oh why can't they come up with a strong helmet with all the comfort features of the Lid? Such as a chamois sweat band, rigid straps, chin guard, generous ventilation....? uw-beaver!entropy!alan