Is it too late to return my helmet?

[HenryDorsetCase]

Yeah then how come no one wears a full face on a bicycle?

I regularly can manage more than 50 kph and have you ever watched cycle racing, it's all about a perceived risk trading off with comfort and practicality.

So open face helmets are fine for scooters.

your conclusion is not supported by your premise.

Plus, given what passes for a mind in road salmon they are too concerned with whether their leg shave is up to scratch, and whether their $15000 Pinarello properly matches the trade team kit (down to sox and gloves and shoes) they are wearing as they wobble along at 20kph. Bah! foadie rags!

The demands of road cycling and MTB are different and riding uphill vs riding down. I have totalled a number of mtb helmets over the years, and suffered (thankfully) minor facial injuries, but I do know people who have hurt themselves quite badly with fairly minor offs. It is quite difficult to buy a lightweight full face helmet: I can only think of the MET parachute, and the old Giro switchblade. If I start doing more MTB again, I am going to buy one, fashion be damned.

for DH, I used a MotoX helmet.

[jaffaonajappa]

Hi everyone,

I had a look at open face ones, being a new rider, I didn't know if there was any diff safety-wise between open and full face helmets. I asked at the store. The guy who served me said "there's been no statistics."

Since then, I've heard completely otherwise and I've heard open-face ones referred to as 'chin graters'. This makes me very nervous.

I want to return it under false pretences, but I've already scratched it a bit and I hate making a fuss over stuff like this.
Advice?

Man, I hate hearing about salesman still doin bullshit like this.
Yea, open face helmets look cool. Yeah new chick comes in and buys her first scooter - may as well kit her out in cool looking gear.

Telling a bullshit line such as 'statistics are not available' or some such is Poor.

Reminds me of the 80's and 90's....tobacco manufacturers still trying to deny cigarettes were harmful to your health and used "no proven statistics are available" type lines.

Go see the shop owner. Tell him you are not happy being misled by his staff.

[GingerMidget]

Return, unlikely.

Go see Pete at WMC, and buy the best you can. After all, what do you think think YOUR brain is worth?

[sil3nt]

After all, what do you think think YOUR brain is worth?

Sorry but i really fucking hate this statement. This is what I was told when looking at helmets in a shop that only stocked $500+ helmets.

I walked across the road and picked up a helmet for $250 that has the same or better safety ratings than most of the expensive ones.

Price != safety or quality.

Do research but most importantly get one that fits properly.

[BMWST?]

take the helmet back and ask nicely if you can return it based on your new opinion of its safety....it cant hurt to ask

[GingerMidget]

Sorry but i really fucking hate this statement. This is what I was told when looking at helmets in a shop that only stocked $500+ helmets.

I walked across the road and picked up a helmet for $250 that has the same or better safety ratings than most of the expensive ones.

Price != safety or quality.

Do research but most importantly get one that fits properly.

I totally agree with this. Hence why I didn't say the most expensive. I've got my eye on an AGV at the moment, but I'd still rather an Arai.

[blackdog]

I've got my eye on an AGV at the moment, but I'd still rather an Arai.

Wash your mouth out. With soap.

[Crasherfromwayback]

I totally agree with this. Hence why I didn't say the most expensive. I've got my eye on an AGV at the moment, but I'd still rather an Arai.

I wear an Arai, and have only done so from the time I first purchased one. Except for when I was given an AGV for free.

Those of you lucky enough to have an Arai head. Praise the Lord. Go buy one.

[onearmedbandit]

http://www.monash.edu.au/miri/resear...s/atsb174.html

Stats are available, although the difference this report found was negligible. (Open face helmet wearers had an 8% chance of facial injuries opposed to 4% of full face helmet wearers)

[GrayWolf]

You think the road won't do damage to a face at <50kph?
To be fair, in the 70s and before, open face was mostly what was available. The early full faces (Bell?) were heavy and liable to cause broken necks.

I used to wear the bell Star mk 1&2 wayyyy back then, the other really serious flaw (most lids were heavy fibreglass then) was the design and shaping at the rear of the helmet, they didnt have the 'lift/cut away' that modern helmets do, and was a major contributor to neck/spinal injury.
The sad thing is that Bell were one of the few manufacturers that still made helmets by 'hat sizes' rather than small/med/large......

[GrayWolf]

Sorry but i really fucking hate this statement. This is what I was told when looking at helmets in a shop that only stocked $500+ helmets.

I walked across the road and picked up a helmet for $250 that has the same or better safety ratings than most of the expensive ones.

Price != safety or quality.

Do research but most importantly get one that fits properly.

Agreed in some instances, but often you'll find the finish (external) and the quality of the padding and materials inside a more expensive helmet are of higher quality. More expensive helmets often have 'removable/washable' lining. Also the impact absorbent inner shell can be of better construction..
You'll also find the buckles, clips and even visor mechanism's can differ vastly in quality.... Example my Nolan flip fronts have a Sharp rating of 100% for the front mechanism against failure, my LS2 flip front has only a 70% rating.

[JMemonic]

My wife had an off a while ago 50Kph, maybe a little lower, she was wondering why the ambo's and hospital staff kept asking did you hit your head as she kept saying no as could not recall doing so.

The chin guard and right had side of the visor told a different story, ok it might might have been enough seriously damage her at least she would have ended up with some nasty scratches, worst dislocated or broken jaw, eye orbit damage maybe a cheek bone cracked, just due to the way she fell and where she fell.

Full face lids all the time, and there are some decent helmets for reasonable prices, do the research on the web find several you like the specs and look of then hunt them out, locally different regions have different inners, shells linings so you can not be sure trying one here then buying from a cheap source on the net will get you the same fit.

[p.dath]

++ with everyone else saying that it is unreasonable asking the store to take it back. And +1 about getting it all scratched up after just a couple of weeks of ownership.


Could could consider trying to sell it on Trade Me, but I don't think you're going to get much for it second hand.

[jellywrestler]

Advice?

Suck it in and go and get another brain bucket.
Why come on here looking for advice when you obviously know there's an internet and could've checked things out before hand, instead you're trying to lay blame on the bike shop.

[oneofsix]

Suck it in and go and get another brain bucket.
Why come on here looking for advice when you obviously know there's an internet and could've checked things out before hand, instead you're trying to lay blame on the bike shop.

If people like her didn't come on here for advice we would have hardly any bike related threads.