Best value helmet?

**Goblin** · 31st December 2009, 08:36

Originally Posted by What?

BMW Sport Integral (made by Schuberth) is by far the quietest hat I've ever owned (and I have had a few, including Arai and Shoei)

+ one. I love my Sport Integral! Very quiet and comfortable compared to my Shoei and my FFM, but I dont knock the saftey of the cheaper FFM, having had a 70 kph head on with a car. It did save my skull.

**Beeza** · 1st January 2010, 15:59

I had a Nolan N95 polycarbonate full-face about 30 years ago -- brilliant! Could open and shut the visor with a gloved hand, easy as.

Then I bought into the Bell helmet logo of the time --- "if you have a $10 head, buy a $10 helmet" --- and I bought a hand-laid fibreglass Bell --- same as the ones the Formula 1 car racers and 500cc GP bike riders wore. It was HEAVY and the visor clipped down with press-studs. I loathed it. I knew that if ever the worst happened, the heavy Bell helmet might shred progressively rather than shatter, as plastic helmets reputedly did. But it was sure to snap my skinny neck surer than a hangman's noose. I dumped the Bell.

Buy a helmet one size -- and ONLY one size -- too small as it WILL loosen up with use and then end up being the nice, right, snug-fitting size. If it's still too tight 6 months later, it's a bad buy.

As for me, I have a rather large nose. Not only does it fog up a closed visor in milliseconds, but it also makes a full-face claustrophobic. I therefore now use an open face helmet with my trusty old Stadium Mk 8 replica split-lens goggles and a bandanna over my mouth. Old-school, but comfortable. I can smell the cow-dung and the mown lawns and that other roadside stuff that you miss when you're in a car or locked up in a full-face helmet

Earplugs? No thanks. I need to hear if my bike is carburetting and breathing properly.

Each to his/her own.

**p.dath** · 1st January 2010, 16:33

Originally Posted by Beeza

Then I bought into the Bell helmet logo of the time --- "if you have a $10 head, buy a $10 helmet" --- and I bought a hand-laid fibreglass Bell --- same as the ones the Formula 1 car racers and 500cc GP bike riders wore. It was HEAVY and the visor clipped down with press-studs. I loathed it. I knew that if ever the worst happened, the heavy Bell helmet might shred progressively rather than shatter, as plastic helmets reputedly did. But it was sure to snap my skinny neck surer than a hangman's noose. I dumped the Bell.

I'll add my own personal opinion in here. I don't think anything is wrong with plastic helmets.

After considering fit, you need to consider the type of accident you want protection from.
For me, I want to minimize the amount of energy transferred into the brain. That's what causes brain injuries.

The DOT standard is often considered a 'basic' standard. I take a differing view, and say that it is more optimised for low speed impacts (say 0km/h to 100km/h). You'll notice that all the plastic lids comply with the DOT standard.

The SNELL standard includes an incredible hard double impact test. I take the opinion that your unlikely to suffer such a hard double impact - expect perhaps at track speed.
As a result, only fibregalss (and better) lids achieve the SNELL standard (I'm sure there will be a few plastic lids that do as well just to prove me wrong but generally ...). If you meet the SNELL standard you pretty much meet the DOT standard.

So lets say you are a road user. Do you want a plastic lids that breaks as it absords the impact and dissapates the energy, or a super hard fibreglass lids that insteads absorbs and transmit more of the collision energy into your brain - but wont have a mark on it after the impact?

The SNELL standard allows a huge amount of energy to be transmitted to the brain - in my opinion (and that's all it is - my opinion). If you Google the subject you'll find there is a lot of conjecture about this as well.
If you want to take it to the ultimate end, why not just make a helmet from the toughest substance on earth? I'll tell you why. Because you'll die or end up a vegetable, but have a beautifull looking helmet without a scratch on it.

**pritch** · 1st January 2010, 19:16

Originally Posted by p.dath

- in my opinion (and that's all it is - my opinion).

Well, you and a lot of other people, including me.

It's all swings and roundabouts though and I own both types.

**chef** · 1st January 2010, 22:02

this is the best helmet maybe in the world http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/List...x?id=262280872

**Hinny** · 1st January 2010, 23:26

No it's not!
Disagree? ... then tell us all, why.

**pritch** · 2nd January 2010, 14:45

Originally Posted by chef

this is the best helmet maybe in the world http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/List...x?id=262280872

Yeah right! I'll see yours and raise you...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/custom-paint-a...item27ae2f4c9d

Much better

**KiWiP** · 3rd January 2010, 21:25

Originally Posted by pritch

Yeah right! I'll see yours and raise you...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/custom-paint-a...item27ae2f4c9d

Much better

Don't want to see yours but will raise you

I just love that this guy (well it's got to be a guy hasn't it) spends a small fortune on a custom paint job and then goes 'Yeh let's put 'G** F****D" on the side' Classy

Do like it otherwise.