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Austin, TX
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ConnorD11
12/27/2015 12:07pm
12/27/2015 12:07pm
Edited Date/Time
1/10/2016 10:08am
I've been wearing a 6D for two years now and love it. its a little heavy compared to other helmets ive looked at recently, like the just1 or airoh. my question is
Should I spend the $760 on a 6D carbon that weighs 1400 Grams, which is known as the safest helmet
or should i look somewhere else. Safety and Weight are my two biggest concerns. Thanks for the help in advance.
Should I spend the $760 on a 6D carbon that weighs 1400 Grams, which is known as the safest helmet
or should i look somewhere else. Safety and Weight are my two biggest concerns. Thanks for the help in advance.
thank me later
Shane
Edit: When I was typing this response the only one that was up was the post about the HJC.
The Shop
So...why did I switch to Bell helmets? Back when I was racing, Bell was pretty much the only helmet I ever wore. They fit well, worked for me and I never had a complaint. Fast forward to current technology when things with helmets are finally progressing and you start seeing some differences. Having worn 6D (who really pushed helmet revolution forward), it was interesting to see Bell's approach to the same problem. After doing my homework and talking to a variety of people, negative opinions were far and few. That gave me the confidence to try something new out. I also work in a shop part time, and sometimes I like to try different products that appeal to me. This happened to be one of them. And in case anyone is wondering, yes, I had to pay for a helmet just like everyone else does. Consider it a science experiment and product test at my personal expense. If I didn't have some belief in the product, I wouldn't have put my own dollars up.
After receiving my helmet, I don't feel I made a bad decision. The fit certainly feels like the Bell's I used to wear, but updated and with different technology you can see and feel (as a paramedic, I think Bell is top notch in their magnetic cheek pads...significantly above any other system I've seen). Time will tell how I feel after I've been able to log some time with the product. I don't forsee any issues. We have to get through winter here in New England first, I have to get my helmet back from Hellion Designs and lastly I have to put some more muscle on my leg after this years injury. Then the jury will return a final verdict. For now, my magic 8-ball says it looks promising.
Shane
Very comfortable and quality seems to be top notch. Imo it's the safest helmet out there.
The Shoei and Bell were very good helmets as well. But I feel the technology in the 6D is superior to the rest.
Pit Row
So while I agree that mass is huge, its relevance in the matter of a crash with regard to the weight savings of a helmet is negligible. I could take a giant poop before I get on the bike and achieve the same result.
Making a helmet decision on weight alone is only looking at a small fraction of the picture of what should be considered.
And let's not forget that the single biggest factor in force isn't mass, it's acceleration since that increases exponentially.
Shane
Here's a test for you. Next time you are at your shop, try on your new Bell Flex or a 6D....Swing your head around like a lead guitarist in a rock band, then put on an Airoh or new Leatt Carbon. Report back your results.
Bottom line: you have no business talking about helmets that you've never used, much less ever put on your head bro.
On a side note: I weighed my Airoh's...EU 2lbs 3oz....US 2lb 11oz.
When you start testing helmets for a living, only then should you open your mouth regarding mass and acceleration data. Geez.
Weight in youth helmets is more significant for the fact that kids develop disproportionately with regard to the ratio of the size (and weight) of their head to their body. Kids typically fall head first for that reason. They're unable to control the bowling ball on their head, and they're top heavy.
A whiplash style injury usually occurs when struck from behind, or striking an object from behind and having no support (the headrest in your vehicle is designed to help prevent this very injury, but most people don't set them correctly). A true whiplash style injury would be a rare occurance in riding. Not impossible, but far from a regular event. In fact, the biggest issue with whiplash isn't even so much the muscular strain as it is the coup/contrecoup injury that's caused by the sudden change of direction in the head causing a secondary collision within the cranial vault. No helmet will ever prevent that from happening. And that's the true problem with the injury you're so concerned with.
Would you like to continue to debate the kinematics of trauma and injuries and how they relate? We can carry on if you'd like.
As for trying on a new 6D or Bell Helmet next time I'm at work, there's no need. I own both. I've had my head inside the new Leatt helmet. I've had my head inside quite a few different helmets over the years. Some simply getting to play with at work and others getting to ride in them. My experience allows me to share some thoughts on various products.
I'm guessing since I can't discuss mass and acceleration data, you must be a helmet tester since you feel so obligated to discuss it?
Regardless of its relation to helmet data, the science and math is the force is equal to mass times acceleration squared. The exponential increase still comes from acceleration (or speed in this case), and not from the mass. That's simple science and physics. Maybe even eighth grade level stuff?
And to be clear, I never discussed data. Data would be test results and actual tests. I was discussing science. Surely, you'd know the difference.
Have a great night,
Shane
Watch the video of JS's crash last night the whiplash effect. If you watch it slowed down, you can probably make some observations regarding helmet weight.
http://motocross.transworld.net/videos/2016-anaheim-one-race-highlights/
Have a great day.
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