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It would be awesome to have lab tests that are accurate to crashes, but every crash and impact is so unique to itself it's hard to rely on lab tests and say what one will protect you the most. Go with what fits best, has 'advanced' technology, and buy high end. Money should not be an issue when you're looking at helmets. Save your $ for a few months longer if that's what it comes down to. Concussions can be life changing, they're no joke. Don't mess around with cheap or old helmets.
I'll be looking into some helmets and this test data with more detail over the next few days and if I have some questions, I'll shoot you an e-mail.
The Shop
I'm currently running the A-stars w/MIPS...I like the light weight and fit (obviously fit is a totally personal thing). Big fan of Shoei as well.
And that's the basic principle of how any helmet should work - dissipate energy somewhere other than the brain. Helmet technology has take huge steps forward in recent years. With advanced testing, simulation, etc. we've proven that rotational accelerations are a serious concern that weren't thought of previously. Helmet companies have come up with ways of dissipating that energy - MIPS, Omni-Directional Suspension, etc. are ways that do this and are successful in doing so. This is combined with the traditional impact dissipation and you have a modern helmet far safer than the older generation helmets with loads of testing to prove it.
How anyone can argue that their old helmet is just as safer (or safer!) than the current technology is beyond me. And then backing it up with inaccurate examples of old automotive technology being better than new. Do you believe it's all just some elaborate conspiracy to take your money? Was the moon landing a hoax too? Wow.
Price is understandable. It's economy of scale. 1080p and 4K TV's were $10,000 when first released. I can get one for $500 now. A manufacturer has to get some kind of initial return on all that R&D money spent on tooling, manufacturing, distribution and advertising. In 5 years these $600 helmets will be $300 on clearance and replaced by another $600 helmet with better technology.
The MIPS liner might be $20 (who knows?) but it cost the creators waaaaaaay more than $20 to pay a group of employees and material supplier to create, develop, test, troubleshoot, and launch a product. People are fucking morons man. These same idiots have children, vote in elections, manage employees, etc. It's a scary world we live in when the uninformed make "informed" decisions.
I think the difference in how this relates to helmets is that there is true 3rd-party testing in automobiles and perhaps not so much among helmet manufacturers.
Now that I’m done berating people, I’m currious what your thoughts are on MIPS. Thinking through, I’m a little skeptical. From what I know, MIPS is essentially a hard, slippery shell that in theory allows the inner liner of a helmet to slip slightly in the event of a crash, thus reducing rotational force. However, my line of thinking is that the harder the impact, the less effective this sliding system will be because it relies on the low coefficient of friction between the liner and plastic. Even if this coefficient is relatively low, if the forces get high enough I can see it getting to the point where the static friction between the foam and hard shell would be too great to overcome, basically rendering it useless. Am I totally out to lunch on this, or is that a valid concern?
High siding while going 200km/h and landing head first on the asphalt is not the same as crashing head first from 40 km/h to dirt.
Pit Row
First, I want to thank Fly Racing for pushing the boundaries of helmet technology and sharing lab testing data with us consumers. Fly's investment in this technology benefits all parties involved. As an Engineer, it's in my nature to question everything until I see the data. After reviewing the Formula Benchmark Data Testing, I am questioning the data used for the Helmet Performance Ranking Chart.
The helmet performance ranking chart indicates that 10 helmets were ranked over a series 8 impact tests. Out of the 8 tests, 2 tests were performed by SATRA labs and 6 tests were performed by RHEON labs. Therefor, 75% of the data used for the ranking was conducted by RHEON labs. Unfortunately, RHEON labs is the company who created the Adaptive Impact System (AIS) and one could argue that financial incentives are associated.
Could you or Dr. Dan Plant shine some light on this?
Regards,
Jfid24
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
M.S. Engineering Technology
Purdue University
Like to always throw this in the ring when the opportunity is given because nobody really gives it a second thought i feel.
https://www.leatt.com/product_uploads/white_papers/TURBINE_WHITE_PAPER…
https://www.leatt.com/product_uploads/helmet_test_reports/2017/GPX%206…
Back then it was more of a "I rung my bell but I feel alright, I'm good to go" no questions asked kind of thing.
They have protocols in place now. If you don't pass the tests you don't race.
I was wearing a Bell Moto 8 at the time and in my opinion the helmets have only gotten better since then due to technology and innovation.
If innovation wasn't progressing anything how many more deaths would there be if the seat belt or air bag was never invented? If it weren't for innovation everyone would still be wearing leather caps.
I know that if I was still riding today, I'd be wearing the latest model that's on the market.
I rode an XR 100 for 3 years without a concussion.
I raced and rode a 125 for 4 years without a concussion
I rode a 250f for 2 years and had 1 concussion
I've ridden a 250 2 stroke for 9 years now and have had 1 concussion
I haven't raced in 15 years and both of my concussions happened on practice days at a track. The extra speed I had available in my right wrist definitely had something to do with it. I don't think either concussion would have happened if I were on a 125. I just wouldn't have the raw speed available in the bike to get me in trouble as much.
Post a reply to: List of helmets with improved concussion preventing technology.