Two and a half weeks ago I took a bit of a tumble off my bike at the end of our usual weekly night ride. I’ll hold my hands up and admit that it was late, I was tired and we had probably spent rather too long in the pub earlier.
I’m not sure exactly what happened because I knocked myself out and the first I knew of it was waking up laying on the ground wondering how I got there.
We were on a flat, twisty, bush lined track and the probable cause was a pointy log sticking out from under one of the bushes.
I broke the helmet across the forehead and it appears that as I slid on my face the peak was pushed over my face and into my mouth where it tore my lower lip away from my jaw before flipping and slicing me between my nose and upper lip. The peak was found by my friends detached from the helmet. The ground I fell on was hard packed mud with no stones so I can’t see any other way I could have ended up with those injuries. There are scuff marks on the front of my helmet but no corresponding scuffs on my nose or chin.

Has anyone else had similar experiences? The helmet was a Giro Hex.
I don’t care what the MTB fashion police have to say, I won’t be riding with a peak on my helmet again.

ouch.
i broke a collar bone – late, tired spent too long in the pub.

Know a group of riders who were all at the bottom of steps waiting and watching for last rider to come down………they picked him up from the bottom of steps with helmet peak stuck firmly in his nose (not up it). They all take their peaks off now.

Ouch, sounds nasty. I have the same helmet, and had noticed there is a fair amount of movement in the peak. Would be better if it was made from/coated in rubber instead of hard plastic with sharp edges.

I have seen a couple of minor cuts from innocuous falls. Haard to say what would have happened without a peak. Might have been face to the ground.

Recently switched from a peaked mtb helmet to an unpeaked roadie helmet after twice riding into low branches of trees, which the peak totally obscured. One branch knocked me clean off and left me dazed, the other passed through a vent and scraped my scalp. Now use the peaked helmet on road as it shields my eyes from oncoming headlights.

The way I’m feeling now with still numb upper and lower lips and a big lump of scar tissue under my nose I’m thinking that a grazed nose and chin would have been preferable.

I spent two days in hospital on ‘nil by mouth’ waiting for a slot in the operating theatre. That meant a two day hangover before they gave up waiting and stitched my mouth and nose up under a local anaesthetic.

My facial injuries in my big crash back in June were caused by the peak of the helmet detaching and slicing into my top lip.
The helmet did it’s job though, caved in at the front and a big split at the back – I was knocked out briefly and ended up being helicoptered out due to the head/neck injuries.
Not sure how many stitches I had but it must have been 20+ in my lip and chin.

I still ride with the peak now, I think the benefits of it outweigh the risks.

downshep – Member
Recently switched from a peaked mtb helmet to an unpeaked roadie helmet after twice riding into low branches of trees, which the peak totally obscured. One branch knocked me clean off and left me dazed, the other passed through a vent and scraped my scalp. Now use the peaked helmet on road as it shields my eyes from oncoming headlights.

do you not look where your going? or do you just ride looking a foot infront the wheel?

Ouch, sounds terrible, hope you make a good recovery. I don’t ride with a peak on my helmet for the sole reason of the contributory effects in a crash.

With helmets it is generally poor practice to have anything that is frangible during an accident or that can cause a snagging hazard (i.e catch a tree branch and pull your helmet in the case of cycle helmets).

frangible

Word of the day! 🙂

Hope you’re on the road to recovery OP, sounds ‘orrible.

Had a bad off a few years ago – went OTB headfirst into ground at a rate of knots. Helmet peak shattered and took a 1cm wide gouge out of the bridge of my nose that couldn’t be stitched. But the rest of my head was OK, so I guess the helmet did (most) of it’s job very well.
Giro Xen BTW.

Crikey. Put me off riding my bike.

Good God Almighty! Send pictures to MBR for a prize I think!

Peaks have been debated in the infinite ‘are helmets actually any use’ war. This looks like the most extreme example in the case against peaks. And interestingly, the helmet didn’t prevent you from being knocked out either…hm.

Anyway, peaks can be done safely. just get an £8 cycling cap from Wiggle and wear it under the helmet. Much safer.

” I’ll hold my hands up and admit that it was late, I was tired and we had probably spent rather too long in the pub earlier. “

The magic words don’t like to rub salt into your wounds but do you drive when you,ve been to the pub? 🙄

Alcohol dose not make you into a riding god it just makes you think you are. Hope you make a full recovery 😀

do you drive when you,ve been to the pub?

i would if my car only had one gear, weighed 10kg, and a maximum speed of 20kmph. 🙄

The way I’m feeling now with still numb upper and lower lips and a big lump of scar tissue under my nose I’m thinking that a grazed nose and chin would have been preferable.

I crashed with a peaked helemt on gravel a few years ago. After they had scraped all the gravel out took approx 40 stiches to put my lip and chin back together, its not always a peak that causes the problem.

loving all the dweebs lecturing the grievously injured OP…

blimey!
just looking at my helmet peak now (Fox Flux) and it has a rounded profile on the front and isn’t as substantial as those on Giro Hex and Zen helmets so doesn’t appear that it would do that much damage.
Still, it makes you think…

I managed to face plant while descending Minton Batch a year or so ago. The peak came off my helmet and gouged a great chunk out of the bridge of my nose… From the state of the helmet it looked like I hit the ground forehead first so I guess the lid did it’s job.

‘scuse the facial expression – I’d just been over the bars and landed on my head.

the cut across my forehead was caused by a helmet peak. I’ve still got a scar.

The helmet didn’t move and judging by the subsequent bruising had saved me from significant head injury but the peak did slide under the front of the helmet and into my forehead.

” thomthumb – Member

do you drive when you,ve been to the pub?

i would if my car only had one gear, weighed 10kg, and a maximum speed of 20kmph.”

Nice way of thinking remind me of your registration, You do know you can be prosecuted for being under the influence whilst on a bike

“jhw – Member
loving all the dweebs lecturing the grievously injured OP… “

If I crashed my bike after Id been to the pub i certainly wouldn’t want to tell the world, Just makes you look stupid.

Jacko

I was looking at de ground innit.

De trees is up there, so I wasn’t inclined to linger where my wheels weren’t. Alas, being a lanky type, me noggin was, hence the bonce on bark interface. Lesson learned now.