[Closed] Helmet: is cost a true indicator of quality

I’ve got the On One helmet and a much more expensive Urge one. Other than comfort I can’t tell much difference. The On One digs in to the top of my head at the back.

but I have had two helmets shatter on hard impact … which meant they did a good job. But they then get thrown away as a consumable.

It's done its job then. No matter what the cost its going to destruct to save your head.

I'd of said cost generally gains less weight, more vents & fashion, also MIPS if your into that.

The fact that the helmets shattered is a positive, not a negative .... hence I have always bought Giro. But ... I hate the way their helmets have exposed polystyrene that begins to look rubbish after a few wears ,,,

I believe all the helmet testing standards are pass/fail. Doesn't mean more expensive helmets aren't better, just that we have now way of knowing.

I would pay extra for MIPS if it were the choice between two otherwise similarly priced helmets. But certainly you notice the better quality materials and finishing the higher up the price scale one goes.

No. A comfortable well fitting £7.99 helmet can do just as good a job of protecting your head from impact.
just the same as £7.50 jeans do just as good a job of protecting the public from your nakedness.

Whether you choose to wear £200 or £7.50 jeans is mainly down to vanity.

Cycling Tips ran a story earlier this year about a helmet testing project which showed from memory, that not all helmets protect equally well and cost is not necessarily the main determinant. All the five, top-rated helmets used MIPS, but I recall there being a spread of price tags even then:

https://cyclingtips.com/2018/06/new-independent-test-ranks-bicycle-helmet-safety/

Officially they all meet a base standard for impact, there isn't much official testing beyond that. So yep they all passed the test.
Had an interesting chat years back with the lads from Lyon where they did the testing for climbing and work helmets. For a few of them they kept testing beyond the legal minimum just to see - at the time the utilitarian petzl ecrin rock lid was the winner, went so far beyond the standard they were at the end of the day when it failed on the protection so left it on the rig, I think it then took a few more hits the next morning within the limits.

After that you get to pay for weight, vents and other stuff to compliment the safety.

For me comfort is key, I’ve tried loads of different helmets but ended up back with Troy Lee.

Currently have an A2 MIPS & a Stage MIPS. Well worth every penny!!

at the time the utilitarian petzl ecrin rock lid was the winner, went so far beyond the standard they were at the end of the day when it failed on the protection so left it on the rig,

Which inadvertently makes the point that standards testing isn't always the be all and end all of actual, real world performance. If you squeeze the bottom edges of the Roc Ecrin together, they deform inwards alarmingly easily.

I was a chatting to a UIAGM guide in the Alps a couple of years back, whose mate had been seriously injured by a sideways impact that did just this. It was enough to stop me wearing one. Really quite scary. They were designed primarily to protect against an impact from above - rock fall basically - but have minimal protection against a sideways blow, say a pendulum-type swing into a rock outcrop.

I wouldn't use one anywhere a sideways blow was a possibility. Sorry, a bit off-topic I know, but helmet certification only works in so far as the testing replicates real-world scenarios effectively.

I'd expect a more expensive one to give less protection if anything, as it will be designed down to the bare minimum to save weight. Though to be honest I very much doubt the differences are anything to worry about.

For what it's worth, the 3R is the best helmet I've owned and the chin bar is great for BPW-type weekends.

I still like using cheap pisspot helmets from sportsdirect. They do the job and are tougher than xc helmets for more radder riding.

I dunno why you'd buy a 3r nowadays with the super dh for similar money...

With the on-one, Carnac and Planet X helmets, they are exactly as many other brands sell but without the margins associated with other distribution chains.

We’ve been looking at MIPS models. Could offer MIPS models from about £40.

Brant
That would be interesting ....
Timeline?

A helmet thread.

More spendy funds research, advertising and profits. You pay for more features, not more safety. If it is EN and Snell certified it has met the basic protective requirements.

And I have one of the most expensive helmets money can buy. It’s aero, carbon fibre and has magnetic visors. Fit is perfect and it’s comfortable for 12 hours. It won’t provide more protection than a similar helmet costing 10% of the price. But it might be faster.

Buy on fit then features.

Planet-X is doing a bargainous deal on helmets at the mo (link)

Op where are u seeing the bell 3R for £130 cheapest I can find is £160 merlin and tredz, acycles showing £113 but no drop down to select item

Brant, how about a full face?

MIPS will add a fair bit to the price tag for the licence to use a simple bit of plastic. It may or may not be of use in a crash. It only deals with a very specific type of impact and head rotation which is arguable whether they are common in MTB.

If it's something so life saving it should be made patent free.