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[Closed] Helmet Facts - New resource
Bicycle helmets seem like fairly simple products - after all, they're just plastic and foam, right? - but trying to research safety standards, or figuring out exactly what the difference is between EPP and EPS foam can be a complicated endeavor. That's what HelmetFacts.com is trying to address. The full press release is below, but the gist of it is that staff at The Dome (Bell's and Giro's testing facility) have put together an informational website where consumers can learn more about helmet construction, testing, and standards. – Mike Kazimer
Blurb from PinkBike
https://www.pinkbike.com/news/the-dome-launches-helmetfactscom-2017.html
http://www.helmetfacts.com/standards/
Look slike a good resource in the current market with a lot of new tech coming online and some good stuff on the standards too which should help explain stuff better - such as why certain lids will never pass a test but still be good.
Nice find.
I'm not comfortable with the fact that buying such an important part of biking gear is still so ambiguous a purchase and let's face it, dictated to a degree by fashion.
After a recent off I am far more aware of just how important a purchase a new lid is going to be potentially.
Conflicted on this. More info is good but is it really unbiased? I like how they've been very upfront about who is funding them and hope it's a success.
In the interest of full disclosure, those of us on the Dome payroll are currently employed by the same company that owns several helmet brands including Bell, Bollé, Cébé, Giro, Raskulls and Krash. Rather than showcase marketing terms and glossy campaigns, however, the Dome’s intention is to be an unbiased resource for consumers and other helmet brands alike. The reason is simple – head protection is serious business and we all benefit from learning.The Dome is steeped in scientific method and we believe the key to accurate testing and development is objectivity. Which led us here – investing in this resource to share some of what we’ve learned, to address common misconceptions and to shed light on what we believe it takes to drive innovations in head protection. Our intention is to present the facts, explain the science and host the data. We hope you find this resource enlightening.
I'm happy with their full disclosure aspect, had a great long chat a few years back with the guys from Lyon who do a lot of the climbing gear testing. Same philosophy really that they are there to do a testing job not flog stuff. You would probably struggle to find a bunch of people with as much experience to share.
and let's face it, dictated to a degree by fashion.
personally I think I'm comfortable with the fact that the requirement for protection and for it to look as it has had least been across the desk of someone with an eye for design aren't always mutually incompatible.
I'm less comfortable with the biased* nature of the set up.
* they're probably not aiming to be, but it'll be interesting to see what happens when there's a conflict of interest with these guys' day jobs.
Just had a quick peruse of the site and it's got a lot of info that will help consumers make informed choices, that can only be a good thing. Especially the info about each material used for various helmets, if that helps one person realise their helmet is knackered after a seemingly small knock then that's a good thing.
As for their possible bias, we'll just have to wait and see. As they are the test lab for lots of manufacturers I doubt they would risk their reputation but you never know. I'd like to think that they have the scientific brains employed that are more likely to want to create the best helmets possible regardless of who the name is on the side.