Helmets. Which is safer?

More plastic waste tho if I buy one there rather than taking mine

Maybe – but how are you going to protect it in transit?  Wrap it in bubble wrap?  I doubt the plastic waste from your helmet is the biggest eco impact from your flights, off road cycling etc.

shame that people will try to shut down discussion with the old “you’ve only got one head” argument ?

I regularly commuted and ran errands without one, because it’s convenient and low risk.

But outside that use case (which is low traffic, familiar roads and low speeds) the risk Vs reward rapidly swings in favor of just buy a decent helmet, doesn’t need to be an expensive one though. And if wearing one is mandatory, why not spend a little ££ on one with 15 years more R&D gone into it making it lighter and better ventilated.

 it’ll still be bobbing around fine in the Pacific ocean 100 years after we’re all dead and gone!

He’s flying with it to Oz, so the environmental impact is pretty marginal.

MIPS I’m convinced has saved me from concussion. No brainer. The foam losing its efficacy with age thing – could well be a marketing ploy (who knows) but is it worth the risk? Certainly I understand the sunlight exposure argument – that alone….

Your head is far more important than plastic waste. Think of the crude oil you’re responsible for using as a result of your trip from the minute you leave your house to go away, to your return. The helmet literally doesn’t even register vs that.

Enjoy the trip! Take loads of pics :=)

MIPS I’m convinced has saved me from concussion. No brainer

MIPS may be unnecessary for that situation.

Why not combine your What hairstyle for a man of a certain age thread and this one?

Kill two birds innit.

In terms of the advancements, I scrolled down to the hundredth safest helmet on Virginia Tech’s website before I gave up and every one had some kind of rotation protection system. Either these systems are making helmets safer or no one is selling them without them (which doesn’t seem to be the case, there’s definitely a few out there). Price of the ones at the top of the list ranged from about £30 to some insane prices, so they aren’t necessarily expensive which would suggest it’s more than just marketing.

Meh, I’m still not convinced more spend and/or newness necessarily means “more safe”.

The mechanisms for most polymers degrading are exposure to UV, temperature cycling, chemical attack and maybe salt? If it’s been stored in a cool dry place, away from sunlight and not drenched with sweat I reckon TJ is probably ok using his existing lid.

Honestly the fundamental technology that makes lids absorb impacts (EPS) hasn’t really changed much in 40odd years, just the shapes, number of vents and fitment tweaks.

I will be pootling byways and back roads

The biggest risk in Australia is being mown down by some idiot in a Ute who is expecting their local back road to be clear, rather than you shredding gnar and cutting it too fine.

Iirc wasn’t your lid in the pisspot style TJ? If I have that correct for your destination I’d suggest the spesh recommendations are worthwhile if only for the improved ventilation.

The biggest risk in Australia is being mown down by some idiot in a Ute

No, it’s snakes and MASSIVE CROCS!

When I was in cape York, a local guy got taken by a salty. I was shocked to say the least, especially as it wasn’t on the news. “Happens all the time , mate” was what they said

Then two days later another guy went to the beach with his dog, came back without it. Walked to close to the water apparently. Oh well.

Oh, for Australia, given the choice I’d buy a white or silver helmet. Just to reflect the sun from you and stay cooler

No, it’s snakes and MASSIVE CROCS!

Really?

About 2 people a year typically get killed a year by crocs in Oz. Unless TJ is cycling within 5-10meters of water in the tropics then his chance of being one of  those two people is zero.

Snakebite fatalities are also typically about 2-3 a year.

I suspect a great deal more cyclists die from car accidents in Oz.

I came in here to suggest a Garibaldi GO2X as it might look ok riding a Beeza, then I noticed it was for a pushbike..as you were

🙂

https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/746780

I’ve recently purchased a Specialized Align2 MIPS helmet for £40 from cyclestore.co.uk for commuting – a MIPS for that money is a bargain – as long as it fits your bonce.

No, it’s snakes and MASSIVE CROCS!

Nah,it’s the magpies you need to watch for ,remember and get some helmet spikes.

The polystyrene foam degrades over time and becomes less able to absorb impacts.

Why do people keep churning out this b****ks, when actual science (you know tests carried out by folk who really know whats going on) have found that: “These findings mean that bicycle helmets (up to 26-year-old traditional helmets and 13-year-old BMX helmets) do not lose their ability to attenuate impacts with age”  That comes from the study quoted by Anorak, which tested over 700 different helmets.  If you know the history of the helmet it should be OK, (the MIPS thing is a different issue.)

That said, I’m uneasy about the second hand helmets that Decathlon sell https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/second-life-city-cycling-bowl-helmet-500-rosemary-green-excellent/_/R-p-310855-A

And drop bears.

About 2 people a year typically get killed a year by crocs in Oz.

That’s 2 more than Edinburgh.

The real question is are we going to get another TJ’S CYCLING ADVENTURE thread? I certainly hope so.

My two cents, if it is a p!ss-pot lid you have just now I probably would go new and get a little bit more sun shelter with the visor and as said before go for white/silver to help as well.

For pootling I’d be happy with the old lid.

The real question is are we going to get another TJ’S CYCLING ADVENTURE thread? I certainly hope so.

TJ Down under; The fair dinkum tour

Surely on Oz you’ll need one with corks dangling from the rim, to be compliant ?

I’m not sure why people spend hundreds on “lesser” helmets.

In my particular case it’s fit as not many make a hat in 62cm+ sizes. On the plus side I can usually pick up a new one with a good discount come sales time.

Iirc TJ doesn’t wear a helmet, so it’s really a question of whether the old one work better than his bare bonce?

Yeah, I thought that; I’ve always worn one, and the one occasion when my bike dropped me on the ground at walking speed was the one occasion when my head hit the ground hard enough to badly graze my cheek – my Giro peak took most of the impact that my knee otherwise took.