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Bike helmets

#3
I'm curious also. Bike helmets are considered "one time" use only, right? As in, if you crashed once, then you need to get a new helmet?

Back in the 80's it seemed like they were not as big as the ones today.
 
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#4
Any good bike shop should have a few you could try on for fit that will meet your riding requirements. Stay away from big box stores. Don’t cheap out. It’s your brain we’re talking about. It’s been a few years since my last bike helmet purchase, but I’ve been quite happy with my Giro. I think a paid about $100.
 
#5
I have two Giro’s - one for my road bike with MIPS, and one skate-style helmet for my cruiser.

you’ll have to measure your head’s circumference to find a good fit.
The road-bike helmets have ratcheting adjustable webbing, the skate-style helmets come with different thickness foam padding to find the right fit within the helmet’s range.
 
#7
I have a Bell — more the racing-style, breezy — they come in various sizes, just like hats. The last one I got's from Skullcandy — same deal, size-wise, very different vibe. This one's matt black, skate / ski-style, has incorporated headphones, more for recreational / off-road use but not necessarily :)
 
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#9
ElectroVibe said:
I'm curious also. Bike helmets are considered "one time" use only, right? As in, if you crashed once, then you need to get a new helmet?

Back in the 80's it seemed like they were not as big as the ones today.
Click to expand...
They're definitely one-and-done. The foam absorbs energy by being crushed, which it can only do one time.

I think they were smaller in the 80s because they had a hard plastic shell which was designed to protect against sliding along the pavement, not against impact, and the thinking today is that at bicycle speeds you're better off (at a given weight) with more foam and less plastic.
 
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#10
osv said:
Any good bike shop should have a few you could try on for fit that will meet your riding requirements. Stay away from big box stores. Don’t cheap out. It’s your brain we’re talking about. It’s been a few years since my last bike helmet purchase, but I’ve been quite happy with my Giro. I think a paid about $100.
Click to expand...
Helmets can only do so much in protecting the brain. Think Schumacher and Bianchi, for two examples. Granted, not bicycling. but they wore helmets for the same reason.
 
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#12
Winslow said:
I've got a Bell
Click to expand...
They're great buckets, If I can generalize. I guess the more you pay the safer you play. Must keep that in mind. And, you can go down the road without wrecking the helmet, as long as one doesn't use the head zone as an air-bag or an emergency brake. I still have my first bike helmet and it was a cheapy. I wish I still had my first Bell. It was a full-face cop helmet, circa '76 :)

I need to make a correction: that hat I described as one from Skullcandy. They only made the cans. Holt made the hat. You can see, I'm paying attention — they do get a pretty good rap.
 
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#13
Just go to a shop and try a few on. From a protection standpoint they are all more or less equal.

Pick whatever’s comfortable that you like (or don’t completely hate) the look of. A helmet will only be worthwhile if you wear it.
 
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#14
I’m lucky to have a great local bike shop. Last time I was there, they didn’t have any big enough. I’ll measure my giant head and trust them to order something good.

For the record, I buy all my bike stuff there. They mostly sell Trek bikes, so all the accessories are related. I’m happy to pay slightly more for phone-mounts and bags to keep the local place going.
 

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