Helmet testing

On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 17:21:54 GMT, druidh <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

What are the current safety standards against which helmets are tested?
Used to be Snell, but I was in LBS today and couldn't see any test
labels on the helmets I looked at. Does any manufacturer have these
things independently tested?

They get waved past Eric Martlew's face. If his eyes turn red, like
those of a demon, it passes.

--
Jesus was apparently betrayed by 8.3% of his disciples.

druidh said:

What are the current safety standards against which helmets are tested?
Used to be Snell, but I was in LBS today and couldn't see any test
labels on the helmets I looked at. Does any manufacturer have these
things independently tested?

Most are EN1078, a standard set by the helmet manufacturers themselves
and inferior to Snell.

Specialized helmets, AFAIK, are among the few that still conform to
Snell, which is usually considered the most stringent.

The statistics also show you're more likely to have a serious head
injury if you *do* wear a helmet...

druidh wondered:

Quoted message said:

What are the current safety standards against which helmets are tested?
Used to be Snell, but I was in LBS today and couldn't see any test
labels on the helmets I looked at. Does any manufacturer have these
things independently tested?

You might find more information on either the box (which may be hidden
away somewhere) or the manufacturer's website.

Last time I bought a helmet I specifically looked for something that was
either Snell or CPSC approved. I couldn't find a single helmet in any
shop that was labelled anything other than CE approved. I looked at the
website of the manufacturer whose helmets fit me best and found that
their US website specified CPSC approval for the helmet I was most
interested in, but their European website did not. I e-mailed the
manufacturer asking why such an important selling point was missing from
the helmet specs on their European website and from the labels within
the helmets themselves, they replied:

"All Eclipse model helmets meet CPSC requirements because that helmet
model was designed and manufactured to meet CPSC criteria. In Europe
(and European marketing materials) we designate the Eclipse as
CE-certified because it meets CE requirements, and also because that's
the required mark for sale in the EU market. Simply put, the CPSC mark
is not universally meaningful to consumers, and it's meaningless to
certification requirements across Europe."

So, they don't believe that UK consumers are interested in knowing the
full certification details of their helmets, as long as they meet the
meaningless CE requirements. Prior to the requirement for CE
certification, helmets in shops always had labels proclaiming any
certification that they carried.

I bought the helmet anyway, because no other manufacturer seems to make
a well ventilated road helmet that fits my head. Haven't worn it for a
while, though. The box mentions the CPSC certification.

--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/>
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

Kiff said:

I feel like another long helmet thread coming on!!!!!!

As you are in Outlook Express:

Message/Ignore Conversation
View/Current View/Hide Read or Ignored Messages

and if you want to view Read but not Ignored Messages:

View/Current View/Define Views/New/Where the Message has been Read/Show;
name the view; OK

Easy really

Tony

Ambrose Nankivell said:

Kiff wrote:
<big snip>

Quoted message said:

I feel like another long helmet thread coming on!!!!1!!one!!

No, you don't want to have a long helmet, the normal ones are the ones
that fit.

I think he's thinking of the safety campaigner pressures for full body
helmets

Tony

On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 17:21:54 GMT, druidh <[email hidden]>

wrote in message : said:

What are the current safety standards against which helmets are tested?

EN1078, or Snell B95. Very few current helmets meet Snell, but Brian
Walker of HPE (who test them in the UK) says that the ones which
perform best on test are Specialized.

Guy
--
"then came ye chavves, theyre cartes girded wyth candels
blue, and theyre beastes wyth straynge horn-lyke thyngs
onn theyre arses that theyre fartes be herde from myles
around." Chaucer, the Sheppey Tales

Just zis Guy said:

On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 17:21:54 GMT, druidh <[email hidden]>

wrote in message : said:

What are the current safety standards against which helmets are tested?

EN1078, or Snell B95. Very few current helmets meet Snell, but Brian
Walker of HPE (who test them in the UK) says that the ones which
perform best on test are Specialized.

Guy

Good to know - thanks (and thanks to all other helpful posters). The one
I am about to replace is a Specialized and has a Snell sticker inside. I
was just suprised not to see this on any I'd looked at.

druidh