Even after searching previous threads, I have helmet questions. BLUF, I want a helmet that looks as good as I feel when I'm finishing up a long ride or passing somebody on the uphill. What I need is justification for that shiney, silver, Atmos I saw last week at the LBS (or something of the sort).
Even after reading so many pages about "meets or excedes the yadda yadda standard", I still feel like there must be more to it than looks and comfort. Besides, I'm not worried about falling over while standing still on my bike (2m drop test), I'm worried about slamming my head into the highway when I hit a pothole at 60kph because I was too busy peddling my guts out to look at the road. Who reports on that? Any info (other than anecdotal) on noggin survivability with the internal roll cage vs "glad I put eye holes in that small beer cooler before I duct-taped it to my head"? What about fit? Fit has got to be a key factor; doesn't make sense that the best/worst helmet would perform well if it were strapped improperly to the test mellon. and any body ever see a comparrison of helmets by weight? ...by style (close, high, low)? ...popular modles in red?
Even after searching previous threads, I have helmet questions. BLUF, I want a helmet that looks as good as I feel when I'm finishing up a long ride or passing somebody on the uphill. What I need is justification for that shiney, silver, Atmos I saw last week at the LBS (or something of the sort).
Even after reading so many pages about "meets or excedes the yadda yadda standard", I still feel like there must be more to it than looks and comfort. Besides, I'm not worried about falling over while standing still on my bike (2m drop test), I'm worried about slamming my head into the highway when I hit a pothole at 60kph because I was too busy peddling my guts out to look at the road. Who reports on that? Any info (other than anecdotal) on noggin survivability with the internal roll cage vs "glad I put eye holes in that small beer cooler before I duct-taped it to my head"? What about fit? Fit has got to be a key factor; doesn't make sense that the best/worst helmet would perform well if it were strapped improperly to the test mellon. and any body ever see a comparrison of helmets by weight? ...by style (close, high, low)? ...popular modles in red?
Most any certified helmet of reasonable price and quality should protect your head equally well, provided that, yes, it's fitted properly. The extra money you spend goes towards weight reduction, extra features, aesthetics, R&D, marketing, pro endorsements, profit, etc.
I recently crash tested my Atmos. Examination of my helmet showed that it took significant hits on three sides (left, right, and back). The thing definitely did its job - the foam core self destructed in these areas to absorb energy. I lost conciousness for I-don't-know-how-long, but I can only imagine what would have happened if I weren't wearing the helmet.
