Old post, I know but I saw some nice looking helmets the other day. These were snow boarding helmets...great for the coming cold. They had ear flaps that seemed pretty warm and were extremely comfy. They also had one that looked like a camoflauged war helmet. This was at [censored] Sporting Goods. They ranged from $20 to $100 depending on your taste and wallet thickness.
Skate-style helmets are designed for multiple, lower-speed impacts. Bike helmets as lighter weight and much more ventilated, but are designed to absorb one (ONE) high-speed crash. That's not to say a bike helmet won't last for a while, but it is designed to be as protective as possible for one serious crash. Personally, I use a bike helmet (a Bell Influx) for all my riding, (mostly MUni). I haven't ever fallen on my face hard enough to need stiches, so i'm gonna put off getting a full face helmet for as long as possible. Just having something on your head is better than nothing....
Skate-style helmets are designed for multiple, lower-speed impacts. Bike helmets as lighter weight and much more ventilated, but are designed to absorb one (ONE) high-speed crash.
I don't actually know how often this generalization applies. Certifications from various organizations give some insight, though: Some standards for skate helments (CPSC, Snell) are based on bicycle helmet standards with additional requirements. ASTM F1492, on the other hand, tests for multiple, smaller, impacts. In some cases, "skate-style" helmets are only certified to bicycle helmet standards.
That said, hard shell helmets are obviously more durable in case they hit a sharp edge or in the event of minor impacts. Skate helmets cover and protect more of your head. All helmets should be replaced after sustaining a hard crash.
Now that you bring this up, something just dawned on me... Equestrian riding helmets would probably be a good match for unicycling since the falls would be similar (though from further up and a faster velocity on a horse). Might have to look into this (right now I just ride with a normal bicycling helmet).
Bike hemets are pretty much useless for anything besides road biking. The main way you're gonna wack your head while unicycling is when the uni flies in front or behind you. Regular bike helmets are useless for both face plants and impacts to the back of the head, as they are only intended for sideways falls. A skate/BMX helmet will do a good job preventing concussions to backward and sideways falls.
When you fall forward, there's more of a risk of breaking a wrist than hitting your head anyways.
Regular bike helmets are useless for both face plants and impacts to the back of the head, as they are only intended for sideways falls.
This is nonsense. First, plenty of bicycle accidents involve the rider flying over the handlebars (resulting in a forward impact) or being hit by motorists (which can cause a rearward impact). Second, the standards do not show bias regarding the direction of impact, requiring helmets to withstand impacts anywhere "on or above the test line" [CPSC standard, 16 CFR 1203, http://www.helmets.org/cpscstd.htm] [Snell B95 standard, http://www.smf.org/standards/b/b95std.html]. I'll admit I haven't read the ASTM standard, or the ANSI which it replaced, because they are not frrely available and have been "sidelined by CPSC" [www.helmets.org].
Regular bike helmets are useless for both face plants and impacts to the back of the head, as they are only intended for sideways falls.
This is nonsense. First, plenty of bicycle accidents involve the rider flying over the handlebars (resulting in a forward impact) or being hit by motorists (which can cause a rearward impact). Second, the standards do not show bias regarding the direction of impact, requiring helmets to withstand impacts anywhere "on or above the test line" [CPSC standard, 16 CFR 1203, http://www.helmets.org/cpscstd.htm] [Snell B95 standard, http://www.smf.org/standards/b/b95std.html]. I'll admit I haven't read the ASTM standard, or the ANSI which it replaced, because they are not frrely available and have been "sidelined by CPSC" [www.helmets.org].
Ken
He did say faceplant, not frontal impact. A faceplant suggests that the rider lands on their jaw or face before their head hits the ground. While no doubt the helmet may be able to help in protecting the head itself, there is no way it can stop broken jaw, teeth or cheekbones. While i agree that cotrary to what he said helmets can protect your head in frontal and rear impact, he nevertheless highlights a major failing in open face helmets, the lack of protection of the face. In the words of the label on almost every safety item I own, "This item can only protect the part of the body that it covers"
I use a helmet designed for inline-skaters. is is the "skate style" so it protects the back of my head and my forehead much better than a bike-style helmet. it doesnt use polystyrene so it will last more than 1 impact, unlike bike helmets which are designed to crack and shatter. the foam is more like a reasonably high density foam-rubber, which hugs my head tight. i can almost bend over with it undone and not have it fall off. unfortunately due to the nature of the foam it gets particularly hot and sweaty.
-- max_pfeifer
TheoELind said:
If you can't get over the hate in one puny internet thread on a unicycling site, then you will never hack it out in the "real world" where crack smoking bumbs throw rocks at you while you're practicing your 360 unispin.
I use a helmet designed for inline-skaters. is is the "skate style" so it protects the back of my head and my forehead much better than a bike-style helmet. it doesnt use polystyrene so it will last more than 1 impact, unlike bike helmets which are designed to crack and shatter.
Bike helmets are not designed to shatter. They absorb impact the same way your skate helmet does: by compressing the foam. Cracking in a hard crash can happen. Your skate helmet may actually be designed for multiple, minor impacts (at least one test requires a small impact and a large one on the same helmet), though most are only certified to bike helmet standards.
I don't know how your skate helmet provides better forehead coverage since skate helmets meet the same peripheral visions requirements as bike helmets. It might be a matter of not fitting the bike helmet properly. Skate helmets do cover the back of the head better, covering an additional 7% of the headform (per the Snell standard).
