Lidl

[Pinhead]

You get what you pay for, but I went 80 miles in the car, got the bike out and found I forgot my helmet, I bought a cheap Lidl one £10 and these

https://www.lidl.co.uk/p/crivit-cycling ... /p10015691

Whilst I would not rely on the helmet, just for the emergency I forgot it the gloves are Ok, and lasted a year so far

[Pinhead]

The "Parkside 41 Piece Bike Tool Kit" (this: https://www.lidl.co.uk/p/parkside-bike- ... /p10015688) Any actual bike-specific tools? Nope.

Those kits aren't bad I have similar for working on our PCs

[pjclinch]

You get what you pay for, but I went 80 miles in the car, got the bike out and found I forgot my helmet, I bought a cheap Lidl one £10 and these

https://www.lidl.co.uk/p/crivit-cycling ... /p10015691

Whilst I would not rely on the helmet, just for the emergency I forgot it the gloves are Ok, and lasted a year so far

A Lidl EN1078 helmet has been certified to EN1078, generally the same standard as most cycle helmets. Some are certified to Snell B95, and that's a substantially stronger standard, but those are very much in the minority. Cycle helmets are typically built down to the standard, because that way they can be lighter and more comfortable: all any officialdom cares about is can they tick the box about meeting the standard. Where you spend more money you are generally paying for lightness, comfort, ventilation, aerodynamics etc. none of which make significant difference to the gross impact absorbing qualities.

So the degree to which you would rely on a Lidl helmet should be very much the same as the degree to which you would rely on any other (i.e., not crashing is very much the best option for safety). In terms of protection my cheap Lidl helmet can be assumed to meet the standard just as well as my wife's relatively expensive Kask helmet. So why did she pay more for the Kask? More comfortable on her particular head when she's racing, nothing to do with reliance. If you feel happier on your bike in a £100 lid then pay it, but in terms of protection you get the Lidl one should do similarly well as long as it fits okay.

Pete.

[Pinhead]

You get what you pay for, but I went 80 miles in the car, got the bike out and found I forgot my helmet, I bought a cheap Lidl one £10 and these

https://www.lidl.co.uk/p/crivit-cycling ... /p10015691

Whilst I would not rely on the helmet, just for the emergency I forgot it the gloves are Ok, and lasted a year so far

A Lidl EN1078 helmet has been certified to EN1078, generally the same standard as most cycle helmets. Some are certified to Snell B95, and that's a substantially stronger standard, but those are very much in the minority. Cycle helmets are typically built down to the standard, because that way they can be lighter and more comfortable: all any officialdom cares about is can they tick the box about meeting the standard. Where you spend more money you are generally paying for lightness, comfort, ventilation, aerodynamics etc. none of which make significant difference to the gross impact absorbing qualities.

So the degree to which you would rely on a Lidl helmet should be very much the same as the degree to which you would rely on any other (i.e., not crashing is very much the best option for safety). In terms of protection my cheap Lidl helmet can be assumed to meet the standard just as well as my wife's relatively expensive Kask helmet. So why did she pay more for the Kask? More comfortable on her particular head when she's racing, nothing to do with reliance. If you feel happier on your bike in a £100 lid then pay it, but in terms of protection you get the Lidl one should do similarly well as long as it fits okay.

Pete.

Probably right but there are also other considerations I should have stated more

Fit and comfort, it in no way fits well, and is VERY uncomfortable on the top of the head

Also it is possible to fit cameras to my Fox and Specialised and the air vents are 100% better so design counts for a lot

[pjclinch]

Probably right but there are also other considerations I should have stated more

Fit and comfort, it in no way fits well, and is VERY uncomfortable on the top of the head

Fair enough, if it's not comfortable it's not only no fun but that is probably indicative of poor fit which would potentially reduce effectiveness.

Also it is possible to fit cameras to my Fox and Specialised and the air vents are 100% better so design counts for a lot

Worth noting that if you put a camera, lights etc. on most helmets you effectively render them as not meeting the standard. They're not tested with these additional items on and the mounts/gadgets could cause impact hotspots that could cause a helmet to break more easily. That's not the same thing as "don't put things on a helmet", especially if you feel the addition has a positive effect on your safety, but if you want the helmet to perform as designed in the event of crash you can't rely on that happening if you've effectively changed the design with extra stuff protruding from it.

Pete.

[Pinhead]

1. https://www.cyclingweekly.com/group-tes ... ras-327336

CYCLE WEEKLY

2. From Specialized:

We have discussed this. We believe that a good GoPro mount should “break away” in an impact. We think this is the main thing. There is still risk that the camera could still cause injury, but not worse than rocks, eyewear, etc. There is always risk of injury in an accident, regardless. So, it’s always best to keep the rubber side down.

https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/roa ... -cams-saf/

[Pinhead]

Before making broad statements one needs to read all the facts, also weigh up the benefits against the draw backs



https://www.bbc.co.uk/safety/resources/ ... elmet-cams

In fact, in not one of over 70 tests on various helmet types, mounting types or mounting positions did the presence of the camera cause the helmet to ‘fail’ the injury threshold standards.

[Eyebrox]

I bought the trekking style saddle for £6 this morning. I think it's a great buy - showing on Amazon at between £20 and £25. I haven't done a long cycle yet but was happy with all aspects of my purchase on a short hop around the town centre. Firm but pliable. 28 cms long x 16.5 cms wide at the widest part. Bracket included to fit old style seat posts. Only time and distance will determine the real value of this German-sourced saddle but for the price of a single portion of cake and coffee, I'll give the Wittkop seat 5 stars (out of 5). There is a wider (city) version and a narrower (race) version.

[pjclinch]

Before making broad statements one needs to read all the facts, also weigh up the benefits against the draw backs

https://www.bbc.co.uk/safety/resources/ ... elmet-cams

In fact, in not one of over 70 tests on various helmet types, mounting types or mounting positions did the presence of the camera cause the helmet to ‘fail’ the injury threshold standards.

That's about climbing helmets, designed primarily to guard against objects falling from above (that's why climbing helmets have a more pronounced dome, to give deformation space at a single point). If a falling rock hits a helmet you'll have a point impact where all the force is concentrated at a single point. If a falling rock hits a camera you'll still have a point impact, so not much different.

Cycle helmets are designed to hit things like roads where the load is more distributed, while force through a mount point may be quite different. Where your light/camera breaks away that's not an issue, but if you actually land on the object then you potentially have a more concentrated force. While a kerb stone will concentrate force more than a flat road, it's still more distributed than a point impact.

Different helmets for different jobs. I have different helmets for caving, climbing, paddling and cycling, each with their own characteristics designed for the different ways they're used.

And to emphasise again, I'm not saying "don't put things on helmets", I'm saying that if you're worried about meeting a particular standard then you don't know if a helmet/device combo meets that standard unless it's been tested as a combination. It's also potentially useful to know what a standard is and how it's tested. https://ecf.com/sites/ecf.com/files/Sta ... ts-etc.pdf is a useful starter piece in that respect.

Pete.

[Pinhead]

Along the lines of helmet cameras

https://www.cyclinguk.org/news/20160204-helmet-cameras

[Pinhead]

If you do want to opt for a helmet-mounted bike camera, just ensure it's compatible with your helmet. Vented helmets are straightforward with the use of Velcro straps or elastic bands, but if you have a smooth lid with no vents, you might need to look for suction cups or a whole helmet band.

CYCLING WEEKLY

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/group-tes ... ras-327336

[pjclinch]

Neither of the Cycling Weekly and CUK articles are relevant to what I actually said.

What I said was:

And to emphasise again, I'm not saying "don't put things on helmets", I'm saying that if you're worried about meeting a particular standard then you don't know if a helmet/device combo meets that standard unless it's been tested as a combination.

The only justification you need to stick extras on your helmet is if you want to do it. I'm not suggesting there's anything wrong with it, just that it may mean it no longer meets the standard the helmet on its own was accredited to.

Pete.

[Pinhead]

Neither of the Cycling Weekly and CUK articles are relevant to what I actually said.

What I said was:

And to emphasise again, I'm not saying "don't put things on helmets", I'm saying that if you're worried about meeting a particular standard then you don't know if a helmet/device combo meets that standard unless it's been tested as a combination.

The only justification you need to stick extras on your helmet is if you want to do it. I'm not suggesting there's anything wrong with it, just that it may mean it no longer meets the standard the helmet on its own was accredited to.

Pete.

And I am in no way arguing with you I just found some new articles.

[jimster99]

I bought the trekking style saddle for £6 this morning. I think it's a great buy - showing on Amazon at between £20 and £25. I haven't done a long cycle yet but was happy with all aspects of my purchase on a short hop around the town centre. Firm but pliable. 28 cms long x 16.5 cms wide at the widest part. Bracket included to fit old style seat posts. Only time and distance will determine the real value of this German-sourced saddle but for the price of a single portion of cake and coffee, I'll give the Wittkop seat 5 stars (out of 5). There is a wider (city) version and a narrower (race) version.

IMG_20240711_153339066.jpg

Yeah, I also had a look at the saddles and they actually looked fairly OK, and very cheap. Slightly too spongy for my preference perhaps but otherwise looked like a real bargain. They also had a mini bike tool kit for about £5, which I already have from a previous year and is very handy, plus a saddle bag & micro tool kit, which looked OK.

Conversely the bike gloves, phone mount & mini pump looked like the kind of unreliable rubbish you'd get with unbranded ebay or Ali Express stuff. There was also a handlebar bag that looked a bit odd, like a roll out pannier and I couldn't quite see how it fitted. They also had discounted track pumps for £5 a few weeks ago that were really good (if I didn't already have a couple I'd have loaded up)!

[Cowsham]

I bought the trekking style saddle for £6 this morning. I think it's a great buy - showing on Amazon at between £20 and £25. I haven't done a long cycle yet but was happy with all aspects of my purchase on a short hop around the town centre. Firm but pliable. 28 cms long x 16.5 cms wide at the widest part. Bracket included to fit old style seat posts. Only time and distance will determine the real value of this German-sourced saddle but for the price of a single portion of cake and coffee, I'll give the Wittkop seat 5 stars (out of 5). There is a wider (city) version and a narrower (race) version.

IMG_20240711_153339066.jpg

The complete opposite of what I'd want in a saddle -- that would be an instrument of torture for me.