Cycling UK Forum

What helmets do you, my fellow 'bent riders, wear?

I am having to buy a new helmet due to my biy using my current one as a football during one of his pre teen strops and damaging it. Whilst I liked it I always thought that the rear of it stuck out too much and caught on the top of the seat and making me feel as if it made me look down as I was unable to tilt my head backwards.

Any advice welcome. I do live near a few shops but getting to them without kids is a problem and with kids is a nightmare.

Most bent riders don't wer helmets, as far as I know. I think you just have to look for one without bits sticking out at the back. Nutcase helmets might suit http://uk.nutcasehelmets.com/ Otherwise, look for ones that are dual approved for cycling and skateboarding, as these are less likely to be designed for aerodynamics.

None...

Bell Muni Hi-viz shows up well. You might be happy to ditch any flag you use once wearing a hi-viz helmet. Muni also has a rear light mount.

If you want to use a headrest (rather than neckrest) then the Lazer helmets with the Rollsys adjustment avoid having a dial on the back of the helemt. Try a Lazer Blade.

tank wrote:What helmets do you, my fellow 'bent riders, wear?

Giro Feature (with peak removed) when SWIMBOs looking Not tried it with a head / neck rest though, and is on the warm side. Does have a fairly rounded rear profile though - no sticky-out fins

I don't as on a 'bent they're pretty pointless. You can't go over the handlebars and if you fall it's likely to be sideways where the seat or your shoulders will make contact with the ground first. Helmets aren't designed to protect the rider from sideways impacts. There's also the increased risk of twisting affects from the edge of the helmet making contact with the ground.

Oh, here we go again
And there was me thinking I could read about the variety of helmets that others choose, without some lengthy discussion about whether or not to wear one.

I'm happy with my HardNutz Hi-Vis - mine's a bright orange, to match the flag

http://www.hardnutz.com/cycle-helmets/adult-cycle-helmets-road-1/yellow-white-black-stealth-hi-vis-cycle-helmet-road-hn-103.html

I use a cheap Aldi helmet (meets the legal requirements in Australia) and hacked my headrest into a neck rest using a short length of pool noodle, some thin foam and a cover. Works well for me. [SMILING FACE WITH SMILING EYES]

OB

If I'm wrong blame Tapatalk.

hoarder wrote:Oh, here we go again
And there was me thinking I could read about the variety of helmets that others choose, without some lengthy discussion about whether or not to wear one.

In that case - the helmet I wear is a custom designed, self healing, with ablative capacity to reduce rotational forces in the event of a sliding impact.

It's called hair.

A cycle helmet design spec is for a static fall from the height of a rover safety bicycle.
A fall from a bent is from far lower, and is basically limited to a sideways fall - where your head is unlikely to come into contact with anything anyway. Cycling isn't dangerous, 'bent riding is even less so.

Of course on three wheels it's really hard to fall off anyway, but even on two (and I've fallen off) it's hard to come down head first, or at all...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=310&list=UL&v=GYIWMIxsPUk

The OP asked for helmet recommendations, not all the reasons not to wear one. We have a whole sub-forum for that.

Vorpal wrote:The OP asked for helmet recommendations, not all the reasons not to wear one. We have a whole sub-forum for that.

Technically he asked what we wear and for advice.

And the questions are somewhat different on a 'bent anyway

I am interested in what helmets are wore my other and if it is none then that is fine fir them, the problem I have is that I have pre teen kids and tell them they are not allowed out on their up wrongs without their helmets and so it would be hypocritical if I then went out without one even if there are different dangers.

Thanks for the replies telling me what helmets you wear. I will have a look at them and see if any of them are suitable for me.

Is it hypocritical to go out in the car, or for a walk without one then? To go in he kitchen, the bath or down the stairs?

As you say the dangers are different, and it's relatively easy to suggest why (even aside from experience) - which would be a useful skill to start to teach kids...

When I *do* wear one, it's a specialised, because of the higher snell rating. I therefore run an ICE neck rest on my Raptobike, rather than the headrest it used to have.
I never wear it on the trike though, even though MrsBob insists that MicroBob wears his on his trike.

Back to my first 'bent (an Orbit Crystal, bought near the end of the century) and I was still a regular helmet wearer in those days. I just wore what I'd worn before, some flavour of Specialized. I started giving up on lids about the time I got my Streetmachine but did use them for a while, and again it was just a case of what I had anyway. In those days it was a Spesh 'cause they were what my LBS had that best fitted at a sane price, though the better impact ratings of its Snell certification might have been attractive had I known about them.

These days when I use a lid (Go-Ride MTB coaching where I am required to have one) I use an Aldi one because they do the job (the job being "have a helmet with a CE mark") and are cheap as chips as well as reasonably comfortable. At least two other coaches at the same club use Aldi/Lidl for exactly the same reasons.

I would very much recommend trying on a selection in person, even if shopping is a pain. It's really the only way to gauge comfort and fit (the two are often closely related), and if possible have your bike along so you can sit on it in the lid there and then and make sure the seat doesn't interfere.

'Bent users tend to use mirrors more than the upwrong crowd and a lid does give you another mounting option, and if you're paranoid about being seen you can also put on an extra blinkie (my Aldi lid had one included as standard the slides in to place at the back).

Pete.

While hair is an excellent helmet, it's tricky to attach a helmet cam and light. I use a helmet because it's easier than sorting an alternative mounting device. Something with lots of ventilation would be my recommendation,