Re: Uni Helmets

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....

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threeinchtire

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threeinchtire said:

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.

Ken

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).

Roak

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roakey

roakeyatunderctekdotcom
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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.

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headstone
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headstone said:

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

headstone said:

A skate/BMX helmet will do a good job
preventing concussions to backward and sideways falls.

Out of interest, do you actually have any evidence for that assertion?

regards, Ian SMith
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cline said:

headstone said:

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"

--
kington99

Dave

- what a thoroughly post-modern subversion of the cycling genre -
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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.

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i couldnt find it

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skianduniaddict

dont hop onto tippy stuff
ski sugarloaf uni bradbury
my cat bob ate four kids😉

Bear said:

I am Bear. I can ride a unicycle. How are you dooing?

bear is my new main man
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Know what? I was wrong as hell about the rear impact. Ignore that.

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headstone
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max_pfeifer said:

unfortunately due to the nature of the foam it gets particularly hot
and sweaty.

not any more!!!! http://tinyurl.com/yg34nh

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irvinegr

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I use a Giro Xen helmet for MUni, They cover much more of the back of
the head. Giro calls it "skate shaped with bicycle type construction."

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jrdugueod

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max_pfeifer said:

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).

Ken