Next up in our series on bike and snowsport helmet tech and R&D, we talk with Rob Wesson about Giro’s approach to various helmet safety standards and certifications; the differences between a $65 helmet and a $260 helmet; the pros and cons of adding a chin bar to a full-face helmet, or a large visor to an enduro bike helmet; and more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Giro / Bell background + Rob’s background (4:05)
- Overview of the helmet market & sales (5:05)
- How Giro handles the different safety certifications & standards (13:00)
- Where have the biggest advancements in helmet tech been made? (19:28)
- Where are consumer priorities these days? (24:04)
- $65 MIPS vs $260 MIPS helmet (28:00)
- Full-face helmets, Enduro helmets, etc.(32:04)
- spherical shape – aerodynamics – and safety as it relates to shape (34:04)
- What We’re Celebrating (40:02)
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Hey Blister,
Why is it impossible to pick a helmet for priority #1 (it’s safety I promise)
I’ve just whacked my head pretty good, and am looking to replace my helmet. There are a bunch out there that I’m sure will be totally fine. I’d like the one that protects my head the best.
There’s no “reduces a 10kN blow to 2kN” or similar stat for any of these helmets out there. I have to look up some swedish insurance companies testing to find out what’s going on, and it’s still very hard to compare well.
I get that it’s a complicated testing procedure and might be hard to summarise results, but I’ve got $400 here waiting to be spent. Now Folksam is telling me a premium helmet like the Smith Vantage performed worst in test for actual protection.
A system as complicated as a car gets a star safety rating out of 5 to at least give the consumer some idea. Why am I so in the dark on helmets.