Ebike helmet

[Elias]

I recently got a class 3 ebike. Should I consider getting a special ebike helmet certified to the NTA-8776 standard? I'm looking at the Smith Dispatch and the Specialized Tactic. I'll mostly be riding around San Francisco and occasionally some fire trails.

or will a regular helmet (like the Giro Register 2 Mips, Giro Source, Smith Engage, or Smith Convoy) be just fine?

 

[gromike]

No helmet is needed if you don't fall off your bike and land on your head. And never land on your head because even with helmet it can be bad.
If you are really worried about a head fall a full face helmet would be best. The NTA-8776 looks good, but that's for MTB riders. A road bike helmet should be good enough to prevent the worst of traumatic brain injury. MIPS is a definite plus. I should of asked this first, but what kind of riding do you do? It would help if you posted the links for your helmet choices.

 

[Elias]

No helmet is needed if you don't fall off your bike and land on your head. And never land on your head because even with helmet it can be bad.
If you are really worried about a head fall a full face helmet would be best. The NTA-8776 looks good, but that's for MTB riders. A road bike helmet should be good enough to prevent the worst of traumatic brain energy. MIPS is a definite plus. I should of asked this first, but what kind of riding do you do? It would help if you posted the links for your helmet choices.

Ok updated my post.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Most premium MIPS helmets are NTA-8776, only the manufacturers do not brag about it. Giro, POC, Specialized...
Contrary to what gromike said, NTA-8776 helmets are not for MTB riders but for the riders of S-Pedelec, or U.S. Class 3 e-bikes.
The latest helmet rating.
Smith helmets are even not there.

 

[Elias]

does that suggest I should stay away from Smith?

 

[Chazmo]

does that suggest I should stay away from Smith?

I wouldn’t make that leap… Wanna’ bet Smith just didn’t ante up with supplying this lab with helmets to test?

Having said that, if you’re looking at a helmet that is on this list, the data certainly looks valuable for assessing/comparing.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Honest question: Is an ebike-specific helmet really necessary?

Most ebike riders can't pedal much beyond their max assist speeds, and a fit roadie can match those speeds on the flat, though not for long at 28 mph. All parties can in theory exceed 40 mph on descents.

Aren't non-ebike helmets designed with those worst-case scenarios in mind? If so, what about an ebike warrants further special treatment?

 

[MrHyak]

Are there really e-bike specific helmets? Doesn't make much senses to me since both bikes under normal conditions go about the same speed. If this is true it sounds like a marketing ploy.

 

[edobici_forza]

I also did not know there were e-bike specific helmets. The Dispatch(eBike) is 100g/0.22lb heavier than the Engage (MTB), based on the specs. The Engage has 3x the amount of venting, likely commuter oriented helmets are more rugged and cooling is not as critical as a MTB helmet used for multiple hour rides? Dunno? I ride my Creo2 with a Mips Fox Speedframe Pro helmet.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Are there really e-bike specific helmets? Doesn't make much senses to me since both bikes under normal conditions go about the same speed. If this is true it sounds like a marketing ploy.

I don't know of any, and never considered it in my last (well-reseached) helmet purchase 8 months ago. Never even came up.

But the OP kinda suggested that ebike-specific helmets exist — maybe even with a formal standard. I'm not researching it, but if there's not really a standard, agree with marketing ploy till proven otherwise.

OP should find the Virginia Tech helmet testing site and use their widely respected results as a shopping guide.

 

[Elias]

The NTA-8776 certification was developed specifically for ebikes in the Netherlands. Some US helmets have it, such as the Specialized Tactic (which has a high rating from Virginia Tech).

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

The NTA-8776 certification was developed specifically for ebikes in the Netherlands. Some US helmets have it, such as the Specialized Tactic (which has a high rating from Virginia Tech).

Interesting. Any idea how ebike helmets differ from regular helmets?

 

[sc00ter]

As someone who fell and hit my head on a ebike: ANY helmet is better than no helmet. I love NutCase helmets myself but they went out of business. If I don't like the helmet I'll not be as inclined to wear it. I now have a $200 Bontrager helmet. It's bland looking but cycles air thru easily and it's super comfy. I have a old motorcycle Gmax half helmet for winter riding.

The Virginia Tech helmet test reviews are worth reading.

 

[MrHyak]

As someone who fell and hit my head on a ebike: ANY helmet is better than no helmet. I love NutCase helmets myself but they went out of business. If I don't like the helmet I'll not be as inclined to wear it. I now have a $200 Bontrager helmet. It's bland looking but cycles air thru easily and it's super comfy. I have a old motorcycle Gmax half helmet for winter riding.

The Virginia Tech helmet test reviews are worth reading.

When I was in my 20's and indestructible I did a face plant off my mtn bike into the street with no helmet. Spent some time unconscious, when I woke up there were people standing all around me....blah blah...I lost my site for about an hour, was a bit scary and got 8 stitches around my eye. These days I wear a 'Thousand' helmet on my ebike and a 669 full face bike helmet on my ski bike. Yea, they do help in an accident!

 

[Chazmo]

From what I can see of the standard, the manufacturers seem to be arguing for more coverage of your head because of 28MPH speeds. And it looks like a light at the back of the helmet is part of the standard, but I’m not sure.

All I know is that wooden shoes make a terrible contact patch with my pedals so I’d be at more risk of falling, and those windmill blades are a terrible hazard!

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

When I was in my 20's and indestructible I did a face plant off my mtn bike into the street with no helmet. Spent some time unconscious, when I woke up there were people standing all around me....blah blah...I lost my site for about an hour, was a bit scary and got 8 stitches around my eye. These days I wear a 'Thousand' helmet on my ebike and a 669 full face bike helmet on my ski bike. Yea, they do help in an accident!

Or you could just carry a pie. Tripped on an uneven sidewalk at a fast pace coming from a bakery a few years ago, a bag of cookies and a pie in a box in hand. Somehow the box got between my face and the concrete on the way down, saving me from a very nasty face plant. Some significant abrasions on various limbs and a seriously smashed pie, but my face was completely unharmed.

Thankfully, the cookies were also unscathed.

 

[Djangodog]

A class 3 ebike is faster than most when climbing and on the flats, but most danger is while descending, and many traditional road cyclists reach speeds well over 40 mph.

Good brakes, a good handling bike and good skills help to keep you safe, and of course a good helmet is vital, but a class 3 ebike still rides at speeds that traditional bicycle helmets are designed for.

Only you can decide how much helmet you need.

 

[Aushiker]

does that suggest I should stay away from Smith?

Not necessarily. It means that they were not tested.

 

[BEC111]

The most frequent head-ground contact in bicycle crashes involves twisting side impacts. These are what MIPS was designed for. NTA-8776 goes further in an attempt to account for the supposed higher speeds of Ebike riders. As others have pointed out road bike riders often ride at higher speeds than most ebike riders, even on pedelecs, can sustain. It would seem that anyone who regularly rides at speeds above about 20 MPH (32 KPH), would be safer using NTA-8776 or equivalent level helmets.

 

[Base]

there is already a debate going on in the industry for I think 3 years on getting an actual roadbike standard for helmets. these current ones are generic impact standard tests.