First trail ride, First crash, OUCH!

[sed6]

Last night was an adventure! I started a trail ride at dusk and did not finish before it got dark. My lighting was poor and on the way home I had a bad crash. Skinned my knee, skinned my elbow, bruised ego and got a really deep bruise on my left shoulder. Expectedly my bike came out fine.

Ironically this was my first ride with my brand new on Bontrager MIPS Wavecell Rally helmet and it absolutely saved my noggin! Prior to last night I was thinking about exchanging it for a different one, but after last night it and I are friends for life.

Here's a short clip of my ride prior to the crash.

And here's the view at the end of the trail.

Thanks for looking! Ride safe. Wear your f*ing helmet!

 

[TMH]

Sorry to hear about your unintended adventure! Really sucks to go down - I still have shoulder pain from a little 'off' I took back in February. Glad that what you described should heal up fine though.

But I'm further sorry to say that you will likely have to be saying goodbye to your new favorite helmet. You said that it saved your noggin - so that means that your head/helmet contacted the ground during your fall? If so, the helmet needs to be replaced. These helmets work on the principle of expanded foam which compresses during an impact, and spreads the load out from a single contact point while absorbing energy before such energy is transferred to your head. After an impact the foam has been compressed, and it means that the helmet has given its all to protect you. If you don't replace it, it will no longer be effective on any subsequent fall/impact, and the energy from hitting the ground will instead be transferred to your head = concussion.

For the same reason helmets should always be replaced after no more than 5 years of normal use, even if they haven't sustained impacts. The foam breaks down over time with heat, cold, sweat, etc., and no longer provides the designed level of protection.

Good helmets aren't cheap, but in the end they protect something much more valuable.

 

[sed6]

I didn't think about that, but you're right! Just like car seats; my brother had a minor fender bender with a toddler on board and he insisted their insurance replace the car seat for exactly the reasons you mentioned.

My head impact was minor, no scrapes just dirt and debris. I think the MIPS and suspension webbing probably took it all. That said, I wonder why the foam in our helmets isn't more durable like a football helmet? Those sustain hundreds of impacts. It's not the cost, maybe the weight? Anyway, thanks for looking!