Is a full-face DH helmet for certain e-bike riding activities overkill or a good idea?

[IggyBBR]

@steve mercier you could wear a suit over the body-armor and no one will ever be the wiser...

Photos are from 2005 at Mountain Creek's last week, which falls during Halloween and everybody is encouraged to ride in costumes.

If you curious to see more photos from that weekend, https://www.facebook.com/iggybbr/media_set?set=a.434559509894220&type=3

 

[pullenj]

After reading about way too many people loosing their front teeth or having road rash up the side of their face, and considering that i'm commuting at 20+ MPH, (sometimes half asleep on my way home from work) I decided to go with a full face helmet. I bought a Fox Proframe and I love it. It is lightweight and breathes really well. I'd rather look silly (in some people's opinion) and have all my teeth and skin.
I feel naked now when I wear my regular helmet when I'm out riding with the kids.

 

[bombadero]

Helmet arrived today, had a chance to try it out on a steep climb up Clipper (photo in an earlier reply) in roughly 67º F weather, and it was surprisingly cool and comfortable. @steve mercier it does kind of make me look like a storm trooper even without body armor, especially in addition to the jogger pants and boots I wear, but it feels much safer than my road helmet.

I have to say, it's going to take some getting used to. It was so tight the first time I put it on, I thought maybe I got the wrong size. But I looked it up online an apparently the snug fit is normal and the pads wear in. My head is 57 cm and this is a medium which is supposed to be good up to 58. It's also a good thing I have a variety of glasses and sunglasses, as most of them don't fit both the helmet and goggles. Chunky and/or large-framed or wide glasses definitely don't work. Hearing and peripheral vision is certainly more limited, but I got used to that pretty quickly. The ventilation on the helmet is really fantastic.

Images attached; sorry for the slight out of focus on the pics. The finish turned out to be matte, of which I'm glad, as in all of the marketing pics it's high gloss, which I'm not a fan of.

 

[steve mercier]

Helmet arrived today, had a chance to try it out on a steep climb up Clipper (photo in an earlier reply) in roughly 67º F weather, and it was surprisingly cool and comfortable. @steve mercier it does kind of make me look like a storm trooper even without body armor, especially in addition to the jogger pants and boots I wear, but it feels much safer than my road helmet.

I have to say, it's going to take some getting used to. It was so tight the first time I put it on, I thought maybe I got the wrong size. But I looked it up online an apparently the snug fit is normal and the pads wear in. My head is 57 cm and this is a medium which is supposed to be good up to 58. It's also a good thing I have a variety of glasses and sunglasses, as most of them don't fit both the helmet and goggles. Chunky and/or large-framed or wide glasses definitely don't work. Hearing and peripheral vision is certainly more limited, but I got used to that pretty quickly. The ventilation on the helmet is really fantastic.

Images attached; sorry for the slight out of focus on the pics. The finish turned out to be matte, of which I'm glad, as in all of the marketing pics it's high gloss, which I'm not a fan of.

I should get one for sure ......but I would get a white one to keep cooler and higher visability

 

[Ian Moone]

I recently had a small spill on a slippery dirt trail in a park here in San Francisco - bike went sideways, I smacked my head on some concrete at the entrance to the trail where it interfaces with the street off the curb. It's a Casco Roadster, a decent European helmet that meets EN-1078, although not ASTM or CE. However, none of that is relevant since my head impacted just above my left eyebrow on exposed skin, so the helmet did nothing. The full impact was on that one spot. I feel fine and got up and walked it off with some very light road rash and a sore spot on my eyebrow. However, it's gotten me thinking if that helmet is enough for my riding activities. My spouse and I have an R&M Homage and an HPV Scorpion recumbent trike that we swap back and forth. Certainly the road helmet is fine on the trike so I'm not worried about that. On the R&M, I often have to descend 30% or greater grades. On one particularly long street, called Portola, there is a stretch where I have hit 45 mph. And we often ride on mtb trails, some of which are quite rocky, such as at Mt. Diablo where long portions of trail are composed entirely of excavated rock. I'm not a crazy downhill mtb rider doing drops and jumps and that sort of thing, but some of these rocky trails are quite steep and I can get going pretty fast.

After the experience of smacking my head unexpectedly while traveling relatively slowly with no traffic or pedestrians around and the helmet doing nothing because of the angle at which I impacted, I'm starting to think about a full-face DH mtb helmet. Right now I'm looking at the 100% Status and Fox Pro Frame, because they both satisfy all four of CE, ASTM, CSPC and AN/NZS. The Bell Full-9 also looks like a great helmet but doesn't satisfy AN/NZS.

Am I being paranoid? It seems like there is a real risk of spinal or head injuries if an accident occurred in some of these situations. My spouse rides more tamely than I do, but maybe I should consider a full-face helmet for them as well.

I guess this all depends on How durable your Noggin is ! ? I'm pretty reckless my self, and admit I tend to ignore my helmet which Hangs on the door ... Definitely no excuse for it though. I'm glad you're ok ! ?

 

[IggyBBR]

If you want to break in the helmet faster, just wear the helmet around for 30minutes a day. From what I read it takes about 10 hours to break in. Also one more tip on fit, if youre seeing red marks after wearing it, then it might be the wrong fit.

Good luck with your new helmet. Wear it in good health.

 

[jim6b]

By the way, here's an example of a street I descend quite often on my way to the UPS store.

Descend, not so much.

Ascend . . .

 

[pnop]

You should do what makes you comfortable and not worry about what others think.

 

[steve mercier]

This shirt looks geeky but it was 10 bucks well spent at Costco. I wore it yesterday in high traffic . I could tell that drivers saw me earlier than usual and responded accordingly , which in one case seemed to make me a better target. Keep your heads up out there!

 

[onlineaddy]

This shirt looks geeky but it was 10 bucks well spent at Costco. I wore it yesterday in high traffic . I could tell that drivers saw me earlier than usual and responded accordingly , which in one case seemed to make me a better target. Keep your heads up out there!

Costco: what section?

 

[steve mercier]

Costco: what section?

Clothing haha

 

[Toomanycats]

Helmet arrived today, had a chance to try it out on a steep climb up Clipper (photo in an earlier reply) in roughly 67º F weather, and it was surprisingly cool and comfortable. @steve mercier it does kind of make me look like a storm trooper even without body armor, especially in addition to the jogger pants and boots I wear, but it feels much safer than my road helmet.

I have to say, it's going to take some getting used to. It was so tight the first time I put it on, I thought maybe I got the wrong size. But I looked it up online an apparently the snug fit is normal and the pads wear in. My head is 57 cm and this is a medium which is supposed to be good up to 58. It's also a good thing I have a variety of glasses and sunglasses, as most of them don't fit both the helmet and goggles. Chunky and/or large-framed or wide glasses definitely don't work. Hearing and peripheral vision is certainly more limited, but I got used to that pretty quickly. The ventilation on the helmet is really fantastic.

Images attached; sorry for the slight out of focus on the pics. The finish turned out to be matte, of which I'm glad, as in all of the marketing pics it's high gloss, which I'm not a fan of.

OT, You must have a cat. I had that cardboard scratcher for quite a few years.

 

[Toomanycats]

You should do what makes you comfortable and not worry about what others think.

I have a mix of road and mtb gear- I just pick what works for me. MTB helmet, mtb shorts, road bike fluorescent magenta jersey covered in cat pictures (I like the pockets), mtb 5-10’s for my flat pedals because I like the foot protection. I call it my Doris starter kit (Doris is Fred’s seldom seen female counterpart). I’m almost 62, and I don’t need to care about looking cool.

 

[steve mercier]

I like the 5/10,s in summer ( mine are suede) and really liked my ( wore the hell out of em for 15 years) Shimano winter boots ! Sadly they finally died but man they were tough! Now I have some Salomon waterproof boots and running shoes. The soles are heavier than the 5/10s but lighter and have more flex than the Shimanos. They are excellent and no wet feet yet , but I really miss the super thick soles on those Shimanos for pedaling all day wihout foot cramps.

 

[Toomanycats]

I like the 5/10,s in summer ( mine are suede) and really liked my ( wore the hell out of em for 15 years) Shimano winter boots ! Sadly they finally died but man they were tough! Now I have some Salomon waterproof boots and running shoes. The soles are heavier than the 5/10s but lighter and have more flex than the Shimanos. They are excellent and no wet feet yet , but I really miss the super thick soles on those Shimanos for pedaling all day wihout foot cramps.

The Shimanos are also great if you have wide feet.

 

[steve mercier]

The Shimanos are also great if you have wide feet.

Funny I would have said that about the 5/10,s . I had to put insoles in those ,but I use narrow shoes like Asics runners and the Shimanos fit snug. It sometimes seems like sizing in shoes is almost random ?

 

[highpockets]

I recently had a small spill on a slippery dirt trail in a park here in San Francisco - bike went sideways, I smacked my head on some concrete at the entrance to the trail where it interfaces with the street off the curb. It's a Casco Roadster, a decent European helmet that meets EN-1078, although not ASTM or CE. However, none of that is relevant since my head impacted just above my left eyebrow on exposed skin, so the helmet did nothing. The full impact was on that one spot. I feel fine and got up and walked it off with some very light road rash and a sore spot on my eyebrow. However, it's gotten me thinking if that helmet is enough for my riding activities. My spouse and I have an R&M Homage and an HPV Scorpion recumbent trike that we swap back and forth. Certainly the road helmet is fine on the trike so I'm not worried about that. On the R&M, I often have to descend 30% or greater grades. On one particularly long street, called Portola, there is a stretch where I have hit 45 mph. And we often ride on mtb trails, some of which are quite rocky, such as at Mt. Diablo where long portions of trail are composed entirely of excavated rock. I'm not a crazy downhill mtb rider doing drops and jumps and that sort of thing, but some of these rocky trails are quite steep and I can get going pretty fast.

After the experience of smacking my head unexpectedly while traveling relatively slowly with no traffic or pedestrians around and the helmet doing nothing because of the angle at which I impacted, I'm starting to think about a full-face DH mtb helmet. Right now I'm looking at the 100% Status and Fox Pro Frame, because they both satisfy all four of CE, ASTM, CSPC and AN/NZS. The Bell Full-9 also looks like a great helmet but doesn't satisfy AN/NZS.

Am I being paranoid? It seems like there is a real risk of spinal or head injuries if an accident occurred in some of these situations. My spouse rides more tamely than I do, but maybe I should consider a full-face helmet for them as well.

Very good idea!

 

[bombadero]

OT, You must have a cat. I had that cardboard scratcher for quite a few years.

Oh yeah, that's our 'cat wall'. We had 'too many cats' as well - 2 - until one passed recently, so our other cat has it all to herself now. I've got three of them on that wall, staggered, mounted on L-brackets. Gotta say, a cat's natural death - not pretty. I've never seen a cat pass naturally before and it was pretty brutal. I'm now not especially looking forward to our other cat's passing, nor that of our ACD. Never seen a dog pass naturally either, but I'm sure it's not any more fun to watch.

 

[nerdymobile]

I commute in this, and I really don't care what anyone else thinks: https://www.amazon.com/Bell-Super-MIPS-Bike-Helmet/dp/B07GT9V31M?th=1

I'd like to keep my skin on my face and keep my jaw from breaking if I fall at 30+ mph.

 

[indianajo]

I searched amazon 3 months before I broke my chin for a jaw protecting bike helmet and amazon could NOT find this for me. Note there is no description: MTB adult bike MIPS helmet, all of which which I don't care about. Amazon showed me a lot of 80 mph rated motorcycle helmets with no ventilation, and a visor that would fog up totally in humidity like today. I could have eaten solid food Thanksgiving Christmas & New Year's 2017 if Amazon's search engine was smart enough to key in to "bike helmet chin guard". Stupid computers. Stupid description from bell, too.