On this Episode
Today we talk about mountain bike helmets: the history of helmets in cycling, how helmets are constructed, and what mountain bikers should look for when purchasing a new helmet.
For additional information, be sure to check out these resources:
Support this Podcast
- Review the Singletracks podcast on Apple Podcasts for the chance to win a free hat. Or drop your feedback in the comments below!
- Make a donation to help sustain future episodes.
- Become a Singletracks Pro Supporter.
Never Miss an Episode
- Listen on Spotify
- Listen on Apple Podcasts
- Listen on Google Podcasts
- Listen on Stitcher
- Listen on Overcast
- Get the RSS Feed
- View all Podcast Episodes
2 Comments
Mar 18, 2017
Mar 13, 2017
Anyway. As freaked out as you guys are about seeing a mountain biker without a helmet I would think you would be just as freaked out if they did not have a full face helmet. The idea of the helmet is to stop concussions and even possibly death, but if you read medical studies, injuries to the face can cause concussions just as easily and at the speed of some ride down hill death can occur as well, yet when asked why mountain bikers don't wear them, excuses like what they used in races climbing, they are too hot/too heavy, some now days use the excuse of price.
For dirtbikes/motocross, you will have a hard time finding a helmet that is not full face, only for street bike riders do these helmets still exist.
At even slow speeds down a hill your face hitting a rock could knock you unconscious at faster speeds could cause death. In many of the over the bars videos on youtube when the rider is knocked unconscious, they had a helmet on, but their face being firmly planted into the dirt knocked them out. Not to mention dental work, or the surgery needed if you break the bones in your face.
If you are going to try to protect the rider from himself, shouldn't you/gov/local laws.. require a full faced helmet to prevent concussions and or death? These tiny helmets often don't cover the back of the head or the ears. If you are going up against a sharp protruding rock, better coverage like a motorcycle helmet would be in order it would seem... if you are trying to protect the rider from himself. If you cannot trust the rider to make the right decision to wear a helmet and require him by law to wear one, shouldn't you make sure the law states it is a full face helmet since these things that look like a styrofoam hat do not provide full protection? You may even be inducing a false sense of security by requiring only a helmet (instead of a full face), encouraging a rider to ride faster on the down hills now he thinks the styrofoam hat type helmet fully protects him.