Blaireau

So I just got back from performance and I can't seem to diferenciate the helmets...
The mention of standards is that they conform to the safety norms of helmets for children over 5 years -- fat lot of good this does me! :-(((
Is this just me (or my state? NC)? As usual the kid at Performance didn't have a clue...
So does this mean in effect that I can get just any helmets since they all conform to one basic standard....
I need to get a helmet asap, but I like to know what am doing too!

DrPete 

Just look for an ANSI Z90 or a Snell certification sticker. They're the two "higher" standards. Once you have a ceritfied helmet, it's a matter of how much you want to spend, and how much the features/ventilation/style/retention are worth to you.

Blaireau

Dr. Pete:

I looked for that at the store (performance) couldn't find it! Do they just sell crap? (Giro, Bell....)
Will I see different products and the Snell cert sticker if I look elsewhere?

roadfix

All helmets fit and feel different to me. I buy the most comfortable and best looking helmet I can afford, regardless of brand. I don't think helmet buying is complicated. To me, it's as simple as buying a jersey.

DrPete 

Giro and Bell are pretty much all certified... Look inside the helmet.

DreamTheater

I have a Giro Atmos that I really like.

Xrisnothing

I have money too..

Blaireau

Ok, I'll take it easy on the Gin and TOnics and check again....

DrPete 

Here's a quote from helmets.org--apparently the ANSI standard is no longer used.

EuroJosh

FWIW The OP might want to double check the date of manufacture inside the helmets at Performance, a lot of times the sale helmets are already a season or two old.

Blaireau

So I wasn't drunk after all... Did n't see the SNELL one either.... Perhaps the Bush administration and congress did away with all safety standards after alll......

I'm getting another drink!

Pharmr

nashbar is having a pretty good sale that includes some helmets...might want to check it out.

LowCel 

That is what I always look for, especially with mountain bike helmets. To me the technology of a helmet just doesn't change that much in a year. I just about always buy last years models.

DrPete 

FWIW, my Specialized Decibel has a Snell sticker, and is very comfortable.

EuroJosh

The technology doesn't change much, but you do have to balance out the savings to the shorter lifespan of the helmet.
EDIT: I do see you point with helmets for mountain biking, most of those will have a shorter lifespan anyhow (compared to road)

Blaireau

Decibel? Does it include ear plugs? I will check it out, though.
Got to read Zola's "la bete Humaine" first. Its only 450 pages....

ILUVUK

For the money and fit, the '06 Bell Alchera at 40-45 is a great value. I recently bought myself an Ascent R-18 (from nashbar) at 30. also a very nice helmet, slightly less comfy than the bell helmet. both are winners though.

urbanknight

+1 on the Alchera fit, although for some reason I can't get the straps to lay flat. For that reason, I went with the Specialized Decibel now, but I have to say the venting was just as good (if not better) on the $40 Alchera as it was on the $150 Decibel.

oilman_15106

You can blame GW for this? Holy cow, the guy is a cyclist.

jemoryl

Don't fret over the lack of a Snell sticker - it might be that Specialized is the only helmet available in the US with it. They are a private testing firm and the manufacturer has to pay for certification, and not all of them bother anymore (used to be more common). The rest are all certified to meet the same US standard (CPSC?), which may or may not mean much. The EU has some other standard and that is why some of their helmets do not appear here. Not that this standard is worse (or better) but for the amount of business it is not worth the bother to sell them in our litigious society.

jrennie

Snell is a private company that the helmet maker has to pay to have tested and certified(its not cheap) so just because one helmet has the sticker and one dose not, the helmet with the sticker might not be any better.


EDIT: yeah, what he^^^ said.

Second Mouse

Isn't the lifespan of a helmet more a function of how much you've sweat on the inside of the helmet and whether or not you've taken a spill? I'm not sure that sitting on a shelf for a year or two makes much difference to a helmet's effectiveness.

slowandsteady

What is there to know? It is a styrofoam hat. Get the one that fits you well and looks purdy.

spdrcr5

That's correct. Unless they have been stored in wet conditions or in direct sunlight as both would break down the foam that the helmets are all constructed out of.

jimx200

Judas H. Priest...how damn hard is it to pick a helmet? Don't worry if it does/does not have a little sticker. Just buy one, wear it, end of your worry. Are you sure you feel safe enough riding on two wheels?