[GorillaTactics]

Yo guys,

I mostly hang out in the DJ/Park/Urban forum since it's my riding style of choice, but I recently picked up a Kona Dawg Primo at a retarded price-I thought it would be fun to get out on some trails other than the DJ kind. I definitely wear a helmet when I ride, my bucket of choice is just a basic skate/BMX lid.

After going to the LBS and checking out some of the "mountain biking" helmets, I'm wondering if there's a reason I can't just wear my lid riding my AM bike-the MTB helmets are just so damn GOOFY looking. Plus they just feel kind of weird after wearing something so low profile for so long.

Is there a MTB bucket any of you guys (or girls) recommend and love that fits comfortably and doesn't look like something Neil Armstrong would wear? Or can I just rock the skate lid on the trails?

 

[Blaster1200]

By all means, use the skate lid! In some cases, it may even offer better or worse protection.

However, if you want the awesome ventilation that mtb helmets have to offer or you find yourself getting hot while climbing up hills, you'll see why mtb helmets are so cool :thumbsup:

 

[shiggy]

Wear what you like. My favorite helmet is the Giro Semi and I am your basic XC/trail rider. I also use a Bell pi##-pot from time to time as well as a road/mtb model.

 

[kapusta]

Yo guys,

I mostly hang out in the DJ/Park/Urban forum since it's my riding style of choice, but I recently picked up a Kona Dawg Primo at a retarded price-I thought it would be fun to get out on some trails other than the DJ kind. I definitely wear a helmet when I ride, my bucket of choice is just a basic skate/BMX lid.

After going to the LBS and checking out some of the "mountain biking" helmets, I'm wondering if there's a reason I can't just wear my lid riding my AM bike-the MTB helmets are just so damn GOOFY looking. Plus they just feel kind of weird after wearing something so low profile for so long.

Is there a MTB bucket any of you guys (or girls) recommend and love that fits comfortably and doesn't look like something Neil Armstrong would wear? Or can I just rock the skate lid on the trails?

I think it's mostly an issue of ventilation, and possibly weight. Otherwise, there is really ne reason not to use a skate lid if you like it.

I did borrow a skate-type lid once for a short road ride. The only issue I had was it dug into the back of my neck when I was leaning forward with my head up (which is most of the time on a road bike). This is more of an issue with road riding, and some xc setups, but would have been less so for me on a more upright setup like a have now on my MTB.

For a ventilated mtb helmet that might be more your style, check out the Giro Xen. It has a sort of skate helmet look about it.

I think a mountain bike helmet may be more comfortable (lighter/cooler) for long mountain bike rides once you get used to the different fit. Yeah, they are pretty goofy looking, but they are the shape they are for a reason. Sort of like spandex, but I won't go there.

 

[tkblazer]

you can look into the fox flux helmet as well

i like my giro hex which replaced a xen that cracked in 3 different spots. I know guys that ride AM with a skate helmet, but i can only imagine how hot your head would get.

 

[Dave Moore]

I rode some trails last year after buying my first skate lid. Up to that point I'd always wore the typical goofy MTB helmet.

It was HOT!!!

I agree though, wear what you like. There is nothing wrong with a skate lid on the trails but do be careful if your riding a long time and its hot out. Heat exhaustion aint no laughing matter.

 

[shiggy]

As a counterpoint, I find my Semi (a skate style helmet with slightly better venting) to be cooler than my Bell XRay.

In a hot (85*) sunny 12hr event (solo) I was swapping between the two helmets. The much more open XRay was much warmer than the Semi on the climbs as it let the sun shine directly on my scalp and only slightly cooler on the descents.

I regularly wear the Semi on multi-hour rides in all conditions including 100*+ temps with no issues.

 

[Psycho Mike]

I'm a bit like Shiggy. I've got a Semi MX...

I find it can get warm on long climbs and I do sweat a bit more on the multi-hour rides than I did with my previous "normal" mtb helmet. That being said, the Semi also does duty for me in the winter and doesn't need a cover to keep me warm...plus I don't get my shaved head sunburnt through all the vent holes in the summer.

If you have a helmet, wear it...the best helmet is the one you'll wear.

 

[GorillaTactics]

thanks for the replies.

I'll probably try out the lid and see if I get way too hot-if so I can always look into one of the spaceship models. Not that it really matters how I look-meeting ladies while I'm out riding is a struggle since I'm usually sweaty and bleeding...

Either way, I'll have something on. I've stacked hard enough times riding street to know that I want a helmet on pretty much full time.

 

[jeffj]

I'm not going to preach what helmet to wear, just that I think something is better than nothing. But just so you know, the test standards for skate helmets and bike helmets are different.

I know that one of the design dilemmas of bike helmets vs. skate helmets is that they figure falling and possibly hitting your head is felt to be a regular occurance when skating or skateboarding so they design skater helmets to be good for more than one crash. But, they may not offer the same level of protection that a bike helmet would in a typical cycling type crash.

In case you really do want to know more:

http://www.helmets.org/dualcert.htm

http://www.smf.org/

http://www.smf.org/standards/n94/n94.html

http://www.bhsi.org/testing.htm

Do a search and you can find enough reading material to bore you to tears, but it's good to be an informed consumer.

Regards,
Jeff

 

[bigpedaler]

i personally wear bell (retiring my influx to go to a slant), but if you want the lesser ventilation of a skate helmet, roll it! 4x champ brian lopes does.

 

[shiggy]

I'm not going to preach what helmet to wear, just that I think something is better than nothing. But just so you know, the test standards for skate helmets and bike helmets are different.

I know that one of the design dilemmas of bike helmets vs. skate helmets is that they figure falling and possibly hitting your head is felt to be a regular occurance when skating or skateboarding so they design skater helmets to be good for more than one crash. But, they may not offer the same level of protection that a bike helmet would in a typical cycling type crash.
...

Well, the OP wrote

my bucket of choice is just a basic skate/BMX lid.

Which tells me it is a bike helmet.

This $21 "skate/BMX" helmet is marketed for bicycle use so it must meet the same impact standards as a $130 Xen. It may even provide more protection as it covers more of the skull and in areas that are not tested for impact.

 

[dusthuffer]

... In a hot (85*) sunny 12hr event (solo) ...

I wonder what it would be like to live where 85 is considered hot?
It felt like 85 in Brentwood this afternoon and this is supposed to be winter.
I couldn't wear my fullface for more than 2 minutes without a waterfall of sweat pouring out of it.

 

[Sixty Fiver]

I have two helmets...A Bell Relay for road riding and a Garneau BMX helmet for off road adventures and commuting.

The Garneau is weightier and not as well vented as the Bell but I love the spider lock, the perfect fit, and the sense of security it offers.

The Bell sees use when I'm road riding and I used it off road on a few occasions last year when it was really hot.

 

[updownride]

semi mx or a pro tec ace dig - I like a visor to help keep sun out of eyes or rain off my glasses.

 

[frisky_zissou]

I ride my skate helmet for everything i dont use a full face for. Its more comfortable (my opinion), doesnt move around an wobble and i dont feel like i look funny (also my opinion).

It does get hot but then i just take it off for a minute. pour some water on my head and im ready to go for another hour.

I like the look of that fox helmet alot

 

[akashra]

After going to the LBS and checking out some of the "mountain biking" helmets, I'm wondering if there's a reason I can't just wear my lid riding my AM bike-the MTB helmets are just so damn GOOFY looking. Plus they just feel kind of weird after wearing something so low profile for so long.

I'd rather look goofy wearing whatever than look goofy with the top half of my head flapping open, and/or lying on the ground dead.

Wear what you have to, but choosing to wear nothing is just proving how silly the helmet law is - a law designed to protect a brain functioning so poorly, it's not even trying to stop the cracking of the head that it's in.

 

[coldawg]

the problem i had w/ my Giro Semi MX was that although it fit, it relied only on teh chinstrap to hold it in place, and could wobble around a bit and come displaced on a hard crash

My Specialized Instinct helmet, similar to the Flux and the Xen in terms of a more stealthy, all-mountain design that is between a roadie/xc helemt and a skate helmet, is far more protective in my opinion.

The fit systems on those helmets relies on a retension device that wraps around your head, as well as a chinstrap, and will keep the helmet in place during a crash

Also the in-mold design of the shell is said to be safer than the polystyrene foam of a skate helmet for mountain bike crashes.

They also provide about as much coverage as a skate helmet and are far more ventilated.

I love my Instinct, check it out at specialized.com

Everyone's head is different though, so try on the various all-mountain kind of helmets before you buy, seeing as each brand will fit differently

 

[Psycho Mike]

I've got a larger head and I find that the Semi fits me perfectly.

Though....if I keep pushing myself (I actually armor up sometimes when I figure I'll be pushing it a bit more), I may go to a Pryme A1...supposed to be farily cool (temp) for a full face.

 

[shiggy]

the problem i had w/ my Giro Semi MX was that although it fit, it relied only on teh chinstrap to hold it in place, and could wobble around a bit and come displaced on a hard crash.

My Specialized Instinct helmet, similar to the Flux and the Xen in terms of a more stealthy, all-mountain design that is between a roadie/xc helemt and a skate helmet, is far more protective in my opinion.

The fit systems on those helmets relies on a retension device that wraps around your head, as well as a chinstrap, and will keep the helmet in place during a crash.

The Semi fits my head well enough it does not NEED a "head clamp" to stay in place. Most other helmets designs are cut so high a clamp is required to keep them on even if you just nod your head.

Also the in-mold design of the shell is said to be safer than the polystyrene foam of a skate helmet for mountain bike crashes.

News to me. Both types of helmets use polystyrene foam for shock absorption. The main difference is the outer shell. The thin shell used for the in-molded designs is mainly for weight reduction, protection of the foam from minor bumps and lastly helps hold the foam together in a crash impact. The thick hard shell of a skate/BMX piss pot is heavy, spreads the impact more broadly to the foam and reduces the change of objects penetrating (there is a reason motorsport helmets use thick hard shells).

They also provide about as much coverage as a skate helmet and are far more ventilated.

Wrong! Not even close. Shows you have not tried them on back-to-back. Nearly any piss pot helmet extends several inches lower than a helmet with a "head clamp." In fact they extend lower than the "head clamp" itself!

I love my Instinct, check it out at specialized.com

Everyone's head is different though, so try on the various all-mountain kind of helmets before you buy, seeing as each brand will fit differently

BINGO! Fit is ALL important. And for a helmet to fit well and perform properly it needs to fit your head without needing a lot of added pads or tightening the "head clamp" too much.