At what speed..

[yopappamon]

At what speed would you change the type of helmet (assuming you wear one) you are wearing to a scooter/motorcycle/better helmet?

I'm at 20mph with a standard bike helmet. Now I'm chasing more speed, second build with e-bike kit rear hub, I'm up to 23 mph. Moving from 36v to 48 whenever I can figure out the mounting of the extra thundersky pack. That will probably get me up 26+ (hoping for closer to 30).

Thinking of looking for a 6x10 hub to do the wye-delta rewire if this doesn't get me fast enough. But now I'm wondering about the helmet.

 

[Demosthenes]

When I cracked three of my teeth I went full motorcycle helmet. That was only at 30km/hr, now I get up to 50km/hr and definitely would want the full face whether I had crashed or not.

 

[dogman dan]

For me it's the speed at which you want a visor. Say, above 30 mph? At some point, I just want the full face protection from the occasional rock tossed by a truck, swarm of bees, etc. In my climate, a full face motorcycle helmet gets too hot to wear under 30 mph. I haven't tried the bmx full face helmets though.

I just slowed my commuter bike back down to 20 mph with a 6x10 at 48v, so problem solved for me. You will go 27 mph with the stock ebikekit at 48v.

 

[johnrobholmes]

Right around 30mph for me. Any faster and I like full face. Any slower and the DOT helmet just gets really hot at the moment, and people look at me funny on a bicycle with a full face DOT on.

 

[amberwolf]

I am not sure, but probably 20MPH. I don't think I'd trust a typical bike helmet beyond that.

 

[Fligh High]

After what Dogman said about the temperature and what is still comfortable in very hot weather with a visor :

Is there a niche on the market that is not catered for ? A bicycle lycra-guy type helmet with the "open" beam like construction over the head , AND a visor at a distance because of ventilation sort of hanging before the actual "helmet" ?

Did I just have a deja-vu of helmets to come in the future just right now ? or do they already exist ....

 

[AussieJester]

At those speeds you would be wanting more than just a helmet your going to lose a shitload of skin off your hands elbows and knees
at least. Definitely want a good helmet i would lean towards high end bmx full face or motorcycle helmet, good leather gloves
elbow and knee protection. You might think this is excessive...wait till you hit the road a few times at speed and
you will be wanting full race leathers before getting back on the bike, its not that silly either allot of you fellas are doing motorcyle
speeds, you should be dressed appropriately.

KiM


EDIT: Just a few reminders of what can happen -->

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb253/mcmedic987/myscar.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/br11183/MeAFU.jpg

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n43/rip94delsol/motorcycle%20accident/DSC_0005.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee136/dreadnat/grace%20is%20dead/d5f8.jpg

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n43/rip94delsol/motorcycle%20accident/DSC_0003.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r298/Allyjo702/dogs-ally097.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f371/Shortfrie06/My%20Motorcycle%20Accident/MyMotorcycleAccident011.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll307/gaohana3/PICS/cory.jpg

Whether its your fault or someone elses it don't really matter when your sliding along the road...

 

[morph999]

I took my extra Thundersky pack and turned it horizontal and then strapped it on top of my other 3 packs with bungie cords. Kind of ugly but I only use 45v (15 cells) every now and then.

If you want speed, I think the most efficient motor on the market is still a 5303 crystalyte. I got 36 mph on that today on just 45v of power. And 36v of power gets me to 29 mph and I weigh 250 lbs.

 

[geetarboy]

Here in Kansas helmets are not required on motorcycles,and it seems more bicyclists wear helmets than bikers. I always wear my bicycle helmet and try to stay under 40mph. I am more concerned about getting a ticket than getting run over

 

[yopappamon]

I like the looks of this helmet, but it's very pricy.

I might find more speed is too much for my frame.

 

[ElectricEd]

When I cracked three of my teeth I went full motorcycle helmet. That was only at 30km/hr, now I get up to 50km/hr and definitely would want the full face whether I had crashed or not.

Like everything else, there's a downside to full face helmets. I did an endo over the handlebars of a Kwaka 900 at less than 20mph, the edge of the helmet hit my collarbone and broke it.

 

[dogman dan]

Yeah. lots of discussion on that concept. at what point does the helmet cause a neck injury instead of head injury, etc.

I just know I want eye protection at 30 mph and up. Being a spectacle wearer , good goggles that fit well over the glasses are not always easy to find. So I go to the helmet with full face and visor for the motorcycles and scooters. If I didn't wear glasses some good tight fitting sunglasses might be plenty of eye protection.

When I rode the death race, at 30 mph, I just wore a half shell DOT helmet because it was way too hot for the full face DOT helmet. I didn't want to race in a bike shell though.

 

[tritonwow]

Like everything else, there's a downside to full face helmets. I did an endo over the handlebars of a Kwaka 900 at less than 20mph, the edge of the helmet hit my collarbone and broke it.

Interesting...I just crashed my ICE bicycle and was wearing a full faced BMX/DH DOT approved helmet and broke my clavicle. I'm not sure of my speed but it was most likely around 15-25mph. The helmet may have caused the clavicle to break but I'm sure it didn't break my scapula (yes, I broke the hardest bone in the body to break too.) Luckily no ribs were broken!

 

[Thud]

tritonwow,
Welcome to the club!
I also broke a scapula in 86 while training on my mountain bike. (no power assist at all) I have heard all kinds of talk that a full face helmet has never broken a clavicle, but have seen way too many broken collarbones to rule it out....Broken collar bones are a common injury in most contatc sports.

Regarding speed & head injury. There is no line to cross AFAIC. The human mellon is pretty tough but 1 impact in the perfect spot & your gone. I lost a freind to a 5 mph tip over accident on a cruser (he was wearing his Snell aproved helmet) They say it was a fluke but dead is dead.

I am all for Helmets being an ellective decision. As a guy who has depended on them on a couple occasions, I still take a casual ride without one on a hot evening.

 

[buzzfirst]

I am all for choice when it comes to wearing a helmet, always have been. I have also always worn a helmet when traffic was involved (or reckless driving on my part). I figure bike helmets were designed for bike speeds for the AVERAGE person which would probably be 12 to 15 mph at most. Any faster than that and a good motorcycle helmet is in order IMO. By the way, those people who look at you funny with a motorcycle helmet on won't be there to wipe you when you damage your brain and cant do it yourself.

 

[GCinDC]

i went full face at 30mph, after i kept wondering how many times I'd roll if i wiped. i somehow thought at 25mph i could control the roll, but at 30+, i kept imagining banging stuff with my head.

ski goggles were amazing in the winter. my eyes had been drying out. someone told me it helped keep them moist by blinking, but i couldn't afford to at 40mph... now i'm back to sunglasses.

 

[madact]

I've been wearing clear glasses ever since a small piece of tree-related-stuff fell off a tree and straight into my eye on the way to work one day.

Beware of 'sunglasses', even 'sports sunglasses' are generally made of materials that shatter on impact, providing you with dozens of nice sharp shards in life-changing places should you ever face-plant. Hardware stores now commonly sell fairly stylish looking light-duty safety glasses (which could easily be mistaken for 'sports sunglasses' without very close inspection), often with a choice of clear, tinted or reflective/iridescent lenses - if your local DIY hardware store doesn't have a wide range, find out where your local tradies shop, chances are they will have a wider choice. These offer the advantages of thick, low-optical-distortion, shatter-proof lenses, no sharp edges, UV protection, good coverage of the eye area - and are generally much cheaper than 'sports sunglasses', as well.

As for how effective helmets are, it depends on the individual, how they react in a stack, riding position and how well-fitted your helmet is. Cycle helmets have saved my life a few times in the 30mph region, when going h-f-l down a steep hill, but only because I tend to do an instinctive duck-and-roll coming off the bike - this is much less likely to happen if you have a more upright riding position.

Cycle helmets also don't offer much protection at all if you hit the side or front of your head, especially - and this is critical - if the straps are even the slightest bit loose, in which case the helmet will tend to slide / rotate away from the impact, leaving skull to meet concrete unimpeded. A good rule of thumb here is that if your hands can make your helmet move sideways or backwards at all, the curb will do it with ease.

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

I bought one of these at goodwill for $50:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/SRX-...QQitemZ250654541440QQptZApparelQ5fMerchandise

And I bought these from harbor frieght for $6.99 to go with it:

I like the MX helmets because they aren't as stuffy but still offer the protection I want.

The goggles kept my eyes from watering going down Linn Hill at 35 - 38 MPH and the helmet's pretty light.

I think any speed over 25 on a bike is risky with out a full face helmet, my father might have just had a stroke when he landed in the ditch just riding normal speed on a regular pedal bike smashing the side of his face which had him in the ICU for the next few weeks fighting for his life.

I had crashed on motorcycles several times when I thought I was"riding fast" in my early 20's (really I was going too fast in tight corners and loosing my nerve then high or low siding miraculously with hardly a scratch or damage to my EX500, they call them 500 Ninjas now :wink: ) until I finally got smart and started riding at the local track. (PIR)

I wasn't able to afford road racing, especially after someone took my bike out from under me in the WARM-UP LAP!?!!

But road racing is totally different, your going at high speed and as long as you don't run into something, you just slide, and as long as you have good leathers, and helmet, you wait until your SURE you've stopped and get up, and try to take out the bastard with your helmet on his next lap!! :lol:

At slower speeds, you tend to collide rather than slide, that's why road racers get away with padded leathers, and MX'rs have hard body armor. I friend of mine almost died hitting a tree at about 30 MPH on a MX bike, crushed his chest.

I don't mean to sound like you should wrap yourself in bubble wrap, but I think that a decent light MX helmet is really worth it. Saving your teeth will definitely be worth the price of a decent MX helmet.


I can't find a pic, but there is a MX helmet for Dual Sports that has a face shield you can flip up on the fly, there is one at my local Motorcycle shop for like $120 that looks a lot like this:

Might be the same brand as the Polaris one. I can find out the brand if anyone is interested.

 

[Evoforce]

Had a 40 mph crash about a month ago. Front wheel, seize brake, tire blowout-ejection over handlebar thrill ride. Had on d.o.t. approved half helmet. Saved my head and scalp. Was really impressed how well it did. Other fuller helmets would be too hot in my climate. Feel like a regular bicycle helmet would not have held up as well (speculation). I wear Oakley Heaters for eye protection.(interchangeable lenses)

 

[madact]

Cometo think of it, I've noticed that a lot of localkids doing MTB down-hilling are wearing MX helmets too, and often rib-cage-protectors... seems like a good idea, considering ...

 

[GrayKard]

Cometo think of it, I've noticed that a lot of localkids doing MTB down-hilling are wearing MX helmets too, and often rib-cage-protectors... seems like a good idea, considering ...

About time the kids are getting smart. I switched to a full face helmet as soon as I put a motor on. Could have used some rib protection the other day when I went down in some gravel offroading. Bruised some ribs and they still hurt a week later. Makes it hard to sleep.

Good news is that I got it on video from my POV. Guess I need to edit that part out though right?

Gary

 

[evblazer]

Think I need knee, hip and elbow pads. When that bike slide out from under me my side hits first. Damn recumbent. Well at least I don't go face first right 8)

I think any real speed on an ebike where the motor is putting out alot of the power it is definately the time to switch to a real helmet that might do something.

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

About time the kids are getting smart. I switched to a full face helmet as soon as I put a motor on. Could have used some rib protection the other day when I went down in some gravel offroading. Bruised some ribs and they still hurt a week later. Makes it hard to sleep.

Good news is that I got it on video from my POV. Guess I need to edit that part out though right?

Gary

Do you have this video for us to see? I promise not to laugh TOO hard! :lol: :wink:

 

[GrayKard]

About time the kids are getting smart. I switched to a full face helmet as soon as I put a motor on. Could have used some rib protection the other day when I went down in some gravel offroading. Bruised some ribs and they still hurt a week later. Makes it hard to sleep.

Good news is that I got it on video from my POV. Guess I need to edit that part out though right?

Gary

Do you have this video for us to see? I promise not to laugh TOO hard! :lol: :wink:

I loaded it on the computer but haven't had a chance to edit out the long boring bits. I'm off tomorrow so I'll do it and link it on my first build thread for your viewing pleasure. 8)