What kind of helmet do you use?

If you're serious about protecting your head and are going fast, then don't skimp. Snowboard helmets are OK, but they're made for very different conditions than the street. The ebike helmet you linked to looks pretty much the size of a half helmet for a motorcycle. The weight isn't listed in your link (or I can't read enough German), but a Burton snowboard helmet weighs 500-700 grams. A DOT approved moto half helmet of the same look, like a Vega XTS or Fulmet Hombre, weighs a little under 1000 grams. My AFX motocross helmet (DOT approved for street) gives you real chin protection and lots of open air, but only runs 1250 grams. Its in no way "heavy", the protection is far superior to a bicycle helmet and they cost much less than $100.

Also, wouldn't that German ebike helmet be rated for less than 20mph since there's a EU ebike standard top speed.
 
So I bought the helmet. It looks great. Spiffy front and rear vents that snap open and closed to seal it up in the winter. Nice tight ear flaps. Cool flat black color. Genuine E-Bike badge on the side.

Testing shows not so great. Front vent whistles at 30MPH when open. Closing the vent fixes that, but what the heck? Ear flaps are definitely made for warmth, not noise reduction as the little grommeted holes let in a bunch of wind noise. I covered them with duct tape on the ride home, and it was MUCH better. I decided some leather would work better so I took the ear flaps to a leather repair shop. Should be done next week. More later...

-Warren.
 
Snowboard helmet is my choice in winter. Love the lack of wind noise. Obviously protects less than a snell or Dot motorcycle helmet, but it's light and will hopefully protect enough for a spill of some kind. Car impacts are another thing, where even motorcycle racing helmets might be inadequate. You just lose every time a car hits you.
 
I have been riding with this helmet for a few weeks now. The leather repair guy added some spiffy patches over the ear flap holes and now it's much quieter but I can still hear everything around me. The helmet vents do not whistle in the recumbent position, just in the bent-over MTB position, so that is not an issue. I love the flat black look. Overall I'm happy with the helmet.

casco_e.motion.jpg
casco_e.motionflap.jpg



-Warren.
 
Full face.

It's the only way to go if you want useful protection IMHO.

Bicycle helmets often shatter like an egg on the first impact generally (its how they are designed, the breaking is an energy sink). If youre moving at high speeds, you've often got at least 5 big impacts over the course of your bouncing and rolling and sliding a stop.
 
Any speed over 15mph I would recommend getting a full face helmet as most peope tend to rag doll when going down :lol: Gotta protect your money maker :mrgreen:
http://www.motosport.com/motorcycle/category/Helmets-and-Accessories/

In all my years of bike crashes (bmx, MB, moto-cross and street bikes)(I just went down the other day at 20mph on my MB) I have never hit my head in a crash, including a 70mph crash on a 600GSXR in which only damage to my $600 Arai helmet was a small scratch on the back when I set my head on the ground, after coming to a stop. None of the techniques I use in a crash can be taught (pure luck or instinct, Imma go with the luck thing, as I am pretty clumbsy :lol: ).
 
E-bike4life said:
None of the techniques I use in a crash can be taught (pure luck or instinct, Imma go with the luck thing, as I am pretty clumbsy :lol: ).
Click to expand...

HAHA least your honest ...Watching MotoGP and World Superbike riders fall from a
front or rear wheel loss it's obvious they have done it ALOT, sliding at 200km/hr on your
ass is just another day at the office for them unless, its a high side HAHA then even the
best of them get chucked like rag dolls over the bars and thumped on the track often
breaking something. At speed its far better to slide than roll, you start tumbling at high
speed you WILL break bones. My father owned and run a business making custom
motorcycle leathers for over 20 years, he would never put big lumpy external pads on
elbows and shoulders etc only high impact foam and triple layers of leather inside
the garment, reason being the big puffy pads you often see on cheapo motorcyle jackets
are the first things to catch rip and start you tumbling, they might look good but offer very
little if any protection when falling off at high speeds... jm2c

KiM

p.s Agree with Luke full face is the only choice if your going fast.
 
i have 5 motorcycle helmets. 1 is only being used for riding my gsxr 750 so i guess i can spare one for the bicycle! :mrgreen:
 
I agree, crashing an upright bike at high speeds usually means a faceplant, or broken arms and shoulders if you can get them in the way fast enough (Hi Hyena!). One advantage of a recumbent is that you always land on your butt. This means massive road rash at higher speeds, but that's better than the alternative. If I need to go faster than 30MPH, I'll e-mod a motorcycle, and wear a motorcycle helmet.

-Warren.
 
AussieJester said:
E-bike4life said:
None of the techniques I use in a crash can be taught (pure luck or instinct, Imma go with the luck thing, as I am pretty clumbsy :lol: ).
Click to expand...

HAHA least your honest ...Watching MotoGP and World Superbike riders fall from a
front or rear wheel loss it's obvious they have done it ALOT, sliding at 200km/hr on your
ass is just another day at the office for them unless, its a high side HAHA then even the
best of them get chucked like rag dolls over the bars and thumped on the track often
breaking something. At speed its far better to slide than roll, you start tumbling at high
speed you WILL break bones. My father owned and run a business making custom
motorcycle leathers for over 20 years, he would never put big lumpy external pads on
elbows and shoulders etc only high impact foam and triple layers of leather inside
the garment, reason being the big puffy pads you often see on cheapo motorcyle jackets
are the first things to catch rip and start you tumbling, they might look good but offer very
little if any protection when falling off at high speeds... jm2c

KiM

p.s Agree with Luke full face is the only choice if your going fast.
Click to expand...


amen to sliding > rolling. the first thing i ever taught people in snowboarding was to try and slide like you would if you were going down a slip'n'slide when you crash. that and fists save wrists, wich im not so sure would apply to bikes...
 
Haha that makes total sense now most people must instanly just wanna go into fetal position so they start rolling (rag doll effect commences) I naturally tend to kick or slap the ground (which ever body part is gonna impact first) then open up back to ground and slide ( just how I have always crashed) my back pack has saved me a few shirts :lol:

p.s. - my crashes almost always hurt like a mother :|
 
Well, I'm thinking it's time for me to find a better helmet.

I have some rock climber's or skater's or snow boarder's 3/4 helmets with the ear flaps I bought at goodwill that look pretty good, but I want to shop for a better design, I really like the ones that are a 3/4 helmet with the bubble sheild (I think NeilP had something like that?) because my motocross helmet is too restrictive on vision, and the chin cover smacks against the steering mast of my recumbent.

What do you wear when it starts getting cooler outside?
 
LI-ghtcycle said:
What do you wear when it starts getting cooler outside?
Click to expand...

If your goal is 0 crashes like mine is then you might consider this to keep your head warm. When turned backward a proper fitting cap stays in place well up to 40-45mph.

ebike helmet.JPG
 
John in CR said:
LI-ghtcycle said:
What do you wear when it starts getting cooler outside?
Click to expand...

If your goal is 0 crashes like mine is then you might consider this to keep your head warm. When turned backward a proper fitting cap stays in place well up to 40-45mph.

Click to expand...

Ok, let me rephrase that, Winter in climates that actually GET COLD! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Love ya John, but that ain't gonna keep my ears worm in my neck of the woods at 40F or lower, and no, I haven't had a single accident on an E-Bike even though I wear a helmet every time, but I'd really rather not make this a "to helmet or not to helmet" thread. :p

I am envious that you could wear something like that in winter and be warm!

And of course of your legal E-Bike that goes 55+ MPH! 8)
 
What do you mean it doesn't get cold here? We had the coldest night in a few decades last winter and it got down to 16°C. :lol:

The answer isn't warmer gear. The answer is moving somewhere with a better climate. The town with the best climate on the planet according to National Geographic is about 10 miles from my house. If climate change affects the central valley of CR enough, then I'll just find the new best place to live. :mrgreen:
 
John in CR said:
What do you mean it doesn't get cold here? We had the coldest night in a few decades last winter and it got down to 16°C. :lol:

The answer isn't warmer gear. The answer is moving somewhere with a better climate. The town with the best climate on the planet according to National Geographic is about 10 miles from my house. If climate change affects the central valley of CR enough, then I'll just find the new best place to live. :mrgreen:
Click to expand...


Right you are!

Unfortunately fate and the quirkiness that is Portland Oregon has not only been made my home, but one of if not the most EV and bicycle friendly places in the world in one of the worst places for sunshine. :roll:

We are kinda of in an eternal state of moderation which means never too hot, never too cold, usually wet, but plenty green too. :wink:

If I ever get a chance I will have to visit my brother (retired navy squid) in the Philippines, and experience something similar, or better yet pay you a visit (when I'm rich! :p ) but for now, my fortunes seem to be in this dreary little place that never decides what it is or will be, but definitely isn't terribly nice to do stuff out of doors but when it IS nice is one of the best places around. :mrgreen:

I'm busily building up one of the helmets I bought for my dad (I bought two since he was crashing so often at the time) from goodwill and gonna mount my Home Depot sun visor by Oaty! :p

http://www.bentrideronline.com/messageboard/showthread.php?t=74980
 
When it's THAT cold, I drive the car, or maybe even don't go to work. Kinda hard to paint the outside of a house in 15F. But the snowboard helmet is all I need on the nicer cold mornings, and not unbearably hot coming home. A ski hat under the helmet works good on the below 32F mornings.
 
I have a Casco e-bike helmet with ear flaps. Very nice and warm, but expensive. I use it with Ski goggles during my cold weather commutes. After looking a while, this helmet is basically a ski helmet. So you can probably get a quality ski helmet with ear flaps and ski goggles for a decent price and be warm and well protected.

-Warren.
 
Since LI-ghtcycle is looking for a helmet for riding a recumbent a ski helmet may be just the ticket, since the falls are likely to be similar with more sliding action and the legs and ankles taking the brunt of the forces.

Portland may be bike friendly, but ebikes aren't bikes. I live in the most ebike friendly place on the planet, because there are no rules making any electric with 3 wheels or less any kind of motor vehicle requiring registration, and they are allowed on all roadways. To top it off, drivers actually have to pay attention and don't have the misconception that the road belongs to them, since all manner of slow moving obstacles are found on the roads.

Now thru May is the best time to come, but I really need till January to get a bunch of EV toys running.
 
I use thin balaclava under helmet when the going gets cold. Goggle "balaclava" I also looked at snowboarder helmets but haven't grabbed anything along those lines yet.

Skiers and snowmobiles also have some choices but over thirty years of cold weather riding I still come back to a balaclava under slightly loose helmet.
 
Winter here sees well below 0, and I don't plan to move where flies can live more than 6 month. :D
I ride with this hat in the winter, with googles or big sunglasses.
I guess one could wear it under a big size helmet.

Winter_Hat.jpg
 
Yeah, I hear ya D-man, but since I sold my car, I'm forced to ride more and more, and it's not terribly bad, just the cold air in my throat takes getting used to, and I think I actually have a balaclava or face mask somewhere ... :roll: .

I got a ski-snowboard helmet but the ear flaps are worthless! The wind cuts right thought them. :shock:

I'm thinking I will have to find something like you poster there MR, but built into the helmet, or come up with some cloth to act as wind-breaker on my current winter helmet's ear flaps. :)
 
I wear a knit skull-cap that comes down over my ears under my regular helmet, adjusted a bit larger than usual. I don't have much trouble with my head, but I have yet to find a pair of gloves, short of leather fur-lined mittens for military service that will keep my hands warm when it gets into the 20s. And I couldn't possibly ride with the mittens. I got a pair of IceArmor icefishing gloves with long cuffs and they are only marginally warmer than my leather "dress" gloves. I just have cold hands. I think anything short of heated motorcycle gloves aren't going to cut it anyway and I don't want to bother with the $$ and inconvenience of "wiring myself in". I'll just suffer or drive if it gets cold enough.
 
Good stuff, thanks all!

I'm thinking a bicycle helmet designed similar to a 3/4 motorcycle helmet like the police officers use would be great with leather over the ears to keep the wind out.

Time to get a Zzipper fairing to keep the cold off my hands too so I don't need to worry about gloves with out the wind on them. :wink:
 
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