
Bicycle Helmet Ratings - luu
https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicycle-helmet-ratings.html
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NikkiA
> A lower score offers better protection.

I don't understand why anyone would present the data like this, sure, 'lower
is better' makes sense in benchmarks where you're presenting a raw timing or
such, but with an arbitary unit like 'score' just invert the data so bigger ->
better and let people's human nature take over.

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blacksmith_tb
Especially when more stars is better! Overall their testing methodology looks
good, so it's a little disappointing that the presentation is so
counterintuitive.

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psetq
Their primary presentation is the 0-5 star rating which is perfectly
intuitive.

If I'm reading the methodology correctly, the actual STAR score represents the
incidence of concussion, in which lower is certainly better.

The only real confusing thing I see is the "star" naming of the "STAR
evaluation score" vs. using a "star rating" (0-5) and how they are actually
separate things.

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blacksmith_tb
I agree that the stars are clear, I wonder if there's any point in displaying
the score at all, given that.

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zellyn
Note for those looking for this helmet, from [1]:

“Footnote, May 30 2019:We have since received word that the Cyclone MIPS is an
older model that has been discontinued by Lazer – and suspect, given the
likely spike in interest as a result of the Virginia Tech update, that the
brand may be regretting that decision.”

This is particularly unfortunate, since the scores for two Lazer MIPS helmets
vary quite widely on the test in question, so it's not clear you could just go
with another model.

[1] [https://cyclingtips.com/2019/05/wavecel-vs-mips-virginia-
tec...](https://cyclingtips.com/2019/05/wavecel-vs-mips-virginia-tech-safety-
test-rankings/)

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ticmasta
I think the key take-aways are:

* any helmet provides significant protection vs. not wearing a helmet

* there is no correlation between cost and protection level

* there may be a correlation between protection and rotational-focused technologies (i.e. MIPS et al) but it's hard to tell because most manufacturers don't have a non-MIPS product anymore (where they do I don't see both the MIPS and non-MIPS models here)

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davidw
I have a Giro Synthe MIPS, and I would avoid them: they designed the sweatband
wrong, so that it all drains right down into your eyes.

It bugged me so much I got a Bell helmet that has a little tab that takes the
sweat out away from your face so it can drip down unimpeded. It looks kind of
gimmicky, but it works pretty well.

~~~
ticmasta
Have you tried a Halo band? Sounds somewhat similar... it's a neoprene
headband with a rubber squeege-like trough on the inside. It channels the
sweat back behind your ears and down your neck.

They are awesome and when I ride without one I always regret it. Well worth
the 15-ish bucks and vastly superior to extra padding or a bandana.

They make a visor and hat for runners but not as impactful as the headband.
Highly recommend!

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mertd
Helmet technology made an important leap in the last few years by adding
protection against rotational forces. If you are in the market for a helmet,
consider getting the MIPS version (or Bontrager's Wavecell). MIPS costs only
slightly more than the same helmet without it.

~~~
ebg13
Having been in oddly many very different bicycle accidents of varying levels
of catastrophe, I have a hard time believing that rotational forces are a real
problem and not something made up by marketers trying to sell a new widget.
Helmets are approximately half-spheres which bounce and skid. Protruding
elements like visors are made to break away with minimal force so that nothing
can catch. The contact surface is small and the external shell is hard and
slick. So where is the rotational force coming from?

If you watch the video at
[https://mipsprotection.com](https://mipsprotection.com) their test scenario
is the most bonkers forced thing I've ever seen. Their idea of a collision is
where you are completely upside down with your feet are straight up in the air
and your head straight down and you're falling onto a 45 degree incline.
Screenshot: [https://imgur.com/kIFN1ds](https://imgur.com/kIFN1ds)

And besides all of that, the MIPS people talk about "10-15mm relative motion".
It's hard to imagine that any random bike helmet strapped to any random head
doesn't already give 10-15mm of relative motion even without MIPS.

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dhritzkiv
The 'score' value is a bit counterintuitive and offers no further explanation
past:

> A lower score offers better protection.

