Q. why does it seem that kids of all ages and generations thought bike helmets were for nerds or "not cool" I mean don't they know it could save there life.
Answer
Speaking of the word "cool" - because they are not physically cool. Most cheap helmets don't have good ventilation & it's like being in an oven wearing one in the summer.
Get a good helmet with good ventilation & watch them (hopefully) change their minds. I own a Giro Indicator in the white color for summer & dark blue for cooler weather & winter.
Speaking of the word "cool" - because they are not physically cool. Most cheap helmets don't have good ventilation & it's like being in an oven wearing one in the summer.
Get a good helmet with good ventilation & watch them (hopefully) change their minds. I own a Giro Indicator in the white color for summer & dark blue for cooler weather & winter.
Are cheap bike helmets safe?
Q. I haven't bought a bike helmet in years, but I recently went to Target to pick one up for my 3 yr old son and was surprised to see that the helmets were just $8-$15 for kids. I remember paying $50 or so for mine when I bought it in a bike shop years ago. Are these cheap helmets safe?
They do have a CPSC sticker. They don't have a Snell sticker, which I recall was the standard a while back.
They do have a CPSC sticker. They don't have a Snell sticker, which I recall was the standard a while back.
Answer
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) bike helmet standard is required by law in the US. Some of the Snell Memorial Foundation standards (plural - Snell has multiple standards) are a bit more difficult to pass, but are not often used.
There are some great articles out there that explain the standards and what goes into the testing and certification of helmets:
http://www.helmets.org/#standards
A helmet sold at a Target is cheaper due to several factors. One, because those helmets are pretty basic. Foam, with a taped on shell - that's a pretty inexpensive production process. Two, in most cases, the manufacturers don't even change the helmet molds from year to year - just the graphics. That way, tooling costs are reduced. Three, because there's a much bigger market for the product. Just think of the sheer number of people who patronize the big box stores versus your local bike shop. The big box folks order exponentially more than your LBS, and so their savings get passed on to the consumer. There are a lot of deals made between the manufacturers and the stores - and that's done just to get the shelf space and to get their product into the stores.
The price of a helmet isn't generally a good indicator of how good a helmet will do its job of protecting in the event of an impact (note that no helmet will ever fully prevent injury), save for the really high end helmets. That's what the standards and testing are for.
Higher prices usally are the result of what goes into the production of the helmet, R & D, etcetera.
You take a helmet like the Giro Atmos (MSRP $189.99), and you have a lot of things that go into it. An in-molded (fused, versus taped on) microshell. Two carbon fiber plates to strengthen and reduce the weight of the helmet. An internal rib cage in the foam that acts much like rebar. An additional rentention device (Roc-Loc) that helps with the overall fit. All the while maintaining very minimal weight and maximum ventilation.
I could go on and on, but I think you get my point.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) bike helmet standard is required by law in the US. Some of the Snell Memorial Foundation standards (plural - Snell has multiple standards) are a bit more difficult to pass, but are not often used.
There are some great articles out there that explain the standards and what goes into the testing and certification of helmets:
http://www.helmets.org/#standards
A helmet sold at a Target is cheaper due to several factors. One, because those helmets are pretty basic. Foam, with a taped on shell - that's a pretty inexpensive production process. Two, in most cases, the manufacturers don't even change the helmet molds from year to year - just the graphics. That way, tooling costs are reduced. Three, because there's a much bigger market for the product. Just think of the sheer number of people who patronize the big box stores versus your local bike shop. The big box folks order exponentially more than your LBS, and so their savings get passed on to the consumer. There are a lot of deals made between the manufacturers and the stores - and that's done just to get the shelf space and to get their product into the stores.
The price of a helmet isn't generally a good indicator of how good a helmet will do its job of protecting in the event of an impact (note that no helmet will ever fully prevent injury), save for the really high end helmets. That's what the standards and testing are for.
Higher prices usally are the result of what goes into the production of the helmet, R & D, etcetera.
You take a helmet like the Giro Atmos (MSRP $189.99), and you have a lot of things that go into it. An in-molded (fused, versus taped on) microshell. Two carbon fiber plates to strengthen and reduce the weight of the helmet. An internal rib cage in the foam that acts much like rebar. An additional rentention device (Roc-Loc) that helps with the overall fit. All the while maintaining very minimal weight and maximum ventilation.
I could go on and on, but I think you get my point.
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