A few months ago I saw this guy on roller blades zooming past me and I noticed that he had a very unusual helmet on–it was one of those World War One German helmets with the big spike pointing up, you know, the kid of thing we imagine the Kaiser would have worn. I’m not sure if it was genuine, but I thought it was kind of cool.
A week or so later, I spotted another fellow wearing a fireman’s helmet while he was riding a bike. Once, I saw a skateboarder wearing a hockey helmet. It seemed very practical.
One day, I was obliged to wear a baseball helmet (I lost my normal helmet, a skateboard helmet) and the baseball helmet served as a fine substitute, even though for some reason, my kids were suddenly embarressed to be seen with me because of that helmet.
So the point of this is this–has anyone thought of any unusual alternatives to the standard bike or skateboard helmet. The hocky helmet looks like a cool way to go, but I sometimes wish there were more variety in head protection. Like an astronaut helmet, or possibly a British WW2 helmet–the more unusual, the better…
When compared to regular bike helmets, most helmets for other activities offer more protection. But this comes at the cost of usually greater weight, and a lot less ventilation. So for regular riding, I’ll stick with my light & airy bike helmets. But for doing hardcore Trials or other forms of riding where big and multiple impacts are more likely, a beefier helmet will protect you better.
But not just any helmet. A fire helmet, if I may guess as to its shape, is more about protecting you from stuff coming down on you. To keep hot stuff from getting under your collar for instance. It is not as good for falling down, where the wide brim could do bad things to your neck.
But other helmet types that are more head-shaped are probably fairly safe alternatives to lighter-duty bike (or possibly skate) helmets.
For instance, I’m not sure about this… but, I heard that older motorcycle helmets can cause more damage than protect.
(the fiberglass gets brittle I think)
None-the-less, I still have a old Bell motorcycle helmet that I keep for ‘just in case’.
(it’s gotta be over 35 years old now)
I keep it cuz’ it’s got the original ‘Kawasaki Green’, and it’s not full face.
(looks like the one in ‘Easy Rider’ only green)
The WW1 helmet with the spike is exactly like the one. A comical and interesting piece of headwear…
No, anything with nazi emblems or suggestions of SS is the furthest thing from “dope”
Nazi stuff makes me want to puke.
I’m assuming you mean the shape of the thing, but you cant be serious about riding around with an SS symbol…
I do like the shape more than anyting. The german M42 helets are dope, and the SS was an M42. So basically, if I can find an M42 or M44 helmet, I could care less what was on it, I plan on spraypainting it all black
DigitalDave wrote:
> Old headgear might not be a good idea.
>
> For instance, I’m not sure about this… but, I heard that older
> motorcycle helmets can cause more damage than protect.
That’s actually true of new helmets as well, particularly if the first
person on the scene doesn’t know that a motorcycle helmet shouldn’t be
removed after an accident until the rider has been checked for neck injury.
But yes, helmets degrade over time (UV damage, mostly). When I learnt
to ride a motorbike I was told that class B helmets should be replaced
after 3 years and class A helmets after 5 years. It’s also recommended
that cycle helmets should be replaced after 3-5 years.
–
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/>
“He who dares not offend cannot be honest.” - Thomas Paine
I wouldn’t be ‘promoting’ your ‘white supremacy’ in public by yourself. Something seriuosly bad might happen to you.
(be sure to ride with people of the same ‘ideals’, so you won’t be harrassed or worse)
I thought that’s what you meant.
The interesting thing about those helmets is that here in new york, the only riders who wear them (actually, a slight variation of them) are bikers who just happen to be black. The fact of their skin color sort of cancels out the white supremecy label for them.
Come to think of it, I saw a white kid on a skateboard wearing one–only I think his was a plastic custom job, and it was pink–the color made it look more like something from Kelly’s heros–very comic book looking also…
When I was in Germany, I saw firemen wearing those helmets–except that they were painted white.
Supposidly, they offered the best protection for their wearers in the neck area–I remember when the US army adopted their own current design and it was controversal because the sloping sides resembled the M42.
Can they protect the neck of a unicyclist? Hmnnnn…
Still, I know a couple of holocaust survivors who shudder at the sight of those helmets, no matter what color…with good reason.
That neck protection, like the fire helmet, is probably more about stuff flying at you, or falling on you, than about you falling on it. The primary purpose of a military helmet is to deflect bullets and shrapnel. Much lower on the order of importance is probably protecting your whole head when you fall down.
Unfortunately that “classic” helmet shape just happens to be pretty functional. Unlike those old ones with the spikes on top. I wonder if those were just ornamentation, or if they had some sort of combat purpose? (picture the guy bowing down at the waist and running at you…)
Whatever you do, wear it in good taste. If the presentation is that of a cool, retro helmet, that’s fine. If you add the WWII military symbols, many people may find it offensive. You never know which of your neighbors are holocaust survivors or family members, for example.
AHHHHH!
Jagur, that is such an EXCELLENT helmet!
Yes, something like that–I’m searching for a helmet that is both functional and unusual and original.
Perhaps a helmet that one day, people will say, “Hey! That is a UNICYCLE HELMET!”
If you get the WWI helmet you can put it on a stick and use it as a spear when you get cornered in a trench and you have no weapons. It’s fashionable and thrifty.
This is true–but I also imagine that if one should have a UPD in a crowded place, you might accidently take out someone’s eye with that spike if you should accidently land on them…
A cool helmet might be that Capix with a foam rubber spike on the top…
In a few of Jess Riegel’s movies, there’s footage of someone wearing a helmet with spikes on the top. makes him look like a dinosaur. I think it was Zach Baldwin, not sure though.
