I have seen pictures of helmets that wrap all the way around the head. Some pictures of them can be seen at this site:
Go to:
http://www.koxx.fr/go.php
Then click on VIDEO for “NEC SHOW '04”
Look at the helmets on the unicyclists
Does anybody know where one can purchase this type of helmet? I use a bicycle helmet, but it doesn’t seem to offer as much protection.
Thanks!
Phil
Indianapolis
just a regular ‘piss pot’ style skate helmet is it not? try TSG, 661, eerr the list is endless there are loads out there usually about £25 - £35.
Lots of options will work. Bicycle helmets are designed to provide ventilation and even streamlining, but bicyclists travel at 15 - 30 mph.
A canoe (kayak) helmet will provide good all round protection, A skateboard helmet will also do the job. Really, anything which is designed to be reasonably light, reasonably well ventilated, and tough enough to absorb or disperse the force of a low speed impact will do the job.
I use a conventional bicycle helmet for normal riding, and a BMX full face helmet for MUni or anything where I think I might “faceplant”. I have a scar on my chin from the 7 stitches I needed when I didn’t wear a full face helmet.
As motorcyclists say, if you don’t think you need an expensive helmet to protect your brain, you’re probably right.
I need to get a helmet for when I ride on my 29", I am deciding between a skate helmet and a bicycling helmet, does the bicycling helmet provide more ventilation? I want to get a light weight helmet that is safe but comftable. What sort of helmet should I get for long distances, or general uni riding. I know it is all a comfort issue, but do skate helmets have less ventation?
Bike helmets generally have more ventilation than skate helmets. But I guess it depends what you do and where you live. I definitely prefer my bike helmet to skate helmets for any sort of riding even if it’s not that hot- your head sure heats up quick. As for protection- well that’s been discussed before- just pull up any thread with the search function under ‘helmets’
When I rode through Cambodia it got to 44 degrees Celcius. I would have cooked in a skate helmet. I don’t think streamlining is a factor even if you are going at bicycle speeds- take a look at the helmets track cyclists wear- no holes at all 
I think it depends on what you want out of the helmet. Either a skateboard helmet or a bike helmet will work well. If you plan on landing on your head a lot and are short on cash, a skate helmet would probably be a good idea. I prefer a bike helmet cause they’re cooler and lighter and at the speeds I ride, it’s just fine. I figure if it’s good enough for someone mountian biking at 30 - 60+ km/hr then my 6-10 km/hr on a trail won’t hurt too much.
Just a thought
Old post, I know but I saw some nice looking helmets the other day. These were snow boarding helmets…great for the coming cold. They had ear flaps that seemed pretty warm and were extremely comfy. They also had one that looked like a camoflauged war helmet. This was at Dicks Sporting Goods. They ranged from $20 to $100 depending on your taste and wallet thickness.
Skate-style helmets are designed for multiple, lower-speed impacts. Bike helmets as lighter weight and much more ventilated, but are designed to absorb one (ONE) high-speed crash. That’s not to say a bike helmet won’t last for a while, but it is designed to be as protective as possible for one serious crash. Personally, I use a bike helmet (a Bell Influx) for all my riding, (mostly MUni). I haven’t ever fallen on my face hard enough to need stiches, so i’m gonna put off getting a full face helmet for as long as possible. Just having something on your head is better than nothing…
Re: Uni Helmets
threeinchtire <threeinchtire@NoEmail.Message.Poster.at.Unicyclist.com> writes:
> Skate-style helmets are designed for multiple, lower-speed impacts. Bike
> helmets as lighter weight and much more ventilated, but are designed to
> absorb one (ONE) high-speed crash.
I don’t actually know how often this generalization applies.
Certifications from various organizations give some insight, though:
Some standards for skate helments (CPSC, Snell) are based on bicycle
helmet standards with additional requirements. ASTM F1492, on the
other hand, tests for multiple, smaller, impacts. In some cases,
“skate-style” helmets are only certified to bicycle helmet standards.
That said, hard shell helmets are obviously more durable in case they
hit a sharp edge or in the event of minor impacts. Skate helmets
cover and protect more of your head. All helmets should be replaced
after sustaining a hard crash.
Ken
Now that you bring this up, something just dawned on me… Equestrian riding helmets would probably be a good match for unicycling since the falls would be similar (though from further up and a faster velocity on a horse). Might have to look into this (right now I just ride with a normal bicycling helmet).
Roak
Bike hemets are pretty much useless for anything besides road biking. The main way you’re gonna wack your head while unicycling is when the uni flies in front or behind you. Regular bike helmets are useless for both face plants and impacts to the back of the head, as they are only intended for sideways falls. A skate/BMX helmet will do a good job preventing concussions to backward and sideways falls.
When you fall forward, there’s more of a risk of breaking a wrist than hitting your head anyways.
Re: Uni Helmets
headstone <headstone@NoEmail.Message.Poster.at.Unicyclist.com> writes:
> Regular bike helmets are useless for both face plants and impacts to
> the back of the head, as they are only intended for sideways
> falls.
This is nonsense. First, plenty of bicycle accidents involve the
rider flying over the handlebars (resulting in a forward impact) or
being hit by motorists (which can cause a rearward impact). Second,
the standards do not show bias regarding the direction of impact,
requiring helmets to withstand impacts anywhere “on or above the test
line” [CPSC standard, 16 CFR 1203, http://www.helmets.org/cpscstd.htm]
[Snell B95 standard, http://www.smf.org/standards/b/b95std.html].
I’ll admit I haven’t read the ASTM standard, or the ANSI which it
replaced, because they are not frrely available and have been
“sidelined by CPSC” [www.helmets.org].
Ken
Re: Uni Helmets
On Fri, 27 Oct 2006, headstone <> wrote:
>
> A skate/BMX helmet will do a good job
> preventing concussions to backward and sideways falls.
Out of interest, do you actually have any evidence for that assertion?
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He did say faceplant, not frontal impact. A faceplant suggests that the rider lands on their jaw or face before their head hits the ground. While no doubt the helmet may be able to help in protecting the head itself, there is no way it can stop broken jaw, teeth or cheekbones. While i agree that cotrary to what he said helmets can protect your head in frontal and rear impact, he nevertheless highlights a major failing in open face helmets, the lack of protection of the face. In the words of the label on almost every safety item I own, “This item can only protect the part of the body that it covers”
I use a helmet designed for inline-skaters. is is the “skate style” so it protects the back of my head and my forehead much better than a bike-style helmet. it doesnt use polystyrene so it will last more than 1 impact, unlike bike helmets which are designed to crack and shatter. the foam is more like a reasonably high density foam-rubber, which hugs my head tight. i can almost bend over with it undone and not have it fall off. unfortunately due to the nature of the foam it gets particularly hot and sweaty.
i couldnt find it
Know what? I was wrong as hell about the rear impact. Ignore that.
I use a Giro Xen helmet for MUni, They cover much more of the back of the head. Giro calls it “skate shaped with bicycle type construction.”
Re: Uni Helmets
max_pfeifer <max_pfeifer@NoEmail.Message.Poster.at.Unicyclist.com> writes:
> I use a helmet designed for inline-skaters. is is the “skate style” so
> it protects the back of my head and my forehead much better than a
> bike-style helmet. it doesnt use polystyrene so it will last more than
> 1 impact, unlike bike helmets which are designed to crack and shatter.
Bike helmets are not designed to shatter. They absorb impact the same
way your skate helmet does: by compressing the foam. Cracking in a
hard crash can happen. Your skate helmet may actually be designed for
multiple, minor impacts (at least one test requires a small impact and
a large one on the same helmet), though most are only certified to
bike helmet standards.
I don’t know how your skate helmet provides better forehead coverage
since skate helmets meet the same peripheral visions requirements as
bike helmets. It might be a matter of not fitting the bike helmet
properly. Skate helmets do cover the back of the head better,
covering an additional 7% of the headform (per the Snell standard).
Ken