helmet ventilation?

I won't get in to a helmet debate. I wear one, reasons irrelevant for this
thread.

My question has to do with vents.

My current helmet is a Giro Indicator. This wasn't an expensive helmet but
it fits well.

When you spend 5 times as much to get something like a Giro Atmos (i gather
they use it on the tour?) is the ventilation that much better? Would you
notice your head staying that much cooler?

Any other extremely vented helmets? (don't say "bare head" smart-asses)

Thanks,
Chris

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 08:58:53 -0400, "C.J.Patten"
wrote:

When you spend 5 times as much to get something like a Giro Atmos (i gather
they use it on the tour?) is the ventilation that much better? Would you
notice your head staying that much cooler?

I don't think it's anything to do with cost (most properties of
helmets are not, as far as I can tell - some very cheap Chinese
helmets are Snell certified, no Bell helmet is) but there was some
research I heard of recently.

A headform was heated to 42C, and a fan was then blown over it for 4
minutes. Temperature drops were 10.5C for the bare head, 9.1C for the
best helmet, 2.5C for the worst helmet.

So I'm sure there is a big difference in cooling effect, as you
surmise. Finding out where on the scale between, as it were, 13% and
76% reduction in cooling effect any one particular helmet lies, is
likely to be problematic! It is probably a function of the size and
number of vents, but maybe not, and of course these might have a
consequent effect on structural integrity as well.

It's a good question, actually - I don't know to what extent the body
is able to compensate for the reduced cooling. As far as I understand
it the scalp plays the major part in cooling the head, and there is
evidence in respect of cricketers that helmet-induced heating impairs
reactions. I think there are probably as many unknown unknowns as
known unknowns here.


Guy
--
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

"Let’s have a moment of silence for all those Americans who are stuck
in traffic on their way to the gym to ride the stationary bicycle."
- Earl Blumenauer

"C.J.Patten" wrote in message
...

Any other extremely vented helmets? (don't say "bare head" smart-asses)

Thanks,
Chris

I'm currently using a Briko Twinner and that is very cool - the way it's
designed it draws the air across the head. I also find it comfortable to
wear.

See

http://www.hardheadedsports.com/briko-bike-helmets.html

Cheers, helen s

Wow. Thanks for the link - I'd never seen Briko helmets before!
http://www.briko.com works too.

Chris


"wafflycat" waffles*A*T*v21net*D*O*T*co*D*O*T*uk wrote in message
...

"C.J.Patten" wrote in message
...

Any other extremely vented helmets? (don't say "bare head" smart-asses)

Thanks,
Chris

I'm currently using a Briko Twinner and that is very cool - the way it's
designed it draws the air across the head. I also find it comfortable to
wear.

See

http://www.hardheadedsports.com/briko-bike-helmets.html

Cheers, helen s

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 08:58:53 -0400, C.J.Patten wrote:

My current helmet is a Giro Indicator. This wasn't an expensive helmet but
it fits well.

When you spend 5 times as much to get something like a Giro Atmos (i
gather they use it on the tour?) is the ventilation that much better?
Would you notice your head staying that much cooler?

Any other extremely vented helmets? (don't say "bare head" smart-asses)

Do you have a full head of hair? Are you male or a modern feeling female?
A nice tight clipper cut will keep your hair from becoming a plastered
follicle insulator when smooshed under styrofoam.

Long ago I plugged up the vents in my helmet. It just lets bugs in to get
trapped in your hair.

The cooling effect change isn't noticeable. The huge cooling is from sun
shielding, and that's compared even to wearing no helmet.

As long as the vents are plugged, wear a baseball cap under the helmet to
get a nice visor, very handy in cold wind or rain, as well as sun.
--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

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In article ,
C.J.Patten wrote:
I won't get in to a helmet debate. I wear one, reasons irrelevant for this
thread.

My question has to do with vents.

My current helmet is a Giro Indicator. This wasn't an expensive helmet but
it fits well.

When you spend 5 times as much to get something like a Giro Atmos (i gather
they use it on the tour?) is the ventilation that much better? Would you
notice your head staying that much cooler?

Any other extremely vented helmets? (don't say "bare head" smart-asses)


_ If you have a Giro shaped head, then I think that if you go one
level down to the Pneumo you get a very light, very well
ventilated helmet. Plus, you can get them on sale right now.
IMHO, the big difference between cheap and $$$ is ventilation
and weight.

_ Booker C. Bense



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In article ,
(PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per Ron Hardin:
The cooling effect change isn't noticeable. The huge cooling is from sun
shielding, and that's compared even to wearing no helmet.

As long as the vents are plugged, wear a baseball cap under the helmet to
get a nice visor, very handy in cold wind or rain, as well as sun.

Where/what time of year are you riding?


_ Either Ron is smoking crack or he still using his 1978 MSR
climbing helmet.

I have both the Giro Zen and Pneumo, both are vast improvements
in ventilation over early Giro's, but the Pneumo is better than
the Zen in hot weather. This might just be due to the fact that
one is white while the other is dark grey. The other great
benefit of the Pneumo is that it pulls your hair up into ridges.
You look like an extra from Star Trek at century rest stops.

_ Booker C. Bense

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(PeteCresswell) wrote:

Per Ron Hardin:
The cooling effect change isn't noticeable. The huge cooling is from sun
shielding, and that's compared even to wearing no helmet.

As long as the vents are plugged, wear a baseball cap under the helmet to
get a nice visor, very handy in cold wind or rain, as well as sun.

Where/what time of year are you riding?

I'm in Southeastern Pennsylvania (USA) and in July/August I wind up taking the
thing off for 15-20 minutes at a time just because it feels soooooooo good to
have the cool wind in my hair instead of sweat running down my glasses and
feeling like my brains are gonna poach like an egg.

Ohio, all year, 8,000 miles a year.

It's a 1975 Bell mushroom helmet, a pleasant sun-reflecting white with rigid
white styrofoam insulation, so it takes off all the radiative solar heat. That's
a huge benefit. Riding without it is much hotter, very noticeable.

You have lots of sweating skin elsewhere and don't need the scalp contribution.

If sweat on your glasses is a big deal, try the Hardin patented solution, a
maxipad for a forehead pad in the helmet (or in my case, inside the baseball
cap). They've spent millions and millions of dollars to get these things to
work, and they do.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was the result of the space program, like velcro.
--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

"Booker C. Bense"
bbense+rec.bicycles.tech.rec.bicycles.misc.Jul.13
wrote in message ...

_ If you have a Giro shaped head, then I think that if you go one
level down to the Pneumo you get a very light, very well
ventilated helmet. Plus, you can get them on sale right now.
IMHO, the big difference between cheap and $$$ is ventilation
and weight.

It seems I do have a Giro head. This one fits perfectly.

I agree with you on the $$$ issue. Strictly based on observation, the
cheapest helmets have rudimentary vents, the most expensive are basically
ALL vent with a bit of helmet between. Clearly, we're paying for "the
benefit" not the actual materials and labour that go into the high end
helmets.