I'M BACK ON MY BIKE!

Did anyone read CR's July 04 edition on bike helmets? I bought a Bell
*Influx* ($60) about a year ago and not find out that it is not
recommended because it was found to come off in an accident. snip

CR can be a good resource for some things, like the user surveys for
reliability and repair histories. I always take their reviews with a grain
of salt. They could have mis-adjusted the straps on the test helmet, or the
tester's head (or dummy head?) may have been shaped wrong for the helmet
shell and foam padding strips. There is a lot of variation in what helmet
manufacturers think a "normal" head looks like.

If you can't dislodge your helmet with a quick, strong upwards push with
the heel of your hand on the front, back, or side edges, then I wouldn't
worry about it. (Mike Barrs)
==
Thanks for your input Mike. I bought the Bell Influx because it fit well
and was easy to adjust. I had reasoned that such was a good criteria for my
selection. I had completely overlooked the "buckle-factor, assuming that all
buckles on bike helmets were pretty much alike (that's what failed in the CR
test i.e. buckles broke when force was applied)

"Glenn Civello" wrote in
:

Thanks for your input Mike. I bought the Bell Influx because it fit
well and was easy to adjust. I had reasoned that such was a good
criteria for my selection. I had completely overlooked the
"buckle-factor, assuming that all buckles on bike helmets were pretty
much alike (that's what failed in the CR test i.e. buckles broke when
force was applied)

The buckle failed? That's interesting. It could have been a statistical
fluke, where they got a defective buckle that doesn't show up often in the
production run. But it would probably be smart to test your buckles by
applying fairly strong force to see if they hold. If they fail, I'm sure
Bell would provide a replacement or refund.

--
Mike Barrs
(thinking I should go test my helmet buckles now... I use a Bell KingHead)

Glenn Civello wrote:


Thanks for your input Mike. I bought the Bell Influx because it fit well
and was easy to adjust. I had reasoned that such was a good criteria for my
selection. I had completely overlooked the "buckle-factor, assuming that all
buckles on bike helmets were pretty much alike (that's what failed in the CR
test i.e. buckles broke when force was applied)

As I (and others) have said before, CR is OK for some things, but not
very competent at others. You simply can't trust everything they say.

I have a research article reporting on tests of forces on bike helmet
straps in simulated crashes. They claim the typical force is about 10
pounds.

Hang a ten pound weight from your helmet straps. If the buckle breaks,
take it back. If it doesn't (and it won't), don't worry about it.


--
--------------------+
Frank Krygowski [To reply, remove rodent and vegetable dot com,
replace with cc.ysu dot edu]

I wrote:
..... I bought the Bell Influx because it fit well and was easy to adjust.
I had reasoned that such was a good criteria for my selection. I had
completely overlooked the "buckle-factor, assuming that all buckles on bike
helmets were pretty much alike (that's what failed in the CR test i.e.
buckles broke when force was applied)

Frank wrote:
As I (and others) have said before, CR is OK for some things, but not
very competent at others. You simply can't trust everything they say.
I have a research article reporting on tests of forces on bike helmet
straps in simulated crashes. They claim the typical force is about 10
pounds.

Hang a ten pound weight from your helmet straps. If the buckle breaks,
take it back. If it doesn't (and it won't), don't worry about it.
===
With the helmet off of my head I closed the buckle and then pulled the
straps as hard as I could. I repeated this several times. My buckle held
up fine. The CR review said that 3 of 12 samples failed... the force
applied was slightly less that the federal standard (according to CR)

Glenn Civello wrote:


Frank wrote:

As I (and others) have said before, CR is OK for some things, but not
very competent at others. You simply can't trust everything they say.
I have a research article reporting on tests of forces on bike helmet
straps in simulated crashes. They claim the typical force is about 10
pounds.


Hang a ten pound weight from your helmet straps. If the buckle breaks,
take it back. If it doesn't (and it won't), don't worry about it.

===
With the helmet off of my head I closed the buckle and then pulled the
straps as hard as I could. I repeated this several times. My buckle held
up fine. The CR review said that 3 of 12 samples failed... the force
applied was slightly less that the federal standard (according to CR)

What I really meant was that I think the federal standard for buckle
strength is overly stringent. The paper I read indicated 10 pounds
would be sufficient strength. I've certainly never heard of a cyclist
claiming they were head injured because their helmet's buckle broke.

Of course, cycling head injuries are actually extremely rare anyway,
despite all the horror hype. IOW, you could probably replace the buckle
with a piece of thread and be just as safe! But that's another issue.



--
--------------------+
Frank Krygowski [To reply, remove rodent and vegetable dot com,
replace with cc.ysu dot edu]

On Sat, 14 Aug 2004 23:32:50 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:


As I (and others) have said before, CR is OK for some things, but not
very competent at others. You simply can't trust everything they say.


Hi, I have heard this said before, about CR. I have never found them
to make the ideal recommendation on any item or device that I had
knowledge of. So, I am afraid to trust them on things I'm not up on.

Life is Good!
Jeff

I quit listening to Consumer Reports awhile back when they did a
review of bicycles.


You just need to shut the hell up and buy what you are told to buy.
If these people weren't EXTREMELY intelligent and unsusceptable to bribery
they would not be able to test toaster ovens on one day, and be the subject
matter experts on steering tube material the next.

You are being monitored now.