MIPS helmets
Last Post 06/10/2014 02:27 PM by Justin jmdirt. 10 Replies.
Author Messages
THE SKINNY

Posts:506

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06/09/2014 02:05 PM
i was looking into getting a new helmet and i thought i would try the MIPS thingy. i googled the web to see who has that technology and i ran into this article. http://www.helmets.org/bicyclingmag1305.htm] sorta makes sense to me. thoughts?
How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.
79pmooney

Posts:3178

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06/09/2014 04:07 PM
I had an experience that was for me, striking (for both my awareness and literally) a few weeks before i started reading about MIPS. I did a very hard crash at ~22-24 mph. Hit hard on my left side. Fully aware of my head hitting hard and the helmet grinding on the pavement. After that I have no memory. What was so striking is that when I came to a stop, I was fully aware of everything around me. Got up (slowly, I was quite messed up) and walked slowly but with no dizziness, no fog at all. No headache then or later. my helmet was totally askew and had nearly (and very painfully) almost knocked my glasses off.

As I pieced together my injuries over the rest of the day, I became aware that my helmet had also almost taken my right ear off. I had a tear on the lobe as well as a number of cuts around my eye.

The fact that fascinated me was that I had no concussion. Zero. I get concussions so easily that I;ve had them when my helmet stayed untouched, just from the hard jarring of the body slam. (The "blackout" was my brain saying "Ben, you really do not need to witness this.")

So, I hit hard, the helmet spun around my head a lot and I had no brain injury whatsoever. Then I read about MIPS. So someone invented a helmet to do what mine did and I don't have to ride with too loose straps to accomplish it. And does it with far less facial and ear damage! I want to be wearing one for my next crash.

And the Bicycling article? It's Bicycling magazine. Do we expect better? (Yeah, I will grant they can, but usually don't.)

Ben
THE SKINNY

Posts:506

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06/09/2014 04:25 PM
my helmet tends to stay tight enough not to move around but not so tight i get a headache. i think what would be beneficial is a material in the helmet that absorbs some of the impact but not as dense as the styrofoam that the helmet is made of. maybe a layer of bubblewrap.
How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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06/09/2014 04:48 PM
There is a lot of misinformation out there about what helmets can and cannot do. Unlike something like a seat belt, a helmet needs to walk a fine line between many functions: safety, comfort, ventilation, weight. That means that the amount of protection it can provide is limited by all the other factors it also needs to achieve.

The way I look at it is simple. Wear your helmet but it should be your last resort. Not your first line of protection, your last.
Dale

Posts:1767

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06/09/2014 06:58 PM
Bell motorcycle recently added some slip angle testing to their repertoire of test. They are releasing some ads showing some of the fixtures they developed to test angled impacts. The difference in the MIPS style technology and the multi-density EPS liners currently being used is so small that in most cases is within the margin of error in testing.

If I can get some specific data I'll post it.

+1 on OC's remark about helmets begin the last line of protection. I like the stickers I saw at a BMW moto shop, and an obvious swipe at Harley-Davidson, "If loud pipes save lives, imagine what proper gear and safety training will do."
THE SKINNY

Posts:506

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06/09/2014 08:28 PM
not to wander too far away from the subject but loud pipe annoy the hell out of me. i'm 6 blocks away and i can hear you. not necessary for safety that far away.
How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.
longslowdistance

Posts:2881

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06/09/2014 09:28 PM
BTW, loud pipes don't save lines, or at least there is no solid data that they do.
I'm ready to buy a POC helmet or similar if I can see a bit more evidence to justify the cost.
jmdirt

Posts:775

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06/09/2014 10:25 PM
Instead of trying to paraphrase the research here, I would encourage you to look at rotational forces as well as impact forces in relation to traumatic brain injury. MIPS claims to reduce rotational forces which most helmets do not. Your lose helmet might do the same in some situations, or cause more problems in others (especially if it slips and allows your head to hit the ground).

Nike tested skull caps/materials inside of football helmets for this very reason.
Dale

Posts:1767

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06/09/2014 11:10 PM
Posted By Justin jmdirt on 06/09/2014 10:25 PM
Instead of trying to paraphrase the research here, I would encourage you to look at rotational forces as well as impact forces in relation to traumatic brain injury. MIPS claims to reduce rotational forces which most helmets do not. Your loose helmet might do the same in some situations, or cause more problems in others (especially if it slips and allows your head to hit the ground).

Nike tested skull caps/materials inside of football helmets for this very reason.


As I said, If I can get specific data I'll post it.

Here's one of the jigs that Bell uses to test rotational impacts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaioTGEa7wU

There are a number of companies working on, or that have rotational protective properties.
6-D has received a lot of positive press but the big hitters in head protection-- Bell, Shoei, Arai, Simpson are also in the thick of it.

I'm not arguing that MIPS isn't a good thing, just that it's not the only system that improves on the old single density EPS, and claims that they are the only helmet that protects against rotational impacts are disingenuous
stronz

Posts:447

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06/10/2014 10:43 AM
Bicyclng Mag did an excellent job of going thru all the data back in ?February I think. I have a Scott Lin which is a MIPS helmet. Even if its a small improvement. Why the hell not?
jmdirt

Posts:775

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06/10/2014 02:27 PM
Dale, that's why I said "claim" because I don't know. Hopefully new helmets get better at reducing rotational damage. I can't handle any more brain damage!


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