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Helmet technology made an important leap in the last few years by adding protection against rotational forces. If you are in the market for a helmet, consider g

by mertd 7y ago

Helmet technology made an important leap in the last few years by adding protection against rotational forces. If you are in the market for a helmet, consider getting the MIPS version (or Bontrager's Wavecell). MIPS costs only slightly more than the same helmet without it.

ticmasta 7y ago
This seems like a cool & intuitive technology, but I'd caution that (similar to the popularity of neck braces) it's far from definitive to provide additional protection. The general principle is MIPS (and others) allow the helmet to receive a rotational force without "grabbing" your head and twisting it as well, but unless you have a shaved head I find this is exactly what happens with the original MIPS, hair. So I'd say: (1) the science is still undecided in my opinion, (2) I wouldn't replace a new helmet just to get MIPS, (3)your next helmet is likely to have it because they all do.
ebg13 7y ago
Having been in oddly many very different bicycle accidents of varying levels of catastrophe, I have a hard time believing that rotational forces are a real problem and not something made up by marketers trying to sell a new widget. Helmets are approximately half-spheres which bounce and skid. Protruding elements like visors are made to break away with minimal force so that nothing can catch. The contact surface is small and the external shell is hard and slick. So where is the rotational force coming from? If you watch the video at https://mipsprotection.com https://mipsprotection.com their test scenario is the most bonkers forced thing I've ever seen. Their idea of a collision is where you are completely upside down with your feet are straight up in the air and your head straight down and you're falling onto a 45 degree incline. Screenshot: https://imgur.com/kIFN1ds https://imgur.com/kIFN1ds And besides all of that, the MIPS people talk about "10-15mm relative motion". It's hard to imagine that any random bike helmet strapped to any random head doesn't already give 10-15mm of relative motion even without MIPS.

by mertd 7y ago

ticmasta 7y ago

This seems like a cool & intuitive technology, but I'd caution that (similar to the popularity of neck braces) it's far from definitive to provide additional protection. The general principle is MIPS (and others) allow the helmet to receive a rotational force without "grabbing" your head and twisting it as well, but unless you have a shaved head I find this is exactly what happens with the original MIPS, hair. So I'd say: (1) the science is still undecided in my opinion, (2) I wouldn't replace a new helmet just to get MIPS, (3)your next helmet is likely to have it because they all do.

ebg13 7y ago

Having been in oddly many very different bicycle accidents of varying levels of catastrophe, I have a hard time believing that rotational forces are a real problem and not something made up by marketers trying to sell a new widget. Helmets are approximately half-spheres which bounce and skid. Protruding elements like visors are made to break away with minimal force so that nothing can catch. The contact surface is small and the external shell is hard and slick. So where is the rotational force coming from? If you watch the video at https://mipsprotection.com https://mipsprotection.com their test scenario is the most bonkers forced thing I've ever seen. Their idea of a collision is where you are completely upside down with your feet are straight up in the air and your head straight down and you're falling onto a 45 degree incline. Screenshot: https://imgur.com/kIFN1ds https://imgur.com/kIFN1ds And besides all of that, the MIPS people talk about "10-15mm relative motion". It's hard to imagine that any random bike helmet strapped to any random head doesn't already give 10-15mm of relative motion even without MIPS.