Are Carbon Helmets Worth-it ?

Graneable

Graneable

Wannabie Member
Hey ! I'm currently looking for a street legal bike and I was thinking to get a helmet with a visor because they probably get less "caught" in the wind on the Highway then my dirtbike helmet with googles.

I very much like the look of the Icon Variant and there's a Carbon version of this helmet.
I can get a standard non-carbon Icon Variant for around 350$
The same Icon Variant but in a carbon shell is worth around 600$

Are carbon helmets really worth-it ?
 
YES!

They are lighter. By far!

With camera, Sena etc mounted to mine it almost has the same weight as my Shark Speed R. I rock a Bell Carbon ($800).

Keep in mind I get the same amount of wind turbulence/noise but I wear earplugs.
 
I have a HJC carbon helmet. I can say it's great in terms of weight. Is it an extra $250 worth? It would depend on how you ride. If you're doing long trips or hundreds of laps around a track, then probably yes. If you're a weekend warrior or commuter, probably no. I was able to get mine for 10% over cost, because I worked at a dealership when it came out so it was worth it for me. I paid about $300 and it listed for $420. The stealership sold it for almost $600, so that tells you a bit about markups on helmets!
 
I went from a fairly heavy modular helmet to a lightweight one, although not carbon, it's much nicer having a light helmet, then bolting a heavy camera to it ;)
 
So you're asking whether it's worth getting the same thing a Moto GP rider has to save them from a 200mph+ crash?

Err... yes!

And if you're 'just' commuting, then even more reason! You're more likely to smack your noggin on a curb, car, bus stop etc on the street, so need as much protection as you can possibly get! The light weight is good, but don't forget these things are many times stronger then plastics!

Carbon helmets have also come way down in price - you can get a Nexx full carbon lid for £200-£300 where a few years back the equivalent would be closer to £2000!

I splashed out for a carbon helmet for car racing this year, and as soon as I got it knew it was time to get one for the bike as well. I mean, I'll wear the car helmet for a few hours per year - I ride my bike every single day, so why was I not spending money on the best I could get for that?

Are they worth the extra money? They don't cost that much more money anymore - you just might have to change brands. ;)
 
good point lurch, it's the PVS liner that does all the protecting, the shell is just meant to be slippery enough to minimize friction to reduce potential rotational injuries when the helmet hits the road at an angle, and protect the PVS liner enough to do its job.

light helmets can be more comfortable but don't make a helmet safer... a heavy helmet only becomes a safety issue after it gets significantly over 1.5kg in weight when it can start to contribute to neck injuries (COST 327 study).

the liner tapers off at the side on many helmets, often the lighter ones, to save weight and give the helmet a narrower look - problem is the side is where the majority of impacts occur. quite of the the top line helmets look a bit bulbous because they are thicker on the sides, and it usually brings them up to around 1.5kg in weight.

by the far the biggest safety concern for a modern helmet is how well it absorbs moderate impacts. helmet standards only assess the near lethal range of 250 to 300Gs, but a lot of helmets aren't very good in the moderate range where you can still get a brain injury.

if properly designed, dual density liners, or variable density liners, do a great job of absorbing these moderate impacts a lot better especially if the liner doesn't taper off at the side.
 
I see that the opinions are really mixed, if I get to try both of them and really compare them i'll make up my mind
 
Marbro_za said:
I dont think they justify the price.
Not to the average road rider...
Click to expand...

I agree. I wear one, but like I mentioned, I got it at cost+10%, so it was as cheap or cheaper than other non-carbon helmets. Mine is actually going to become my back-up helmet here in a couple of months. It's almost 10 years old and even though I haven't dropped it or crashed in it, the moving parts are getting kind of janky on it and it's a little loud for vlogging, which wasn't an issue when I bought it. I'm thinking of going with the Shoei Qwest helmet, because it's got good reviews and everyone seems to think it's quiet for its price point.
 
If you have the money for one they are certainly worth it (Track or road) they are so much lighter and strong, but normal helmets are getting lighter and better these days so it's all personal opinion really I guess.
 
Marbro_za said:
10??? i thought the lifespan was 5
Click to expand...

Mine spent more time in the bag than on the road. I wore a half-helmet most of the time on my old bike. I just wore the full face during inclement weather and I wasn't vlogging at the time. I vlog and have a longer and more dangerous travel route now, so I wear the full face.
 
Cf is used to make a lighter helmet. If you are someone who rides a lot or hangs a lot of kit off your helmet, its a nice thing. Keeping the weight down makes for a more enjoyable ride. Less stress on your neck is a big plus.
As for the weight savings for racing.....you could just take a dump before the race to get the same sort of savings. Its not a significant savings to equal any quantifiable difference for a racer, simply makes life more comfortable for the rider.

If you can afford one, there great. If you cant afford one or dont want to spend the money on a more expensive helmet then there are loads of other choices.

As for how they stand up in a crash, they tend to do rather well....but any DOT approved lid works.
 
re:
Marbro_za said:
10??? i thought the lifespan was 5
Click to expand...
helmet longevity, there has been a lot of debate about this, sparked off by the snell foundation stating five years was the replacement time for a helmet.

the important part of the helmet, the liner, will not deteriorate with time unless exposed to light or solvents (e.g. never wash your entire helmet!).

snell have updated their thoughts on this issue and say that given helmet design is slowly improving with time, then five years is not a bad time to upgrade as generally helmets will have improved enough to warrant an upgrade. from all the research i've done, that makes sense... increasingly we are seeing dual or variable density liners being used, removable cheek pads and other safety features.
 
I bet it would make it all a whole lot lighter. But, I cringed putting my camera on my $200 buck bell... 800 dollars worth of carbon? I don't think I could do it man!
 
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