Sad news from Paris-Nice. Andrei Kivilev, the 29 year old Kazakh champion, died as a result of a crash during yesterday's stage. See the following link:
http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/news?slug=ap-cyclistdeath&prov=ap&type=lgns
Death of Andrei Kivilev
Very sad. He wasn't wearing a helmet.
I just read about this sad news on velonews.com. Do helmets have a shelf life and are some helmets better than others in terms of safety?
According to Bell, helmets have a shelf life of 3-5 years. As far has some helmets better than others, if they are certified by SNELL and ANSI, I guess one's as good as another.
keep in mind that snell and ansi standards represent MINIMUM protection certifications. Some products may exceed these standards, although which, and by how much, may be difficult to determine.
Speaking from a motorsport perspective, my kevlar full-face helmet with the nomex liner might be expected to exceed the posted standard by a greater margin than a standard open-faced model.
just my opinion; your mileage may vary.
By law, all helmets sold in the United States since March 1999 have to meet the standards of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). In terms of safety ratings, a $40 helmet is the same as $140 helmet.
In addition to the three- to five-year rule, a helmet that has been damaged, as in a crash, should be replaced, even if it looks unharmed.
Yes, but odds are the $140 helmet is lighter, and probably more aerodynamic.
RIP, Mr. Kivilev. A great cyclist has fallen.
The $140 helmet may be lighter and more aerodynamic, but may not protect as well as a $30 helmet.
See:
http://www.bhsi.org/
Art
Maybe a top pro rider could take one-point-something seconds off his time in a 40K time trial with a more aerodynamic helmet, but do you think that it'd make a difference to you and me?
Just more marketing nonsense!
Oh my! RIP, AK.
http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/3584.0.html