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AASQ – What would you ask Giro about helmets?

Written by Tyler Benedict
ask me anything with giro bicycle helmets on bikerumor answers your questions about bicycle helmet safety designs and materials
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Got a question you’ve been dying to ask about helmets? Whether it’s about their features, technology, safety, testing, materials, design or anything else, we’ve got Giro on the line this week to answer all your questions! Like, maybe about their new Aether with MIPS Spherical tech. Or some of the other new helmets they launched at Eurobike?

To submit a question, use this form and send it in early! We’ll be batching and sending them the questions through Wednesday night so they have time to answer them for this Friday’s AASQ column.
Tyler Benedict
11,282 articles

Tyler Benedict is the Founder of Bikerumor.com, where he’s been writing about the latest bikes, components, and cycling technology for almost two decades. Prior to that, Tyler launched and built multiple sports nutrition brands and consumer goods companies, mostly as an excuse to travel and ride in new places.

Based in North Carolina, Tyler also loves the Vanlife & family adventure travel and is always on the lookout for the next shiny new part and off-grid adventure.

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Eli
Eli
6 years ago

With how few road helmet molds there are my not create a visor that can clip onto the vent holes? I realize I’m in the minority of road cyclists who love having a visor (ok, the shorter ones, not the really long ones like the chronicle) on my helmet so you can’t just make a visor version of all the helmets as the sku may not sell enough. But if you could make a visor that could use the existing vent holes to hold the visor on it would be easy to sell visors separate from the helmet. Cycling caps don’t work as they feel hotter and the brim doesn’t stick out that far.

Sure if I just bought off the internet I’d be fine, but less then half of helmets fit comfortably so kind of need to try on first. (usually its something in the back of the helmet pressing on my skull in an uncomfortable way)

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Kris
Kris
6 years ago

Will we (consumers) ever be able to review actual helmet test data? Actuall transmitted G forces? Or will we continue to just get pass/fail results based on the industry certifications? If not, what’s the rational behind that? I’m not trying to pick on you (I like Giro), I’m asking with regards to an industry as a whole.
For example, I like that I can see whether my car passed or failed industry crash test standards. Great. But what’s even better is that I can get an actual score of how it does in different tests and even view crash footage. White not everyone goes to the lengths to research this, I feel its important to have available so that the consumer can make the best educated decision regarding their safety.

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Reedo
Reedo
6 years ago

Is Giro still owned by Vista Outdoor?

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Bob
Bob
6 years ago
Reply to  Reedo

who cares? Are you going to boycott all car manufactures who’s vehicles are involved in fatal crashes and all beverage manufactures that produce alcoholic beverages and every company that owns a junk food or sugary drink brand?
40,100 fatalities in cars – national safety council
88,000 fatalities related to alcohol – NIAAA – 31% of all car fatalities
610,000 heart disease deaths every year – cdc

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Eric G.
Eric G.
6 years ago
Reply to  Bob

I care

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Eli
Eli
6 years ago
Reply to  Bob

At least research is done to try to decrease those other deaths.
“Compared with other leading causes of death, gun violence was associated with less funding and fewer publications than predicted based on mortality rate … Gun violence killed about as many individuals as sepsis. However, funding for gun violence research was about 0.7% of that for sepsis and publication volume about 4%.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2595514

As to Giro, looks like they are going to be sold off:
https://www.bicycleretailer.com/industry-news/2018/05/01/vista-outdoor-sell-firearms-and-sports-brands-including-bell-giro-and#.W2m3ylVKiuU

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Bob
Bob
6 years ago
Reply to  Eli

how well did research work for alcohol and tobacco? everyone knows the negative effects of both yet their respective death rates are still very high. you can’t research morals and values back into people. if you don’t know that killing someone is not good for them then what will more research gain.

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Eli
Eli
6 years ago
Reply to  Bob

And yet when regulations are put on alcohol or tobacco there is no call of “Their coming to take out alcohol and tobacco away” I guess it is true you can’t get morals and values into people who think their unrestricted access to guns are more important then human lives.

Also, you make it sound like the funding has stopped, it hasn’t:
https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/grant-funding
https://www.srnt.org/page/Funding

$273 million on tobacco in 2013:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/20/tobacco-related-research-million-government-smoking_n_3956881.html

Research is needed into figuring out how best to try and decrease the problem. Well unless you think death isn’t a problem….

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Crash Bandicoot
Crash Bandicoot
6 years ago
Reply to  Reedo

That question is irrelevant and pedantic. You can easily find this on Vista’s SEC filings along with their press releases; this is a topic about helmets.

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Deanaaargh
Deanaaargh
6 years ago

I care.
My dollars, my choice.

(I would like to preemptively apologize if my opinion as stated here contributes to a non productive internet forum argument)

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Eli
Eli
6 years ago
Reply to  Deanaaargh

Capitalism only works well when customers are informed enough to spend money where they want to spend it. Companies need to compete for that money, they don’t automatically just deserve getting it.

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Crash Bandicoot
Crash Bandicoot
6 years ago
Reply to  Eli

This information is hardly in any way hidden as you’re insinuating. Vista is publicly traded company and consequently this info is widely available.

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Eli
Eli
6 years ago
Reply to  Crash Bandicoot

The information is easy to find. But then again this is under the category of:
Ask-A-Stupid-Question

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Bob
Bob
6 years ago
Reply to  Deanaaargh

So playing devils advocate, using your logic of not buying a helmet because the parent company also owns a company who’s products were misused to kill someone. You condone killing people as long as it is with heavy fast moving objects (cars) and addictive poisons (alcohol)? This is based on the fact that i assume you have a vehicle and have purchased alcohol.

Seems silly when you apply that logic to basically anything else in society.

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Bob
Bob
6 years ago
Reply to  Bob

Sorry – in a mood for non-productive internet arguments.

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AngryBikeWrench
AngryBikeWrench
6 years ago

Does “normal” operating temperature (i.e. atmospheric temperature) affect the performance of a helmet? We know not to leave them in a hot car on a summer day, but does riding at -10F affect the performance of a helmet? How about 90+F? Thanks!

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Robin
Robin
6 years ago
Reply to  AngryBikeWrench

This might partially answer your question: https://www.matec-conferences.org/articles/matecconf/pdf/2017/39/matecconf_cscc2017_02048.pdf

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Not_From_Giro
Not_From_Giro
6 years ago
Reply to  AngryBikeWrench

I do NOT work for Giro or Bell but I would be happy to answer your question.

Very much so. Foam softens at high temps and stiffens up at cold temps. But all bicycle helmet standards take such situations into consideration. When helmets are certified they are tested at ambient (room temperature), hot (~122 F), and cold (~5 F – ~14 F) temperatures. The helmets are conditioned at these temperatures between 4-24 hours before they are pulled out of conditioning and tested (impact must be done within a matter of minutes for results to be valid). This, combined with the different anvils used during testing creates a balancing act for the engineers and designers. They need to balance helmet foam thickness, helmet foam density, helmet shape, and vent size/shape to ensure a passing result. This is also why EPS is still used as the primary foam in helmets as it is relatively temperature stable compared to other commercially viable foams/materials on the market.

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clay
clay
6 years ago

BOA in future helmets?

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Eli
Eli
6 years ago

Custom helmets? Thinking a two part helmet where the outer EPS foam passes the crash testing and an inner liner could be better shaped to a person’s head. Make the mips liner more custom fitting and be able to use small spacers that allow it to come closer to the head where needed.

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