Mountain Bike Rider — March 2018

PEAK

Peaks provide

MARCH 2018 mbr 79

JARGON BUSTER

Know your trail helmet

CRASH REPLACEMENT SCHEMES

If your helmet is involved in an accident, most

manufacturers offer a reduced price crash

replacement scheme. With proof of original

purchase,thiscansaveyouupto50percent.

VENTILATION

Typical EP S liners have excellent

insulation properties, so helmets

use cooling vents, rear exhaust

ports and a combination of internal

shaping to encourage air flow to

reduce heat build-up. One helmet

usesatechnologycalledKoroyd,

whichlookslikeabundleofshort

plastic tubes perpendicular to the

head. These ‘tubes’ collapse along

theirlengthifimpactedandalso

MIPS

The aim of

aMulti-

directional

Impact

Protection

System

is to reduce

theviolenceof

rotational impacts.

Thedesignusesase

internal plastic liner, close to

thescalp,toslideovertheinner

shell for a few millimetres at the

moment of impact to reduce

rotational brain injuries (Bell

has now incorporated this liner

directlyintoitsfitsystem).Notall

brands fully buy into the system’s

y

for small ratchet increments to

allowprecisetensioningandfora

range of cradle height adjustment

options for perfect positioning on

thebrowandears.Long-hairedor

ponytailedridersmightneedto

check compatibility too.

PADDING

Internal padding thickness and density has a

significant effect on sweat absorption, as well as

overall comfort. Helmets with thicker pads may

runalittlehotter,butcandribblelesssweat,and

be ‘squeezed dry’ by pressing into the skull. Pads

need to be well placed to relieve pressure, durable

andeasytoremoveforwashing.

PROTECTION STANDARDS

AllbikehelmetssoldintheUKrequire

certification. This means helmets must

meetcertainfixedtestcriterialikeimpact

velocities and strap system strengths. This

is a minimum, and many modern helmets

surpass these requirements by incorporating

compositematerialsintosubframesor‘roll

cages’ for extra protection.

IN-MOULD/EPS

CONSTRUCTION

In-Mould construction describes

how the impact-absorbing foam

EPSlineris‘fused’totheexterior

shell in the manufacturing

stage. It means helmets can be

made lighter and stronger, yet

stillhavemoreventingthan

traditional methods.

Expanded polystyrene is used

forimpactprotectionintheliner,

with more expensive helmets

also incorporating variable-

density technologies. Exposed

EPSiseasilydamaged,sofully

hardshell-wrapped lids should

last longer.