Summary of a 10,000-word long article: How to match a King Kong helmet that suits you?
Preface: Certain helmet brands or models are more popular among riders in the market. Many friends have heard that "this one is better and suitable for you", which leads to many riders having a preconceived idea when buying a helmet, thinking that this model is good, I want to buy this, and if I buy another one, will I seem unprofessional?
Actually, it is not. Everyone has a different head shape. What suits his head shape may not suit yours. In addition, the aesthetics of prints are also very personal, just like shoes and clothes. You definitely don’t want to run into someone wearing the same clothes or shoes as you when you go out. The same goes for helmets. If there are several people in a team wearing the same helmet as yours, then even the most beautiful print will look ordinary.
So when buying a helmet, don't blindly believe that a certain brand is good or follow the crowd. First of all, you have to make sure it suits your head shape (you can try it on if it's better), and then choose according to your budget, aesthetic taste and favorite brands.
The following is the text
Helmet, an equipment that a knight is very familiar with.
As the most basic equipment for riding, a good helmet is the basis of safe riding and can increase the survival rate in accidents. As long as you ride, you must wear a helmet, whether you are commuting in the city or traveling around the world. Wearing a helmet is not only responsible for your own safety, but also the most basic principle as a rider.
It's hard to imagine what would happen if the owner of this picture didn't wear a helmet…
However, there are many brands of helmets on the market now, and the quality is uneven. The safety of unknown brand helmets is not guaranteed. How to choose a suitable helmet is the first problem that every novice rider faces.
This article will introduce the types, materials, and selection of helmets. It is quite long, so you can choose to read it. The specific directory is as follows
Contents
- Summary of a 10,000-word long article: How to match a King Kong helmet that suits you?
- Recommended motorcycle helmet brands
- Discover the best motorcycle gear and protective gear at Zorbike Cycles.
- Best Value-for-Money Helmets: SHOEI, AGV, and ARAI
At present, motorcycle helmets mainly include full helmets, half helmets, and 3/4 helmets .
Full-face helmet : It has perfect protection performance, the best wrapping among all types of helmets, the highest safety, and the lining can also play a certain role in noise reduction. But the disadvantages are lack of ventilation, stuffiness, narrow field of vision, and not very friendly to people wearing glasses.
Half helmet: From the shape, it can be seen that the half helmet lacks protection for the chin and the back of the head. It has a low production cost and is relatively unsafe. It is not allowed to be used in some countries and regions. It is more common among people who ride pedals and electric vehicles in China.
3/4 helmet: also called retro helmet, air force helmet, similar to a full-face helmet without a chin, looks more stylish, has good ventilation, is more comfortable to wear in summer, and is more suitable for people who wear glasses. The disadvantage is that the wind noise is relatively loud, and the chin is not protected and is easily injured. Some have windshield lenses, while others do not. Those without windshields require glasses to protect the safety of the eyes.
The full face helmet above is called a Fullface full face helmet , but there are actually three other categories of full face helmets:
Offroad helmet: As the name suggests, it is a helmet used for motorcycle off-road sports. It has enhanced chin protection and a protruding brim on the forehead to block sunlight and dust, and also prevent obstacles such as branches from entering the eyes. The disadvantage is that there is no windshield lens, so you need to wear goggles yourself, and the wind resistance is large, so it is not suitable for high-speed driving.
Tour-cross rally helmet: Rally helmet combines the advantages of full-face helmet and off-road helmet, the windshield lens is detachable, and the chin design is more restrained than that of off-road helmet. It is safer, but the wind noise and wind resistance are relatively large, so it is not suitable for high-speed driving.
Flip-up helmet: The chin device of a flip-up helmet can be lifted up to become a 3/4 helmet, and it can be lowered to become a full-face helmet. The advantage is that it can be lifted up for ventilation, drinking water, eating, etc., but since it is not an integrated helmet and the chin is detachable, the wind noise control and protection are not as good as full-face helmets.
Different types of helmets are suitable for different riding scenarios. For example, off-road helmets are used for off-road riding, rally helmets are suitable for people who have both long-distance and off-road needs, full-face helmets are suitable for tracks and daily riding, and 3/4 helmets and flip-up helmets are suitable for daily riding. In addition to your own needs, you should also choose a helmet that matches your model, which will look better overall.
Overall safety: full face helmet > 3/4 helmet > half helmet
- The basic structure of motorcycle helmets
The structure of a motorcycle helmet mainly consists of a shell, a buffer layer, a lining, a wearing device, goggles, a jaw guard, etc.
case
The shell is the first line of defense for head protection and the main structure of the helmet, so the shell must be made of high-strength and impact-toughness materials to absorb impact energy without causing excessive deformation. According to the strength of the material, it can be divided into Kevlar fiber> carbon fiber> glass fiber> ABS plastic .
Buffer layer
The buffer layer usually works together with the shell to disperse the impact force. It can relieve the impact force transmitted from the shell and protect the head. The buffer layer is usually made of foamed polystyrene . After an accident, although the shell surface is not seriously damaged, the internal buffer layer material has actually been damaged. Therefore, even if the outer surface of the helmet does not seem to be damaged, it is recommended to replace the helmet.
Lining
The lining layer is mainly used to increase comfort, and is generally made of soft flannel to fill the gap between the head and the helmet. The lining is usually in direct contact with the face, and can be required to be ventilated and sweat-absorbent, and at the same time removable for easy cleaning in the future.
Wearing device
Nowadays, the straps are generally designed to be firm, reliable, and easy to unfasten. There are mainly several types of fastening methods, such as snap-on, patch, and ring. Among them, the double D ring is considered to be the safest tightening system.
Goggles
The windshield lens mainly protects the eyes and face. In addition, it is also required to have a certain light transmittance (greater than 85%) and meet a certain impact strength to ensure that it will not interfere with the driver's field of vision and avoid the lens from breaking and thus hurting the eyes and face. The materials include plastics (such as polycarbonate resins) and reinforced glass sheets (such as PMMA resins).
Protect the jaw
The jaw guard is a component of a full-face helmet, which has an additional part to protect the lips and jaw. In the event of an accident, it can provide more protection for the chin and face.
- Which shell material is best?
As for the motorcycle helmets currently on the market, the shell materials include PP material, ABS material, ABS+PC, fiberglass (also called fiberglass), carbon fiber, and Kevlar fiber. Among them, helmets made of ABS and ABS+PC materials account for more than 90% of the market share. Helmets made of fiber materials are more expensive because of the expensive raw materials, complex production process, and high labor costs . Among these fibers, Kevlar fiber is the most expensive, lighter in weight, but stronger than steel. It should be noted that if you see PP material, you can ignore it directly. PP material is used to make toys, so don't buy it.
From the material point of view, strength: Kevlar fiber > carbon fiber > glass fiber > ABS+PC > ABS > PP
Since helmets made of fiber material are so much more expensive than those made of ABS material, does it necessarily follow that helmets made of carbon fiber material are safer than those made of ABS material?
The answer is no . This is a misunderstanding of many people: high material strength does not necessarily mean high safety.
The main difference between ABS and fiber helmet shells is that ABS is easy to break under strong impact, while fiber is not easy to break. It is difficult to say which material is the best for the helmet shell based on the shell material alone. A motorcycle helmet must pass the safety standards of various countries or be tested by a third-party organization to ensure its safety. If the same model of helmets made of different materials (carbon fiber, ABS) get the same score in a certain crash test, then the two materials are equally safe.
In addition, the manufacturing process, thickness, density of the EPS material of the buffer layer and the design of the helmet will all affect the safety of the helmet, and the safety of the helmet cannot be judged solely by the material of the shell.
Of course, in some large motorcycle events (such as MOTOGP ), composite fiber helmets are still used. After all, the speed is very fast, and the helmets are certified for related events. But for our daily riding, there is not much difference between composite fiber and ABS materials. It depends more on the price, brand, quality, etc. of the helmet. It is best not to buy a helmet that is too cheap, as it is very unsafe. For novices, it is better to choose a helmet that costs more than 400 yuan.
Let me add one more thing here. As we all know, carbon fiber is only one color in China (joking). Those carbon fiber with a price tag of several hundred are basically fake. If you want to buy a carbon fiber helmet, you need to carefully distinguish whether it is real carbon fiber.
- What are the safety certifications for motorcycle helmets?
On the back of the helmet, you can usually see words such as " DOT , ECE , CCC, SHARP, SNELL …" These are the safety certifications of the helmets. Each country has a safety certification standard for helmets, and only when they meet this standard are they allowed to be sold in the country.
