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Arai

Bikael Molton

Bikael Molton

goofy for life
Jun 9, 2003
4,022
1,154
El Lay
I recently got my first Arai helmet for dual sport riding. The fit, finish and overall quality is pretty amazing compared to any helmet I've owned.

I'm wondering if anyone uses an Arai MX helmet for Dh. They aren't the lightest, but the theory behind their designs makes sense to me. I have my eye on the new one, though haven't seen it in person since it's not out yet. If I buy it for off-road, I'd like to also use it on the bicycle. My Fox V3R has fit me very well and I'm otherwise very happy with it... But it's at the opposite end of the weight spectrum from Arai.



 
doc gravity

doc gravity

Monkey
Oct 25, 2004
152
0
highlands ranch, CO
I'm old and slow, and I value my brain and have to be able to get to work on monday. So I love them, they're heavy and hot but the protection can't be beaten. I'm probably in the minority around here using one. A light lid might very well do just fine for all but the most major of crashes.
 
B

beachbum

Chimp
Feb 19, 2007
90
0
coastal nc
I've run the TLD moto for 4-5 years, the extra padding is worth the weight. But I also have to get to work and am old (er) and slow
 
Y

yetihenry

Monkey
Aug 9, 2009
241
1
Whistler, BC
Moto helmets are designed for much higher impacts than an MTB helmet. Therefore you may not receive adequate protection for lower speed crashes, and are more likely to get that concussion that means you probably shouldn't be driving home/to work the next morning (just one example).

Use a helmet for it's intended use, the quality of DH helmets, passing and exceeding standards like ASTM 1952 these days is amazing. Trust the guys who's job it is to make that as safe as possible for downhill riding, and don't just say "feels safer" because it's bigger and heavier.

I'm not old, and don't work on Mondays, but hopefully that doesn't make it any less valid.
 
gemini2k

gemini2k

Turbo Monkey
Jul 31, 2005
3,526
117
San Francisco
^^ Yep, that's why you see so many moto guys getting concussions at low speed impacts, and not high speed impacts. Totally, that's what I see all the time. Definitely the empirical evidence.
 
HardtailHack

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,727
5,609
The finish on that thing is what you would consider good? I know it's not something you guys care about but that is one of the tackiest looking helmets I have ever seen!

If my head is sliding over stuff the last thing I want is a bunch of bits on the outside to make it more likely to snag a rock or root. I had a Kali Avatar and a slight knock to the head with that thing friggin hurt, it is so damn rigid! I have a Kabuto coming to replace it.
 
Harry BarnOwl

Harry BarnOwl

Monkey
Jul 24, 2008
174
38
^^ Yep, that's why you see so many moto guys getting concussions at low speed impacts, and not high speed impacts. Totally, that's what I see all the time. Definitely the empirical evidence.
Click to expand...
So you're saying your anecdotal evidence is empirical?

This is the way I see it: moto helmets have a much larger amount of energy to dissipate than downhill, due to the larger speeds/heights involved when people crash. Therefore they will deform less readily than a downhill lid relative to the same impact (below a certain benchmark deceleration value). If it doesn't deform to an impact at lower deceleration values, then your brain's going to get rattled about in your skull. Simple as that.

Sure, moto guys will inevitably have lower speed crashes, but their helmets are designed to primarily protect against the life threatening impacts, the majority of which are high speed and high deceleration when you hit the ground. In downhill those life threatening impacts are on average at a lower threshold. Hence the design variation. If there wasn't a need for it then all of those moto helmet companies wouldn't have invested all that R&D in downhill specific lids.
 
goodgrief

goodgrief

Monkey
Aug 13, 2008
104
1
Innerleithen, Scotland
HardtailHack said:
The finish on that thing is what you would consider good? I know it's not something you guys care about but that is one of the tackiest looking helmets I have ever seen!

If my head is sliding over stuff the last thing I want is a bunch of bits on the outside to make it more likely to snag a rock or root. I had a Kali Avatar and a slight knock to the head with that thing friggin hurt, it is so damn rigid! I have a Kabuto coming to replace it.
Click to expand...

You've had a Kali then you know what poor finish is like, I've had two avatars and they're built like **** but the shell tech makes them extremely good at absorbing impacts. The shell is one of the more compliant on the market, hold it in your hand and feel how much it flexes! Having a crash and saying it hurt just makes you sound dumb. It's expected, don't crash so much! The Kubuto is a much more rigid lid than the Avatar and not nearly as comfortable, good luck with that one.
 
S

StabprimoMonkee

Monkey
Aug 4, 2008
328
4
Kali helmets are piece of ****, my mate destroyed two Kalis last year and one of the crashes will left him marked for life.

I wouldn't use Kali helmet to protect a loaf of bread. Piece of ****.
 
Last edited:
jonKranked

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,859
24,453
media blackout
yetihenry said:
Moto helmets are designed for much higher impacts than an MTB helmet. Therefore you may not receive adequate protection for lower speed crashes, and are more likely to get that concussion that means you probably shouldn't be driving home/to work the next morning (just one example).

Use a helmet for it's intended use, the quality of DH helmets, passing and exceeding standards like ASTM 1952 these days is amazing. Trust the guys who's job it is to make that as safe as possible for downhill riding, and don't just say "feels safer" because it's bigger and heavier.

I'm not old, and don't work on Mondays, but hopefully that doesn't make it any less valid.
Click to expand...
gemini2k said:
^^ Yep, that's why you see so many moto guys getting concussions at low speed impacts, and not high speed impacts. Totally, that's what I see all the time. Definitely the empirical evidence.
Click to expand...
Harry BarnOwl said:
So you're saying your anecdotal evidence is empirical?

This is the way I see it: moto helmets have a much larger amount of energy to dissipate than downhill, due to the larger speeds/heights involved when people crash. Therefore they will deform less readily than a downhill lid relative to the same impact (below a certain benchmark deceleration value). If it doesn't deform to an impact at lower deceleration values, then your brain's going to get rattled about in your skull. Simple as that.

Sure, moto guys will inevitably have lower speed crashes, but their helmets are designed to primarily protect against the life threatening impacts, the majority of which are high speed and high deceleration when you hit the ground. In downhill those life threatening impacts are on average at a lower threshold. Hence the design variation. If there wasn't a need for it then all of those moto helmet companies wouldn't have invested all that R&D in downhill specific lids.
Click to expand...
here we go again
 
HardtailHack

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,727
5,609
goodgrief said:
You've had a Kali then you know what poor finish is like, I've had two avatars and they're built like **** but the shell tech makes them extremely good at absorbing impacts. The shell is one of the more compliant on the market, hold it in your hand and feel how much it flexes! Having a crash and saying it hurt just makes you sound dumb. It's expected, don't crash so much! The Kubuto is a much more rigid lid than the Avatar and not nearly as comfortable, good luck with that one.
Click to expand...
The build wasn't great but it didn't seem to effect the safety in any way, just blocked air vents and rubber bits that fell off. I went from a THE carbon to the Avatar and to me having the foam bonded to the shell seemed(very subjective I know) to transmit a lot more force to the head.
I think the dodgy hot glue construction of the THE allowed the shell to flex on impact and a smaller section of foam is then compressed by the head to begin with and as that crushes the load would spread. As pointed out I am a dumb Australian so all of this is probably nonsense. In my Kali I hit hard enough to knock a filling out of a tooth and the helmet just has a scuff mark, the THE foam liner was so compressed it just flopped around in the helmet.
 
S

sbabuser

Turbo Monkey
Dec 22, 2004
1,114
55
Golden, CO
I feel sorry for all those slow beginner mx riders, who must be getting tons of concussions as they fall all the time, but aren't going fast enough to adequately engage their safety gear. How does anyone last long enough to get good?
 
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