Has anyone wrapped their helmet?

[MrSimmo]

I've got a full face helmet in black and thought it would be good to wrap it so its a little different.

Has anyone wrapped their helmet, and if so, who did you buy the wrap from?


Cheers

 

[Dax]

They’re designed to break, so anything that changes how they break in an impact is a bad plan. Places will custom paint it for you like the pros do.

 

[steve_sordy]

What @Dax said.

I have broken every helmet I have ever owned except the two I have now. I will break them too.
One helmet just delaminated from all the minor impacts with tree branches and general rough handling.
Helmets are sacrificial elements designed to protect you from drooling the rest of your life. Don't mess with it!

 

[MrSimmo]

Thats a really good point, I didnt think of that!

Ok plan b, painting !


Thanks both

 

[p3eps]

In the offshore industry, you're not allowed to put stickers on your helmet - as the glue / adhesive can have adverse effects on the construction of the helmet. Some stickers are approved.

I guess painting would be the same - that there may be different chemicals in the paints that can potentially weaken them.

I used to always stick stickers on my snowboard helmet... but haven't done it since!!

 

[RustyIron]

The other problem with stickers is that they can obscure damage.

 

[Stihldog]

I would think that a GoPro or a camera mounted to any part of the helmet could be considered a modification also.

On some of my helmets a mount is provided for helmet top mount or chin guard mount. These could be considered a helmet modification.

Edit; it’s also my understanding that most helmets have a shelf life. Adding adhesive’s or paint to the shell may reduce your helmet’s shelf life.

Also, a direct impact to a fixed mount or camera may not distribute the forces around the helmet. I believe that most helmets are tested without modifications or cameras attached.

 

[steve_sordy]

................

Also, a direct impact to a fixed mount or camera may not distribute the forces around the helmet. I believe that most helmets are tested without modifications or cameras attached.

I agree. But despite that many helmets come with the fittings to add a camera; my Bell Super 3R for example.
I don't have a camera so that was an easy decision.

 

[Mr Tonka]

I'm sure this will be an unpopular opinion....

Yes, I have a full face wrapped helmet and my half shell is partially wrapped. The most important aspect of a helmet is the interior foam and if the helmet is equipped with it, some form of rotation device to slow down a twist on impact. (MIPS, Spin, etc..)

Helmets are not designed to break, they are designed to crush, specifically the foam under the outer hard shell. That foam is what decreases the G-force during an impact by slowing the sudden stop of a head during a crash. The reason for replacing a helmet after impact is because the foam on the inside at the impact area has been crushed to some degree and will not offer the same level of protection should another impact occur in that specific area. The shelf life is due to the foam material degradation over time which causes the foam to either crush too easily or not crush as easily upon impact after it's aged a certain amount of time. The outer shel is hard for a reason, to protect from rocks, sticks, etc on impact. It's also harder so it doesn't grab the ground and twist your neck the way naked foam would. The harder outer shell also protects the foam from smaller impacts from drops, bumping around in the back seat, trunk, carry on bag, bike bag, etc...

Obviously I don't have a problem with wearing a wrapped helmet. I have replaced more helmets due to them falling apart than I have from after an impact. After a crash where the helmet has taken a reasonable hit, you should always replace. However, I've crashed where my helmet more or less skidded on the dirt for a brief moment and I didn't replace it. I inspected the impact area, measured the thickness on the impact side vs the other side and there was no difference, so I kept wearing it.

Putting a go pro or any other camera on your helmet is far more risky than a wrap, in my opinion. Heck, helmets that don't have break away visors pose more of a risk than a wrap in my opinion. The wrap won't interfere with the foam under the shell from crushing upon impact. And it's foam which slows down your head movement during an impact to some degree. I personally don't believe my wrap will affect that metric and if it was laboratory tested over and over and proved that it did alter results, I don't believe it would be anything more than an infinitesimally small change.

My 7idP Project 23 Carbon full face is fully wrapped. My POC Tectal Race Spin has the white in the back of the helmet wrapped blue because the gloss black with gloss blue accent color was the best helmet they ever made. LoL

Bottom line is, everyday we weigh the risk vs reward in everything we do, especially as mountain bikers. Every jump, drop, feature, steep section of trail, etc... is it worth the risk to send it? You wearing elbow pads, knee pads, shin guards, chest protector, gloves, full face, back protector and a mouth guard on every ride? Probably not. If a paper thin layer of vinyl on the outer shell of a helmet is too much risk, you should probably just leave it stock. Because I'd guess that whatever microscopic affect vinyl has on a helmet is largely the same as what paint will have on it, pretty much nothing.

I generally don't speak in absolutes, so when I say pretty much nothing it's because I'm not going to discount that there could be a .00001% change in performance due to paint or vinyl. The largest effect I could see vinyl having on a helmet is it may not slide on the ground with the same level of friction a stock outer shell will. But to what degree is the question. Would testing even show a deviation if the helmet has MIPS or SPIN tech inside it? Not sure.

 

[Zed.]

I have thought about hydrodipping but that would coat all surfaces so foam inners through any holes in the shell

I do have a 'spare' (crash-tested) 7idp carbon ff that could be experimented on.....

In the offshore industry, you're not allowed to put stickers on your helmet - as the glue / adhesive can have adverse effects on the construction of the helmet. Some stickers are approved.

^This.

I'm a steelworker (for the moment anyway ) and have always been told to not paint or add stickers to battle-bowlers unless they've been approved

that said, I did spray stripes on a red plastic hardhat in honour of Eddie Van Halen (as did Sram recently)

Rich.

 

[Stihldog]

I think, at least for this sport, looks then comfort then safety, respectively, becomes the deciding factor when purchasing a helmet for ourselves. It should probably be the opposite …but in the real world it’s not.

I’ve been wearing helmets since I was 4 years old (hockey, Montreal Quebec, outdoor rink, it was friggen cold ) and eventually “hard-hats” for my job in the logging industry. Some hard hats were “grandfathered” in for the old-timers but I/we were required to wear approved hard hats (along with other safety features). Things have evolved. Testing, data, science etc, is information that the manufacturers cannot ignore. Hidden deep in the disclaimers of helmet manufacturers is probably something about modifying their product.

Many of us don’t read the fine-print …I don’t. But when I purchase a helmet for my grandchild I try to give them the best possible protection that I reasonably can. For me…not so much. But I understand the risks. Any helmet is better than no helmet.