MIPS Helmets Take Top 4 Spots in Latest Virginia Tech Rankings
The latest Virginia Tech helmet safety rankings have been released and MIPS equipped helmets have claimed the top four spots.
The latest rankings score Bontrager's MIPS equipped Rally helmet as the safest tested followed by the Troy Lee A2 MIPS , the Lazer Century MIPS and the Lazer Cyclone MIPS - the winner from the last round of tests. The Bontrager Specter Wavecel is the next safest helmet, however this is a road focussed helmet; the highest-ranking mountain bike helmet without MIPS is the POC Tectal Race that uses POC's (soon to be discontinued) proprietary Spin system.
The top four helmets from the latest Virginia Tech rankings. N.B a lower score equals a safer helmet.
2019 saw a battle of rotational protection systems as Bontrager's Wavecel was released to claims that it was 48 times more effective than EPS foam at preventing concussions and that it prevented concussions 99 times out of 100. In April, Virginia Tech ranked the Bontrager Specter Wavecel as the safest helmet, but its rankings from May and the latest results posted yesterday have MIPS helmets back on top in terms of safety.
Of the 29 helmets that scored five stars out of five, 24 had MIPS with Wavecel and Spin making up the rest of the spots. However, with only Bontrager helmets able to use Wavecel and only POC helmets able to use Spin, these results may be more skewed than they first seem. All 29 high ranking helmets had some form of rotational protection. The highest-ranking mountain bike helmet without rotational protection was the POC Tectal that scored 4 stars out of 5.
Virginia Tech's ranking prioritizes concussion reduction and is formulated using a drop test that measures a helmet's ability to reduce linear acceleration and rotational velocity of the head. Some helmet manufacturers have grumbled that this doesn't paint a full picture of a helmet's efficacy but Virginia Tech is certainly the most prominent independent body that tests the safety of bicycle helmets. Virginia Tech recommends any helmet that scores 4 or 5 stars.
Read the full rankings here.
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His name...NUMBER 2!!
@David-S:
Safety should not primarily be a question of wealth! Particularly because younger riders may simply not have the money for either expensive helmets nor expensive bottlecages.
apps.es.vt.edu/onlinegiving/gift?giftDetail.supportAreaID=GTEN&giftDetail.fundCode=821082&giftDetail.fundName=Other&giftDetail.customFundName=Helmet%20Lab%20Research%20Account%20875399
This seems important because how the helmet is attached to our heads has a great deal to do with rotational impact. A loosely attached helmet could provide benefits similar to MIPS. If helmets are fixed against the headform during testing, it would overstate the benefit of MIPS.
Once again I find myself in the ironic position of being in favor of playing it safe (I look like robocop at the bike park); but i'm also skeptical of the data we have available so far on bike helmet safety. For the record, i'm arguing in favor of science, not against science. MIPS is probably a good thing, perhaps even a great thing. The same is probably true of neck braces, maybe. But so far I've yet to see data that bears out these assumptions of mine.
The two articles linked below mention the testing and certification. Plus there are Youtube videos showing the testing. So all of the DH certified or Enduro helmets are passing these tests but nothing like the VT ranking that I am aware of.
www.bikeradar.com/news/met-parachute-mcr-helmet
reviews.mtbr.com/five-new-enduro-ready-helmets-with-removable-chinbars
#plug #pleasehireme
SHAKE YO ASSES IN THE OFFICE BOYS AND GET THEM TO US HUNGRY PUNTERS
THAT'S ALL
It's also good to see a variety of companies pushing the tech to reduce the rate of concussion or serious head injuries, we can only hope that it leads to a safer sport for us all.
I understand that they said they recommend helmets with a 4 or 5 star rating and to take into consideration cost, fit, and comfort, but what is the difference between a 9.3 and 11.2 score, and do those values relate to "real-world" differences?
What I'm getting at is everyone will look at the results, and pick #1. But are all 4 and 5 star ratings virtually identical? And if not, why?
Same location, same speed, same line, same impact location on the helmet... I actually felt nothing and the helmet has no sign of damage. Needless to say I'm pretty stoked about that helmet... and I won't try that line again.
I'm sold on the tech. And the A2 actually has considerably more movement through the mips layer under pressure than the A1 ever had, so no, the scalp doesn't do anything comparable.
Basically, from what I understand, they give an important value to the rotational velocity (not acceleration) into the rating's calculation.
I do agree with most people here, that MIPS may help prevent injuries, but the study is based on football helmet studies : i.e. firmly in place on our head, using chin-strap on an open-face motorcycle-type helmet, hitting the tarmac ... and not a loosely bond helmet on top of hairy heads (well, at least for some of us) hitting dirt and grass.
Science really is dead.
Really like the sound of what they're trying to do but doesn't seem to be borne out by these results?
Nevertheless Rally MIPS is really great helmet, especially considering the price.
Based on my past girl friends this saying can't be farther from the truth.
No where in the description is the super cool magnetically attached / break-away go-pro mount mentioned. This is super cool and means I can easily attach and remove my light with out leaving a stupid mount attached via straps to my helmet. And in the event of a crash, the light mount will separate and not negate the anti rotation provided by the MIPS. Unfortunately it's located too far forward on the helmet and not balanced over the centerpoint of your head when in the riding position. You can feel the weight of the light wanting to rotate your head forward. Also for my Niterider Lumina style lights, you can't aim the beam far enough forward. I had to modify the light attachment so it would point out and not at the ground. Moving the light mount to the rear vent would solve both of these problems.
I have not figured out a way to stash sunglasses in the vents. Neither front or rear, or upside down glasses seems to work. This should be a standard helmet feature.
I sweat profusely from my head. No fault of the helmet (i think?). But when I lean forward and squeeze the helmet against my head to drain sweat from the pads, rather than a river of sweat dripping to the ground from the helmet, I get a river of sweat running down my nose to the ground. Which is grosser than the already gross river of sweat. This seams to be a function of the MIPS insert maybe? If I lean way, WAY forward I can get the river to separate from the helmet, but I can't do this while pedaling on the bike. Which is unfortunate and something I could do with my old helmet.
But it was cheap.
Safe answer in the absence of more compelling evidence, where the choice is between saving $10-20 on your next helmet and measurably reducing the force transferred to your head in a crash, is to go MIPS.
Conversely, they could build you a helmet engineered for just about every possible impact but you’ll look like Rick Moranis in Spaceballs. Point being that your helmet likely did its job and may have saved you from a more severe injury or even death.
That said, concussions are no joke and I’m really sorry to hear about your accident. Take good care of yourself and heal up!