Bike helmet purchase options :- Retro grouch or do I have a point?

[open roader]

As a road cyclist, being highly visible is a tier one priority for me.

I ride exclusively on rural roads with traffic typically whizzing past my right elbow at 80 to 100km/hr so I've always made a point of wearing attire I consider the highest possible visibility without me looking like I'm a road worker on wheels. I always ride with ultra bright daytime running flasher lights and always wear yellow jerseys and yellow shoes - I'd much rather be mocked and abused by passing traffic than not being seen until it's too late or not seen at all.

I consider high viz / fluro yellow / day glow yellow to be the best colour for a helmet in overcast conditions, however, I consider safety yellow / canary yellow to be the best colour for visibility in bright sunny conditions. Anecdotally, my local friends, my employers and workmates, local school bus drivers, etc see me riding around our area and agree with me that safety yellow works better in blazing sunshine than fluro yellow.

Subjectively, and all of my rant is purely subjective although based upon what I think is rational thought. Fact :- I feel safer being able to choose a canary yellow helmet when it's bright sunshine or use my fluro yellow helmet when it's overcast. I've been riding like this for the past 2 decades and I want to keep it this way.

I was rinsing my current canary yellow Met Stradivarius helmet and was horrified to see the date of manufacture was Oct 2009! I know it's highly recommend to change out helmets every 5-ish years. So my beloved met helmet is only potentially 8 years out of date!

The crux :- There is a damn scarcity of decent road helmets avail. to purchase in Australia offered in plain safety yellow - a veritable cornucopia of fluro offerings but barely anything in plain old school yellow. As a stinking X entitled capitalist consumer I demand some more helmet offerings in plain safety yellow! But it ain't going to happen anytime soon sunshine as it seems I'm now just a retro grouch and need to learn to appreciate a plethora of contemporary helmet colours which to me blend into the particular landscape that I'm riding through and really do not further my cause to be seen.

After a suitable period of contemplation I see that I a few options :-

1) Do nothing and continue to ride with my 2009 met helmet which I have used sparingly, kept clean, stored indoors away from any light and replaced the pad set so it's still as comfortable as a new helmet

2) Try to import in Australia a yellow helmet from overseas ( a few more options avail internationally) despite that fact that the helmet will be illegal as it does not carry a mandated AU/NZ safety standards sticker

3) Ride with a white helmet which I think defeats the purpose as it's just blends into overcast skies somewhat and/or considerably

4) Paint a new (white) helmet with yellow paint of my choosing. I've researched this quite a bit. I understand I'll have to cover the polystyrene shell with a special styrene neutral prep. primer that seals the polystyrene from the paint and I'm silly enough to pay twice ie) buy the helmet and pay my local spray painter to do the requisite work for me.

Any other thoughts? I am just a retro grouch or is the world kinda going crazy a little bit at a time?

[Nobody]

I'd go option 1, since I'm probably doing similar currently. It's legal. Only replace it if you need to. Think of the benefit to the environment.

[CmdrBiggles]

As a road cyclist, being highly visible is a tier one priority for me.

Yes, it is to me, too, and doubtless others too!

( I have objected elsewhere at the gravel-griding show-ponies riding at speed through the Otways (Benwerrin-Mount Sabin Road) at times of poor visibility (fog, rain) wearing nothing but all black: no lights, nothing to warn of their presence nor their approach, literally bats out of hell with no care for anybody else also using these hazardous roads. There will be a casualty. )

Meanwhile, there are many ways of being seen. A "Roadworker on wheels" is a fun term, and may hold true for some who go overtop with so much colour they look akin to a float entry into the Broken Heel Festival! Also, noting your comment, it may not be a rule, but I thought helmets should, on recommendation of manufacturer, be replaced every 5 years, or after three hard knocks. Helmet shell 'primary impact' material is said to degrade with prolonged exposure to strong sunlight. If you can see the deleterious effect on plastic car trim from leaving the car in the scorching heat of summer over e.g. 2-3 years, you can get an idea of potentially the deleterious effect on a bike helmets!

My previous helmet, for MTBing and city riding was a Bell Cazar (grey). The internal lining parted company with the shell, so it went to the tip. Now, it's a simple fluoro yellow-greenish Bontrager Solstice ($65) with a front visor (I change from road to MTB and vv). Add to that, my 2015-vintage North Wave SPD shoes are the same colour (with reflective piping). Until it recently got a bit too chilly, I was regularly wearing a short-sleeved Netti jersey in fluoro yellow — now subbed-out with a white long-sleeved BodyGlove surf-life skin-shirt, over which is a red front/safety orange rear (witch's hat colour) vest — a Cinelli Rosso Corsa Perfetto Goretex windbreaker — something that is surprisingly retina-burning bright in daylight! My brother said, "you look like a witch's hat on roller casters!". <*slap*>. All up, I consider I am very visible. A very bright pulse/flash front light and 400 lumen rear light finishes up, daytime, early morning and evening. Dark, rural roads are inherently hazardous, with local drivers at night (e.g. Friday, Saturday nights) often boozed up, speeding, inattentive, wandering. It's a risk you take as a cyclist, irrespective of how visible you can be, or believe you are: a grogged (and/or drugged), dazzled, half-asleep erratic at 100km/h+ on a dark rural road is literally a cruise missile with your name on it.

Re importing: can you actually import a helmet from overseas if it doesn't carry the Australian Standard sticker?
Bit of an odd-man-out there. Tents, sleeping bags, mats, stoves, car bits, bike bits, etc., etc., yes, but...bike helmets??

Keep looking. Far and wide. Bontrager, Lazer, Bell...others too (e.g. Oakley, if you can swallow their thermonuclear prices!) have yellow, orange, red, blue, green, black, white, grey (and pink...) helmets... a veritable liquorice all-sorts, maybe...just maybe, one in the fluoro colour (or a complimentary colour...) you are after.

[grump]

You make a point of riding with lights, a visible jersey, and visible shoes.

Although I realise the helmet does contribute to your visibility on-road, is the difference significant enough to matter? Or (to ask another way) if the helmet isn't the right colour, can you tweak other aspects of your gear or clothing to make up for it?

After all, the goal is to be seen, not just to maximise visibility of your helmet.

Retro grouch or not, I think more cyclists need to think as carefully as you have about their visibility when out riding.

[Thoglette]

Any other thoughts?

Yup. Several. But only two are helpful.

1. I use reflective tape. A lot. There's a range of types, with the yellow stuff used on-site vehicles being the n'est plus ultra.
2. Get the helmet "wrapped". As in: car wrap. 3M make lots of colours. They have a bright yellow.

[Mozziediver]

3M highly reflective tape +1

[open roader]

I admit a safety yellow helmet is somewhat psychosomatic and most definitely a security blanket that I've had for the past 25 years. I don't like the concept of not having it avail. to me - maybe even a superstition.

I have a cycling friend who tells me to just buy a red one and get on with it - he rides in red helmets and says for rural landscapes they are plenty visible. I am fixated with yellow - only because I know it works - car loads of abusive hoons mocking my 'stack hat' is something I've learned to quietly be grateful for.

Importing a helmet - some overseas stores will willingly sell you a non compliant AU/NZ standard helmet, some have a sales block on helmets.

Agreed - I can be lit up like a Christmas tree and it only takes one inattentive arsehole for what ever reason to wipe me out but that is indeed a risk I'm clearly aware of and prepared to take.

Wrapping a helmet - now there is an idea I've not considered.............

[g-boaf]

Some helmets actually have highly reflective elements built into them. My old POC Octal (Garminium Blue - aka Team Garmin) had the black section at the back light up extremely bright and highly reflective whenever any light hit it.

Do your research and checks, you might be surprised.


Otherwise someone might still have a pristine Rosebank Stackhat for sale....

[bychosis]

Didn't they change the rules so that OS compliant helmets are permitted now?

[g-boaf]

Didn't they change the rules so that OS compliant helmets are permitted now?

I thought that change was mooted, but not yet in force.

Side note, I see a retro rider frequently who does no helmet, retro road-bike, retro cycling cap, the full retro look. Different.

[warthog1]

I admit a safety yellow helmet is somewhat psychosomatic and most definitely a security blanket that I've had for the past 25 years. I don't like the concept of not having it avail. to me - maybe even a superstition.

I have a cycling friend who tells me to just buy a red one and get on with it - he rides in red helmets and says for rural landscapes they are plenty visible. I am fixated with yellow - only because I know it works - car loads of abusive hoons mocking my 'stack hat' is something I've learned to quietly be grateful for.

Importing a helmet - some overseas stores will willingly sell you a non compliant AU/NZ standard helmet, some have a sales block on helmets.

Agreed - I can be lit up like a Christmas tree and it only takes one inattentive arsehole for what ever reason to wipe me out but that is indeed a risk I'm clearly aware of and prepared to take.

Wrapping a helmet - now there is an idea I've not considered.............

I've got a red one and a white one.
I think the clothing is far more important.
Can't believe the number of roadies I see wearing black jerseys or jackets.
A colour than has zero contrast with the road when viewed from behind. What could go wrong?
I also use a garmin varia radar/light on the rear. It flashes faster when vehicles approach and I am
aware of their presence. Flashing light on the front too.

[CmdrBiggles]

Some helmets actually have highly reflective elements built into them. My old POC Octal (Garminium Blue - aka Team Garmin) had the black section at the back light up extremely bright and highly reflective whenever any light hit it.

Do your research and checks, you might be surprised.


Otherwise someone might still have a pristine Rosebank Stackhat for sale....

Pretty much all helmets have reflective detailing on them.

As for the Rosebank Stackhat, that little chestnut was quite a hoot way back then, making its debut in the inaugural Great Victorian Bike Ride (Nov-Dec 1984), along with the more popular bright yellow, red-striped Guardian helmets. We added prismatic/reflective tape (yellow, green, blue and red!), along with the regulatory club sticker on the back "You are passing a Patched Eebie!" (Eebie=member of Eastern Bicycle Touring Club, fierce rivals to Melbourne Bicycle Touring Club,whose tyres were frequently let down and chains we delighted in unlinking...). It was hot, heavy and felt more akin to an oversize puddin' bowl strapped on the head.Mind you some witty touring cyclists of the day lined the interior of the skid lid with plastic wrap and filled it with brekky cereal! I cannot recall what the kerfuffle was about getting the Rosebank Stackhat to the market; it wasn't a smooth entry and there were bust-ups aplenty; might have been something about not meeting the standard at the time, the material or the design — maybe all that and more.

Hairnet helmets can be seen often amongst the Fitzroy-Fixie set hipsters of Fitzroy, Collingwood and Northcote (on skateboards, sedgways, unicycles and even horses for the well-heeled hipsters!). They were still common the last time I rode from Melbourne (State Library) to Charing Cross Bendigo and return on the Bendigo Double Century in 1985. But in Hipsterville, change is slow,if change happens at all; for the bohemians, hairnets never went out of style.

[Mr Purple]

Didn't they change the rules so that OS compliant helmets are permitted now?

Yes, they have.

https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/minis ... e-industry

I believe we can officially use any approved helmets now.

[P!N20]

Hairnet helmets can be seen often amongst the Fitzroy-Fixie set hipsters of Fitzroy, Collingwood and Northcote (on skateboards, sedgways, unicycles and even horses for the well-heeled hipsters!). They were still common the last time I rode from Melbourne (State Library) to Charing Cross Bendigo and return on the Bendigo Double Century in 1985. But in Hipsterville, change is slow,if change happens at all; for the bohemians, hairnets never went out of style.

Not sure what that's got to do with yellow helmets, but I've lived and cycled in 'Hipsterville' since the mid-2000's and have never seen anyone wearing a hairnet helmet while cycling or anything else for that matter. Not even at retro cycling events where cosplay is on full display. Skateboarders don't wear helmets at all unless they're young enough to listen to their parents or riding vert ramps. But just to clarify, this is a hairnet helmet:

[CmdrBiggles]

Hairnet helmets can be seen often amongst the Fitzroy-Fixie set hipsters of Fitzroy, Collingwood and Northcote (on skateboards, sedgways, unicycles and even horses for the well-heeled hipsters!). They were still common the last time I rode from Melbourne (State Library) to Charing Cross Bendigo and return on the Bendigo Double Century in 1985. But in Hipsterville, change is slow,if change happens at all; for the bohemians, hairnets never went out of style.

Not sure what that's got to do with yellow helmets, but I've lived and cycled in 'Hipsterville' since the mid-2000's and have never seen anyone wearing a hairnet helmet while cycling or anything else for that matter. Not even at retro cycling events where cosplay is on full display. Skateboarders don't wear helmets at all unless they're young enough to listen to their parents or riding vert ramps. But just to clarify, this is a hairnet helmet:

They are there. Moore Street (a middle-aged woman on a pink step-through bike with a bright green basket on the front, a frequent visitor to My Beautiful Laundrette), Gore Street (rider on a fixie), Smith Street...Wellington Street (two), even outside St Vincent's Hospital (28th February).
I can assure you I have seen plenty, perhaps not so many in Northcote, but most certainly they have a presence. I wouldn't think they are legal, but for migrants, it might be all they can afford (or are comfortable with).|

Skateboarders can wear helmets if they wish; they're wearing them at the skatepark I have just walked past (and they are secondary-aged kids).

Yes, your pic matches hairnets, some with more than that many ribs. The hairnet helmets on the Bendigo Double Century in 1985 had 6 ribs, added fluoro tape (which wasn't very sticky back then) and the longest trailing mullets in cycledom. The grainy video of that ride shows a rider holding on to the back of a Corolla belting along Lancefield-Romsey Road at 80km/h (!).

[P!N20]

but for migrants, it might be all they can afford (or are comfortable with).

Uh-huh. So tell me, where do migrant workers buy all these cheap hairnet helmets?

Back to yellow helmets, is this one too fluoro or not fluoro enough? https://www.pushys.com.au/kask-mojito-3 ... lsrc=aw.ds

[CmdrBiggles]

but for migrants, it might be all they can afford (or are comfortable with).

Uh-huh. So tell me, where do migrant workers buy all these cheap hairnet helmets?

[...]


可能是维多利亚市场。

Kěnéng shì wéiduōlìyǎ shìchǎng

Có thể là chợ Victoria.

Margadh Victoria b’fhéidir.

My Bonty helmet, though in-the-flesh, it is much, much brighter than the pic shown!
https://www.trekbikes.com/au/en_AU/equi ... lsrc=aw.ds

[P!N20]

The Vic Market has cheap hairnet helmets do they? Please, tell me which stall I need to go to to purchase one myself.

[CmdrBiggles]

From elementary Q&A with one of the clients, yes. Op shops too.For who and where at the market, in what is the new (and somewhat objectionable) layout, that would be a walk through job for you: my business is in Gertrude and Gore Street
(inducting migrant students in vocational art activity testing), not North Melbourne. (I will be working in Fairfield and Fitzroy tomorrow and Sunday).
* * * * *
(AT) open roader
Loud (or at least "highly visible"!) yellow helmets can be viewed at Cecil Walker Cycles in Melbourne CBD, Prahran Bicycle Centre, Fitzroy Cycles and Melbourne Bicycle Centre (Clifton Hill) .
In Geelong, DeGrandi, Hendry and MyRide.

Mulling over your initial wish list (which I do not believe to be 'retro grouch' ), what do you think about mixing and matching bright hi-viz threads with another, contrasting colour helmet (red, white, blue or green or whatever)? A helmet in a different colour in a sea of yellow will have pretty much zero detrimental influence on visibility, when a lot (as we all know) depends on whether the people driving cars and trucks behind you can see anything at all in their wobbly or drugged up - - or just plain inattentive state! We can be a colourful lot of wheeled minstrels: going the bold and beautiful route of decking yourself out in retina-burning fluoro, twinkling lights and tinsel, but still getting skittled by a loony driver who says, "sorry mate, I didn't see you...".

Or a more extreme measure...
Find out what it's like to really get their attention, by riding au naturel in the World Naked Bike Ride, with CAN YOU SEE ME NOW!!? scrawled across a bare back!
(Just steer clear of the tramlines if you do go on a skinny roadie! )

[open roader]

For interest's sake, this past weekend I photographed both yellow and fluoro helmets side by side in both full overcast and bright sunshine weather.

I'm correct in that the yellow helmet is brighter than the fluoro in bright sunshine but I also think I'm getting a bit precious as the fluoro helmet is still very visible in blazing sun.

As I intend to always ride with bright yellow or fluoro coloured jerseys, combined with yellow or fluoro shoes and gloves the helmet colour is not as critical as I had it in my mind's eye............

Maybe time to choose a RED helmet?

[g-boaf]

POC has a fairly bright coloured helmet too:

https://au.pocsports.com/collections/cy ... 1583100085
https://au.pocsports.com/collections/cy ... 5301990581

Fluorescent Orange AVIP.

But they are both modern lookings helmet so might not fit retro-grouch requirements.

Both are excellent comfortable helmets to wear.

[Tim]

Maybe time to choose a RED helmet?

In a rural setting with green or dry yellow paddocks as a backdrop, I've noticed that from a distance the most visible cyclists are those dressed in red. They stand out more obviously than their mates in high-viz yellow or green.
Quite often I wear a red jacket or jersey.
However, someone on this forum in a similar discussion years ago mentioned that for certain types of colour blindness red just appears as a drab brown.
So maybe not the best choice of colour.

[Andy01]

Some research I did after being flattened by a SUV seemed to suggest that orange was better than either yellow or red for visibility because it generally "blended" less with the surrounds - but that probably depends on the surrounds.

Since 2021 I have been using a bright (sea rescue) orange T shirt or jumper and equally bright orange Met Echo MTB helmet. I also have a 400 lumen front flashing light and 200 lumen rear flashing light (I only ride in daytime).

Several times since 2021 I have cars almost flatten me - the favourite being at a small traffic circle near my house where many cars just simply don't seem to see that I am already in the circle, and they sail past my front wheel (the closest being about 2m) as if I wasn't there.

So, I am of the opinion that while I still think that wearing brightly coloured clothes & helmet is important for visibility, if one of these dingbats isn't going to see you when 5m in front of them wearing bright clothes with bright lights flashing, then they just are not going to see you (unless your bikes is equipped with emergency vehicle lights & sirens) - so the exact shade of the bright colour probably isn't going to make much difference.

I just had a quick look at 99Bikes & Pushys to see if they have a road equivalent of my Met Echo in orange, they don't even have an orange Met Echo MTB helmet any more. There are several options of orange, yellow & red helmets under the $230 mark (and several over that) - Kask, in particular has a few options.

[g-boaf]

I just had a quick look at 99Bikes & Pushys to see if they have a road equivalent of my Met Echo in orange, they don't even have an orange Met Echo MTB helmet any more. There are several options of orange, yellow & red helmets under the $230 mark (and several over that) - Kask, in particular has a few options.

POC above? Only slightly above $230 and they are both fluoro orange.

Le Col had some bright coloured orange jerseys - I have one of them (it's for summer riding only). Also have some pretty bright gilets as well:

https://lecol.cc/en-au/products/sport-g ... 1877636159

I recommend their jerseys but not the shorts (which just don't last).

[CmdrBiggles]

For interest's sake, this past weekend I photographed both yellow and fluoro helmets side by side in both full overcast and bright sunshine weather.

I'm correct in that the yellow helmet is brighter than the fluoro in bright sunshine but I also think I'm getting a bit precious as the fluoro helmet is still very visible in blazing sun.

As I intend to always ride with bright yellow or fluoro coloured jerseys, combined with yellow or fluoro shoes and gloves the helmet colour is not as critical as I had it in my mind's eye............

Maybe time to choose a RED helmet?

That fluoro greenish helmet on the left is the real winner I reckon; it is closest in appearance to my Bonty. Don't see many fluoro orange-red helmets e.g. like my retina-burning orange-red Cinelli Perfetto windbreaker vest. In my long-haul bicycle touring days (1981-1998) I rode for many thousands of kms under black or white Bell helmets post-Guardian/Rosebank. Guardian had the right idea from the get-go with yellow helmets and reflective details; Rosebank— not so good visibility wise. We are spoilt for choice now.

Your last comment about red holds true; good choice really, it won't make any difference to visibility when the rest of you is standing out like a proverbial sore thumb in a sea of archetypal Otways hinterland green!

If you're based in Birregurra,I can identify with many roads around there, one in particular — Birre' to Forrest via Barwon Downs; I don't know about you, but that is hairy enough at times by car (idiots overtaking on double lines...sound familiar??), never mind what it might be like for cyclists — and I have no recollection of seeing cyclists along that road. Birre' to Lorne is a classic I have done a few times many years ago (14+ years?). It's on my radar to complete this route in the coming Spring.

I might get a pair fluoro yellow gloves; Pearl Izumi has several. Will be plenty opportunity to try them out in the coming rain and general grey gloom from tomorrow...