Joy Beeson wrote:
>
> Upon reading that Giro helmets are being boycotted by nutcases,
Where did you see that?
> logged into DuckDuckGo to see whether any of their models would suit
> me when I replace my current foam hat. A cursory glance at Giro's Web
> site showed a bunch of pictures of helmets with the chin straps
> carefully folded out of sight (And what's this nonsense about "men's
> helmets" and "women's helmets"? Men's and women's feet are different
> shapes, but a head is a head.)
Objectively, they're the same, but probably some styling differences, to
facilitate women that are explicitly asking for women's helmets.
> So I substituted <"D-Ring"> for <Giro> in the search bar. And got
> page after page of *motorcycle* helmets. Ayup, when a helmet is
> seriously intended to prevent injury, it isn't fastened on with a
> flimsy, unreliable "parachute buckle" that can't be adjusted with the
> hat on your head.
That's a serious issue with helmets -- if they're not worn correctly,
they're useless, and maybe even worse, as they can give the people who
wear them a false sense of protection. Among casual riders, I find it
remarkably common to see helmets that are worn on the back of the head,
with loose straps. When I'm working with somebody on helmet fit, I
usually gently push on the front of the helmet with the heel of my hand,
and if the helmet pushes back over the head, it's too loose. Somehow
people don't get that it's the face that's the most vulnerable, and not
the top of the head. Far more likely to do a face-plant than it is to
have something dropped from above.
> I did find that my local bike shop carries Giro Helmets. Of course,
> the same page said that they are available at a shop that closed ten
> years ago.
That's common with a lot of vendors, not just cycling gear. The people
who maintain the web sites for manufacturers and distributors often
don't get updated data of who their retailers are.
Smith