Tag: helmets

Bauer Plays Ball

BauerThis month it was announced that Easton-Bell Sports will sell its Easton baseball and softball business to Bauer Sports for $330 million. In addition Easton will sell its hockey business to a “third party,” which appears not to be Bauer – an odd decision given that Bauer has been mostly known for its hockey equipment.

Easton-Bell Sports will retain its Bell, Riddell, Giro, Blackburn and Easton Cycling, and will rename itself BRG Sports. Bauer will be acquiring the Easton brand name and will license it back to BRG Sports for use on its cycling and hockey products.

[Via Bicycle Retailer: Easton-Bell Sports sells baseball/softball business to Bauer]

HelmetsLast week ESPN addressed that there are many different safety helmets on the market and these protect the head in very different ways. It is true that a military helmet for example needs to stop bullets whereas a ski helmet is meant to protect the wearer from injury in a crash.

However, in this insightful piece ESPN noted, “(motorsport) racing helmets are designed to redistribute the force of an accident, skiing helmets are designed to prevent skull fractures, and have not been designed with potential brain injuries in mind.”

The article also added, “Brain injuries are not restricted to Formula One, yet the FIA is the governing body that has done the most research on how to reduce the impact of high-impact head injuries on its competitors.”

With this in mind, perhaps it is time that the governing bodies for various sports start to consider the research that other bodies are doing. Thus football – which has only in recent years started to take head injuries seriously – could learn something from motorsport as well as winter sport helmets and so on.

These should all do the same thing at the end of the day, and that is to protect the wearer.

[Via ESPN: In the pursuit of safety]

Get HIP About Head Injuries

HIP-TEC

An active lifestyle can be good for the body – unless of course you fall on your head. Numerous studies have shown the dangers that an impact to the head can have, and HIP-TEC is looking to change the way helmets are made.

HIP-TEC’s research has come about thanks to Nick Turner, a former pro kayaker and founder of WRSI helmets. He is now working to focus exclusively on head injury prevention technology. But HIP-TEC isn’t actually making helmets, and instead is looking to make helmet designs safer.

The company offers a patent pending layered design to lower the amount of G forces to a wearer’s head during an impact. This is accomplished by using all of the layers or just a few depending on the speed of the impact. The result is reportedly a helmet that protects just as well at slow speed as high.

Video and Press Release After the Jump

POC Goes to the Road

POCLast year POC made a big impact with its revolutionary award-winning ski and snowboard helmets and more recently with its mountain bike helmets. This year the company is looking to get on the road with new cycling helmets, apparel and eyewear lines. While snow sports sales now account for 80 percent of POC’s business the company is looking to divide its business between cycling and snow sports – likely to be more of a year round business.

POC will debut its new product lines at this year’s Eurobike and Interbike trade shows.

POC Official Website

Bike Helmet Study Calls on Legislation

HelmetThis week at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual week the importance of bicycle helmets, especially among the youths was addressed in a new study, that showed that there are fewer deaths among riders in states with mandatory helmet laws.

“This study highlights the importance of regulations in the promotion of safe exercise,” said lead author William P. Meehan III, MD, FAAP, director of the Micheli Center for Sports Injury Prevention and the Sports Concussion Clinic at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Meehan and his colleagues analyzed data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System on all U.S. bicyclists younger than 16 years of age who were severely injured or died between January 1999 and December 2009. They compared the injury and death rates in states with mandatory helmet laws to those without. Continue reading Bike Helmet Study Calls on Legislation

U.S. Naval Academy Researchers Look to Improve Brain Buckets

The military has often created new technology that trickles down to everyday products, and now researchers at the U.S. Naval Academy may have paved the wave towards making a more robust helmet. However, this isn’t a military helmet, although there is no reason why their research couldn’t help soldiers on the battlefield, but rather a football helmet.

Physicist Murrary Korman and student Duncan Miller reportedly developed a simple experimental model to study helmet-to-helmet collisions – the types that happen regularly during a football game. The pair were able to get a pair of helmets from the football program and then created a ring of plastic that was just a 16th of an inch and six inches in diameter (about the size of an average skull) to place inside. Continue reading U.S. Naval Academy Researchers Look to Improve Brain Buckets

Weekend Reading List (9.22.2012): Helmets and Weather, Running Time Trial, Fatbook

Helmets and Weather

From The Weather Channel: Extreme Weather Connected to Helmet Safety
Concussions.

For most sports fans, the first image associated with that jarring word is a football player lying motionless on a field. It’s a harsh reality that the violent sport has an epidemic they need to conquer, for the safety of its players.

Recent research suggests there’s a correlation between extreme weather and the likelihood of head injuries.

Continue reading Weekend Reading List (9.22.2012): Helmets and Weather, Running Time Trial, Fatbook

Rudy Project Offers 2-For-1 Deal

Rudy Project is offering a two-for-one promotion on its sunglasses, RX lenses, goggles and helmets. Purchase one of Rudy Project’s three premium helmets, or a pair of sunglasses – there’s over 20 models to choose from – and get a second item free. On average, you’ll save about $180 on the deal, though to do that you’ll spend that much. You’ll also have to pay $24.95 for shipping and insurance. Continue reading Rudy Project Offers 2-For-1 Deal

Thursday Reading List (1/26/2012)

Outdoor Retailer Show Growing!

Welcome to the Thursday reading list. The trade shows continue, we’ve already seen new products come out of the Consumer Electronics Show and SHOT Show and it seems that this week’s Outdoor Retailer Show is outgrowing its home in Salt Lake City reports KSL.com, which noted (video above):

The Salt Palace Convention Center has expanded twice to host the show. The outdoor industry, and all the products associated with it, just keeps growing, and more and more companies want to be a part of this show every year. It’s kind of a nice problem to have, companies say.

Cannondale Offers New Brain Buckets

This year at its PressCamp Cannondale turned heads with its entry into the head protection market. The company has introduced its first line of helmets, which are big on features but light on weight.

There were four new models that will be offered and these feature Internal nylon chassis to keep the EPS foam together during impact, while offering larger vents for better cooling. The helmets include SI Alloy Reinforcement Bridges that are aluminum plates that span several vents under the shell in several locations to provide further exoskeleton reinforcement. The Dual Density EPS foam, with firmer sections on the outer parts of primary impact areas of the front and occipital lobes (rear sides) that use a cone-shaped texture facing into the softer main EPS.

And since cycling isn’t just for men (or at least men with short hair), the helmets offer ponytail friendly rear micro adjust occipital lobe retention mechanism with a soft, water- and odor-proof padding that’s made from the same material as Crocs; and a polycarbonate outer shell that’s fused with the EPS body to create a one-piece design. Continue reading Cannondale Offers New Brain Buckets

Bell Recalls Helmets

This week the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, in cooperation with Bell Sports announced a voluntary recall of the Full-face bicycle helmets. The plastic buckle that connects the chin straps can fail, causing the helmet to come off the wearer’s head. This poses a head injury hazard to riders in the event of a fall. The firm has received one report of a buckle failing during an accident, resulting in an injury that required stitches below the wearer’s eye.

Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product. About 31,100 of these helmets were sold in the United States and about 2,500 were sold in Canada. The helmets were sold at Walmart stores nationwide and Amazon.com between August 2009 and March 2011 for between $50 and $60. Continue reading Bell Recalls Helmets

Colorado “Did it for the Children”

Jake Snakenberg

March 29th marked that date that Colorado became the state with the most sweeping law creating guidelines to protect young Coloradoans in the event of a head injury during organized youth athletic events. Colorado Senate Bill 40, also known as the “Jake Snakenberg Youth Concussion Act”, requires that coaches of youths between the ages of 11 and under 19 take a free annual concussion recognition education course. This course is designed to teach these coaches how to recognize the signs of a concussion; what steps to follow if a concussion is suspected in a young athlete; and immediately remove that athlete for the game, competition or practice. The athlete will not be allowed to return to the practice or competition until he or she is evaluated and receives written clearance to play from a health care provider.

Jake Snakenberg, the individual who the CO Senate Bill 40 is named, was a young high school athlete who died in 2004 after being hit in a football game. It is suspected that the injury was compounded by a previous concussion that he suffered which was never diagnosed. Governor John Hickenlooper signed the law on March 29th with Kelli Jantz, Jake’s mother, near by. Colorado Senate Bill 40 will take effect January 1, 2012. Continue reading Colorado “Did it for the Children”

SIA: Snow Sports Looks to Another Good Year

While much of the country is again trying to dig out from a major winter storm, the white stuff probably has the snow sport industry smiling. After all, if it is going to snow you might as well enjoy it. This week the shift has moved from the show floor halls at Snowsports Industries of America to the outdoor demo days, but we look back at the word from the show.

The buzz is that the slopes will feature skiers and riders clad in “svelte” high-tech gear of all sorts, including down sweaters, as well as faux fur and tight fitting outfits with bold colors. On the board there will likely be more rocking, as the major trend continues to be the rocker shapes, as well as a greater emphasis on all-terrain freestyle boards.

Snowboarding and skiing will likely take a cue from cycling, with helmets becoming a greater emphasis for safety. According to numbers from the show, the numbers of people wearing helmets has increased to a record high 57 percent. And as with other sports, the helmets are evoking a new sense of style, becoming fashion accessories rather than just protective gear. Continue reading SIA: Snow Sports Looks to Another Good Year