Cycling Safety Gear

Helmet and Safety Gear

All riders MUST wear an appropriate helmet when on Cycling Outings with Troop 60.

Recommendation:

• Helmet

  • MUST Fit Properly

  • MUST be Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) certified

• Cycling Gloves

• • Reduces likelihood of slippery hands from sweat and rain

  • Cushions hands on handlebars for long rides

  • Provides some protection in event of crash

  • Keeps hands warm in winter so you can still use them

• Sun Glasses

  • Reduces injuries to eye while riding

  • Protects eyes from sun and glare off road, water other other shiny things

Notes on Helmets:

• • These age, get damaged and Scouts out grow them

    • Needs to be checked for fit at least yearly

    • Replace after one impact or if cracked

    • Frequently worn helmet should be replaced every three years as foam ages and wear out

  • Look for safety label 

    • CPSC 

      • Legal minimum standard for helmets manufactured for US since March 10, 1999

      • If a helmet lacks a CPSC Label, you should find another helmet

    • ASTM

      • Most used test prior to 1999

      • Tested on a 2 meter drop on a flat anvil

    • Snell Memorial Foundation 

      • B-1990 standard has a 2 meter drop test similar to ASTM and CPSC

        • Prior to 1995 was the industry standard until Bell stopped using this certification 

      • B-1995 standard has a 2.2 meter drop test

    • ANSI - outdated standard that was too easy to meet

    • "Novelty Item Only" - if you see this or a similar label warning you are not looking at a helmet engineered to protect your head, trust you are not looking at an acceptable helmet for any other use than cosplay

    • No Label - assume this has not passed any safety tests

  • Doesn't have to be expensive 

    • Read reviews - some acceptable ones can be purchased for around $20 but be willing to spend more

    • See outdoorgearlab.com

  • Must Fit

    • Go to bike shop and fit helmets - it MUST fit to work 

  • MIPS

    • Many modern helmets have MIPS printed on it

    • What is MIPS?

      • Stands for Multi-directional Impact Protection System

      • Helmet has a thin layer of material on the inside of the helmet

      • Slip layer allows it to move independently inside the helmet in all directions

      • Reduces rotational motion of the head during impact

      • Claims to be claims 10% at handling rotational impacts than the exact same helmet without MIPS

    • In theory, MIPS helmets are better than a comparable non MIPS helmet

    • They are more expensive

    • Note: Kask uses its own Rotational Impact WG11 standard instead of MIPS

    • Bottom line - don't worry too muh about MIPS

Cycling Gloves

• • Provides some protection in event of crash

  • Keeps hands warm in winter so you can still use them

    • Big fat gloves won't work well on a bike because they make it difficult to hold on to the handlebars and use the shifters and brakes

  • Reduces slippage when hands get wet from sweat or rain

  • We recommend that you go to REI or other bike shop and try on different gloves

  • Example

    • amazon.com/gp/product/B08SBTK7MJ 

      • These work fine

Sun Glasses

• • Keeps sun from blinding you

  • Keeps bugs and dust from blinding you

  • Examples

    • Dollar Store

      • Go to Dollar Store before summer time and get 3 pairs of glasses you want to wear

      • Wrap around glasses are preferred

    • Tinted Safety Glasses

      • Unstinted ones for those grim weathered riding days

        • amazon.com  B004CLJSDI 

        • amazon.com B004CLJSDI 

    • Tifosi Vogel SL Sport Sunglasses

      • Reasonable balance between quality and price

      • amazon.com B0BQLGZJ6K 

      • rei.com 

    • Victory Chimp Vega Evo cycling glasses

      • Made for cycling

      • Comes with different lenses

      • Not as expensive as other cycling specific glasses

      • Good value for quality glasses

      • More difficult to find in US

    • ROCKBROS Polarized Sunglasses 

      • amazon.com B07QK5MMRX

    • cyclingnews.com/features/cheap-cycling-sunglasses