If Bell were to produce a visor for the drop, what would you want?

**UltyHuck13** · 12-01-2009 01:21 PM

What would you guys want for specs on the ideal bell drop visor?

Color (i.e. clear, tint, mirror, color)?

Locking Mechanism?

vents in the visor for ventilation?

and how much would you pay?

would you rather have just a compatible clear visor with no luxuries that just does the job, or pay a bit more for good functionality (i.e. lock, vents) and looks (tint, mirror)?

and yes, I know there are a ton of threads on bell drops. I'd just like to hear from the consumer base what they would ideally want produced.

**Petary791** · 12-01-2009 01:25 PM

I would like a mirrored tint, although clear would be sweet, the ability to lock up and lock down, and anything to anti-fog (a vent is fine with me).

**bagelbum** · 12-02-2009 04:12 AM

Rather have one that just does the job!

Lock up, anti-fog. Would pay up to 50 for a very nice machine molded.

**Stupendous Man** · 12-02-2009 07:34 AM

Must have features: Lock up, lock down, optically correct, anti fog coating, clear
Nice options, but not necesseties: Smoke, iridium

Oh yeah, forgot to mention:
$60-70 is average for the features listed above
No holes in the visor, just a breath deflector in the helmet. Well placed unobtrusive vents in the chin or mouth area along with the breath deflector and anti fog coating would take care of fogging up the visor. Holes in the visor itself will make your eyes water up when doing 40 or more, especially when it's cold out, plus it would make the helmet noisy.

**gabetar** · 12-02-2009 07:45 AM

I wear glasses so I would want one that locks up and down. Also antifog is needed. A tint would be cool.

**Zap** · 12-02-2009 10:38 AM

Originally Posted by UltyHuck13

What would you guys want for specs on the ideal bell drop visor?

Color (i.e. clear, tint, mirror, color)?

Locking Mechanism?

vents in the visor for ventilation?

and how much would you pay?

would you rather have just a compatible clear visor with no luxuries that just does the job, or pay a bit more for good functionality (i.e. lock, vents) and looks (tint, mirror)?

and yes, I know there are a ton of threads on bell drops. I'd just like to hear from the consumer base what they would ideally want produced.

Out of curiosity, are you connected with Bell? Or is this just a "hypothetically speaking, wouldn't it be spectacular if..." type thread?

**UltyHuck13** · 12-02-2009 11:08 AM

Originally Posted by Zap

Out of curiosity, are you connected with Bell? Or is this just a "hypothetically speaking, wouldn't it be spectacular if..." type thread?

alright fine, heres the deal. I was going to wait until I did some more research and fine tuning, but.

I'm considering producing these visors from my house. I've got all the tools necessary for doing such a project, and I'm looking into what features are most desired. If I do decide to go forward with this, I can probably have these ready for the upcoming season.

and no, I'm not affiliated.

**Bookworm** · 12-02-2009 02:53 PM

I'd pay $15-20 for a clear visor.

some sort of bump-stop feeling system when the visor is down (I'm sure you know what I mean) so it stays down.

**UltyHuck13** · 12-03-2009 02:45 PM

bump?

10visors

**Viebster** · 12-03-2009 10:00 PM

Lock up & lock down aren't necessary IMO. Antifog definitely, tinted and clear options. Not too expensive. I don't want to pay 130 for a helmet and 70 for a visor. Thats ridiculous. I'd pay 30. ( 30 might not be enough for what goes into a nice visor tho.)

**UltyHuck13** · 12-04-2009 01:27 AM

would people be content if the visor would just be held up or down by the tightness of the mount screws?

thats a definite option to keep costs down if there isn't enough interest for that.

**sterlingc** · 12-04-2009 01:49 AM

in my opinion the bell drop is a shitty helmet, its thin and feels cheap, the chin strap is cheap

put on a real full face thats DOT certified and you'll laugh, the bell feels like its a toy

**jkuo** · 12-04-2009 02:01 AM

Originally Posted by sterlingc

in my opinion the bell drop is a shitty helmet, its thin and feels cheap, the chin strap is cheap

put on a real full face thats DOT certified and you'll laugh, the bell feels like its a toy

you make me lols. the bell drop certified for longboarding... DOT can suck my nuts. It's CPSC and ASTM DH certified. so no worries about it there. i think the helmet is fine for what people in this community use it for.

**jkuo** · 12-04-2009 02:05 AM

and for the thread, it would be nice to just get a visor out there that gets the job done. keep it simple.

**sterlingc** · 12-04-2009 02:16 AM

Originally Posted by jkuo

you make me lols. the bell drop certified for longboarding... DOT can suck my nuts. It's CPSC and ASTM DH certified. so no worries about it there. i think the helmet is fine for what people in this community use it for.

no helmet is certified for longboarding, the certification does not exist....

CPSC = Consumer Product Safety Commission, its certified as a bicycle helmet -
www.cpsc.gov/businfo/regsumbicyclehelmets.pdf
They put the helmet on a dummy and drop an anvil on it, they are simulating what it would be like to hit the curb or street, but they don't mention anything about the simulated speed of the rider. Hitting a curb going 15mph is nowhere near the impact forces of hitting a curb going 50mph.

the ASTM certification uses the same test CPSC does, except its self-certified, this means that helmet manufacturers can put that sticker on a hollowed out watermellon or whatever they want without actually testing it themselves or with a third party organization, it means nothing.

look at this,

www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/349.pdf

CPSC / ASTM helmets are designed for bicycles, a bell drop is designed for downhill mountain biking, and I think offroad / trail downhill, not down streets.

DOT helmets are designed for falling at higher speeds, on the street, flat out they are more protective. Downhill skateboarding falls are much more similar to something you could expect when taking a hard fall off of a motorcycle than a bicycle, think of the speeds involved.

the potential impact forces are much higher doing downhill skateboarding than riding a trail on a mountain bike

Im just speaking from experience, when I bought my full face I tried on bell's , ghiro's, 661's and one or two other brands and most of them felt really shitty and cheap.

If you fall really hard in a bell drop it might save your skull from cracking open, but you'll probably end up with internal lesions, hemorrhage and bleeding in your brain. Its your call.

**bagelbum** · 12-04-2009 03:10 AM

I crashed headfirst into a guardrail at 30mph. It saved my life. These "thin and cheap" helmets...even if they're not DOT they're damn good enough.

**UltyHuck13** · 12-04-2009 04:38 AM

even though it may not be certified as DOT, I know for a fact and have read for myself the countless times that this helmet has done its job wonderfully in the longboarding community, and I stand by that. true, the helmet isn't DOT certified, and no, its NOT going to feel like a DOT certified helmet, but for the price, it is (in my opinion) a good balance between price and features.

**HailingFromCork** · 12-06-2009 01:43 PM

Originally Posted by sterlingc

no helmet is certified for longboarding, the certification does not exist....

CPSC = Consumer Product Safety Commission, its certified as a bicycle helmet -
www.cpsc.gov/businfo/regsumbicyclehelmets.pdf
They put the helmet on a dummy and drop an anvil on it, they are simulating what it would be like to hit the curb or street, but they don't mention anything about the simulated speed of the rider. Hitting a curb going 15mph is nowhere near the impact forces of hitting a curb going 50mph.

the ASTM certification uses the same test CPSC does, except its self-certified, this means that helmet manufacturers can put that sticker on a hollowed out watermellon or whatever they want without actually testing it themselves or with a third party organization, it means nothing.

look at this,

www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/349.pdf

CPSC / ASTM helmets are designed for bicycles, a bell drop is designed for downhill mountain biking, and I think offroad / trail downhill, not down streets.

DOT helmets are designed for falling at higher speeds, on the street, flat out they are more protective. Downhill skateboarding falls are much more similar to something you could expect when taking a hard fall off of a motorcycle than a bicycle, think of the speeds involved.

the potential impact forces are much higher doing downhill skateboarding than riding a trail on a mountain bike

Im just speaking from experience, when I bought my full face I tried on bell's , ghiro's, 661's and one or two other brands and most of them felt really shitty and cheap.

If you fall really hard in a bell drop it might save your skull from cracking open, but you'll probably end up with internal lesions, hemorrhage and bleeding in your brain. Its your call.

You honestly fail to see how downhill mountain biking could result in an impact to the skull that transfers just as much energy as a fall observed on the street longboarding?

Downhill mountain bikers may not be going speeds of over 40, like some of us on the fish, but they are cutting through narrow pathways that lead through forests. A tree at 30+ won't feel a whole lot better than a curb at 40.

Sure DOT certified helmets are meant for more high speed crashes, but as has been illustrated on the fish before, this is not necessarily a good thing. A motorcycle can go speeds of 100+. The fact is that most boarders here on the fish wont ever go much faster than 40 mph, and they will spend the majority of rolling mileage well below these speeds. Now the EPS foam in a DOT helmet is meant to crush at highway speeds, slowing your noggin therein, down over a bigger distance. The hard shell keeps you from being impaled. If you fall at 15 mph, a speed at which numerous deaths have been recorded, in a DOT helmet, the EPS foam designed for highway speed crashes will not compress. Ergo the helmet will not do its job. Your head will simply have more of a bouncing effect than a thudding effect, due to the hard outside shell. It will still feel, particularly to your neck, like your head hit the ground at 15 mph.

DOT helmets are, no question, heavier and offer less visibility. With a lighter helmet and more visibility, any rider will have a better chance of avoiding a crash in my opinion. Same reason as I don't care if I have a full face, I won't ride without my slide gloves. In fact I am more likely to ride helmetless and with slide gloves because of the ability to avoid crashing that I gain with sliding gloves. No one wants to test their helmet, and without slide gloves i feel my chances of testing my helmet first hand are too high.

I will take a mountain bike full face anyday for average downhill. I have done 55-60 mph, but the fact of the matter is that I am lucky to live in salt lake city where we have a light rail that works almost like a ski lift with access to some runs that are 45+. I spend most of my time around 40. A speed very similar to that which you would see a downhill mountain biker going. And I am lucky to be able to do that everyday without a car. Not everyone can say they have access to runs like that. Now these speeds are too low to be considered by a DOT certification.

You also must consider the potential in downhill mountain biking of impacting a rock, a tree, etc. face first. ASTM 1952 entails more extensive testing to the chin bar as well as an anvil drop of 1.6 meters versus 1.2 with the CPSC standards, which is why I choose the bell drop. There may be helmets equally as sturdy in the chin bar, etc. but not many carry a downhill certification such as the ASTM 1952 cet held by the drop, so I do not know, without first hand testing, if they have sturdy chin bars, etc.

I will also gladly take the upward and peripheral vision advantages you gain with a mtb full face, as well as the weight advantage. I can ride longer and more safely in a mountain bike helmet. When I set out to best my top speed, I will consider a DOT rated helmet, such as my MX helmet, or maybe even something along the lines of the afx-37 ds, However, I will not consider a street bike helmet as the upward visibility is known to be poor, and I cannot safely stay in my most aerodynamic tuck in a street helmet. And I can't well do 65-70 with a poor tuck can I?

From my research, Downhill mtb full faces seem to be designed to deal with the most likely impact I will sustain in my speedboarding ventures. It does not cover the worst case, which might look sometime like my head bouncing off the highway after leaving my board doing 65+, but i simply don't do 65 everyday on my way to work.

Downhill cetified mtb full faces are the best all around speedboarding helmets. Period.
The only thing they lack? Commerically available face sheilds.

What I don't understand? How so many of the pros are in charly's. Everyone know they are not as safe. Sure lighter. But with mtb full faces the way they are today, you can get comprable weight, and nearly equal visibility, especially where it counts. Let's face it, parargliding helmets aren't actually meant to hit the ground. If you fall from the sky, with no chute out, no helmet will help. And if your chute is out the worst you will hit your head is tumbling when you roll your ankle landing or something dumb like that. They are designed to be aero and have good visibility. Why not wear a mtb full face which is rated for impacts with trees and rocks at around 35 mph or so, and has equal visibility, and negligible weight differences? If your neck can't handle the extra weight in a mtb full face, you are simply too weak to be speedboarding or needing a full face at all. You should hide in your house.

**UltyHuck13** · 12-06-2009 02:03 PM

well.

thanks for the bump?

nah but seriously, good argument. now, back on topic! this debate is taking place in other threads that are more tailored for that debate.

**sterlingc** · 12-06-2009 04:51 PM

Originally Posted by HailingFromCork

all kinds of stuff

I agree with most everything you said, but there are some DOT certified full face mountain biking helmets that are like 0.3 lbs heavier than a bell drop and basically the same shape,

RockGardn "Blacklite" its like 2.9 lbs compared to 2.4 , its dot approved and has a D ring chin strap and not those crap plastic backpack clip things. There's a bunch of helmets on the market like this, light weight, DOT approved mountain biking helmets that are basically the same architecture as a drop or remedy w/ good visibility and safety

I dont think a bell drop is the worst helmet choice you can make, I just personally wouldn't want to own one, there are much better choices on the market

and to keep it on topic, I suppose I would pay 20-30$ for a plastic visor