aldi/lidl/ebay helmets.

Pantanifan84

Just curious. Has anyone here used any of the aldi/lidl helmets or purchased any from eBay. Not branded ones (giro/kadk etc) but the cheap chinease sellers have? Personally I'd be very wary of buying any but a c g ap I know bought a rockbros one recently and thinks it's great.

Eamonnator

My wife has a Lidl helmet, she loves it.
We don't know yet, if it's any good.

magicbastarder

what was that comment i remember james may relating about when he asked how long car tyres would last at 260mph? 'ask an admiral how deep his submarines can go. he doesn't know until they try'.

dunworth1

All helmets sold here have to meet a minimum safety rating

godtabh

dunworth1 wrote: »

All helmets sold here have to meet a minimum safety rating

And I wouldn't ware anything without it. Look out for the CE mark. There is also a DN number

magicbastarder

dunworth1 wrote: »

All helmets sold here have to meet a minimum safety rating

true, but i often wonder how many of the more expensive helmets exceed the minimum standard, or if they do, do they exceed it by a wider margin than the cheaper ones.
is it true that generally, cheaper ones are made in a narrow range of sizes, making it harder to find a decent fit?

dastardly00

Pantanifan84 wrote: »

Just curious. Has anyone here used any of the aldi/lidl helmets or purchased any from eBay. Not branded ones (giro/kadk etc) but the cheap chinease sellers have? Personally I'd be very wary of buying any but a c g ap I know bought a rockbros one recently and thinks it's great.

I don't think Lidl/Aldi helmets should be grouped together with cheap Chinese knock-offs helmets from ebay.

Macy0161

magicbastarder wrote:

true, but i often wonder how many of the more expensive helmets exceed the minimum standard, or if they do, do they exceed it by a wider margin than the cheaper ones. is it true that generally, cheaper ones are made in a narrow range of sizes, making it harder to find a decent fit?

It's probably the cheaper ones that exceed the standards more. The more expensive ones are about being lighter/ more aero/ breathable (whatever) whilst still meeting the standards.

I'd have zero qualms about lidl and aldi helmets. I put the children in them, which is about a good an endorsement as I can give!

Whilst I do buy some Chinese gear, I wouldn't be trusting their helmets.

_Brian

godtabh wrote: »

And I wouldn't ware anything without it. Look out for the CE mark. There is also a DN number

Not to be confused with the "C E" mark denoting Chinese Export, an unfortunate coincidence that it's almost identical to the CE mark

http://siloscordoba.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/CE-and-China-Export.jpg

tomasrojo

magicbastarder wrote: »

true, but i often wonder how many of the more expensive helmets exceed the minimum standard, or if they do, do they exceed it by a wider margin than the cheaper ones.

When Which? magazine did a test, the more expensive helmets didn't pass the requirements more often than the cheap ones. There was a surprisingly high level of failure all round.

There are helmets with fake safety certificates sold online. I can't remember the details, but I'll try to find a link.

EDIT:
http://www.bikebiz.com/index.php/news/read/fake-sense-of-security-counterfeit-helmets-are-not-for-headbangers/019428
Actually masquerading as branded helmets.

crosstownk

I'm not a fan of helmets but due to relentless hassle from my kids, wife, parents and friends I succumbed and bought a lid from Lidl just to shut them up.

It's comfortable and has various safety standard marks. It's adjustable and has removable pads for washing.

I haven't crashed it yet so can't (and hopefully won't ever have to) comment on that!

sullivlo

I have had a variety of helmets and a variety of needs for them.

I splashed out last year and bought a nice Bell helmet to match my bike. Fit well. Comfortable.

I also bought a helmet in Lidl to use commuting as it has a light in the back. Fits very well and very comfortable.

And finally, I have a BBB helmet that I use(d) sporadically.

Now the knocks:
- thankfully no falls with the Lidl helmet
- BBB helmet had a few falls but none where I hit my head. Helmet still functioning.
- the most expensive helmet cracked in two right down the middle in the foam part on a very light impact so it had to go straight to the bin. I don't even remember hitting my head and my knee/hip took the brunt of the impact.

So I don't think the price of the helmet makes it any better or worse, once it meets safety standards and fits you, go for it.

Kaisr Sose

_Brian wrote: »

Not to be confused with the "C E" mark denoting Chinese Export, an unfortunate coincidence that it's almost identical to the CE mark

http://siloscordoba.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/CE-and-China-Export.jpg

Deliberate obvuscation by the Chinese ?

I love my Lidl helmet. As good as any branded one I ever owned.

2RockMountain

I've had a Lidl one for a year or so, and it seems fine. The layer of padding at the brow succumbed to my relentless sweating and dropped out, but a bit of superglue has sorted that. There is a built in light, and I couldn't work out how to change the battery on it. My current problem is that the straps are a little 'musty' with our warm summer, but I can't detach them for washing.

tomasrojo

crosstownk wrote: »

I'm not a fan of helmets but due to relentless hassle from my kids, wife, parents and friends I succumbed and bought a lid from Lidl just to shut them up.

Nobody ever hassles me. I think they just don't want to be bored to death.

fryup

i bought a tesco one and its fine

Wishbone Ash

2RockMountain wrote: »

... the straps are a little 'musty' with our warm summer, but I can't detach them for washing.

I wipe them with baby wipes after each ride. It keeps them reasonably clean.

secman

tomasrojo wrote: »

Nobody ever hassles me. I think they just don't want to be bored to death.

I came off the bike going up a climb.i got out of saddle to pull..chain slipped and jammed rear wheel. Probably only doing 15 kph at the time..helmet cracked right open on the side
On a side fall the head tends to hit the ground harder than the rest of your body , the forward momentum speeds up the impact. Rather a cracked helmet than a cracked skull.
Not trying to preach to you.. just a real event that happened freakishly at a slow pace, I was very conscious that my head hit the ground hard, helmet did it's job.

Get In There

I currently wear this helmet from ali express. I don't necessarily have any concerns that it may not be up to the job, it's as solid as any other aldi/lidl helmet i've ever owned.

http://s.aliexpress.com/zYvqeqQn

tomasrojo

secman wrote: »

I came off the bike going up a climb.i got out of saddle to pull..chain slipped and jammed rear wheel. Probably only doing 15 kph at the time..helmet cracked right open on the side
On a side fall the head tends to hit the ground harder than the rest of your body , the forward momentum speeds up the impact. Rather a cracked helmet than a cracked skull.
Not trying to preach to you.. just a real event that happened freakishly at a slow pace, I was very conscious that my head hit the ground hard, helmet did it's job.

There's a whole thread for such discussions. I've heard every bit of evidence, pretty much, at this stage, and it's pretty much all over there.

(Prepare to be bored to death, as I said.)

Macy0161

sullivlo wrote:

Now the knocks: - thankfully no falls with the Lidl helmet - BBB helmet had a few falls but none where I hit my head. Helmet still functioning. - the most expensive helmet cracked in two right down the middle in the foam part on a very light impact so it had to go straight to the bin. I don't even remember hitting my head and my knee/hip took the brunt of the impact.

So I don't think the price of the helmet makes it any better or worse, once it meets safety standards and fits you, go for it.

My understanding is that the cracking/ splitting is part of the impact absorption (like crumple zones in cars), so it isn't necessarily a sign of it not being as good.

Safety wise, as I said, the cheaper are at least as good, if not better safety wise.

As someone who didn't bother with a decent/ expensive helmet for years, I wouldn't go back after getting used to the lighter weight and better ventilation of my current lid.

Chuchote

Incidentally, why don't Lidl have measurements in centimetres on their children's helmets, as they do with the adult ones? How can you buy a child a well-fitting helmet without measuring it? And don't say 'try it on'; if you're not used to a helmet, you won't know how it's meant to fit.

Wishbone Ash

Get In There wrote: »

.. I don't necessarily have any concerns that it may not be up to the job, it's as solid as any other aldi/lidl helmet i've ever owned...

Why would you want a helmet to be 'solid'? It's the last thing I would want - the more solid the helmet, the less energy it will dissipate, with the result that your head will have to do it instead.

Chuchote

Interesting video about MIPS technology and helmet testing

TheBlaaMan

Whatever about Lidl/Aldi helmets which will pass any test, I suspect, be REALLY careful about buying online frmo 'unknown' sources. I'd be very careful about sellers on Alibaba too. There are fake helments out there that are little more than poylstyrene foam
Have a read of this thread on lfgss.com if you want (hopefully it is accessible to non-members?)
https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/288078/