Charly Insider...

Hey all

I saw that a crack in my helmet (Icaro Skyrunner), that has been there for a while, has worsened quite a bit recently. It hasn't been crashed or anything, I'm guessing it got hit by a piece of buggy whilst in the car which worsened it, even though I try to be quite careful when loading stuff up. There are a few other little ones, but nothing that I've had to worry about. I've always been aware of this bigger one, but it now got to the point where I wanted to replace the helmet.



I bought a Charly Insider of the internet which arrived today, and I have a couple of questions/ concerns.

The main one is that the helmet doesn't come as far down my head on the back (and sides) as my Icaro. The Charly comes down to the lumpy bit at the bottom of my skull, and my old Icaro came about an inch lower than that. Along the bottom/ back of my jaw the Charly is about 1cm higher. (The helmet is the right size for me !) I'm sure its not a massive deal, but I thought I would ask anyway. Do you reckon this is an issue?

Here's a pic of the back of the Charly (and my ginger hair :o ) :


Thoughts ?
Thanks,
Tim

I wear a Charly also. Will have to take a look and see if mine sits the same way. I never noticed this before...

Thanks Cheezy !
Tim

I guess it looks the same....
I need a haircut... :o

Ah okay, I reckon I'll be okay then. Just a different design.. Felt a bit different to my older one.
Thanks for the reassurance

On a slightly different note, what goggles do you use ?
Tim

Givens & Caveats

1. Any helmet is better than no helmet.
   
2. Talking about helmets can sometimes be a touchy subject akin to discussions about religion, politics, and the parentage of ones SO or wee furry companions.
   
3. Be safe... in the end, it's all on you.
   
4. This post reflects nothing more than the opinions nay observations of the original poster and asserts no authority beyond that.... it was not, after all, posted by a.... cat.
   
   
   
5. Take everything with a heaping helping of....
   
   
   

There are ongoing debates about Charly and Icaro helmets being suitable for activities outside of para/hangliding... and even those activites.

• Are Charly No Limit helmets really safe?
  
  
• Charly no limit questions
  
  
• Charley No Limit Helmet
  
  
• Charley No Limit Helmet..Safe?

The fine print from a Charly retailer website

Quote:

Be aware that while these helmets are VERY popular for Skateboarding, Longboarding and Speedboarding, they are specifically designed for Hang Gliding and Paragliding, where speeds are generally slow. They are certified to an appropriate EN (European) standard, but are not tested to, and would likely not meet the DOT or SNELL standards for motorcycle helmets, which may be more appropriate for downhill racing in skateboards. Each Charly helmet carries a warning label to this effect. We provide these helmets as a service for professional speed boarders that wish to use them and we make no warranty as to their fitness for a particular use beyond that of the manufacturer.

Jeff's/BigKid's thoughts on helmets

Quote: Originally posted by bigkid

This is one of those questions that brings up interesting opinions as to the best or right helmet. I am going to throw in my opinion as well as the others. I have used all types of helmets as most of the sports and activities I was in required or recommended one. Motorcycle helmet- brain cap, 1/2, 3/4, full face, and flip front. all are OK but heavy. Dirt Bike helmet- solid full face, 3/4 with plastic chin and visor. lite weight but limited side view. Skate, board helmet- basic 1/2 coverage. lite weight, cool colors, plastic and washable. Bicycle helmet- more or less the same as the skate/board helmet but with air fins. Snow, Blokart helmet- basically a short version of a 3/4 with ear covers and not as heavy as the MC style. I wore the full face dirt bike style until the chin guard got pushed into my chest, I used the skate/board style after that. Now my choice is the Blokart Helmet, much better for all aspects of the reason why I don't want to wear one, but I need to. As long as it covers your brain and you wear it, it will work.

In the interest of full disclosure, I probably wouldn't be considered a big fan of Charly helmets.

• The manufacturer puts forth some fairly strong caveats about their usage in alternate disciplines.
  
• I have some reservations about their areas of coverage.
  
• In the wrong type of spill, the oblong shape of the helmet could exacerbate the torsional forces applied to the neck/spine.
  
• People seem to gravitate towards these type of helmets possibly because:
  1. Paragliding is vaguely related to kiting (although I expect the actually details of accidents bear little resemblance to each other).
  2. The persisting assertion that they offer more peripheral vision... I tend to think that's a bit overstated and the differences are fairly negligible. In addition, the bottom line is that your head is mounted on a platform that moves, swivels rather well. The increased peripheral vision argument would hold up better if that were not the case. Even among non-HG/PG helmets peripheral vision varies a lot and has consistently improved over the years due to manufacturing improvements and material alloying.

In the end, choosing a particular helmet design/style is more "programming for probabilities"... i.e. choosing a design based on the notion that things will happen one sets of ways rather than another. No two accidents are the same. A helmet that is good for one particular accident may have been no help or possibly a contributing factor in another accident.

FWIW: When a helmet isn't "on the job" of doing it's primary task of protecting your gray matter, there's a lot to be said for "babying" it. When transporting it, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to stow it in a footwell or some other location where it won't come into sudden contact with other unyielding objects. If you're not transporting passengers, using the helmet strap/face port to seat belt into an empty seat is also another possibility. You might get some strange looks, but what the heck.... I have ridden with fragile groceries and stuffed animals belted into empty seats, so strange looks are a concern of the past.

More by luck and serendipity than design, one of my helmets came with an outrageously well appointed helmet bag. :o Another helmet gets stowed in a helmet bag I bought for it seperately... a decent one can be had for relatively cheap and is one less thing to worry about.... it's also a good place to stow goggles to keep them from getting dinged or wandering off on their own. Might be considered too OCD, but admission is always the hardest part.

Yikes... that was more than a little bit long-winded.

ATB,
Sam

Quote: Originally posted by elfasa

Maybe I'll sell it and get a Motorbike / MX / MTB one :/ I don't like the idea of their weight (and vision restrictions) though.. I'm thinking of trying boarding again (as well as progressing into buggy jumping / freestyle), and I wouldn't want an motorbike helmet for that obviously, so I'd have to get a second helmet.. Decisions.. Tim

FWIW:
A snug (not tight) helmet won't flop around, so there will be less perceived weight.

Some newer helmets use "alloy construction" which use different materials in different areas. While they might not "read" as lighter on a spec sheet, they will feel lighter because of how and where they carry their weight.

A second helmet has the advantage of providing you with a backup if you have to replace your primary helmet due to an accident rendering it unusable.

Vision restrictions will be vary, but I expect you won't notice them as much as you think. More importantly, I expect you will compensate for it, without ever realizing it. There might be some more interesting posts on this in the future. :wow:

If at all possible, there's a lot to be said for helmet shopping in brick & mortar stores where you can try stuff on before plunking down cash.

ATB,
Sam

Quote: Originally posted by elfasa

Is there a particular saftey test that is good to look out for ? Thanks Tim

Oooohhh, if only things were that straightforward.

Safety standards/certifications for helmets are governed by:

1. The discipline that the helmet designed for (since there are no "kitty buggy helmets" per se there's some murkiness as to why you hear about one helmet having a particular certification while another helmet has other certs. Some buggy riders wear motorcycle helmets ($$$) while others wear DH helmets. Different disciplines/classes of helmets so different certs.
   
2. The country that the helmet is sold in.
   
3. Whether the helmet manufacturer only submitted the helmet for testing by the responsible agency or also submitted to independent agencies for testing.
   
4. Some styles of helmets may not carry certain certifications based on helmet style (open face, modular). The rider has to decide whether the that's an acceptable trade off or not.
   
5. Single vs. Multi-Strike characteristic will also play a factor in certs. Again, a rider choice of trade-offs.
   

Some links worth reading... get ready to dive into the deep end of the alphabet soup (acronym) pool.

• Which Helmet For Which Activities (ThinkFirst.Ca pamphlet)
  
• World Motorcycle Helmet Safety Standards

ATB,
Sam

Thanks for the info erratic winds !

I was tooing and frowing between the two. They're very similar by all accounts. I just bought the Bell Drop. Just cause there was one on offer on ebay (brand new, 1/3 off). Looking forward to getting it. Put the charly up for sale on the UK forums.

Tim.