Press Release May 19, 1997	Contact: Rana Arons, 914-378-2434 Consumers Union Yonkers Office

CONSUMER REPORTS TESTS BICYCLE HELMETS:
MOST HELMETS WERE GOOD; SOME BUCKLES WERE BAD

Half the 24 helmets tested use buckles that sometimes broke apart

YONKERS, NY – Consumers buying bike helmets this year face a dilemma. On the whole, helmets provide a high level of impact protection and are less expensive, better-looking, and more comfortable than in the past.

However, half the 24 helmets recently tested by Consumer Reports magazine use one of two new buckles that broke apart in a significant number of samples. Consumer Reports has asked the Consumer Product Safety Commission to investigate the failures. The magazine has also urged manufacturers to remedy the defect on helmets they’ve already made and to ensure that all new helmets have buckles that are sound.

Until this buckle problem is corrected, the June issue of Consumer Reports recommends that consumers give first consideration to the 12 helmets tested that have one of the buckle types that consistently passed its tests. Some good choices among the models whose buckles did well in tests: Bell EVO2 Pro ($100), Bell Psycho Pro ($85), Pro-Action Illusion (a CR Best Buy at $25, for women, or men with small heads), Specialized Air Wave Mega ($35, for youths, also available for adults as the Specialized Air Wave), and Pro-Action Ocean Friends ($20, for toddlers).

How might a faulty helmet buckle affect you in a crash? In Consumer Reports’ opinion, the helmet will offer its normal level of protection during the initial impact. However, should the buckle break in that first impact, the helmet could come off, leaving your head unprotected.

Buckle tests were based on the safety requirements of the Snell Memorial Foundation and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), two of the groups that set voluntary standards for bike helmets. A Federal safety standard governing all aspects of bike-helmet performance, including impact protection, is expected sometime in 1998. Until then, helmets are required to meet at least one of the voluntary safety standards, which cover everything from impact protection to buckle and strap strength to how much of the head the helmet covers.

While testing various helmet samples, Consumer Reports administered one of two alternative strength tests to buckle and straps – the "retention system" you rely on to hold a helmet securely to your head. In one test, an 8.8-pound weight was attached to the system and dropped from a height of about two feet; in the other, an 85-pound weight was attached and dropped about an inch. Each of the 24 helmet models tested uses one of four buckle types. Roughly one in 10 samples of the two problem buckle types broke apart in one test or the other.

Buckles identified as ITW Nexus TSK63 (marked on the end of the buckle housing in small script under the strap) and Pinchguard (on the face of the buckle housing) failed tests on some helmet samples. Try to avoid helmets with these buckles. If you already own a helmet with one of the suspect buckles, contact the helmet manufacturer (Bell/BSI – 800-456-2355; Giro – 800-294-6098; Pro-Action – 800-288-4280; Rollerblade – 800-232-7655). In the meantime, continue to use the helmet. Any helmet is better than no helmet. Bike helmets reduce your likelihood of death or serious brain injury when falling from a bike.

Discard a helmet after any accident; damage that compromises its level of protection may not be apparent. Many manufacturers will replace a helmet after a crash, usually for a fee of a third or less of what a new helmet would ordinarily cost. Manufacturers also suggest that helmets be replaced every three to five years, due to hidden deterioration from weathering and air pollution.

The June issue of Consumer Reports will be available May 27 wherever magazines are sold. For information on subscribing, call 1-800-234-1645. Copies of the full report covered in this release will also be available by fax or mail starting May 27, under code number 9578, via Consumer Reports by Request, 1-800-419-9824, at a cost of $7.75 per report.

Consumer Reports is published by Consumers Union, an independent, nonprofit testing and information gathering organization, serving only the consumer. We are a comprehensive source of unbiased advice about products and services, personal finance, health, nutrition, and other consumer concerns. Since 1936, our mission has been to test products, inform the public, and protect consumers.