# Bike helmet vs a Skateboard helmet does it matter really?



## alphaqforever247 (Jun 1, 2009)

any real difference when it comes to protection? it seems like the skate helmet protects more of your head jus by comparing the 2? I actually jus got into a real bad accident 2 night ago broke my neck i was wearing a skate helmet. would a bike helmet been better?


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## gumbymark (May 25, 2007)

Would it have been "better"? (not broken your neck) Probably not.

Skate helmets are designed for people who do short low speed runs but have to survive lots of (low speed) crashes (if BMX's replaced their helmets after every hit their parents would go into bankruptcy in less than a year). - Low speed crashes tend to be nasty. You can hit your head real hard.

MTB and road helmets are designed more for riding a lot in and protecting you in the odd crash - not for the repeated crashes of skate helmets.

Neither helmets do much (if anything) to protect against neck injuries. Full face helmets don't help either, that's way car racers and motor bike racers wear neck braces.


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## Joel. (Aug 16, 2009)

It comes down to more of a comfort thing I would think.


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## Dremer03 (Jun 19, 2009)

I think you would be fine either way, you will just look strange with a skate helmet on the trail.


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## alphaqforever247 (Jun 1, 2009)

well i did some research on helmets and the helmet i was wearing did have a CPSC bike helmet standard sticker inside it. It did have EPS foam in it cause now the foam is cracked and an ABS shell. I am going to need to buy a new helmet and think i will stick with skate style helmets with bike safety standard.


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## bucksaw87 (Jun 18, 2007)

pro-tec skate helmets don't have CSPC certification, BUT they've been making helmets for a long-ass time. they're still top-of-the-line skate stuff. someone mentioned how skate helmets are designed for multiple, low-speed crashes? most are; some aren't. if you look on the inside of the helmet and it has 2 layers of "squishy" foam, it's most likely one of the multiple impact "hard hats." if it's got a solid shell of hard foam, with soft foam pads, then it's a one hit "helmet."

personally, i've had many skate wipeouts with a pro-tec hardhat, and eventually the inner foam got a tear in it, so i bought a new giro helmet. really, it comes down to preference. i'd think most races would require a CSPC certified helmet, so that rules out pro-tec (maybe bern as well) for skate helmets. but, mostly, it's what is comfortable for you.


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## jeffj (Jan 13, 2004)

There are some web sites out there that have the test standards that the different types of helmets have to meet before being certified by the various organizations.

They state things like: must be able to withstand a 6 foot drop with a ten pound weight inside. If they pass the various tests, they can pay any fees necessary and have that certification sticker that tells you it has passed the standards that organization has established.

They try to make the tests apply to the type of activity the helmet is being marketed to and the tests vary, sometimes significantly from activity to activity.

I wish I could find it, but I couldn't take the time to search t out today.

I'm not a doctor and I didn't sleep at the Holiday Inn Express last night, but I don't see a bike helmet protecting you from a broken neck any more than a skate helmet would unless it were a full face with a Leatt brace (like NASCAR drivers wear) and even then, who knows? JMVHO.

Sorry to hear about your injury and I hope you heal well.


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## alphaqforever247 (Jun 1, 2009)

bucksaw87 said:


> pro-tec skate helmets don't have CSPC certification, BUT they've been making helmets for a long-ass time. they're still top-of-the-line skate stuff. someone mentioned how skate helmets are designed for multiple, low-speed crashes? most are; some aren't. if you look on the inside of the helmet and it has 2 layers of "squishy" foam, it's most likely one of the multiple impact "hard hats." if it's got a solid shell of hard foam, with soft foam pads, then it's a one hit "helmet."
> 
> personally, i've had many skate wipeouts with a pro-tec hardhat, and eventually the inner foam got a tear in it, so i bought a new giro helmet. really, it comes down to preference. i'd think most races would require a CSPC certified helmet, so that rules out pro-tec (maybe bern as well) for skate helmets. but, mostly, it's what is comfortable for you.


yeah i was readinga bout the different types of foam used and with bike helmets they usually use EPS foam which is the harder foam one hit replace your helmet foam, which my protec skate helmet has. the other type of foam is the EPP which is the multi impact foam. My protec helemt does have the CSPC certified sticker on it so i think protec does make skate style helmets with bike helmet standards? Cause my protec helmet saved my life.


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## Thehemiman (Apr 3, 2009)

I've been rocking out a pro tec skate helmet all season. It doesn't vent that well but I spent all my money on my nice wheels...Looking to get a giro this fall / next spring.


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## silentG (May 18, 2009)

Having said that, I rock a Bell Faction and really like it.

I have taken a shot or two on the helmet from a rock and the helmet has held up really well.

I personally dig the skate style helmet more than a pure bike style helmet, however, you only get one OEM dome so it is worth getting one that has some modicum of standard support.

I did a bunch of research at http://www.bhsi.org/standard.htm before buying my helmet.

The specific link into the low down on helmets is http://www.bhsi.org/helmet09.htm

It looks like the standard Pro-Tec type helmets for bike - Classic, Cyphon, etc have CPSC cert.

I guess what it came down to for me was something matching CSPC at a minimum with skate styling.

I also tended to avoid smaller companies since I figured that a Bell or a Pro-Tec has more R&D cash to throw at technology development.


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## Fix the Spade (Aug 4, 2008)

bucksaw87 said:


> pro-tec skate helmets don't have CSPC certification,


Pro Tec do specific bike helmets in the 'skate' style, I've got one (a B2) and it's CPSC certified. In practical terms it's no different from the piss pots made by Fox, 661, Giro, Bell etc.
Some of the skate specific one's don't have a foam crush layer like bike helmets, they have two thick layers of firm padding.

In the context of lot's of slow speed knocks it's enough, but for a higher speed bicycle crash it's less than ideal.

In the case of the OP it wouldn't make much difference, the only thing with a reasonable chance of saving your neck would have been a full face helmet and LEATT brace (although the jury's still out on them, they're definately better than nohing).


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## snaky69 (Mar 8, 2005)

alphaqforever247 said:


> any real difference when it comes to protection? it seems like the skate helmet protects more of your head jus by comparing the 2? I actually jus got into a real bad accident 2 night ago broke my neck i was wearing a skate helmet. would a bike helmet been better?


A skate helmet offers a lot less protection than the bike helmet, skate helmets are for low speed crashes only, get in a real bike crash and the skate helmet doesn't protect you from much apart from scratches.

A skate-style bicycle helmet is my weapon of choice, comfort and fit of the skate helmet, but the actual protection a bike helmet can provide.

No helmet will prevent neck injuries.


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## hygieneboy (May 25, 2009)

I wear a skate helmet. Bike helmets hurt my bald head and poke me in the wrong places.


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## hygieneboy (May 25, 2009)

....................................


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## nagatahawk (Jun 20, 2007)

the skate helmet will give you better coverage, it wont necessarily protect your neck. Ouch I'm truely sorry to hear about that. I too suffured a compression fracture to c1 and t3 and t4. My bike helmet did it's job. I receive a brain concussion but it saved my life. the top was flattend and the inner liner cracked. 

I still wear a fox flux. it cools better than the skate helmet and gives good back and side protection. I will be purchasing some sort of neck protecion, but I'm not sure any of them can protect from a compression type of injury. the neck brace will prevent hyperextending the neck to either side. but not dirtect impact from the top.

anyways I am a big advocate for wearing helmets of any type. they will save your life!


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## hchchch (Aug 24, 2009)

I've tried on both skate-style helmets and the normal bike helmets. The the skate-style helmets do not vent well and are hot to wear. Normal bike helmets are much cooler.


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## Hahaha ! (Mar 31, 2021)

When people ask about helmet... I said " this is German Army helmet " 😝


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## DormerHarpring (Apr 1, 2021)

alphaqforever247 said:


> any real difference when it comes to protection? it seems like the skate helmet protects more of your head jus by comparing the 2? I actually jus got into a real bad accident 2 night ago broke my neck i was wearing a skate helmet. would a bike helmet been better?


I handle helmet defect injury cases for work.

When it comes to rotational acceleration, you can find some helpful info here: Bike Helmet Ratings

But it doesn't seem like there's much data available comparing helmets' ability to stay on. If your skate helmet can't come off your head (and there's no cheap plastic "fit system" in those that can break to let it come off), maybe it's a better choice than a well-advertised bike helmet?

Honestly, the standards have some pretty glaring holes, and there's not much good data comparing the safety performance of different helmets outside the narrow issues addressed by Virginia Tech...

Ride safe!


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