Canyon HUD helmet for road riding • Hacker News Board

Re: Canyon HUD helmet for road riding

#71

Post by Drunk_Engineer » Tue, Jun 23, 2026, 12:54 AM UTC

wxw wrote: post #3

So I started biking recently and was hunting for helmets. And turns out Virgina Tech does a bunch of helmet impact testing and maintains a ranking list https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/ . The latest helmets have a releasable layer that absorbs (converts rotational energy?) more impact. This HUD is pretty slick. In a way, it's more preventative (avoiding accidents) vs. reactive (absorbing impact in an accident) safety w…

99% of bike fatalities involve car crashes. There is no styrofoam helmet which will protect against that, and the VaTech test notably does not model that type of crash.

To my knowledge, the only group that tried to test bike helmets against a car is Volvo -- and all helmets failed.

Re: Canyon HUD helmet for road riding

#72

Post by ctidd » Tue, Jun 23, 2026, 12:54 AM UTC

tonymet wrote: post #47

wxw wrote: post #3

So I started biking recently and was hunting for helmets. And turns out Virgina Tech does a bunch of helmet impact testing and maintains a ranking list https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/ . The latest helmets have a releasable layer that absorbs (converts rotational energy?) more impact. This HUD is pretty slick. In a way, it's more preventative (avoiding accidents) vs. reactive (absorbing impact in an accident) safety w…

MIPS is great but every layer is a tradeoff with venting. without MIPS the vents allow air onto your scalp. with MIPS you effectively have a plastic shower cap over your head, beneath the EVA foam insulator. I'm anti MIPS

There are multiple MIPS systems. The early ones were like you described, with a distinct feeling of too much plastic. Newer ones (e.g. Integra) are much more seamless. There are also other companies doing different types of rotational tech, like Lazer with an integral foam-based shearing design.

If you have only tried first-gen MIPS, I recommend giving it another shot.

Re: Canyon HUD helmet for road riding

#73

Post by neves » Tue, Jun 23, 2026, 12:54 AM UTC

dominotw wrote: post #38

wxw wrote: post #3

So I started biking recently and was hunting for helmets. And turns out Virgina Tech does a bunch of helmet impact testing and maintains a ranking list https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/ . The latest helmets have a releasable layer that absorbs (converts rotational energy?) more impact. This HUD is pretty slick. In a way, it's more preventative (avoiding accidents) vs. reactive (absorbing impact in an accident) safety w…

oh yea skiing and mountian biking helmets have had mips for years

T Schumacher, the fórmula 1 champion, would be alone if he was using a MIPS helmet

Re: Canyon HUD helmet for road riding

#74

Post by neves » Tue, Jun 23, 2026, 12:58 AM UTC

nntwozz wrote: post #5

Oh no I forgot to charge my helmet. Also, helmets are meant to be replaced every couple of years as the materials deteriorate (UV/heat) and the protection dissipates. As we like to say, dentist helmet.

https://www.consumerreports.org/health/bike-helmets/when-you...

Not necessarily:

But if you really like your old helmet—and it’s in good condition—one scientific study tested older helmets and showed that holding on to one for longer won’t necessarily put you at significant risk. Randy Swart, executive director of the nonprofit Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute and former vice chair of the helmet and headgear subcommittee for ASTM International, a nonprofit, voluntary standards-setting organization, says that his own helmet is “much older than that,” though he adds that there may be other good reasons to get a new helmet, such as more protective technology included in some newer models.

Re: Canyon HUD helmet for road riding

#75

Post by enjeyw » Tue, Jun 23, 2026, 1:07 AM UTC

loeg wrote: post #58

arrowleaf wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not having my hair and scalp act as the MIPS system is worth the $20 extra to me.

Is it worth helmets that are 100g heavier and don't breathe as well, though?

I think that’s a false dichotomy.

My Lazer Genesis Helmet is a MIPs and it’s the lightest helmet Lazer made at the time.

Much more breathable than my previous helmets too.

Re: Canyon HUD helmet for road riding

#76

Post by kaikai » Tue, Jun 23, 2026, 1:07 AM UTC

carabiner wrote: post #24

mft_ wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And turns out Virgina Tech does a bunch of helmet impact testing and maintains a ranking list https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/ Thanks for sharing. Interesting to see my Giro (with MIPS) has... 3 stars. Hmmm.

I'm pretty convinced mips is just marketing. Hair will do the same thing. That's why in rock climbing world, petzl hasn't even bothered with it when they're usually very forward thinking about their designs (first company to do side impact testing).

Thank you for this comment. I paid a little extra to get a helmet with mips but didn’t even think about my (long) hair serving the same function.

Re: Canyon HUD helmet for road riding

#77

Post by usrusr » Tue, Jun 23, 2026, 1:15 AM UTC

Drunk_Engineer wrote: post #71

wxw wrote: post #3

So I started biking recently and was hunting for helmets. And turns out Virgina Tech does a bunch of helmet impact testing and maintains a ranking list https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/ . The latest helmets have a releasable layer that absorbs (converts rotational energy?) more impact. This HUD is pretty slick. In a way, it's more preventative (avoiding accidents) vs. reactive (absorbing impact in an accident) safety w…

99% of bike fatalities involve car crashes. There is no styrofoam helmet which will protect against that, and the VaTech test notably does not model that type of crash. To my knowledge, the only group that tried to test bike helmets against a car is Volvo -- and all helmets failed.

The key service performed by a cycling helmet is not turning a death situation into a permanently maimed situation (they do that, but that's a very rare occurrence), it's turning a life changing injury situation into a situation of some fractured bones that will be almost forgotten two months later. The life and death part is overrated.

I guess one reason people are so focused on that is because it's easy to quantify.

Re: Canyon HUD helmet for road riding

#78

Post by necubi » Tue, Jun 23, 2026, 1:26 AM UTC

carabiner wrote: post #24

mft_ wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And turns out Virgina Tech does a bunch of helmet impact testing and maintains a ranking list https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/ Thanks for sharing. Interesting to see my Giro (with MIPS) has... 3 stars. Hmmm.

I'm pretty convinced mips is just marketing. Hair will do the same thing. That's why in rock climbing world, petzl hasn't even bothered with it when they're usually very forward thinking about their designs (first company to do side impact testing).

MIPS is increasingly common in rock helmets. Black Diamond (anecdotally the most common brand I see in the US) now has it in their higher end models, and Mammut as well.

Re: Canyon HUD helmet for road riding

#79

Post by Rebelgecko » Tue, Jun 23, 2026, 1:33 AM UTC

mft_ wrote: post #22

wxw wrote: post #3

So I started biking recently and was hunting for helmets. And turns out Virgina Tech does a bunch of helmet impact testing and maintains a ranking list https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/ . The latest helmets have a releasable layer that absorbs (converts rotational energy?) more impact. This HUD is pretty slick. In a way, it's more preventative (avoiding accidents) vs. reactive (absorbing impact in an accident) safety w…

> And turns out Virgina Tech does a bunch of helmet impact testing and maintains a ranking list https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/ Thanks for sharing. Interesting to see my Giro (with MIPS) has... 3 stars. Hmmm.

Fwiw they changed their ranking system a year or two ago in a way that moved a bunch of formerly 5 star helmets to 3 stars.

Too many helmets hit the old five star threshold, so to differentiate it's now based on relative performance (the x% best helmets get 5 stars) instead of static thresholds.

Re: Canyon HUD helmet for road riding

#80

Post by Rebelgecko » Tue, Jun 23, 2026, 1:37 AM UTC

supertroop wrote: post #67

akersten wrote: post #26

No mention of a built in camera makes this a total non starter for me. If I'm going all in on an AI helmet it better be able to record front and back so my next of kin can get a payout from whatever pavement princess flattened me in the unprotected bike lane.

Not even a rear-view mirror. Which is the second most important piece of safety gear after a helmet.

I'm surprised it doesn't tie into taillight radars. I've been intrigued by those but I don't want to deal with also buying a bike computer to see its output (plus the brand that's considered the "best" still uses micro-usb)