trapezeartist Posted February 23, 2023 Report Share Posted February 23, 2023 (edited) Gabriele Marcelli's crash in Toulouse looked horrendous (belly flop from 10-12 feet up onto concrete, if you didn't see it). It was a relief to see him joining the podium, even if he looked very tender and had a big dressing on his face. Is it time to consider helmets wit face protection in trials? I can't really see any downside. Edited February 23, 2023 by trapezeartist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanorbust Posted February 23, 2023 Report Share Posted February 23, 2023 I think the downside is already present within your final sentence. With face protection, when looking at obstacles within a couple of feet of the front wheel, "I can't really see". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthritic Posted February 23, 2023 Report Share Posted February 23, 2023 Protection should be left to the rider, not legislated. As long as the regs. make this clear for insurance/claims purposes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trapezeartist Posted February 23, 2023 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2023 23 minutes ago, arthritic said: Protection should be left to the rider, not legislated. As long as the regs. make this clear for insurance/claims purposes. I can partly agree with that point of view, but sometimes people need a nudge. Trials riders didn’t wear a helmet at all until it was legislated. Perhaps the first step would be a top-level rider (Marcella himself maybe) working with a helmet manufacturer to develop something suitable for trials. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtas Posted February 24, 2023 Report Share Posted February 24, 2023 If they are 10-12 feet up like marcelli was there should be some form of matting on the ground rather than a nice piece of concrete to crunch into. It wouldn't be too hard to get some foam and place a cover on it so it looked visually appealing for the crowd. With the size of the obstacles now in indoor comps they are lucky that they haven't injured anyone worse than Bou the other year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbofurball Posted February 24, 2023 Report Share Posted February 24, 2023 I've been using my nice old enduro helmet for trials stuff for quite a while now; visibility, heat, and weight aren't issues I've experienced (if anything I'm guilty of watching the front wheel too much, lol). Some people like to resist any change, though, and others will only make a change when the majority of people start doing it. As for me, my face is ugly enough already so I'm going to continue trying to protect it 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
on it Posted February 24, 2023 Report Share Posted February 24, 2023 (edited) 17 hours ago, trapezeartist said: I can't really see any downside. Are you riding now with a full face helmet ? if not why not, if there so safe !. Just maybe there not so safe for trials due to you might get face guard caught on a branch not the best for the neck ? couple of cuts is better than a broken neck. There is no restriction on wearing a full face/guard helmet now for trials in the ACU rules only rule is no chin straps If people have concern for there safety its up to them to take precautions themselves or should they be asking themselves is COMPETITIVE trials the sport for me . Edited February 24, 2023 by on it spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faussy Posted February 24, 2023 Report Share Posted February 24, 2023 (edited) 59 minutes ago, on it said: Are you riding now with a full face helmet ? if not why not, if there so safe !. Just maybe there not so safe for trials due to you might get face guard caught on a branch not the best for the neck ? couple of cuts is better than a broken neck. There is no restriction on wearing a full face/guard helmet now for trials in the ACU rules only rule is no chin straps If people have concern for there safety its up to them to take precautions themselves or should they be asking themselves is COMPETITIVE trials the sport for me . Enduro riders are 10x more lightly to catch a mouthguard on a branch than a trials rides and they never have a problem. No manufacturer has taken a full face trials helmet seriously, apart from arai, and even then i dont think ive ever seen one outside of japan. I dont know how resistant they would be to a crack against a rock but i cant see them being worse than nothing. I think i read somewhere that the FIM were bringing a rule under 16s had to wear additional chin protection but i dont think it ever materialised. Its a bit like all new safety features. Back protectors in trials, the halo in F1. Theres big objections beforehand, then when it arrives people dont care that much for the supposed problems. Edited February 24, 2023 by faussy 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trapezeartist Posted February 24, 2023 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2023 58 minutes ago, on it said: Are you riding now with a full face helmet ? if not why not, if there so safe !. Just maybe there not so safe for trials due to you might get face guard caught on a branch not the best for the neck ? couple of cuts is better than a broken neck. There is no restriction on wearing a full face/guard helmet now for trials in the ACU rules only rule is no chin straps If people have concern for there safety its up to them to take precautions themselves or should they be asking themselves is COMPETITIVE trials the sport for me . No, I'm not riding with a full-face helmet at the moment. Although it was something grumbling away at the back of my mind, it only came to the forefront after seeing Marcelli's crash (and hearing the noises he made immediately afterwards!). As there are currently open-face helmets that are supposedly designed specifically for trials, I think maybe it would require a combination of the features that make a "trials helmet" with the face protection of a motocross or enduro helmet. It's interesting though that turbofurball wears an enduro helmet for trials without a problem. The proof of the pudding ....... Getting a face guard caught on a branch? Like you could get the opening of an open-face helmet caught on a branch? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
on it Posted February 24, 2023 Report Share Posted February 24, 2023 34 minutes ago, trapezeartist said: No, I'm not riding with a full-face helmet at the moment. Although it was something grumbling away at the back of my mind, it only came to the forefront after seeing Marcelli's crash (and hearing the noises he made immediately afterwards!). As there are currently open-face helmets that are supposedly designed specifically for trials, I think maybe it would require a combination of the features that make a "trials helmet" with the face protection of a motocross or enduro helmet. It's interesting though that turbofurball wears an enduro helmet for trials without a problem. The proof of the pudding ....... Getting a face guard caught on a branch? Like you could get the opening of an open-face helmet caught on a branch/ what next should we wear goggles just in case a lanyard kill switch flicks off and hits you in the eye were dose it all end ? as i said theres NOTHING stopping anyone riding in enduro or mx helmets at trials but very few do why is that ? any top riders wear them in trials ? riders use and wear what works for them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbofurball Posted February 24, 2023 Report Share Posted February 24, 2023 4 minutes ago, on it said: what next should we wear goggles just in case a lanyard kill switch flicks off and hits you in the eye were dose it all end ? Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... MASS HYSTERIA! 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faussy Posted February 24, 2023 Report Share Posted February 24, 2023 (edited) 3 hours ago, trapezeartist said: As there are currently open-face helmets that are supposedly designed specifically for trials, I think maybe it would require a combination of the features that make a "trials helmet" with the face protection of a motocross or enduro helmet. Check out the arai penta pro, this was specifically added for trials. Bou and cabestany rode in the pentas for years before the rock guard addition. kuroyama is probably the highest level arai wearer yet doesnt wear this version, despite a few japanese lower level riders wearing them. Downhill mtb helmets have a much lower mouthguard since they arent specifically added for roost which require mx guards to be higher. Theres much greater fov in a downhill helmet Edited February 24, 2023 by faussy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trapezeartist Posted February 24, 2023 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2023 2 hours ago, faussy said: Check out the arai penta pro, this was specifically added for trials. Bou and cabestany rode in the pentas for years before the rock guard addition. kuroyama is probably the highest level arai wearer yet doesnt wear this version, despite a few japanese lower level riders wearing them. Downhill mtb helmets have a much lower mouthguard since they arent specifically added for roost which require mx guards to be higher. Theres much greater fov in a downhill helmet I've just looked at the Arai Penta Pro. Its an interesting alternative to the MX style helmet I was thinking of, and it would almost certainly provide adequate protection for the low speed impacts that are most likely in trials. Provided it can't shatter and make injuries worse in a heavier impact, I can't see any reason not to. Except fashion and cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lsv Posted February 24, 2023 Report Share Posted February 24, 2023 Should be two types of head gear, nice flat cap for the summer and a wooly hat for the winter. IMHO and some sensible sections to suit....... 😉 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trapezeartist Posted February 24, 2023 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2023 4 hours ago, on it said: what next should we wear goggles just in case a lanyard kill switch flicks off and hits you in the eye were dose it all end ? as i said theres NOTHING stopping anyone riding in enduro or mx helmets at trials but very few do why is that ? any top riders wear them in trials ? riders use and wear what works for them You're getting very indignant about this. You're right, any trials rider could wear a MX helmet with face protection if they want. I'm not advocating such a thing being made mandatory. I was just querying why no-one does wear one, why no manufacturer produces such a thing specifically from trials (I've only just learnt about the Arai), and whether anything would change in the light of Gabriele Marcelli's crash. Given that the risks of injury in X-Trial are considerably higher than for us wobblers on the easy route, I think it could be the top riders who might take the lead. BTW, why are you so vigorously opposed? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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