Helmets - flip-front or full face ?
 

I have to decide on purchacing helmets for a bike rental situation.
I'm thinking flip-front is the best of both worlds - what are others views of this ?
I want to keep it simple without needing every option, and open-face is out for safety reasons.
:confused1:

Flip fronts are quite noisy, even with earplugs.

Personally I hardly ever ride with the helmet open unless I am navigating at really slow speeds.

I think the greatest benefit of the flip front is whenever you stop to speak to someone, take a drink, etc.

I have yet to find a non open face helmet i can wear with my glasses.. and without them I doubt i would make it out the lane

To flip or not to flip ,that is the question .
 

I have a Nolan flip front , it's not noisy and I comfortably wear sunglasses with it all the time .At slow speeds I flip the front up out of the way and just use the sunglasses [ safety glasses actually ] as eye protection .
IMHO flip fronts are great although they must give slightly less protection than full face .
For a rental situation I would opt for a brand that has a washable, removable liner so that you can keep the helmets clean and sanitary .
Also I don't think it would be wise to buy high end helmets for a rental business as they will invariably be ill-treated by the renters .
Nolans are good mid market helmets ,they don't excel in every aspect but they are cheap enough to replace without breaking the bank .
Just my sixpenneth worth !

Dodger

When chosing glasses - take a helmet with you.. I do .. and I ask for frames that are as narrow as can be .. they fit better inside helmuts.

It depends on the conditions you are going to ride. If you are riding relatively slow and any possible crash is not a big bang on the head, flip fronts are more than fine. But if it is going to be a serious fast ride under harsh conditions I would definitely go full face.

Regards

cozcan

Just a thought, have you thought about some motocross style helmets? They give almost the same protection as full face and have good visibility.

Thanks for your thoughts guys - flip-front helmets obviously aren't everyones cuppa tea, but I think I will persevere with them for my situation as tourists will be regularly stopping for photos, chats and refreshments - all much easier with a "flipper".:thumbup1:

I have a Caberg Tourisimo (flip front with integral sunvisor) which is great.

It is a tad noisy, but I cancel this with earplugs. When using the earplugs, the helmet is no noisier than my old Arai. It is brilliant for slow cruising around towns and such (I also wear sunglasses to prevent the odd projectile landing in my eyes) and particulrly handy when asking directions etc.

We just bought (don't everybody scream "stupid" now) HJC flip front helmets after comparing the feel and price of several others, including Nolan. We ride a scooter, highways only, never any offroad stuff, and after 50+ years of riding and two accidents, decided that the flipfront for us was great, and the comfort of the HJC was better than the Nolan-closer to the face and lighter "felt" weight-and half the price. Might be the same for riders who are much higher off the ground on cycles, ride faster, and can't throw into a broadside slide as quickly as a scooter. The HJC will satisfy a couple of old foggies and maybe even some young ones. Oh we both wear wide frame polar guard glasses to protect against cataracts and the helmets work just fine

Interesting side note(?)
 

I was at the Bike Show here last weekend and I was talking with a helmet rep about flip front lids in general. Apparently bikers who smoked were the major driving force behind the demand/development of the flip front.
And to a lesser degree; drinkers - I actually saw a cup holder on a bike at the show!
I own a full face, so I cant speak from experience, but I think the flip front is quite practical.

I have several helmets, but for most road riding, I use the HJC flip front helmet. Not too noisy, and the abiulilty to flip it up without removing it is nice. When stopping for gas, to talk to anyone, to take a drink or have a snack quickly without removing the helmet is great.

It's too heavy for any off road riding, so the MX helmet gets lots of use, too.

I have some 3/4 helmets that I wear seldom.

THe BMW Series 3 flip front was quite neat I used it for over a year. But after a year I've gone back to a regular full face - mainly due to the noise and the extra weight. Yes the full face is a pain with the glasses I have to wear but it just feels 'better' (how about that for a real useful technical description!!)

Hi There,

for convenience sake you can't beat a flip front however, for safety you're better with a full face.

I've changed from BMW's System 4 flip front to BMW's Enduro helmet and the weight saving and extra levels of comfort are very noticable.

Regards

Reggie AKA The Cameraman

the trouble with fli[-fronts is that, with it open, you look like a chipmonk:eek3:

J

Flips
 

I have a Fulmer flip face, and I'm very happy with it. I've been riding with open face helmets for years because it gets so blasted hot in NC. I wanted more protection, but didn't want to sacrifice a cool head when stuck in rush hour traffic (no lane splitting here unfortunately). Now when stuck, I just flip the face open and I'm nice and cool.

The Fulmer flip did it for me. Fits good, and everything is quality except the chin vent, the door of which disappeared somewhere in the Georgia mountians. That being said, the venting in this helmet actually WORKS. I can actually feel air blowing on my face and across my head through this helmet. That's rare for any full face. Shields are quick-release and inexpensive

For the price ($120 USD with both clear and smoked shields) it can't be beaten.

Noise isn't such a big deal because I have a windscreen.

Charles.

HJC Hybrid - best of all worlds
 

I wear glasses, and found the ideal solution to be the HJC Hybrid, its a moto x helemet that also has a pull down visor, its comfy - great visability, breaths well, washable inner, easy to fit speakers into, and also you can wear goggles with the lid, without having to take the road visor off, so get yourself some Oakley O frames and you have the best of everything!

also, when stopping you can have a conversation without taking your lid off, just remember to pause your ipod first :thumbup1:

Flip front helmets...
 

Posted this before, but here once again.

I'm living in Japan and ordered a Schuberth Concept flip-front helmet from Germany last year. Been using it since September, all the time, so in humid-hot conditions as well as cold (-2 degrees Celsius). The only thing I can say is that the helmet is very convenient, acceptable noise levels, not heavy at all (compared with the Shohei helmet I used before), great features (for example the sunvisor, which comes in very handy when entering/leaving tunnels - no messing around with sunglasses!!) and the price was acceptable, too (was it 240 Euros?).

Full Face
 

:stormy::stormy::stormy::stormy::stormy::stormy::s tormy::stormy::stormy::stormy::stormy::stormy::sto rmy::stormy::stormy::stormy:
I was riding in a rainstorm and flip-up face shield was leaking and full of water. I Wish I had known this before looking up and dumping it all down my slickers.
It turned a little rain into so much Misery...

I'm now back in a full face, yeah I miss not being able to take a drink without removing my helmet, but in the long run or where rain is a possibility I'd go with a Full Face...

SwampFox

Tim 5:1-2
Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers,
and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.