Helmet checking at DH races

[DH77]

I've got a full face helmet that I understand is Aus standards approved - an Azonic Fury. The exact same helmet is sold by bike shops as such. But I got mine second hand and it doesn't have the Aus standard sticker on it.

Do they actually check helmets for these stickers at races? Will this cause a problem for me - the helmet being OK but not have the sticker saying so?

 

[smitty_jr]

I've never been "helmet checked" at any DH races, (Clubby, State or Nats).
Although some kind of helmet check should be made at the starting gates IMO.

 

[Josh222]

No, they don't check you helmet at races. It only has to me a full face and have no obvious serious cracks

 

[my_bike]

They don't ever check as you need a full face to race. I don't think full faces come with a "Australian Standards" sticker as my TLD did'nt.

 

[Nathan_S]

They don't ever check as you need a full face to race. I don't think full faces come with a "Australian Standards" sticker as my TLD did'nt.

its on the padding, stictched to it

well at least mine is, but no i havent been checked so you should be right

 

[MTBalltheway]

!

If your a full on expert (Nationals), then I would get a new helm if I were you.

Otherwise, If it is just local racing or similar, then I wouldn't worry too much about it. (Mind you, I havn't raced DH yet, but with most of my XC races they don't check. I've only been checked once in XC).

Good luck in racing!

 

[DH77]

As I thought

If I were a full on expert (Nationals), I doubt I'd need to ask the question, but thanks anyway.

 

[JaRedy]

Never been checked for my hlemet before, as others have said. I did once get checked for bar ends at a Toowomba round though ...and that cought alot of riders off guard. Ruined alot of people's runs too, as your line up for 20min, drive up for 20 min to find out that you gotta roll down the 4wd track and go and fit some make-shift bar plugs. Frustrating as.

 

[saundo]

they checked helmets at one of the lithgow nationals a while ago, didnt acctually look for the sticker, just checked brand and a quick look for cracks, they also checked brakes and bar ends at that race, only race i have eve been checked for all 3.

 

[JaRedy]

they also checked brakes

Why would brakes need checking? What's there to check?

 

[Nerf Herder]

Why would brakes need checking? What's there to check?

You may want to think that one over.

 

[brindog]

I did once get checked for bar ends at a Toowomba round though ...and that cought alot of riders off guard. Ruined alot of people's runs too, as your line up for 20min, drive up for 20 min to find out that you gotta roll down the 4wd track and go and fit some make-shift bar plugs. Frustrating as.

Thats when you go and get some bark, sticks, or mud/dirt and shove it down the ends of your bars, I've had to do that heaps of times.

And with the helmet, you should be right, I've never been checked and I've never seen anyone being checked as long as it looks normal you won't be checked.

 

[thecat]

No, they don't check you helmet at races. It only has to me a full face and have no obvious serious cracks

Wrong.

Helmets can and should be checked at races. The helmet must have Australian standards or equivalent international standard approval.

At this stage commissaires have only been available at national and some state races however soon a commissaire will need to be at every race and these things checked off

Such scrutineering in other sports is extremely strict and it's only a matter if time before we start moving that way. Until now it mostly been a lack of man power to do it

Why would brakes need checking? What's there to check?

Regulations state that the bike must be in good working order with two working brakes and solid bar plugs.

Again something that should be checked at National level and soon will need to be checked at all club, state and national event. Hell you should be checking that stuff before every ride anyway.

 

[SteveC22]

Ive never seen anyone checked before... Anyway if they sell the full faced helmet in Australian bike shops im guessing its allowed to be used for DH racing..

 

[thecat]

Ive never seen anyone checked before... Anyway if they sell the full faced helmet in Australian bike shops im guessing its allowed to be used for DH racing..

Not quiet

Australian standard for bicycle helmet mostly talk about suitability for on road use so until recently a lot of FF manufacturers haven't bothered to go to the expense to do the testing needed to acquire AS.

Thus the "or international equivalent" However as there is some grey area to off road bicycle helmets you may find some that are not standards approved at all.

Also the helmet itself may have used by date after which the approval becomes invalid so if you have an old helmet it may be out of date.

 

[G-rant]

At all national races they check that your helmet is done up tight at the top of every run but i have never seen them check for stickers.

 

[the tuck]

I am rather sure that the austrlian design standards as mentioned manily cover on-road helmets, and most DH helmets i see are far beyond this standard, howevver there is no standard yet for testing full face bicycle helmets that is ADR aproved, thus making it impossilbe to have them assured to any standard other than the on-road helmet standard. I would guess if a new standard wa employed it would have to be similar to what a motocross helemt standard would be for off-road use. ( Note that off road use as it not govererd by RTA or parlimnet they problaly feel thaey do not need to provide a standdard that complies to this as they are technically never going to be liable so it is a waste of money for ADR to devleop these standards)

 

[thecat]

At all national races they check that your helmet is done up tight at the top of every run but i have never seen them check for stickers.

The MTBA commissaires have a list of helmets that have an approval. if your helmet is from one of those manufacturers they wouldn't bother checking the sticker. f it's not on the this they would.

 

[JaRedy]

You may want to think that one over.

Ok I know what your saying. But if your brakes diddnt work, wouldn't it be up to you to decide not to ride?

If you get SES telling you can't ride your bike because your brakes aren't strong enough it would be kind of silly, Because if you've chosen to ride when you know that your fine riding them as they are, then there's no real issue?

 

[thecat]

Ok I know what your saying. But if your brakes diddnt work, wouldn't it be up to you to decide not to ride?

You could say the same about choosing to wear a helmet. If it weren't compulsory rest assured guys would race DH without them.. People are stupid sometimes

And it wouldn't be SES. it would be a trained scrutineer.