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).
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> Hair will do the same thing.
VA Tech (and others, IIRC) has years of empirical tests that show otherwise. What is your comment based on?
Edit: In fact, if I understand your analysis, humans won't get concussions at all.
VA's test dummy doesn't have hair.
That's not a basis for your claim.
What? GP's claim is that hair provides a similar benefit. VA is simply not testing heads with hair on them -- their tests can't "show otherwise" (your claim).
> GP's claim is that hair provides a similar benefit.
GP provides no evidence for that. VA Tech not addressing it (if it's true that they don't - I have no reason to believe it) is not evidence. VA Tech also doesn't address my theory that microscopic super-intelligent aliens affect helmet response.
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.
Just checked my BD climbing helmet I bought few years ago (seems like Mips Capitan model based on design).
Considered these things a gimmick (any technical equipment bought has list of various tech used within, I generally ignore that by default since I have no idea what each means), happy to see move for more safety in this area. Even small steps matter.
I will climb in big heat wave we have here in Europe now this evening, more sweaty = more slippery on polished rock crags, risk is always not as far as we like to think.
Petzl makes better helmets than BD. They pioneered the ultralight foam kind with the sirocco that everyone (including BD and Mammut) copied. Yet they still don't care about MIPS.
It does feel like a thing that has never been properly validated. It's a good market to push this in because, well, why wouldn't you spend 10% more to be a little bit safer?
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.
I’m bald on top
Exactly. Hair and scalp. Evolution already made a MIPS system. The thing lacking it was the test dummies that Virginia Tech uses, so now they recommend we put it in helmets too.
Not having my hair and scalp act as the MIPS system is worth the $20 extra to me.
I think they will already act like that, MIPS or not. Stick a helmet on your head, now wiggle it. It moves really quite a bit, unless you like to wear it so tight you get a headache.
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.
You forgot to mention it's also $200+. Some folks buy bicycles for less than that.
Or the ground being low traction: dusty/dirt/wet. Harder to control what you land on, but will diminish MIPS’ ROI in many situations.
If ruling out risks by a priori is a solution, why wear a helmet at all? Maybe you won't hit your head when you fall. Maybe you'll land in water or on a satin pillow (low friction).
Not ruling out anything but pointing out MIPS’ benefits will be poorer than portrayed in the lab in many realistic situations.
Sure, buy all the safety equipment you can afford that has any possible benefit.
What’s better: a $15 more expensive bike light or a $15 more expensive helmet with MIPS?
> MIPS’ benefits will be poorer than portrayed in the lab in many realistic situations
How are they testing it in the lab? How do concussions work in realistic situations (is there one way?)? What is the distribution of realistic situations?
Maybe the benefits are better in realistic situations; maybe the lab tests are more aggressive than reality or the results are interpreted conservatively (because scientists spending years on something might have thought of a 30-second hot take), ...
For $15, everybody should buy both. It's a non issue