This was my first helmet, bought about 1981, I think. The therories of its design,a s stated by the manufacturer, made sense to me then, but obviously these could not be supported by the actual experience of road use. The retention straps were designed to break away if the helmet caught on something, not just with impact. The first generation was very round, and needed additional padding to make it fit right. The next iteration was more oval, and fit better. I did like the visor, which snapped on (borrowed technology from motorsport helmets), but I did worry that the hard plastic would be a liability in a crash. I did take a hard fall with one, my head bouncing off the pavement on the side. I had a slight concussion, and I am sure that without it, I would be dead or badly injured/brain damaged. I have no doubt a newer design would have been better. But I still have the two I owned, hanging on the wall of my basement shop, along with a couple of leather 'hairnets', tyre savers, JA metal cleats, and bio-pace rings.
I just wish there were modern helmets that did not try so hard to look like space craft. The Bell Metro looks pretty good, but I have reservations about its ventilation.
Ron "rides with helmets" Gurth Carmel, IN
__________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com