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Trek Claims Their Next Release Will “Change Cycling Forever”


Page Turner

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8 hours ago, Page Turner said:

Any expectations that it is over-hyped ?

All my expectations are that it is overhyped.  It is a bike or bike parts, for crying out loud.  All you can do is make it lighter, more aero, more durable, more comfy, more whatever. No quantum leaps are expected by me.

I got an e-mail about it, so I chuckled when I read the RBA story about finding out about it on social media ? Why aren't the RBA folks getting the same (or better) e-mails that I am?

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  • 2 weeks later...
17 hours ago, ChrisL said:

Was there an announcement yet?  I’m guessing some sort of dampening material that will make bikes more comfy.

 

Uh, my youtube and Dennis' comment are about the new helmet material that is REVOLUTIONARY.  Or, it might be but I haven't seen it in person yet.  WaveCel.

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And, from Peloton Mag (hard to tell if this is independent article or a "featured" (ie paid for) story but it gives the story behind Trek's new helmets):

We hear lots of noise about ‘revolutionary’ new products in cycling. They are essentially never revolutionary, and frequently aren’t even new. But when Trek starts teasing a new product with the tag, “A change like this happens once every 30 years.” We’re pretty sure it’s a big deal. Speculation started. Was the lime green material teased a new frame material? Trek launched OCLV carbon about 30 years ago. But the biggest clue was Bontrager touted the material as well, and it did look a bit like the Koroyd material used in Smith helmets. Now we know. Bontrager is incorporating a new material called WaveCel into its helmets, which it claims is 48x more effective than EPS foam at preventing concussions during unplanned dismounts.

• WaveCel is a collapsible cellular material that reduces the effect of oblique head impacts that generate the rotational forces that can cause so much brain trauma.

• WaveCel is an alternative to the now ubiquitous MIPS layer used by Bontrager in many helmets and most other helmet manufacturers as well.

• According to a study at the Legacy Research Institute in Portland, Oregon, WaveCel is significantly more effective than MIPS in reducing both linear impact forces and rational forces on the brain.

• While similar in appearance to Koroyd used by Smith, Koroyd equipped helmets still use a MIPS layer.

• WaveCel adds a little over 50grams compared to non-WaveCel helmet’s weight.

As most people in cycling now now, its not the blunt impacts we should fear, it’s the oblique, angular impacts at high speed that cause so many concussion as well as life altering traumatic brain injury. Brain cells do not respond well the shearing forces. In the 10-15 milliseconds after an oblique impact it’s crucially important to spread that force out with 10-15mm of movement. If the helmet doesn’t provide that movement, your brain provides it by rotating in your skull. Yeah, that’s as bad as it sounds. Axons connecting brain cells go ‘snap’.

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28 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

And, from Peloton Mag (hard to tell if this is independent article or a "featured" (ie paid for) story but it gives the story behind Trek's new helmets):

We hear lots of noise about ‘revolutionary’ new products in cycling. They are essentially never revolutionary, and frequently aren’t even new. But when Trek starts teasing a new product with the tag, “A change like this happens once every 30 years.” We’re pretty sure it’s a big deal. Speculation started. Was the lime green material teased a new frame material? Trek launched OCLV carbon about 30 years ago. But the biggest clue was Bontrager touted the material as well, and it did look a bit like the Koroyd material used in Smith helmets. Now we know. Bontrager is incorporating a new material called WaveCel into its helmets, which it claims is 48x more effective than EPS foam at preventing concussions during unplanned dismounts.

• WaveCel is a collapsible cellular material that reduces the effect of oblique head impacts that generate the rotational forces that can cause so much brain trauma.

• WaveCel is an alternative to the now ubiquitous MIPS layer used by Bontrager in many helmets and most other helmet manufacturers as well.

• According to a study at the Legacy Research Institute in Portland, Oregon, WaveCel is significantly more effective than MIPS in reducing both linear impact forces and rational forces on the brain.

• While similar in appearance to Koroyd used by Smith, Koroyd equipped helmets still use a MIPS layer.

• WaveCel adds a little over 50grams compared to non-WaveCel helmet’s weight.

As most people in cycling now now, its not the blunt impacts we should fear, it’s the oblique, angular impacts at high speed that cause so many concussion as well as life altering traumatic brain injury. Brain cells do not respond well the shearing forces. In the 10-15 milliseconds after an oblique impact it’s crucially important to spread that force out with 10-15mm of movement. If the helmet doesn’t provide that movement, your brain provides it by rotating in your skull. Yeah, that’s as bad as it sounds. Axons connecting brain cells go ‘snap’.

I did not like reading this.  I have landed on my head several times.  

Luck? 

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11 minutes ago, Dirtyhip said:

Have you seen me ride?  The stuff I am doing is challenging.

Even pros crash. Most of the nastier ones have been pedal strikes.   

And they haven't made a downhill full face model yet :( Just standard MTB and road versions.

BontragerBlazeWaveCelHelmetCPSC_25359_A_Primary.thumb.jpg.43b080a9a29054b68285e0734b20b169.jpg

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26 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

It does warrant the question of whether or not it is something you buy as a replacement NOW, or wait for more options/manufacturers, or wait until your current one(s) age, or just go with a "normal" one again and ignore the potential "hype".

I went through three helmets last year. Trek is claiming an exclusive on this. Curious about how long that will last, maybe they bought the rights for a certain number of years.

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 3/21/2019 at 8:20 AM, Razors Edge said:

This helmet WILL SAVE LIVES and REVOLUTIONIZE BICYCLE SAFETY.... so we're gonna limit its availability and charge a premium. :(

The make a less expensive road version that is on sale now for $120. VA Tech rated it #1

https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicycle-helmet-ratings.html

And the pissing match has started with Mips and others.

https://www.outsideonline.com/2392896/trek-wavecel-helmet-controversy

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On 4/5/2019 at 6:37 PM, dennis said:

The make a less expensive road version that is on sale now for $120. VA Tech rated it #1

https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicycle-helmet-ratings.html

 

And the pissing match has started with Mips and others.

https://www.outsideonline.com/2392896/trek-wavecel-helmet-controversy

I'll give it a whirl to see if it even fits my noggin.  Maybe @Old#7 has seen them at the shop, so I can swing by and check their fit.  Also, you mentioned the Smith and their use of Koroyd. I wonder how different these two materials really are.

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50 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

I'll give it a whirl to see if it even fits my noggin.  Maybe @Old#7 has seen them at the shop, so I can swing by and check their fit.  Also, you mentioned the Smith and their use of Koroyd. I wonder how different these two materials really are.

I had my shop order one for me. I was surprised they didn't have any considering how much Trek is marketing them. 

They claim the materials are different. Check out the VA tech results. The Smith Route Mips received 5 stars, but scored a 14 compared to the Bontrager Spectar 10.8. A lower score is better. The other Smith helmets scored worse. POCs were lower with a 4 star being their best. The Bontragers did very well.

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9 hours ago, Razors Edge said:

I'll give it a whirl to see if it even fits my noggin.  Maybe @Old#7 has seen them at the shop, so I can swing by and check their fit.  Also, you mentioned the Smith and their use of Koroyd. I wonder how different these two materials really are.

The wave cell helmets are selling better than we expected, given the price point. I bought one, the XXX, retails at $300. But the Trek discount for employees was too good to pass up.$75. They only had a limited number for LBS employees nationwide so I bought a small, too small. The shop exchanged the small for a medium, so I’m good. Haven’t used it yet, but will soon. I like the fit, feels good on the noggin.

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10 hours ago, Old#7 said:

The wave cell helmets are selling better than we expected, given the price point. I bought one, the XXX, retails at $300. But the Trek discount for employees was too good to pass up.$75. They only had a limited number for LBS employees nationwide so I bought a small, too small. The shop exchanged the small for a medium, so I’m good. Haven’t used it yet, but will soon. I like the fit, feels good on the noggin.

How was the color selection?  Ideally I am after black or yellow in a medium.  Probably yellow as my top choice. Red, blue, and white are not on my list, although I wonder if a white helmet is a lot cooler than a black helmet in the Summer sun. 

And the "XXX" name is crap. I googled that by itself of course we know what results come up :(

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58 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

How was the color selection?  Ideally I am after black or yellow in a medium.  Probably yellow as my top choice. Red, blue, and white are not on my list, although I wonder if a white helmet is a lot cooler than a black helmet in the Summer sun. 

And the "XXX" name is crap. I googled that by itself of course we know what results come up :(

I went with black. None of the colors inspired me.  The names are just dumb, specter, xxx, blaze, and charge. This helmet better rock, I've never ordered one without trying it on first. How do we test the safety?

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2 hours ago, Razors Edge said:

How was the color selection?  Ideally I am after black or yellow in a medium.  Probably yellow as my top choice. Red, blue, and white are not on my list, although I wonder if a white helmet is a lot cooler than a black helmet in the Summer sun. 

And the "XXX" name is crap. I googled that by itself of course we know what results come up :(

Color selection is good, we have black, yellow, white, pink, red and blue. Size I'm not so sure about. I know we have a small in red. Limited number right now due to the nationwide roll out. You may be able to order online to get the size color you want. I think TrekFest pricing applies here also, 20% discount thru the 15th. I am not a believer in the white helmet is cooler than black ones. Personal experience tells me there is no difference. But that's just me. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

...OK, I'm thinking pretty seriously about buying a new helment for myself.  Anyone have any updates on their new revolutionary technology wavecel helment  ?  Do they ride OK in heat ?  If my helment increases my head temperature to the point I pass out and crash, I will take little comfort in the superior impact absorption qualities of it.  REI is selling them here for like 150 bucks.  Which is pretty cheap to dodge three years in a coma.

I read the Bikesnob's piece on them, and it didn't help me decide.  is this really better than MIPS ?

 

 

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26 minutes ago, Page Turner said:

...OK, I'm thinking pretty seriously about buying a new helment for myself.  Anyone have any updates on their new revolutionary technology wavecel helment  ?  Do they ride OK in heat ?  If my helment increases my head temperature to the point I pass out and crash, I will take little comfort in the superior impact absorption qualities of it.  REI is selling them here for like 150 bucks.  Which is pretty cheap to dodge three years in a coma.

I read the Bikesnob's piece on them, and it didn't help me decide.  is this really better than MIPS ?

 

 

I like mine. I've had it a few weeks now and have worn it a lot. It is comfortable and it looks good. I paid $120 during Trekfest. That's a fair price for a good lid. I can't really speak to heat though. It's in the 30s  20s teens here and we still have snow. I tend to get hot and sweat a lot, so I wear a hat under my helmet. It seems well vented. I won't be able to test the cooling factor until July or August. There is a lot of hype surrounding Trek's claims. I'm sure they paid wavecel a big wad of cash for the exclusive rights. I decided to trust the VA Tech ratings. 

From the Trek website:

Cooler than cool

WaveCel keeps you cooler. It minimizes traditional heat-capturing EPS foam and sits perpendicular to the helmet, allowing for more air flow to your forehead and temples. These areas of your head are the most perceptive regions for cooling.

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Just a guess, but the Bontrager-REI sales announcement was probably driven by the Wavecel helmets. Trek needs to sell a lot of these, REI has a big footprint and reach. Trek probably wouldn't have sold enough of these through independent shops to make it worthwhile. My LBS didn't even order any wavecel helmets. I had them order one for me. I think they got a few extras. They really like POC helmets, they also sell Sweet Protection and some other Bontrager helmets. 

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