Racing in helmets purchased in a foreign country

Apr 24, 15 13:09

Post #1 of 17 (3419 views)

I'm looking at a new helmet that seems to be a little difficult to find from US distributors. I've found it via a distributor in Australia, but before purchasing it and having it shipped to the US, I wanted to make sure I could wear it in US races.

I'm aware that the Australian standards for bike helmets is largely considered the gold standard. Many articles that I've found say that it is more stringent the the CPSC standards. Seeing as how the helmet will have the Australian standard sticker in it and not a CPSC sticker - will that be a problem?

The USAT rule states:
5.9[/url] Helmets.
(a) Type of Helmet. All participants shall wear a protective head cover, undamaged and unaltered, which meets or exceeds the safety standards of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and which is clearly labeled by the manufacturer as satisfying such standards. Helmets manufactured prior to March 10, 1999 must meet or exceed the safety standards of (i) the American National Standard Institute (ANSI Z-90.4), (ii) The Snell Memorial Foundation (Protective Headgear for Bicycle Users), or (iii) ASTM F-1446 or F-1447, and which is clearly labeled by the manufacturer as satisfying such standards. Removal of helmet cover, if required for that helmet to meet such safety standards, shall constitute an impermissible alteration in violation of this Section 5.9(a). Any violation of this Section 5.9(a) shall result in disqualification.

The key line in there I believe is "...which meets or exceeds the safety standards of teh CPSC, and which is clearly labeled by the manufacturer as satisfying such standards." I know that there was a bit of a firestorm over a pro helmet at IM FL a few years ago, but I thought that the rule may have been updated since then.
Thanks in advance for any help.

Last edited by: Twotter: Apr 24, 15 13:33

Re: Racing in helmets purchased in a foreign country [Twotter] [ In reply to ]

Apr 24, 15 13:30

Post #2 of 17 (3406 views)

This is from Ironman in regards to standardization of rules between ITU and WTC. Note the bold text. What this means is that if you come from Australia you can wear your Australian approved helmet or if you are American and go race in Australia you can wear your American approved helmet. What it does not mean is that an American can wear a non CPSC helmet at a US race.

USAT still has it's CPSC rule requirement. Will it be a problem? Maybe, I have had helmets checked a couple of times (Hy-Vee and Rev3 Knoxville).

Helmets must be approved by a national accredited testing authority and such authority must be recognized by the International Triathlon Union and the relevant National Federation. (Please note: at all Events sanctioned by USA Triathlon (�USAT�), USAT requires all age‐group athletes to wear a helmet approved by the USA CPSC); (DSQ)

Rodney
TrainingPeaks | Altra Running | RAD Roller
http://www.goinglong.ca

Re: Racing in helmets purchased in a foreign country [rbuike] [ In reply to ]

Apr 24, 15 13:37

Post #3 of 17 (3399 views)

rbuike wrote:

(Please note: at all Events sanctioned by USA Triathlon (�USAT�), USAT requires all age‐group athletes to wear a helmet approved by the USA CPSC); (DSQ)

Yeah, I saw that line too in searching for an answer. The only issue I found with it is that I can't find where USAT actually says that in their rules. The USAT rule is the one that I quoted above.

Thanks though for your insight though.

Re: Racing in helmets purchased in a foreign country [Twotter] [ In reply to ]

Apr 24, 15 13:44

Post #4 of 17 (3395 views)

USAT requires a CPSC sticker for AG athletes.. You have to read between the lines a bit but in reality that is what they train the volunteers to look for. It's a bit clearer when you compare it to the Elite athlete rules which has specific provisions for EU, Australia/NZ, Canada...

It could be why the helmet is difficult to find in the US, it may not have been submitted or finished with CPSC testing yet. Similar thing happened a few years ago with Catlike helmets and last year with the newer POC helmets.

AG - (a) Type of Helmet. All participants shall wear a protective head cover, undamaged and unaltered, which meets or exceeds the safety standards of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and which is clearly labeled by the manufacturer as satisfying such standards.

Elite - a) Type of Helmet. All participants shall wear a protective head cover, undamaged and unaltered, which meets or exceeds the safety standards of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and which is clearly labeled by the manufacturer as satisfying such standards. Helmets not labeled as approved by the CPSC, but meet one or more of the following standards: Snell B-90, Snell B-95, ASTM 1447-12, CEN European Standard, Canadian Standards Association, Standards Australia/Standards New Zealand AS/NZS, and Japanese Industrial Standard JIS, may be used on condition the participant completes and signs a supplemental waiver.

Rodney
TrainingPeaks | Altra Running | RAD Roller
http://www.goinglong.ca

Last edited by: rbuike: Apr 24, 15 13:46

Re: Racing in helmets purchased in a foreign country [Twotter] [ In reply to ]

Apr 24, 15 14:16

Post #5 of 17 (3370 views)

As others have posted - for a USAT Sanctioned race- all AG helmets must display a CPSC Sticker- new rules for Elites were introduced last year, but the sticker AGers must be in place and visible. Hope this helps

Graham Wilson
USAT Level III Elite Coach
http://www.thewilsongroup.biz

Re: Racing in helmets purchased in a foreign country [Twotter] [ In reply to ]

Apr 24, 15 14:20

Post #6 of 17 (3363 views)

Logically you are right. Australian helmets are just as good. But that's not what the rules say. You will need to have a CPSC sticker on the helmet. That said, I've never had a race check that sticker. Many have said prerace or in the athlete guide they'd check helmets and they didn't. However it doesn't mean it won't happen to you on your very first race with that helmet, because Murphy is a bastard.

Re: Racing in helmets purchased in a foreign country [Dilbert] [ In reply to ]

Apr 24, 15 15:28

Post #7 of 17 (3329 views)

Dilbert wrote:

Logically you are right. Australian helmets are just as good. But that's not what the rules say. You will need to have a CPSC sticker on the helmet. That said, I've never had a race check that sticker. Many have said prerace or in the athlete guide they'd check helmets and they didn't. However it doesn't mean it won't happen to you on your very first race with that helmet, because Murphy is a bastard.

^^^^This.

Helmet checkers at races are often just told to look for the CPSC sticker. I've seen lots of headaches where someone's sticker has fallen off and they get grief from the officials even though it's a very common helmet that "everyone" knows is CPSC-approved. Then there was this: http://forum.slowtwitch.com/..._reply;so=ASC;mh=25;

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Re: Racing in helmets purchased in a foreign country [rbuike] [ In reply to ]

Apr 26, 15 5:41

Post #8 of 17 (3211 views)

rbuike wrote:

USAT requires a CPSC sticker for AG athletes.. You have to read between the lines a bit but in reality that is what they train the volunteers to look for. It's a bit clearer when you compare it to the Elite athlete rules which has specific provisions for EU, Australia/NZ, Canada...

It could be why the helmet is difficult to find in the US, it may not have been submitted or finished with CPSC testing yet. Similar thing happened a few years ago with Catlike helmets and last year with the newer POC helmets.

AG - (a) Type of Helmet. All participants shall wear a protective head cover, undamaged and unaltered, which meets or exceeds the safety standards of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and which is clearly labeled by the manufacturer as satisfying such standards.

Elite - a) Type of Helmet. All participants shall wear a protective head cover, undamaged and unaltered, which meets or exceeds the safety standards of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and which is clearly labeled by the manufacturer as satisfying such standards. Helmets not labeled as approved by the CPSC, but meet one or more of the following standards: Snell B-90, Snell B-95, ASTM 1447-12, CEN European Standard, Canadian Standards Association, Standards Australia/Standards New Zealand AS/NZS, and Japanese Industrial Standard JIS, may be used on condition the participant completes and signs a supplemental waiver.

Yeah, they do a better job explaining it in the Elite section. This is the sort of shit that pisses me off when it comes to rules. I certainly understand having a different set of drafting rules for elites. But a different helmet rule is asinine. The assertion that an Elite athlete's head is protected just fine in a fall by a helmet with Aus sticker, but an AG'er is not??

To answer one other poster's question - the helmet, Kask Bambino, is sold in the US. The 2015 version has an updated visor, but it is hard to find in the US...hence why I was looking elsewhere.

Thanks all for your help.

Re: Racing in helmets purchased in a foreign country [Twotter] [ In reply to ]

Apr 26, 15 6:39

Post #9 of 17 (3181 views)

It's so Elites from other countries are not buying a new helmet at the expo... keeps their sponsors happy. I think the same should be offered to AG but only to those who hold a race licence outside the US for the same reasons.

The supplemental waiver is probably legal toilet paper anyways.

___________________________________________
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Re: Racing in helmets purchased in a foreign country [Twotter] [ In reply to ]

Apr 26, 15 6:53

Post #10 of 17 (3173 views)

Here is my understanding. If helmet A is sold in countries A and B, it should not matter if you buy it from A or B, because it is the same helmet.

Ps you could always put a cpsc sticker in it :P

Re: Racing in helmets purchased in a foreign country [TriathlonKid] [ In reply to ]

Apr 26, 15 9:39

Post #11 of 17 (3118 views)

TriathlonKid wrote:

Here is my understanding. If helmet A is sold in countries A and B, it should not matter if you buy it from A or B, because it is the same helmet.

Ps you could always put a cpsc sticker in it :P

Except it's not always the same helmet (same name, different molds). From a couple of years ago:

Any manufacturer can test a CEN helmet against the CPSC requirements - if it passes, it gets a CPSC certification. At a race last year, I saw an official find both CSPC-certified and CEN-certified Giro Advantage 2 helmets within a couple of racks. Both looked the same on the outside, but when he flipped them over the CPSC version had a noticeably thicker shell. The official said that Giro had to modify the CEN-approved shell to be able to pass the CPSC standard.

A helmet can pass CEN and not pass CPSC. The CEN helmet can be lighter because of their standard, and weight is a selling factor.

Re: Racing in helmets purchased in a foreign country [Twotter] [ In reply to ]

Apr 26, 15 9:59

Post #12 of 17 (3112 views)

Hate to go here but lawyers and silliness have driven me to it. Your helmet is illegal by the letter of the law and you can't change that fact. Realize this
is a game for people who do not participate in triathlon and do the following. After buying your 300 dollar helmet go to walmart and by a 20 dollar helmet.
Scrape out the CPSC sticker and superglue it into your 300 dollar helmet next to the Ozzie certification. Put a strip of clear packing tape over the whole
bit to protect it from sweat. Done and dusted. Desperate times call for desperate measures. You shouldn't need to go to these lengths but please refer
to my opening statement.

Last edited by: JustKeepMoving: Apr 26, 15 10:01

Re: Racing in helmets purchased in a foreign country [Peanut] [ In reply to ]

Apr 26, 15 12:55

Post #13 of 17 (3067 views)

Wow, I didn't know that. Thanks for enlightening me :)

Re: Racing in helmets purchased in a foreign country [TravelingTri] [ In reply to ]

Apr 26, 15 12:56

Post #14 of 17 (3065 views)

TravelingTri wrote:

Hate to go here but lawyers and silliness have driven me to it. Your helmet is illegal by the letter of the law and you can't change that fact. Realize this
is a game for people who do not participate in triathlon and do the following. After buying your 300 dollar helmet go to walmart and by a 20 dollar helmet.
Scrape out the CPSC sticker and superglue it into your 300 dollar helmet next to the Ozzie certification. Put a strip of clear packing tape over the whole
bit to protect it from sweat. Done and dusted. Desperate times call for desperate measures. You shouldn't need to go to these lengths but please refer
to my opening statement.

Nice to see common prevailing,it's what I would do.

Re: Racing in helmets purchased in a foreign country [TravelingTri] [ In reply to ]

Apr 26, 15 15:55

Post #15 of 17 (3026 views)

TravelingTri wrote:

Hate to go here but lawyers and silliness have driven me to it. Your helmet is illegal by the letter of the law and you can't change that fact. Realize this
is a game for people who do not participate in triathlon and do the following. After buying your 300 dollar helmet go to walmart and by a 20 dollar helmet.
Scrape out the CPSC sticker and superglue it into your 300 dollar helmet next to the Ozzie certification. Put a strip of clear packing tape over the whole
bit to protect it from sweat. Done and dusted. Desperate times call for desperate measures. You shouldn't need to go to these lengths but please refer
to my opening statement.

but you didn't hear it here......

" your Honour, I'm almost certain that there were two Standards stickers on it when I opened the box"

Re: Racing in helmets purchased in a foreign country [TravelingTri] [ In reply to ]

Apr 27, 15 4:14

Post #16 of 17 (2954 views)

TravelingTri wrote:

Hate to go here but lawyers and silliness have driven me to it. Your helmet is illegal by the letter of the law and you can't change that fact. Realize this
is a game for people who do not participate in triathlon and do the following. After buying your 300 dollar helmet go to walmart and by a 20 dollar helmet.
Scrape out the CPSC sticker and superglue it into your 300 dollar helmet next to the Ozzie certification. Put a strip of clear packing tape over the whole
bit to protect it from sweat. Done and dusted. Desperate times call for desperate measures. You shouldn't need to go to these lengths but please refer
to my opening statement.

To the OP:

I'd suggest saving the $20. Any official that knows enough about the different types of stickers would see through this trick. If you do happen to get caught without a CPSC sticker, you'll have to find a different helmet or take a DQ. Putting in the sticker from a different helmet can end up as a suspension from USAT. I have a friend that's an official, and she can tell by looking whether a CPSC sticker is made by Giro, Bell, Rudy, Specialized.

Re: Racing in helmets purchased in a foreign country [Peanut] [ In reply to ]

Apr 27, 15 7:51

Post #17 of 17 (2894 views)

Peanut wrote:

I have a friend that's an official, and she can tell by looking whether a CPSC sticker is made by Giro, Bell, Rudy, Specialized.

I would imagine that just about anyone that is literate could tell just by looking at the sticker - the name of the manufacturer is on the sticker ;)

Thanks to everyone - I'm going to reach out to USAT and Kask to see if there is a solution prior to spending the money on the helmet or before taking the aforementioned suggestions.

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