Anyone modded their aero helmet / familiar with the CPSC rules concerning such mods? For instance, could I cover the underside of the tail to close it off? My lab has fiberglass and whatnot that I could use to do a fairly clean/light/aero job of it, but I’m graduating in a few months so if I’m going to do it the time to do it is now…
The Rudy project has a tail cover and they are approved.
That’s beside the point. Plenty of aero helmets have tail covers that are removable. The question is whether it is part of CPSC certification…
According to tri rules I believe its illegal to modify a helmet. Its also unlikely that they would notice. I wouldn’t cover up the CPSC sticker during the mod though.
I’ve modified an aero helmet exactly as you suggest. I covered up the hollow tail of an LG rocket aero helmet, but left a small hole in the tail of the underside for some air flow.
I don’t know the cpsc helmet specs or rules, but I would imagine that to CYA (that of the cpsc) that any changes, no matter how trivial, are not approved. In light of that, and for better safety, my mod wasn’t permanent. I used a rigid but fairly thin plastic “for sale” sign (with a white backside) from the local hardware store and carefully cut it and then taped it in place with high quality clear tape. In an accident, the piece will tear out or, if it doesn’t, it is so flexible that it won’t cause any injury. Another advantage of this approach vs something more permanent with fiberglass is, if any official sees my handiwork and is displeased, this mod can be ripped out in less than 5 seconds.
I don’t think that is “beside the point”. Rudy project is selling the entire helmet complete and advertising it as cpsc approved. I have yet to see it advertised as compliant with an asterisks stating its only compliant if you remove some of the features.
I believe the “no mod” rule is for safety. As in, buying a helmet and removing all the foam to make it lighter only to reduce the effectiveness of the helmet. Or adding spikes that might hurt other riders.
I don’t think they can advertise the helmet as being compliant and then it’s not.
I have yet to see it advertised as compliant with an asterisks stating its only compliant if you remove some of the features.
I think you misunderstood. Plenty of helmets that have the cover have been CPSC certified–Rudy Project makes one, Specialized makes one (although they no longer sell the cover because the edges tended to get frayed which seemed to wig the CPSC people out), and several helmets have tails that are closed off to begin with (i.e no removable piece). The cover (when attached as designed by the manufacturer) obviously passes, and the helmets also pass when the cover is removed (Wingspan, TT2, etc…), which suggests that the cover is somewhat of a neutral proposition. The question is whether one could add that aftermarket and still retain the certification of a helmet for which a covered tail section has neither been designed by the manufacturer nor tested by CPSC.
This is also assuming that it is worth it (in terms of aerodynamics) and safe to add a cover. One layer of 2oz fiberglass over foam or over an air-filled space shouldn’t be dangerous (provided the edges were finished), and I think it would certainly help prevent any air from stagnating inside the helmet tail.