Need some feedback for MIPS information sessions

[Xctrygirl]

Hi everyone, I need some idea help.

The MIPS helmet group (www.facebook.com/groups/Mipshelmets) is working to put on some information sessions virtually. The idea behind these is to have various folks speaking about the facts behind these helmets and trying to explain what they are, why and how they work and just generally giving the public a chance to ask questions and hear solid, factual information.

I’ve tried really hard not to let the group become about one brand since there are many brands that are making helmets with Mips incorporated. So we want to keep that openness but are looking to talk to folks who own non-Mips helmets or are unaware about what MIPS is, how long its been around and how many other sport’s helmets have models that include it.

My questions are:

1. Would you like Brand reps to each speak about their models with Mips? Why or why not?

2. Would you prefer only independent speakers (qualified doctors, scientists, researchers, helmet folks from other fields etc)?

3. Would a mix of the two categories make more sense?

4. What value do you assign to “Big name riders” being sponsored by (and wearing) non-MIPS helmets, when considering a Mips helmet as a possible purchase?

5. Would incentives like rebates, discounts or free gift cards given away during this event help to encourage you to attend virtually?

6. Have you ever had a concussion? Has your child? Has your trainer?

7. If you’re a parent buying for your children, what influences your helmet purchase?

Thanks for your time on your replies. You can also pm me if you prefer!

Emily

[GreyDes]

1-3: I’d love to hear from a mix of brand reps and scientists/engineers. Specifically, I’d like the brand reps to cover what type of head shape typically works with which of their models. A show & tell with different head shapes would be incredible!

4: None.

5: Always fun, likely wouldn’t influence my attendance.

6: Yes, horse related. I had not paid a ton of attention to MIPS pre-concussion, but had looked at certifications and impact ratings. I upgraded to a MIPS helmet afterwards and bought my husband one as well.

7: N/A.

[Xctrygirl]

@GreyDes

1-3: I’d love to hear from a mix of brand reps and scientists/engineers. Specifically, I’d like the brand reps to cover what type of head shape typically works with which of their models. A show & tell with different head shapes would be incredible!

4: None.

5: Always fun, likely wouldn’t influence my attendance.

6: Yes, horse related. I had not paid a ton of attention to MIPS pre-concussion, but had looked at certifications and impact ratings. I upgraded to a MIPS helmet afterwards and bought my husband one as well.

7: N/A.

Thank you @GreyDes

[Renn_aissance]

1) Would you like Brand reps to each speak about their models with Mips? Why or why not? , 2) Would you prefer only independent speakers (qualified doctors, scientists, researchers, helmet folks from other fields etc)?, 3) Would a mix of the two categories make more sense?
I like @GreyDes 's suggestion of having brand reps available to speak about the fit and individual features of their helmets, but I would be most interested to hear from independent experts. Of course the brand rep is going to tell me it’s great, it’s their product. What I want from the brand rep is to tell me what their specific product using this technology is best suited to do. Then I want to hear from industry experts why the technology works and why it’s applicable to our sport.

4) What value do you assign to “Big name riders” being sponsored by (and wearing) non-MIPS helmets, when considering a Mips helmet as a possible purchase?
None whatsoever. I am a grown ass woman, I can make my own decisions, and sponsored riders aren’t empirical evidence.

5) Would incentives like rebates, discounts or free gift cards given away during this event help to encourage you to attend virtually?
Wouldn’t hurt!

6) Have you ever had a concussion? Has your child? Has your trainer?
I have had 3 concussions from riding and 1 unrelated to the sport. I love helmets. Helmets are great.

7) If you’re a parent buying for your children, what influences your helmet purchase?
I helped my mom find her last helmet- does that count? Fit first, additional safety features second- I have an oddly-shaped head that doesn’t fit well in a lot of helmets, so I start with “does it fit properly” before I look for tie-breakers. Creature comforts- ventilation, removable washable linings, padded harness. Mom factors in price more than I do and a price tag of over $100 gives her pause- she’s a re-rider and is out of touch with what some things cost. Provided that one fits her, her next helmet will have MIPS technology- but my sister and I may need to buy it for her and not tell her what it costs!

[ammyforlife]

1/2/3 I would like to be able to speak to brand reps about the features and fit of their specific helmets, but I would strongly prefer to get safety, statistics, etc from independent speakers that are knowledgable about MIPS in general, head injuries, safety equipment, etc.

4. As much as I wish I didn’t care what BNRs wore; I do. I want to be ‘stylish’ and to me what the BNRs wear influences what I consider buying so if multiple BNRs were wearing MIPS helmets I would be more likely to buy one too. If it makes any difference I show on the A/Gold circuit in Canada.

5. I think that they could sway me.

6. I have had concussions, as have my trainers and most of the people I ride with. Unfortunately I think concussions are viewed as an unavoidable part of the sport.

7. I don’t have children of my own, but I worked in a popular Canadian tack store for several years. From my experience most parents are still more concerned about price than fit, especially those that have children that are just starting out. I noticed that fit and comfort became more important to parents as their children progressed, got more serious about riding, and moved on to their 2nd to 3rd helmet and the purchase price became more of a secondary consideration.

[theresak]

For the Brand Reps - I’d rather have a few Tack Store owners or employees who have a lot of experience fitting helmets of all brands discuss what brands of MIPS helmets fit similar to other brands. Like I’m an IRH Long Oval but have no idea how that compares to other brands and what MIPS helmets might work for me. I don’t want a brand rep to assure me something will fit, I’d rather have someone who has fit a lot of different brands tell me what to try.

[Xctrygirl]

@theresak

For the Brand Reps - I’d rather have a few Tack Store owners or employees who have a lot of experience fitting helmets of all brands discuss what brands of MIPS helmets fit similar to other brands. Like I’m an IRH Long Oval but have no idea how that compares to other brands and what MIPS helmets might work for me. I don’t want a brand rep to assure me something will fit, I’d rather have someone who has fit a lot of different brands tell me what to try.

Honestly the feedback in the Facebook group has been really helpful as a lot of folks are coming from Non-Mips to Mips and with only 10 helmet models it’s been easier to tell folks what worked for them in terms of “Hey I am coming from a beloved Tipperary Sportage but I want mips…what is similar” and folks have the answers.

Unfortunately in a lot of the country due to COVID and Shipping backlogs, the best thing for a lot of people has been to order a bunch and try them at home and ship back what doesn’t fit.

It’s no one’s idea of ideal, but the world has not been as easy to work with in terms of getting a large supply of all the MIPS helmets in stock in one place and allowing it to be accesible for all.

The closest I have seen is that Fair Hill Saddlery by me has the helmets and you can come try them. That said calling and planning your trip is important.

I do know that Dover won’t have the OneK Mips in stock anytime soon.

Also Equine Exchange (not far from me in the other direction) has a LOT of OneK Mips in stock.

Em

[Blinky]

I thought I just tried on a OneK Mips at Dover today? You are making me question my sanity.

[Xctrygirl]

@Blinky

I thought I just tried on a OneK Mips at Dover today? You are making me question my sanity.

God I hope that is true!!! When I last checked with a couple stores there was no estimated in stock date at all. (That was a call I made in Mid September)

Em

[ottbee]

I am not going to answer all of the questions but I will speak to the child question. I’m a rider parent and my 7 year old son just started lessons, and I’m unsure how much of a commitment he’s going to make despite his long term goal being to save enough money to buy Mommy a new horse. He’s just about outgrowing his helmet right now, we’ve had it (unused) for a couple years during which time he didn’t ride.

With my kid, it’s very much like buying a carseat was - the challenge of figuring out where the line is in terms of investing extra money to provide better safety verses the extra money providing simply a more trendy brand, or nicer color, or whatever. You never want to cut corners on your child’s safety, but you also want to be clear that a more expensive product is more safe and not just better marketed.

I have had concussions by the way, but not from horse-related activities. Once from being beat up by a boyfriend, another just a dumb accident and hit my head hard on a low ceiling. These were MD-diagnosed as mild concussions and yet the recovery from them was tough. I had noticeable symptoms, that lasted a couple of weeks. And I have seen evidence that the effect of concussions is, I’m definitely not expressing this accurately, but exponential. Each concussion makes the next worse. You don’t reset back to zero. My work also deals tangentially with the long term impact of TBIs and what I can tell you is I don’t want a TBI. I don’t want my kid to have one. Here, the medical/scientific information would be of value to parents in understanding how MIPS is providing safety value and not just ‘hot new thing’ value. (I do not doubt the safety value of MIPS, I’m just saying that information would be helpful and likely lead me to pull the trigger and make the purchase).

But, I’m also like … my kid is a leadliner riding a saint. How quickly will he outgrow his next size up? Will it be like shoes where I swear to god as soon as he gets a pair broken in, he outgrows them. In which case I might say to myself “Well, once he is consistently off lead then it makes sense to invest extra.” Here, the brand rep info would be of value to parents but they would have to be really knowledgeable. For example, we just bought kid a $400 mountain bike (and special helmet after extensive evaluation with store rep) and we talked with them about how long a time he would likely have this bike before he grew out of this bike. We talked with the store rep about the advantages of different styles of helmets - for example what part of the head needs the most protection, how they achieve size adjustability, what the correct adjustment should be as he grows, etc. A rep who could tell me, we think this helmet would fit him for X months/years, would be giving me helpful information. A rep who was really honest and would tell me if their helmet wasn’t optimally sized or shaped to him, would win loyalty, respect and referrals from me.

Sorry this was so long, figured more explanation would be more helpful than a couple of cryptic words.