Troy Lee Designs Puts Rider Safety At Forefront With The SE4 Helmet

You don't have to be a
sports fan to know that chronic traumatic encephalopathy, more
commonly known as CTE, has been a huge topic of discussion over the
past couple of years. The Concussion Foundation defines CTE as is a
progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in athletes,
military veterans, and others with a history of repetitive brain
trauma. Most commonly you'll hear the term in reference to NFL
players and the repetitive concussions many players experience
during their career. Symptoms of CTE can come on early or years
later and can result in memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment,
impulse control, aggression, depression, and even dementia.
With more and more instances of former players being diagnosed with
CTE it has piqued the interest and caused alarm for many parents
whose children currently or have played pop warner or high school
football. However, it's not just football players that are
subjected to repetitive hits to the head which can lead to CTE,
there are many other sports and activities that are susceptible to
CTE as well--most notably, would be motocross racing.
Just like football, motocross racing is an activity in which there
is the possibility of head trauma, whether it be the rider striking
their on the handlebars, another rider, or the ground. Most racers
spend several years if not a decade or more competing, so the
possibility of multiple instances of head trauma or concussions
becomes more likely. And just like NFL players, the most important
part of the uniform or the gear is the dirt bike helmet.
As
the discussion about CTE continues to evolve, so do the efforts to
create better gear to help protect athletes. One such company that
has put motocross racers head protection and overall health at the
forefront of their product line is Troy Lee Designs
with its brand new SE4 Motocross helmet.
In the Beginning

More than 30 years ago Troy
Lee started custom painting and modifying motocross helmets, and
from those early beginnings his company Troy Lee Designs (TLD) has
evolved to encompass everything from MX jerseys and riding pants to
offroad protective wear and dirt bike helmets, of course he still
paint his fair share of custom helmets as well. In developing TLD's
latest product, the SE4, the company spent more than 3,800 hours in
development and created 350 prototype crash helmets all in the name
of rider safety.
With the tag line "Your safety is my priority," Lee and the TLD
team set out to identify high impact areas and then repetitively
conducted multiple impact tests at various heights and speeds. With
each test they continued to refine and improve the [mageProductLink
sku="tl-102008101" title=""]SE4[/mageProductLink] concept until
they had a product that not only exceeded certifications for Snell,
DOT, ECE and AS/NZS 1698, but also beat out its competition.
More EPS

Two of the main safety features of the
SE4 are increased Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) in key areas and the
use of the Multi-directional Impact Protection System (MIPS). EPS
has a wide variety of uses and is the same material that's used to
make those ice chests you pick up at the gas station or those
annoying peanuts that fall all over your floor when you open a
package. Lightweight and great at absorbing impact energy without
bounce-back, EPS liners have been used in motorcycle helmets for
years. With the majority of impacts occurring in the headband area
TLD sought to reduce the force by increasing the amount of EPS in
the frontal headband area. They also added more EPS to the top and
rear parietal zones.
It's the MIPS

Besides the skull, the brain's other
defense system is Cerebrospinal fluid which in the simplest
explanation acts like a liquid shock absorber to protect the brain
from impacting the skull. When hitting an object with your head
it's the sudden stop or rotation of the head upon impact with a
force so strong that the cerebrospinal fluid can't protect the
brain from hitting the skull that can cause the most harm.
While relatively new technology (in motorcycle helmet standards)
the MIPS system was created by a group of neurosurgeons and
scientists with a focus on the biomechanical field at the Royal
Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. Acting as a low
friction layer between the outer shell and the liner (EPS in this
case) the MIPS system reduces rotational forces set upon the brain
when subjected to angled impacts. With its elastomeric attachment
system, the MIPS layer enables the outer helmet to slide or rotate
separately from the head. Essentially the MIPS system is sort of
like the Cerebrospinal fluid for the helmet.
MIPS testing:
There are many other great features incorporated into the SE4
helmet as indicted below by TLD:
SE4 HELMET AIRFLOW
22 HIGH FLOW INTAKES
The brow cover design channels air behind goggles directly to cool
the forehead. 6 top intakes feed 10 internal ports for maximum cool
air induction
6 EXHAUST PORTS
Exhaust ports are fed by 9 internal passages to provide excellent
dissipation of heat.
NEGATIVE PRESSURE VENTILATION
Massive air flow ducts utilize negative pressure to draw hot air
away from riders head and promote massive cooling, a significant
advantage in warm riding conditions
SE4 HELMET CONSTRUCTION

CARBON FIBER SHELL
Technologically advanced Carbon composite shell construction
TRIPLE DENSITY EPS
Three separate EPS inserts with varying low and high speed
impact-specific densities
REINFORCED CHINBAR
Expanded polypropylene, or EPP, chin bar liner for multi-impact
performance
DURABLE HEADLINER
Removable snap-in, washable Comfort Liner with Cool Max and Dri-lex
moisture wicking materials
ULTRA LIGHT WEIGHT
AS/DOT/Snell model weighs 1325 grams/ 2.9lbs (+-50grams); ECE model
weighs 1100 grams/2.4 lbs (+-50grams)
EXTRAS
Comes with two matched visors, an additional set of visor hardware
and a plush TLD SE4 helmet bag
SE4 HELMET PROTECTION
MIPS
MIPS brain protection system, reduces rotational forces to the
brain.
MAXIMUM EPS
13% more than closest competitor in frontal headband area and 8%
EPS increase to top and rear parietal zones
QUICK-RELEASE CHEEKPADS
Anatomical "3D" contoured cheek
pads with emergency release system for EMS responders
SAFETY CERTIFICATIONS
Exceeds certifications for Snell M2015, DOT FMVSS 218, ECE 22.05
and AS/NZS 1698
The TLD SE4 is available in four designs: Twilight (navy or white),
Pinstripe (black or navy), Factory (white or yellow), and solid
black.