OK, I don't want to start a helmet flame war here. Just want some advice on helmets. I'm riding in the suburbs along a road posted at 45 MPH. Definitely want one.
The problem is, apparently I have a bit of an odd shaped head. The few I've tried on so far fit a little too snuggly at the front and the back, but don't touch the sides at all. And these are the Adult helmets. I figure a badly fitting helmet would be more of a hazard than a help if I ever put it to the test.
OK, I don't want to start a helmet flame war here.
Don't blame yourself. Back in 1986, Al Gore developed a few lines of code that programmatically trigger flame wars every time the word "helmet" is posted to the Internet.
"n5hsr" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
OK, I don't want to start a helmet flame war here. Just want some advice on helmets. I'm riding in the suburbs along a road posted at 45 MPH. Definitely want one.
The problem is, apparently I have a bit of an odd shaped head. The few I've tried on so far fit a little too snuggly at the front and the back, but don't touch the sides at all. And these are the Adult helmets. I figure a badly fitting helmet would be more of a hazard than a help if I ever put it to the test.
1) Helmets do vary in "ovalness," so keep trying. Particularly try different brands besides the ubiquitous Bells and Giros.
2) Helmets come with a selection of adhesive foam pads for the purpose of filling in the gaps, allowing you to customize the fit. You still want to get as close as possible, but it's unlikely any helmet will be perfect, and so you'll still need to add the pads. Allow for this when fitting in the store, since the samples won't have these pads installed.
2) Helmets come with a selection of adhesive foam pads for the purpose of filling in the gaps, allowing you to customize the fit. You still want to get as close as possible, but it's unlikely any helmet will be perfect, and so you'll still need to add the pads. Allow for this when fitting in the store, since the samples won't have these pads installed.
Instead of removable pads, my Bell helmet has an internal adjustable headband, much like that of a hard hat.
It works pretty good -- it only takes a single adjustment instead of fussing around with a bunch of separate pads, and it stays where it's adjusted.
cheers, Tom
-- -- Nothing is safe from me. Above address is just a spam midden. I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca
"n5hsr" <[email hidden]> wrote in news:[email hidden]:
Quoted message said:
The problem is, apparently I have a bit of an odd shaped head. The few I've tried on so far fit a little too snuggly at the front and the back, but don't touch the sides at all.
What brands have you tried? Giro tends to be a little more oblong than Bell, but shape does vary somewhat by model. Also, some Euro brands like Carrera may be more your shape.
"Rich Clark" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
"n5hsr" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
OK, I don't want to start a helmet flame war here. Just want some advice on helmets. I'm riding in the suburbs along a road posted at 45 MPH. Definitely want one.
The problem is, apparently I have a bit of an odd shaped head. The few I've tried on so far fit a little too snuggly at the front and the back, but don't touch the sides at all. And these are the Adult helmets. I figure a badly fitting helmet would be more of a hazard than a help if I ever put it to the test.
1) Helmets do vary in "ovalness," so keep trying. Particularly try different brands besides the ubiquitous Bells and Giros.
2) Helmets come with a selection of adhesive foam pads for the purpose of filling in the gaps, allowing you to customize the fit. You still want to get as close as possible, but it's unlikely any helmet will be perfect, and so you'll still need to add the pads. Allow for this when fitting in the store, since the samples won't have these pads installed.
RichC
So Bells, Giros, and "Schwinn Approved" are all I've run into.
"n5hsr" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
So Bells, Giros, and "Schwinn Approved" are all I've run into.
Call some bike shops to see which ones carry Louis Garneau, Tirreno, Trek, Specialized. Also I've noticed some variation in ovalness within brands, especially Giro.
Make sure you clearly understand how a helmet *should* fit. REI's guide is reasonable, if retail-biased: http://tinyurl.com/pmpld
I think that's the key word: tried. I strongly suggest going to a store with lotza helmets, and trying them all on until you find one that fits your head.
Bill
__o | The first rule of intelligent tinkering _`\(,_ | is to save all the pieces. (_)/ (_) | - Aldo Leopold
