best shoes and helmets??

ianbar

since i have upgraded my wheels i have now am looking for a couple of other upgrades. i have a pair of shimano shoes, don't know the exact model but cost me about £65 i think so think they were the entry level. helmet wise currently uvex again i think pretty much entry level. i wonder what people think are the way to go? i would spend maybe near too £300 combined on both but definitely no more.

Monty Dog

The ones that fit you...?

luv2ride

I have shoes by Mavic, Northwave and Specialized - the Mavics are my favourites (avenirs and road pros) based on fit. Fave helmet is Specialized s-works (light, airy and comfy). Though as MontyDog says, what fits one person well may not suit another. Best try some for yourself. Both wiggle and CRC now do free returns on shoes so if you don't have a local LBS where you can try various shoes this allows you to order different sizes and return the one(s) you don't want. cRC had some good deals on carbon soled Giro Trans shoes recently for 80 odd quid (wish I'd got some )

roypsb

Looking for a new helmet myself. Current entry level Spesh one is so mushroom-head it's ridiculous.

Tried a few Kask helmets on the other day - could not believe how good a fit they are. Will deffo got for one of those.

FSR_XC

Very difficult to recommend as most will be biased to what they own.

I have experience of Specialized (polperro & a cheaper one) and Kask (K10) helmets - all have been excellent. The more ones being lighter and more comfortable. Have tried a few Giro, but never found them comfortable (obviously not got a Giro shaped head). I was the second person in our club to buy a Kask - there are now about 8.

Shoes, I have experience of Specialized Comp and Aldi (yep Aldi ones) for mtb and Exustar and Bont for road shoes. The Specialized shoes are excellent and I would imagine are just as good as a road shoe (the general makeup is the same), but the Bont are in a different league. They are probably the cheapest heat mouldable, carbon shoes on the market and I know people that favour them over high end Sidi etc.

With both shoes & helmet, the most important thing is getting something comfortable, that fits correctly. You need to try a few different makes and models.

turboslave

Spesh prevail helmet and bg expert shoes.

mrushton

Whichever fit the best. The Scott Vanish is a nice helmet for the money and Planet X did a great deal on the Giro Aeon recently. The Spesh Prevail is nice as is their range of shoes. I'd be looking for sale offers to get the most bang for buck

rob21

This is a excellent helmet and highly recommend it..

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_228868

outcastjack

go to you LBS and try different shoes and helmets for the most comfortable ones.
I personally wear a mid-range helmet (bell lumen) and find it fantastic, it basically forget that it is on my head. I have yet to find any other helmet that fits my head quite as well.

giropaul

There is, of course, a perfectly possible solution of a top of the range pair of shoes and not bothering with the helmet.

Rigged

FSR_XC wrote:

Very difficult to recommend as most will be biased to what they own.

I have experience of Specialized (polperro & a cheaper one) and Kask (K10) helmets - all have been excellent. The more ones being lighter and more comfortable. Have tried a few Giro, but never found them comfortable (obviously not got a Giro shaped head). I was the second person in our club to buy a Kask - there are now about 8.

I went into my local bike shop thursday and tried on a fair few of their helmets. Was willing to spend around £100 so tried on some of the posher specialised helmets just over that price point as well as various models further down the range. They felt ok but didn't stand out as being really comfortable. I then tried a range of Giro helmets on and found the Savant to be incredibly comfortable. It was priced at £59.99 but the colour I preferred wasn't in stock in my size so they are ordering it in. The same helmet can actually be had for under £40 online but I'd taken the time to try a load of helmets on in store and had a member of staff helping me discuss fit so wouldn't then turn around and buy at half the price having had the service from them. Anyway, back on track, I say this not to disagree but just to highlight that everyone has a different shape head and will fit different helmets/shoes etc. differently. There really isn't a right or wrong answer and the best solution is to head down to your local shop and try on what they have to offer.

cougie

just head to your Local Bike Shop and try them for fit.

amaferanga

Monty Dog wrote:

The ones that fit you...?

^ This.

Doesn't matter how much they cost if they don't fit you properly.

iPete

I've just splashed out and went down the LBS fit route. I ended up going down a size and changing brand, they felt very comfy in the shop, although its hard to gauge until you add clips and take them for a spin.

What are peoples experiences with shoes breaking in? Do modern bike shoes do this? Mine are a little on the 'snug' side but hoping after a few hundred miles they'll give a little?

rick_chasey

iPete wrote:

I've just splashed out and went down the LBS fit route. I ended up going down a size and changing brand, they felt very comfy in the shop, although its hard to gauge until you add clips and take them for a spin.

What are peoples experiences with shoes breaking in? Do modern bike shoes do this? Mine are a little on the 'snug' side but hoping after a few hundred miles they'll give a little?

No not really.

Unless they're either leather or specifically designed to do so.