How should an MTB helmet fit?

sv722
sv722 Posts: 5
edited August 2014 in MTB buying advice
So my head is about size 60/61 cm

The helmet in question the TLD A1. I have both the M/L size 57-59 cm and the XL/XXL 60-62 cm. The smaller of the two looks better on my head but doesn't fit as comfortable well as the XL. It feels okay but it almost floats on my head and feels tight-ish.

The large looks a lot bulky in the selfies that i've taken (yeah i'm that self conscious) but it feels so comfortable and warm. It feels like it gives more coverage and covers my head all around very well, (almost like the way i'd expect a full face helmet to feel like). It's a little heavier though and there are gaps between the external hard shell and the inner lining. Other than that it feels like my head is in a warm little cocoon,and the visor is much more noticeable than in the smaller one.


So im asking, how are MTB helmets supposed to fit and does it matter if it looks bulky when its on your head? What happens in a crash when youre wearing an uncomfortable helmet?

Comments

  • Antm81
    Antm81 Posts: 1,406
    I wouldn't worry about how it looks. Have you tried measuring your head though?
    Trance 27.5 Hoodoo Her Scott Contessa Daughter's Vulcan
  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    It should be comfortable. Not tight, not loose.
    Forget looks. Everyone looks horrible dead.
    I don't do smileys.

    There is no secret ingredient - Kung Fu Panda

    London Calling on Facebook

    Parktools
  • sv722
    sv722 Posts: 5
    Antm81 wrote:
    I wouldn't worry about how it looks. Have you tried measuring your head though?

    Yeah its 60 cm.
  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    sv722 wrote:
    Antm81 wrote:
    I wouldn't worry about how it looks. Have you tried measuring your head though?

    Yeah its 60 cm.
    Sneaky edit there.
    So the one that fits.
    I don't do smileys.

    There is no secret ingredient - Kung Fu Panda

    London Calling on Facebook

    Parktools
  • Antm81
    Antm81 Posts: 1,406
    sv722 wrote:
    Antm81 wrote:
    I wouldn't worry about how it looks. Have you tried measuring your head though?

    Yeah its 60 cm.

    I'd be going for the XL then, at the end of the day although you want it to look good (I'd like mine to look good too), it's there to do a job and if it's too small it won't do that job properly
    Trance 27.5 Hoodoo Her Scott Contessa Daughter's Vulcan
  • kajjal
    kajjal Posts: 3,380
    Just choose the one that fits best. If you crash with a badly fitting helmet it won't be as effective. I just went to the LBS , tried a few on and got them to price match the best fitting one.
  • sv722
    sv722 Posts: 5
    cooldad wrote:
    sv722 wrote:
    Antm81 wrote:
    I wouldn't worry about how it looks. Have you tried measuring your head though?

    Yeah its 60 cm.
    Sneaky edit there.
    So the one that fits.

    Well they both fit, only one is more comfortable and feels safer and more secure on my head, but it looks bulky that's all.
  • Antm81
    Antm81 Posts: 1,406
    The smaller one may look like it fits, but if your head is 60-61 cm then a helmet that's designed for a head size up to 59cm isn't going to fit like it was designed to and offer as much protection.

    As you said the smaller one feels like it's floating on your head, so I expect deep down you know it's not quite the right fit but you prefer how it looks.
    Trance 27.5 Hoodoo Her Scott Contessa Daughter's Vulcan
  • taffygriffiths
    taffygriffiths Posts: 186
    Bear in mind that not all helmets fit all beings..

    some shapes/styles just do not fit some heads.

    If you have just ordered both on looks online, perhaps a visit to the LBS should be in order to try some others.

    i tried on a POC a few weeks ago. i was just too big for the medium, and i was swimming in the large... not much good!

    At the end of the day, they are there to help stop head injuries... buy what fits right.
  • Angus Young
    Angus Young Posts: 3,063
    You're riding a push bike in a helmet, and you expect that to look good? Really?

    We all look like a knob in a mountain bike helmet, use the one that you already know fits.
    All the gear, no idea and loving the smell of jealousy in the morning.
    Kona Process 134 viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=12994607
  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    Angus Young wrote:
    You're riding a push bike in a helmet, and you expect that to look good? Really?

    We all look like a knob in a mountain bike helmet, use the one that you already know fits.

    Not everyione looks like a knob. In fact what helmet?

    martina-jancikova-cyclist.jpg
    I don't do smileys.

    There is no secret ingredient - Kung Fu Panda

    London Calling on Facebook

    Parktools
  • Angus Young
    Angus Young Posts: 3,063
    You can't use someone who'd look good with a cardboard box on her head. That's cheating!
    All the gear, no idea and loving the smell of jealousy in the morning.
    Kona Process 134 viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=12994607
  • sv722
    sv722 Posts: 5
    Antm81 wrote:
    The smaller one may look like it fits, but if your head is 60-61 cm then a helmet that's designed for a head size up to 59cm isn't going to fit like it was designed to and offer as much protection.

    As you said the smaller one feels like it's floating on your head, so I expect deep down you know it's not quite the right fit but you prefer how it looks.


    Yeah that's about right. Guess i just have to look stupid, but keep my noggin protected.

Categories