Big heads and helmets

bing gordon

I have a fair old sized bonce a 59cm noggin and I'm on the look for a helmet that doesn't make me look like Mario Kart.
My helmet is a Specialized S- Works 57-63cm Large apart from it making my head look twice the size it is it also had an annoying lump of polystyrene right on the top part/crown which would leave a dint in the top of my head, plus over long runs give eventually give me an headache and a dint to match.

I did own a MET helmet some time ago which I stupidly gave away when I bought the Specialized and the met was no were near as big as the Specialized lid but all the same fitted very well.

Without spending 100's on a new helmet what suggestions do you have for the big headed people like me ? comfy and smallish on the head also with a bug stopper netting inside ?

jordan_217

Kask K10 would be worth a look IME. I'm a 59 too.

The Kask Vertigo comes in two sizes with the medium being too small at the sides and the large being too big front and back. I found the Mojita the same too. The K10 is one size though and has a nice retention system which allows you to fine tune the fit furthermore.

From trying lots of helmets I think the best overall in terms of quality is the Las Victory but even the larger sizes come up too small. Same goes for the Lazer Helium, cracking helmet but just too tight. I bought 10 helmets from Wiggle last year and tried them all on only to find myself buying another K10.

Try as many as you can is the bottom line from me.

GordonH

Kask K10 without a doubt. It's extremely adjustable and can cope with a large range of nappers. Looks good too...

bing gordon

thanks for that , does it have a bug net or can you add one ?

ai_1

jordan_217 wrote:

Kask K10 would be worth a look IME. I'm a 59 too.

The Kask Vertigo comes in two sizes with the medium being too small at the sides and the large being too big front and back. I found the Mojita the same too. The K10 is one size though and has a nice retention system which allows you to fine tune the fit furthermore.

From trying lots of helmets I think the best overall in terms of quality is the Las Victory but even the larger sizes come up too small. Same goes for the Lazer Helium, cracking helmet but just too tight. I bought 10 helmets from Wiggle last year and tried them all on only to find myself buying another K10.

Try as many as you can is the bottom line from me.

Thing is, all those fit comments are, unfortunately specific to your head so of limited use to anyone else, whether their head circumference is similar or not.
I thought 58-59cm was about average? Mine is somewhere between 60-61cm and a little less round than most (i.e. slightly longer and narrower) Different helmets fit different head shapes, not just sizes.

I agree the best way to go is just try as many Helmets as you can find locally and if there are some you want to order online, just make sure you can return them hassle free.

I had a lot of difficulty finding a helmet to suit when I bought my current one (Lazer Genesis). Plenty manufacturers came with sizes of 61cm or more but they tended to be more circular than I wanted so it was too loose side to side even if I could get a good front/back fit. Lazer's "Rollsys" is a good fit system and adapts much better than most since it's not just a length adjustment as was the case with most of the others I tried (Giro, Bell, MET, etc). That was over 3 years ago and I think many brands have improved their harness systems since. I hope so, since I'll be looking to replace the Lazer later this year, perhaps with the same again, perhaps not.

g00se

It's a matter of trying them on - and 59 isn't big!

But saying that, in my endeavours to find non-mushroom helmets, the best were:

Kask (The Mojito was the best fit)
Rudy (something like the Sterling will be worth checking)
Cratoni - especially if you have a wide/round head-circumference rather than oval.
Lazer may be an option but I never found them good fitting.
Zero RH+ (this I found the best for size, price and non-mushroom) but no distributor in the Uk now so harder to find. The ZY and ZX especially worth trying if you can get hold of one. Look on amazon.co.uk and acycles.co.uk but you may need to pay postage if you need to return them.

For mushroom issues, you want to avoid Specialized, Giro and Bell.

g00se

But also, you want to be on the biggest end of the helmets fit. Wearing a 56-59 on it's largest fitting will look a lot less mushroom than a 59-63 with the cradle cranked all the way in.

kajjal

Find a good bike shop , try loads of helmets on and get them to price match the one you prefer.

t4tomo

g00se wrote:

It's a matter of trying them on - and 59 isn't big!

But saying that, in my endeavours to find non-mushroom helmets, the best were:

Kask (The Mojito was the best fit)
Rudy (something like the Sterling will be worth checking)
Cratoni - especially if you have a wide/round head-circumference rather than oval.
Lazer may be an option but I never found them good fitting.
Zero RH+ (this I found the best for size, price and non-mushroom) but no distributor in the Uk now so harder to find. The ZY and ZX especially worth trying if you can get hold of one. Look on amazon.co.uk and acycles.co.uk but you may need to pay postage if you need to return them.

For mushroom issues, you want to avoid Specialized, Giro and Bell.

Hmms see I have a large oval noggin and i found Cratoni to be a good fit for me. maybe its just good for big heads fullstop. its dial in adjuster is just around the back,it doesnt have a front "band" like specialized and others so maybe more tolerant of differing head shapes.

what ever the reason they are light and well vented an pretty stylish (for a helmet) IMHO

Bozman

Cotton cap with a bit of starch washed in.

ai_1

Bozman wrote:

Cotton cap with a bit of starch washed in.

???

bing gordon

g00se wrote:

It's a matter of trying them on - and 59 isn't big!

My nickname since a kid has been broadhead but I'm normal thank God, I've been traumatised all these years for nothing !!

Just as a matter of fact, does anyone else have this lump of polystyrene in their spesh s works helmet ? right on the inside top part of your bonce ? . I was tempted trim in back but thought in might compromise the helmet

ayjaycee

I've got a Specialized S-Works Prevail - is that the same helmet?

My bonce is the same size as yours and I have always thought it to be nothing less than perfectly formed. It might be a little bit 'mushroomy' (the helmet not my head!) but it is also probably the most comfortable and best vented (and thus coolest) helmet that I have ever used.

As to the strange lump in the top of yours - the only lumps in mine are the padding strips. I took them off and checked underneath and there is nothing but a smooth surface. Was I you, I would take a craft knife or similar (or even a Dremel) to it and see how you get on. You don't say how long you have had it but it sounds like a manufacturing fault to me and therefore there might be a good case for a return to the store from which it came.

Hope this helps.

bing gordon

I will post a picture up soon as I'm home see what you think. Unless there's nowt wrong with the helmet and I've a humpty bumpty head digging into the helmet

ayjaycee

If it helps, I can post a pic of mine as well (but, probably, not until Friday or Saturday). It did occur to me that it might have been your head digging into the helmet but I was far too polite to say so.
Is yours a Prevail?

bing gordon

ayjaycee wrote:

If it helps, I can post a pic of mine as well (but, probably, not until Friday or Saturday). It did occur to me that it might have been your head digging into the helmet but I was far too polite to say so.
Is yours a Prevail?

no its a 2011 s works , anyway after all this time I decided to rub and press the lumps down gently with the back of a spoon. I did take a before and after picture just to prove it was def the helmet and not me having a moon crater type bonce :0

northpole

I recently bought a kask mojito. I think they look great with a very neat design which avoids the mushroom syndrome. Unfortunately I had to pass it on and revert to mushroom life as it was fractionally pinching on my forehead - something which can cause much discomfort over a long ride. Hence I've gone back to my Giro Aeon which for me is a perfect fit with no discomfort, other than when I look in the mirror!

Peter