Helmet advice

SME

Hi. I'm new here so go easy please!
Whenever I wanted to check out a review on cycling equipment Bike Radar always popped up somewhere, so I though 'what the heck..'.

So...
After 10 yrs of riding an Apollo I decided to upgrade the bike and am now looking for a new bash hat to match. I do currently have a Kask 50NTA and although the fit is good it doesn't match the new bike's colour (yes, I know I'll look like a Power Ranger!), and I've recently found out that it doesn't like the specs I wear.

On my shortlist are:
Spiuk Keilan
Louis Garneau Quartz II
Bontrager Starvos Road Helmet (would match up with everything else on the bike, I guess... if it fits)
Giant Rev Road

Has anyone experience of these; what is the fit like (a friends Giro feels a little 'loose' at the sides, rounded?); are there any others I should consider (up to maybe £80)?

Many thanks in advance,
Steve

Bobbinogs

Welcome to the forum, I see you are new here so the best advice I can give is to use the search tool which does work very well. Helmets come up time and time again and there are many posts from people saying "xxx is great" when what they really mean is "xxx fits me great". All helmets vary slightly so don't take someone else's opinion as to what will fit you...get down to a bike shop and try some on.

I did this recently and tried about 12 different models varying in cost from £30 up to nearly £200. I really wanted one particular one that looked good, was light and came in at £120...but it didn't fit me despite all the adjustments possible. In the end I bought a helmet for under £60 as it felt a perfect fit the minute I put it on.

If you are a bloke, don't be afraid to ask for help (!) with the fitting as modern helmets have a lot of different possible gadgets/ratchets, etc.

meanredspider

Great advice above. Get yourself to a bike shop where you can try on as many brands as you can. My experience is that once you've found a brand that fits your head (Giro in my case) most of their helmets will fit and you will know what size works. But fit is everything - get that right above all.

rob.m

Specialized helmets seem to fit me well, I bought a new one recently but that was only after I'd been to my local bike shop to try a few out.

cougie

If you like Kask - try on the mojito for fit. Lots of colours and under £60 at the moment.

northpole

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19771433#p19771433]Bobbinogs[/url] wrote:

Welcome to the forum, I see you are new here so the best advice I can give is to use the search tool which does work very well. Helmets come up time and time again and there are many posts from people saying "xxx is great" when what they really mean is "xxx fits me great". All helmets vary slightly so don't take someone else's opinion as to what will fit you...get down to a bike shop and try some on.

I did this recently and tried about 12 different models varying in cost from £30 up to nearly £200. I really wanted one particular one that looked good, was light and came in at £120...but it didn't fit me despite all the adjustments possible. In the end I bought a helmet for under £60 as it felt a perfect fit the minute I put it on.

If you are a bloke, don't be afraid to ask for help (!) with the fitting as modern helmets have a lot of different possible gadgets/ratchets, etc.

This is super advice. I read up on helmets earlier in 2015 and was convinced that Kask's Mojito was the universal answer. So I bought one. Felt okay when I tried it on. Went out for a short ride and within 15 minutes realised that it wasn't quite the perfect fit - just v slightly short and pinched my forehead. And that was the end of that!

Even with the same brands I have found that the fit can vary - I bought a Giro Synthe after the Mojito, knowing that the existing Aeon in large was a more generous fit than the Mojito. I have just about got away with it but there is no doubt in my mind that the Synthe is a slightly smaller fit than the Aeon. It isn't very different, but certainly not quite the same dimensions.

Hence the advice, if you are able to get to a decent bike shop please pay them a visit and even better, if they have a decent member of staff, they can provide invaluable advice and save you much time and hassle. If it doesn't feel perfect it's worth going on to another shop to try some more. It is incredible how distracting a slightly small helmet can prove on a ride.

Peter

kajjal

As above forget about price, go to a shop try loads on and choose from the best fitting in your budget.

SME

Thanks for all the advice. I'll have to find stockists for my shortlist I guess. I was just wondering if I could whittle the list down from ideas here first. Helmets like Bell and Cratoni seem too round for my bonce, and I guess I just wondered if any on my list were a rounder or oval ish fit to start with.

But I do know from motorcycling that helmet fit is very personal. A wander around the shops it is then

Thanks all, very much, for your replies.
Steve

meanredspider

I find a lot of helmets rock side to side and press forehead and back of head. I actually find Giro fit best for me. I don't think I've ever found a helmet too narrow.

northcliff66

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19771555#p19771555]meanredspider[/url] wrote:

I find a lot of helmets rock side to side and press forehead and back of head. I actually find Giro fit best for me. I don't think I've ever found a helmet too narrow.

Perhaps I could offer you a couple of Giro Savant helmets. They fit me about as well as a watering can.

meanredspider

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19771572#p19771572]northcliff66[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19771555#p19771555]meanredspider[/url] wrote:

I find a lot of helmets rock side to side and press forehead and back of head. I actually find Giro fit best for me. I don't think I've ever found a helmet too narrow.

Perhaps I could offer you a couple of Giro Savant helmets. They fit me about as well as a watering can.

I think I have 4 Giro lids already. Now, if you'd have been offering me a Synthe MIPS or even an Air Attack visor...

It's funny though - Bell didn't fit too well (though car crash helmets, Bell fit best), Specialized was terrible and I did once try a Kask but, again, poor fit. Giro Aeon and Ionos are both great fits as is my Giro MTB lid (which I've forgotten the name of)