Picking a helmet

[ptolomy]

Hi guys i am looking to get myself a helmet and was wondering what sort of helmet qualities and makes to look out for, and if any there is a rough estimate as to how much to spend, weather you really get a difference between a £50 helmet and a £70 or more..... Will be grateful of any help offerd thankyou.

 

[Will1985]

weather you really get a difference between a £50 helmet and a £70 or more.....

Wrong spelling, but actually quite apt. On a hot day, my £80 Giro Atmos is far cooler than my £45 Giro Monza. I can't really tell a difference in the weight.
Basically the more you pay, the lighter the helmet and more air holes.

 

[ajb]

Try on as many as possible.
They vary so much in shape & size.

As for price, I believe "you get what you pay for"

Once you have found 1 that fits shop around, I liked the Specialized S-Works 2D, retails at £109.99, managed to get it on the net for £64.99.

 

[wafflycat]

If you want to wear a lid, get one that fits you. Example - Met lids fit my head. Giro and Bell lids don't fit my noggin as well as Met.

 

[Sam Kennedy]

Basically the more you pay, the lighter the helmet and more air holes.

So I can sell my Special Invisible Helmets for £80,000?

100% Air holes, 0g weight!

 

[ptolomy]

lol cheers guys

 

[ptolomy]

are giro and bell helmets good then?

 

[wafflycat]

None of them are going to be of any use if an artic truck goes over your noggin.

 

[Will1985]

Giro is a subsidiary of Bell.

You'll find that helmets are a lot cheaper online, but you must go and try them on in an LBS first.

 

[purplepolly]

+ nnn for trying them on - different makes are different shapes and you need one that's comfortable for your head.

One of the best features is a gear at the back to adjust the fit of the helmet quickly - if you get a helmet that's got plenty of room to spare at its biggest fit then you can easily adjust it to fit a fleecy hat in winter.

And some of them allow you to clip a rear light on the back - these show up really well in traffic.

 

[Jonathan M]

+1 for trying them on and going for fit above fashion.

 

[fossyant]

Try them on..fortunately, I seem to have a bog standard bonce, so medium of either Bell or Giro fit fab.

I have a couple of Bell top end helmets....... got spotted by a colleague wheeling the bike in the other day....bike shed busted...... she in full suit, me a sweaty mess, avec lid.....

Before she could say anything "Yes I am in disguise"........

"Oh cool hat, she says...love the spikey bits" - that was the reaction to the Bell Sweep R..... nice 'hat'............

Felt like Sonic the Hedgehog I did............ the Volt is not quite as spikey...just...

 

[xpc316e]

How considerate it is to go into a LBS, try on a few helmets, and then purchase online. When the LBS closes down, as it surely must, what do you plan to do then? By all means research the price and ask your LBS to move a bit if they are too pricey, but do try to give them some trade.

 

[fossyant]

Tricky....

I bought one of my Bell's on line - cheapest by far, and was an insurance covered one.... so got some of the cost back......

The other was my LBS - knew it fitted, but as it was the 2009 issue....good god was it lot's more expensive..... but he had just done me a good deal on a CTW bike......a very good deal..... tricky when you know them - he's only selling at a small uplift.....

I don't use LBS's often, as I sort my mechanical stuff out myself, but, it helps even when you 'never go in' to know them well...

It's a hard call...but a good LBS certainly sorts you out.......

 

[Randochap]

You can't go to far wrong with the big names. I own both Bell and Giro, with the Bell seeming to fit my bonce better.

The straps seem more comfy and easy to adjust on the Bell also.