Recommend a Helmet

ipodrocker

hi looking for a new helmet and with all the choice out wondered what is recommended?

I will be using it mostly for communting and on the weekends for longer cycles.

thanks

rottenhat

Different brands tend to fit different shapes of head so it's hard to make a recommendation - try some on in shops and see how you get on. They're pretty much all made to the same safety standard so it's largely about fit and style after that.

Lumen

Helmets are very personal, even more so than saddles. It entirely depends on the shape and size of your head and how much you want to spend.

For instance, Giro and Bell are popular and commonly stocked and have quite different fit. Bells tend to float on your head whereas Giro are more close fitting.

Within a given manufacturers range the fit tends to be quite similar, and you pay more for lighter weight and better ventilation.

I wouldn't recommend buying blind over the internet (since you can't tell how they will look or feel) although you can get some bargains - in the UK helmets are VAT-free.

blorg

I don't find helmets personal like saddles, no way. Some fit me better than others but I can live with whatever. Certainly not so with saddles. I've used Giro, Met, Bell and Specialized and all were "fine". The Giro is most comfortable but it was also the most expensive.

Lumen is wrong again

+1 Blorg

rottenhat

blorg wrote: »

I don't find helmets personal like saddles, no way. Some fit me better than others but I can live with whatever. Certainly not so with saddles. I've used Giro, Met, Bell and Specialized and all were "fine". The Giro is most comfortable but it was also the most expensive.

Lumen is wrong again

+1 Blorg

You modesty is equalled only by your willingness to generalise from your own narrow experience.

1,000 posts...Christ, how did my life come to this?

DirkVoodoo

Try on as many as you can, pick whichever is firstly the best looking and second the most comfortable. They are all designed to the same standard so no helmet is really safer than another.

More expensive helmets tend to focus on two things:ventilation and weight. These tend to go hand in hand, more ventilation means more holes which makes it lighter, but they tend to be more expensive to manufacture as a result.

I think the 70-80 euro helmet range strikes a good compromise:

Bell Sweep Helmet

Giro Saros

Met Inferno

Or if you really want to suck up to our glorious moderator:

Bell Lumen helmet

blorg

rottenhat wrote: »

You modesty is equalled only by your willingness to generalise from your own narrow experience.

1,000 posts...Christ, how did my life come to this?

I am not being entirely serious... but any opportunity to disagree with Lumen I will take.

Congratulations on your 1,000th post rottenhat.

Lumen

blorg wrote: »

Lumen is wrong again

I have the same advanced skullway as ET. This makes earthly helmet selection difficult.



Obviously those with more basic head shapes can buy any old crap.

petethedrummer

Lumen wrote: »

skullway

Niiice. You're reading too much Bikesnob. It will not be long before this forum turns into one big impenetrable in-joke.

Aquos76

My current helmet is a Spiuk and you'd swear you are wearing a basebal cap it fits so well. I also have a met and a specialized, but the Spiuk is by far my favourite.

I see Spiuk have also just released 200 of these ones and I must admit I am fair tempted.

Quigs Snr

Does anyone have a Bell Array ? I have Giro Monza and I find it a bit "mushroomy" and ill-fitting, plus I have bounced my head off the road enough times lately whilst wearing it to reckont that it warrants replacement. I hear Bell are a bit smaller. I like the sweep in black but they are pricey... the array seems decent for the money though.

Aquos, the Spiuk doesn't seem to have as much ventilation, how do you find it on hot days ? I know a few of our boys ride them because they are available in red and yellow to match the rest of our tragic looking kit. If you are recommending one and I can find one in black then I might take a punt on one.

DirkVoodoo

Quigs Snr wrote: »

I have Giro Monza and I find it a bit "mushroomy" and ill-fitting

This just seems to be the Giro look, mine makes me look like a lollipop or a stop sign, I hate it.

Aquos76

Quigs Snr wrote: »

Aquos, the Spiuk doesn't seem to have as much ventilation, how do you find it on hot days ? I know a few of our boys ride them because they are available in red and yellow to match the rest of our tragic looking kit. If you are recommending one and I can find one in black then I might take a punt on one.

Well to be honest, I havent had the chance to wear in on hot days yet, but I could possibly see where you are coming from alright. I has some sort of net lining inside of it and I could see this causing the head to sweat quite a bit ok.
Like a few of you club mates, I bought it because of the Blue and white colour which match up well with our new kit.

On the topic of your kit, I have seen a sneak preview of your shorts, and they dont look too bad. Whats the new jersey like?

DirkVoodoo

Aquos76 wrote: »

I have seen a sneak preview of your shorts, and they dont look too bad.

:eek:

Get a room you two!

Aquos76

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

:eek:

Get a room you two!

I guess I should rephrase that so, I have seen a sneak preview of their new club shorts:o

lescol

I wear a Las Squalo http://www.roadcyclinguk.com/bike-reviews/las-squalo-helmet-tested/3944.html review here. After 2 MET cheapies I find it brilliant and would recommend it.

Quigs Snr

Well Aquos, it may be somewhat unpatriotic of me to suggest it, but if you were to fill your mouth up with Irish Stew and spew it over our old Jersey, mix it with a 1970's GAA shirt and then add a bunch of sponsors you would have a pretty good idea of what the new kit looks like. Fingers crossed it looks better in the flesh than it does on the design sheet which can sometimes be deceptive. We won't have it till April or May to confirm I reckon.

It was always going to be tough though, there were I think 7 sponsors, none of which have colors anything like our own (our title sponsor is baby blue, whilst our colors are red and yellow). Theres a lot of black in the shorts though, so I was thinking a plain black helmet would be ok.

bbosco

Limar have a good range, decent range of sizes and they seem to have figured out how to minimise the mushroom effect. Also, they're Italian, which is never a bad thing.

Quigs Snr

I tried one of those ultra light Limars. The worlds lightest helmet apparently, and it was indeed very small and light. But terrifyingly so... Cool kit though. It felt like it sat quite high, more like a hat on top of your head than something wrapping around and protecting your head. I must look at what else they have in their range.

Lumen

Quigs Snr wrote: »

I tried one of those ultra light Limars. The worlds lightest helmet apparently, and it was indeed very small and light. But terrifyingly so... Cool kit though. It felt like it sat quite high, more like a hat on top of your head than something wrapping around and protecting your head. I must look at what else they have in their range.

I have two Limars, a 104 (from last year) and the new 104 Ultralight. They are good for people with large heads, otherwise I'm not so sure.

I believe that the Ultralight is so unsubstantial that it is not approved for sale in the US.

Hopefully I won't be "using" it.

mattock

Limar pro 104, is an amazingly light helmet, but now I am thinking is it giving me enough protection ?

jerryg

I had a Bell althena it cost about 50 euro did a good job when I fell on ice about 2 weeks ago and cracked in 5 places with no head injury,I have now bought a Spuik and it fits very well about 80 euro,my advice would be to pay as much as you can afford .

ipodrocker

great responses about the helmets, thanks i guess i will go to a few shops and try one on and then get it online if there is lots of savings!

chainreactioncycles is great btw!

fran oconnor

ipodrocker wrote: »

great responses about the helmets, thanks i guess i will go to a few shops and try one on and then get it online if there is lots of savings!

chainreactioncycles is great btw!

if you have the money,go for a catlike.one of my mates has one and they are real good.i'll be getting one soon myself..

Dubba

I've field tested the Limar pro 104 - had a crash last week, bike went down and in front of me, I fell backwards and must have hit the back of my head because there is a crack on the back of the helmet. Felt nothing tho.