ADVICE on helmets?

[ClockworkOrange]

I hang my head in shame (my helmet-less head)!

OK, I have been riding now for 6 years and always scoffed at the idea of wearing a helmet until I found this site.

I am slowly coming around to the idea that I definitely should buy one.

Need some advice please.

I ride a MTB Have short spikey hair Live in the UK where the weather is variable but never severe Don't want to look totally naff (translation = stupid)! Don't want a colour that will clash with my lovely Orange bike

Is around $70 an average price, I really have no idea.

Yes, I can search the internet but you guys seem to have so much experience, I feel I can trust your views more than a shop.

Any advice gratefully received......:rolleyes:

Sally

[Eden]

I've had many helmets, by many mfg's over the years. The thing you have to do first and foremost is try some on. They are different shapes and some people's heads fit some helmet brands better than others (Bells are more round, Giros are more oblong etc.)
Prices vary, but as long as they are certified - ANSI and SNELL in the US, the differences in price are usually about how aerodynamic, how many vents, and how light the helmets are. $35 helmets are still safe as long as they are certified. I still have a $35 Bell that I wear sometimes.
I haven't seen too many in orange - but there is this one-
http://www.bellbikehelmets.com/europe/productDetail.asp?prodID=10

otherwise there are lots of colors and designs out there

Just make sure that you find one that is comfortable to wear when it is cinched down tight enough that it will not move around on your head. Have the person in the shop help you get all of the straps set up properly as this can be difficult and it is very common for people who have not owned helmets before to wear them improperly. The two most common misfittings- the helmet should sit straight on your head (not tilted towards any one side) and should not be pushed back to expose your forehead. The strap should not hang loose under your chin (yup I see the pros do this all of the time - bad boys!)

[bcipam]

Great helmet in your price range is the GIRO HAVOC - designed for MTB but I use it both road and MTB. Comes in decent colors even some girly ones.

And girl... what were you thinking riding without a helmet? By the grace of God you haven't fallen and hit your head. Get that helmet... soon! :(

[emily_in_nc]

I also mountain bike and recently got a Giro Havoc. It's a fantastic helmet! Why did I get a new helmet? Because I crashed and hit my head hard on a hard-packed trail in my old helmet. If I hadn't been wearing a helmet, I could have ended up with a concussion or worse. PLEASE, run, don't walk, to get yourself a helmet ASAP! Your brain is way, way to important to risk. One crash is all it takes to ruin your life....

Sorry to be alarmist, but I feel strongly about this one!

Emily

[Kitsune06]

I also reccomend the Giro Skyla, actually. Try it on, though... It's reasonably comfortable and I got mine (and GF's) for $25.

[Surlygirl]

Get a helmet, PLEASE. My 9 yr old son did an endo on his bike last week. He landed on his head and his helmet was in two pieces, but he got up and walked away (crying) but alive!!! They wear helmets for sledding and Skiing also.
They even have orange ones that might match your bike. Here's one
http://www.thebellstore.com/Other/bellbicycle/Citi.html

[bike4ever]

My advice on a helmet "get one".

I cracked mine in April and came home from the ER to meet my kids after school. Did have a broken wrist and bruised cheek - but I came home.

I agree you need to try helmets on for a feel. Bell and Giro will fit different although they are the same company. The women's fit helmets are a smaller shell. A universal fit helmet will be under $50 with the sized helmets (S, M, L) being more expensive. Visor/no visor I feel is a personal preference.

[DeniseGoldberg]

Helmets are good - I'm happy to hear that you plan to join this helmet-wearing crowd. And another story to add to those above... I had a significant brain injury and a skull fracture with a helmet after I somehow managed to flip my bike (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/denise2004crash) over and land on my head in a a crash back in 2004; I would not have survived that accident if my head hadn't been sporting a helmet. The foam of my helmet was cracked, but the outer shell retained some integrity. Overall, I'd say the helmet did its job.

--- Denise

[tattiefritter]

Jeez ClockworkOrange I can't remember the last time I saw anyone MTBing without a helmet! Mine saved my head last month, not by falling off but when I misjudged how much space I had to fit under a fallen tree - whammo!

Anyway enough of the lectures. You do need to try some on to find out if you have a Giro shaped head, a Met shaped head or something else. I seem to fit the very small Giros (I have an Animas) and will be looking to replace mine soon I think.

Have a look on CRC as they do good helmet offers, for example they are selling this years Giro Xen for £60 (should be £90) which is not bad looking for a helmet, thinking of getting one for myself especially at that price. They're helmet list is here:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Categories.aspx?CategoryID=225

Please get one, once you do you'll feel naked biking without it.

[Bad JuJu]

Just this past summer I got a Giro Xen, and it is so comfortable and pretty cool-looking too. It comes in a number of colors--I chose the matte white camo, which is a camouflage pattern, but in shades of pale grey, beige, and off-white. The color's cool, but what I really like is how good it feels on my head and how super-easy it is to adjust, so I don't have to spend 10 minutes fiddling with straps on days when it's cool enough to wear a headband under it.

I used to wear a Havoc and really liked it, too. But it was >5 years old, getting kind of ratty and beat up, so time for a replacement. I had read an article that suggested that helmets with a more rounded exterior design are more protective in a crash--apparently they tend to slide along the pavement better rather than snagging and causing rapid deceleration, which =neck injuries.

Anyway, I'm really happy with the Xen. I read some reviews suggesting that it was heavy and hot, but honestly I don't feel its weight or warmth is much different from the Havoc--and I ride in Florida.

[bikerchick68]

yep, I'm with Eden on this... buy whatever helmet FITS you properly... lots of people wear helmets that move around as they ride... if you crash (heaven forbid!) it won't offer the protection you'd want. Fit is critical.

That being said, I ride with a helmet with 24 vents (I think it's 24... been a while since I counted!) because it's HOT where I live... the extra ventilation when I'm working hard helps tremendously...

I ALWAYS have helmet head after I ride... but what the hey... I figure it goes nicely with my tan lines, sweat encrusted face and all the other lovely attributes of cycling...:eek::D

[Mimosa]

What I did, I went to a couple of local LBS stores and tried the helmets they had. When I finally found the brand, type and size which fitted I went back to the internet and looked around to find the lowest price on it.

[LBTC]

Yikes, girl! Get yourself a helmet and quick!

Road or Mountain bike makes no difference, the helmet is almost more essential than the bike itself!

I've rendered 3 helmets useless: 1 where the foam was cracked, 1 where the foam was cracked the outside plastic dented, and 1 was a chrome Bell Bellistic full face downhill helmet that, once I was done with it, had one side completely covered in tension cracks. I haven't ever replaced a helmet except after I'd crashed and broken it!! Oh, yes, and in each case, the hit to the head would have been the worst injury, but with the helmet on, if it weren't for the evidence on the helmet I didn't know at first that I'd even hit my head!! Helmets WORK!!

Okay, okay, you've heard it. And everyone else is right on the fit, too. Make sure you find the brand and size that fits first, then shop for price and colour. I know we'd all like to look fab, but helmet head is something you just may have to put up with. Try to wear it proudly, like the mud on your legs after a great ride!

As far as adjustment, the other tips are correct and here's a bit more. The strap should be snug enough under your chin that you can get only one finger between it and your chin. This strap is actually two that join up with a little sliding adjuster. That adjuster should sit just below your ear lob, virtually touching it. The two straps do adjust independently, although it takes a bit of a finicky touch to get it there.

Have fun shopping for your new life saving accessory!!

Namaste,
~T~

[ClockworkOrange]

One thing most of us do not have enough of, is TIME!

So for that reason alone, I thank you for sparing your time for answering this thread.

Tomorrow I am off to find a helmet!
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y272/Missbe/sport-smiley-023.gif

Sally

[ClockworkOrange]

Phew, don't they mess your hair up!...............joking. :rolleyes:

Couldn't believe it, the guy in the shop was an old wrinklie and I thought he would know plenty but it turns out he does not even wear one!!! So, thanks to all the info you guys gave me, I already knew what to look for.

Hope I've gone for a reasonable one, seems to have a good write up, have ordered the Specialized Aurora in black and blue, I liked it because it does not seem to be too high and really feels comfortable.

I think they go for around $100 but I managed to find one for $75, it does have a clip-on matching color visor but does not appear in this pic.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y272/Missbe/spec_hlmt_aurora_blue_black_06_f.jpg

Away for a few days but hope my partner will buy me this for Christmas and perhaps I can have it early.

Sally

[mimitabby]

Hi Sally such good news! How come you aren't getting the Citi? (Bell) It is ORANGE Like mine and only abouat 40 bucks!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

It can never be repeated too often.
I just read this nice little article about...
GET A HELMET!:

http://www.bikeman.com/content/view/777/48/

[aicabsolut]

What I did, I went to a couple of local LBS stores and tried the helmets they had. When I finally found the brand, type and size which fitted I went back to the internet and looked around to find the lowest price on it.

This is basically what I did. I liked the Specialized Decibel's fit system the best, but I didn't like the price. So I found an end of season sale on the next step down (Aurora that someone pictured) that had the same closure system online. I found one for about $65-70.

It took me a while to figure out if I wanted a "women's" helmet and what brand. And I needed to figure out my hat size, since the only hat size I knew includes what it takes to stuff my hair up in it (horseback riding helmet).

I know Specialized makes some loud yellow ones, and they have some other orange stuff, so maybe you can find an orange one by them if you like the fit.

[ClockworkOrange]

YAY.............my boyfriend collected and paid for my lovely Specialized Aurora in blue/black.

Have fiddled about adjusting it, so, tomorrow, it get's christened.

Thanx guys for the encouragement.

Sally