Helmet shopping!

[ny biker]

When I bought my last helmet, I knew nothing, had no money, went through a catalog and found one on sale. It was probably the end of the season and the color was not a big seller. The helmet is kind of old, and should be replaced. Hence the latest shopping adventure.

There is one brand that seems to fit me the best, so I'll stick with that and narrow down the choices. So my question concerns the vents. It would seem as if the more vents, the better. But now I'm not so sure. If there is a row of vents right down the front of the helmet, could the breeze be annoying? Would rain get in easier? Would I even notice? If it's very hot out, or raining, I probably wouldn't be riding, anyway.

What are your thoughts on vents?

Mu thoughts on vents are: more=better. The breeze is not annoying, it is the thing that cools you down.

You can wear a cap underneath if it's cold or raining.

As for color, I am far less concerned. I prefer something with lots of white to reflect the heat of the sun. I also like a snap-on visor to help keep the sun out of my eyes, which limits my choices and rules out the top-of-the-line super expensive road helmets.

I like my Bell Volt. I don't know if they still make them.

[IBrakeforPastry]

Yup - I'm leaning towards the plain helmet with the idea of a few stickers here and there. Cats, pinstripes, obnoxious smiley faces...

I like the visors, also. It wasn't until my shop visit this morning that I learned that visors are mostly used on MTB and recreational helmets. Since I wasn't looking at the high-end models, I never noticed.

Another thing I've noticed is on my old helmet, the vents are basically holes, and the helmet sits right on my head. The vents on the newer ones line up with each other and there are channels running along inside so there is space between the helmet and head, allowing the air to actually flow through that space. I realize you probably all know that, but I just found it kind of interesting.

[IBrakeforPastry]

I'm sitting here wearing my new Revel I usually run errands in the morning, but I was getting a little antsy this afternoon. So I went to one shop to try the Bell again. It was fine, but I needed to return the Giant to the LBS. The couple who run the shop are so nice and I really wanted to complete the purchase from them. It became a toss-up between the Revel and a Louis Garneau. I could wear the LG women's fit, but not the Giro. That allowed me to try the Garneau youth helmet. Same fit/style as the women's, just different colors. The Garneau won for color, but the Giro really was a better fit (adult universal, not women's). Once it's on my head, I'm not going to see it, anyway. It's shiny black with a greenish/turquoisey flower design in the back.