Bicycle helmets

[slobake]

Riding my bike in and urban enviroment for the last 40 years I have seen a lot of crazy things that have led me to appreaciate helmets. I wear one all the time now. If you do wear a helmet what kind do you prefer?
Combat?


Lizard head?



Polo ?


Or something else?

[EricF]

"Lizard head".

My fashion tendancies for bike wear trend hard towards Euro-pro racer style. I blame my 10+ years of racing the damn things. I've also found that Giro helmets tend to fit my head best.

[slobake]

I love my 8 ball combat helmet for commuting to work. It's comfortable and I don't have to worry about heat here. The average temperature for my summer commute is in the low to mid 60's (Farenhiet).

[spade2you]

I suppose anything is fine for low 60's. I think we get that for about 2 weeks in spring and 2 weeks in the fall before the extremes hit. I like the lizard helmet because it's well ventilated and you can scratch if needed.

[elgecko]

Lizard head is the only way to go for SoCal summers. I don't see any polo helmets and very few combat (i.e. skateboard type) helmets on the trails I ride.

[Mark Reccord]

This one for trail/general riding. I.e. anything that requires pedaling:



Kind of a beefed up lizard head.

This one for DH/lift assisted riding:

[carl h.]

Where do you find affordable good quality helmets? The stuff I run across doesn't fit and is crazy expensive (not to mention ugly).

[Ziltoid]

Lizard, anything else looks silly on a roadbike

[EricF]

Originally Posted by carl h.

Where do you find affordable good quality helmets? The stuff I run across doesn't fit ins is crazy expensive (not to mention ugly).

When it comes to protecting the contents of my skull, I tend to take it seriously and not to look for a cheap solution. To me, I have no problem playing $100-ish for a good helmet that fits me well. Every time I've needed a helmet to do its job (more than once - lol), it has done it perfectly.

Also, everyone's definition of ugly is different. I tend to like the look of the higher-end road helmets.

[carl h.]

Originally Posted by EricF

When it comes to protecting the contents of my skull, I tend to take it seriously and not to look for a cheap solution. To me, I have no problem playing $100-ish for a good helmet that fits me well. .

They don't fit me in that price range. I'm not talking a $15 walmart special, but a decent helmet that doesn't require a bank loan.

[elgecko]

What I've observed with bike helmets is that Bell fits better if you have a round head and Giro fits better if you have an oval head (when looking from the top).

[slobake]

Originally Posted by carl h.

They don't fit me in that price range. I'm not talking a $15 walmart special, but a decent helmet that doesn't require a bank loan.

I caught a sale at REI, do you have those locally? I think the price was in the low $30 range. The brand is Nutcase. No comments please. I would look for sales on quality helmets, never wear a used helmet. Nashbar online has some great sales but that probably won't work for helmets.

[elgecko]

I've got a helmet!

[DerHoggz]

Originally Posted by elgecko

What I've observed with bike helmets is that Bell fits better if you have a round head and Giro fits better if you have an oval head (when looking from the top).

This is my experience as well, now I have a Giro that is slightly too small, and a Bell that is large enough, but fits awkwardly and sticks out a lot on the sides, not pro at all.

Being honest though, I do ride without helmets a fair bit.

(How long until the debate hits?)

[Jim Nazium]

I wear the lizard head / racer style. They're light, well ventilated for summer, and I have a gore-tex cover to put over it in cold or wet weather.

[EricF]

Originally Posted by carl h.

They don't fit me in that price range. I'm not talking a $15 walmart special, but a decent helmet that doesn't require a bank loan.

Affordable is relative. What's your realistic price range?

As others have mentioned, helmets from different manufacturers fit differently. Giro helmets tend to fit my S/M head best, but there are plenty of people that find Giros uncomfortable. Like shoes, you just kind of need to try them on and pick what fits best. Saying that all helmets in the $100-ish price range don't fit your is like saying all black shoes don't fit you. It's a conclusion likely based on a very small sampling.

[slobake]

Originally Posted by DerHoggz

Being honest though, I do ride without helmets a fair bit.

(How long until the debate hits?)

Hey, it's what be do best around her.

[Philonius]

Roadie here, so it's lizard heads for me. Interesting that more an more now the pros are wearing "aero" helmets with fewer vents; the look is going back somewhat toward the earlier days of moderns EPS foam helmets.

I ride a fair amount, and have managed to destroy 3 helmets in crashes. The last one was when a car cut me off as I was going downhill at 20+ mph. Helmets work, they've saved me from some potentially very serious head injuries.

[DerHoggz]

Originally Posted by Philonius

Roadie here, so it's lizard heads for me. Interesting that more an more now the pros are wearing "aero" helmets with fewer vents; the look is going back somewhat toward the earlier days of moderns EPS foam helmets.

Those aero helmets are absolutely hideous. The new Spech one is mildly better looking than the Giro though.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Haven't cycled regularly in an age, but always ones along the lines of the lizard head.