Helmet sizing argument

[pookamatic]

Not a true argument but here's the story:

Was at Cycle Gear Saturday and was looking for my first new helmet. I got an XL Icon Airframe with the bike (too large). Borrowing a friends ~5 year old Suomy racing Suomy (Large)... it fits snug, is comfortable, and relatively quiet compared to the Icon.

I went up and down from the pricey Shoei to the Bilt and a few in between and settled for the Shoei. I'm still toggling between the Quest and RF-1100. I believe the Quest will better suit my commute-heavy riding, but that's a different discussion. At the store, I was being pushed towards the RF-1100, which I'm sure would work well for me, but the sales rep and I couldn't agree on size. I say I'm a large, he says I'm a medium.

Now the aging (well broke in) racey (initially tighter, right?) large Suomy fits me great. A new large RF-1100 was like this fit, only more snug, so I would expect some give after 500-1,000 miles. The medium was TIGHT and not just in the cheek pads. REALLY tight, and uncomfortable, and that's just after 4 minutes of standing in the store. I was getting hot. Putting it on and taking off was really tough.

Maybe I'm in between sizes? Here's the kicker: Part of me is convinced the rep was telling me I'm a medium just because they didn't have a large in the color I wanted (solid silver... I'm not paying over $100 for paint).

I'm 6'1, 165 lbs. I measured my forehead with the tape about 1" above my ears: 23 1/4" with a tight tape. The large did allow my head to move a little, while the medium allowed almost zero movement.

I guess my question is: does this sound right? Just how much discomfort should one experience and for how long? I don't know if I'll be able to think after 20 minutes. On a 45 minutes commute, that's bad. On the other hand, I don't want to go bigger than I should which could be bad if I ever need to 'test' the helmet.

 

[agf]

wear it for at least 15 minutes while you cruise the store, you should know you are wearing a lid but it shouldnt make you feel like your head is exploding. getting on/off should be a squeeze but not a battle.
maybe the 1100 with bigger cheek pads is the go, did they offer that sort of thing.
I cant wear AGV they just give me a head ache from the pressure points- I didnt like the Arai much either just felt "thin" - A KBC felt just like the Shoei, very comfy but I have had one and its heavier and noisier.
hope that helps a bit

 

[mave2911]

I find different helmets fit me differently.

I can't wear a Shoei for extended periods, unless it is a size bigger than I need.

I currently wear a Shark Evoline and it's great - and love the convenience of the flip-up chin bar. (don't have to take my helmet off to pay for fuel etc)

In the past, AGV helmets fitted me well too.

There WILL be a certain amount of settling with the cushioning, but the polystyrene in the top wont 'mould' so if it's tight on the skull, or doesn't fit right - it never will.

Cheers,
Rick

 

[REO Scorpio]

Not a true argument but here's the story:

Was at Cycle Gear Saturday and was looking for my first new helmet. I got an XL Icon Airframe with the bike (too large). Borrowing a friends ~5 year old Suomy racing Suomy (Large)... it fits snug, is comfortable, and relatively quiet compared to the Icon.

I went up and down from the pricey Shoei to the Bilt and a few in between and settled for the Shoei. I'm still toggling between the Quest and RF-1100. I believe the Quest will better suit my commute-heavy riding, but that's a different discussion. At the store, I was being pushed towards the RF-1100, which I'm sure would work well for me, but the sales rep and I couldn't agree on size. I say I'm a large, he says I'm a medium.

Now the aging (well broke in) racey (initially tighter, right?) large Suomy fits me great. A new large RF-1100 was like this fit, only more snug, so I would expect some give after 500-1,000 miles. The medium was TIGHT and not just in the cheek pads. REALLY tight, and uncomfortable, and that's just after 4 minutes of standing in the store. I was getting hot. Putting it on and taking off was really tough.

Maybe I'm in between sizes? Here's the kicker: Part of me is convinced the rep was telling me I'm a medium just because they didn't have a large in the color I wanted (solid silver... I'm not paying over $100 for paint).

I'm 6'1, 165 lbs. I measured my forehead with the tape about 1" above my ears: 23 1/4" with a tight tape. The large did allow my head to move a little, while the medium allowed almost zero movement.

I guess my question is: does this sound right? Just how much discomfort should one experience and for how long? I don't know if I'll be able to think after 20 minutes. On a 45 minutes commute, that's bad. On the other hand, I don't want to go bigger than I should which could be bad if I ever need to 'test' the helmet.

I was in a similar situation when I bought my Fz6 in 2009 with a Shoei RF-1000. I originally bought the large as it felt snug but not unbearable. Within two weeks, I had sold it on eBay and purchased the same model in Medium. While it was snug at first, I wouldn't trade it for any other size as it has become fitted to my head, doesn't move around or rotate, yet isn't uncomfortable on longer rides. I've since picked up the cheekpads that come standard on the small once the older ones were broken in.

IIRC, I was at the minimum for a large according to the sizing charts. However, after using it and making some quick head moves on the highway for lane changes, I knew I needed to go a little smaller.

And yes, it hurt my ego to admit that I had a medium head.

Scorpio

 

[edgeofnj]

head shapes are different. there are variances between manufacturers and even models within manufacturers on the molds they use. i have had a heck of a time finding a helmet that fits snugly without discomfort. even though my circumference measurement says that i'm technically a medium, i still have pressure points when wearing some large or even extra large helmets due to my rounder (vs. oblong, from top) shape. the best advice i can give is just try them each on in multiple sizes and see which one fits your head best. walk around the store with it on, if you can.

as an aside: when i bought my helmet, i ended up trying on about 20 different models and multiple sizes within each until i settled on one that hurt the least! there were still a couple of pressure points that made riding over an hour unbearable. [don't try this at home] using a large spoon, i manually compressed some of the foam in those areas (2in diameter) by about 1/8in. pressure points gone. again, i wouldn't recommend that to anyone.

 

[lomax]

One thing I find in helmets is that the cheek pads always seem to be too tight on my weird head. To get a perfect fit I usually have to try the helmet without the cheek pads in to make sure it fits my head properly, then order up the proper cheek pads for the final fit.

I had been buying one size too large helmets for years until an actual rep showed me this trick.

Marc

 

[pookamatic]

One thing I find in helmets is that the cheek pads always seem to be too tight on my weird head. To get a perfect fit I usually have to try the helmet without the cheek pads in to make sure it fits my head properly, then order up the proper cheek pads for the final fit.

I had been buying one size too large helmets for years until an actual rep showed me this trick.

Marc

This is great! I definitely was getting crunched in the cheek/jaw and that probably contributed to my overall discomfort. Will do this and just focus on the unadjustable top. On sizing alone, my measurement appears to be on the edge of large/medium.

Thanks all.

 

[Xavias]

A rep told me the cheek pads should be pushing on your cheeks (as that will break in) but you really want to look for any sort of pain on the top of your head as that won't go away. I bought a GMAX G68 (Large) for my first helmet, before I knew this trick. It quickly got bad in the cheek area (less than a year) due to break in. the helmet just felt too big, too.

So I bought an HJC IS-16 recently which fits perfect, but there's a small amount of pressure on the cheeks. I'm confident this will go away with break in, and I'm really really happy with my $170 helmet.

 

[PhotoAl]

Have the RF1100 and love it. Have a Shark RSI size large that is too loose so decided to put some time into picking my helmet this time. Bought the size medium and was worried about it from the moment I paid for it - had to wait a couple of days for it to come in. Thought the forehead would be too tight and would not break in. At first had to work to get it on, cheek pads tight, felt like it would take the ears off. Picked it up and rode hope in it. By the time go home it felt pretty good and within a month felt like I had always worn it. Love the helmet. Big advantage of the Shoei you can get different cheek pads as well a replacement parts. The RF1100 has less buffeting than the Shark

Some fitting steps to remember:

Heads come in different shapes, is your head shape the same or close to the helmets internal shape?
Try the helmet on, fasten the chin strap and check to see if you can pull the back of the helmet up enough for the eyehole to hit the bridge of you nose - if so wrong fit. Hold the helmet still and try and turn you head - if so wrong fit. Is there a gap between your forehead and the padding in the front of the helmet - if so wrong fit. There are a couple more checks like this that I can't remember.

I always try to buy my helmet at a local store - costs a little more but I can see, touch and try it and it helps keep my friends employed.

 

[SweaterDude]

Try a bunch of different brands. the biggest difference between helmets is the roundness, Arai has 3 shapes: long oval, intermediate oval, and round oval. Shoei has a slightly different fit than the 3 Arai's and you might like the Shoei more or less. I f you want to get a good helmet without paying the big bucks for Shoei or Arai, try HJC, Bell, Suomy, or Icon. In the end whatever fits the best is going to benefit you the most. A helmet should be snug and allow for LITTLE movement, but not crush your head.

 

[Wh0M3]

I was in the market for a new helmet and walked into a store to try some on. I had an HJC that was a Large and fit great. I tried on a few different helmets and the ones I was interested from a catalog point of view didn't fit very comfortable. My checks were being squished like crazy but the rest fit or the checks were better but the head was to loose. There was a guy helping me and I eventually went back to HJC and got the new IS-16 too. I didn't pay attention to the size till I got it home and realized I bought a XL but it fit just like my L did. I did the head shake test and it was snug and didn't move so it made me wonder why the change in size.. The old HJC was a CL-SP and it seemed to fit me the better than the other CL versions.

So I bought an HJC IS-16 recently which fits perfect, but there's a small amount of pressure on the cheeks. I'm confident this will go away with break in, and I'm really really happy with my $170 helmet.

 

[pookamatic]

Ended up with a medium 1100. It's tight, but the longer top definitely fits me better than the quest. It's so nice.

 

[Kazza]

I would say the medium. You shouldn't have much movement at all AND the cheek pads will give in time rendering the lid too loose..

You need to leave the lid on for 10 minutes in the shop to ensure it's not too tight. If medium is too tight and large has too much movement, you must look to another brand.

Another important point LIDS IN THE SHOP HAVE BEEN TRIED ON BY MANY PEOPLE - the padding may be quite loose from that. Try a new lid from a box.

I am a small in most helmets but a couple of brands I was in between small and medium. I ended up with the Shoei RF1000 in a small. Couldn't move it at all when I wore it but it wasn't tight enough that it hurt my ears/head or gave me a headache.

Try lots of brands and sizes. Too many people get sucked into the graphics but end up with an ill fitting lid that won't hold up in a crash. Only you will know how it feels on.

Good luck


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