Winter Cycling - Another helmet thread...

Did a quick search and didn't find quite what I was looking for. I ride with a bell metro currently, but it won't fit just right with a winter hat on underneath. Finally found a hat that seems to work with it (wool jeep cap at the local surplus store) but it still doesn't "feel" right. I have an old Giro sitting around that fits a lot better, but loses the visibility of my Metro (reflective straps and piping around the helmet, not to mention the screaming orange). When I was using the Giro I put some reflective tape on I found from the auto parts store. The tape doesn't hold a candle to the Metro's reflectivity.

Any helmets out there that would match the visibility and fit winter gear better?

Or is there a better reflective tape I could plaster on the old helmet?

Did a quick search and didn't find quite what I was looking for. I ride with a bell metro currently, but it won't fit just right with a winter hat on underneath. Finally found a hat that seems to work with it (wool jeep cap at the local surplus store) but it still doesn't "feel" right. I have an old Giro sitting around that fits a lot better, but loses the visibility of my Metro (reflective straps and piping around the helmet, not to mention the screaming orange). When I was using the Giro I put some reflective tape on I found from the auto parts store. The tape doesn't hold a candle to the Metro's reflectivity.

Any helmets out there that would match the visibility and fit winter gear better?

Or is there a better reflective tape I could plaster on the old helmet?

Instead of a new helmet what you need is a gore-tex helmet cover with reflective material on it. These things are cheap and work like a charm. They let your head breath so you don't overheat, but cut out nearly all of the cold wind that cools your head so you won't need anything but a thin hat on under the helmet. This makes it a lot easier to fit any kind of helmet you already have. Just a thin form fitting cycling skull cap combined with the helmet cover or instead of the skull cap use a thin balaclava under your helmet if it is really cold.

3M Scotchlite or Reflexite tape for your helmet. Pretty much a staple in the public safety comminuty for years. 3M also makes a product called SOLAS for marine environments like USCG approved bouys and life vests as well as the tape used on all USCG flight helmets.

Go check out a local ski store. There are lots of hats available today that are designed to be used with Ski helmets. The tops of the hads are windproof, but thin and breath very well, and the sides are usually thicker and fuzzy to provide comfort to the forehead and ears. I got my turtle fur cap for around $20 at a local ski shop. It made the helmet fit a tiny bit tighter, but interferes remarkably little.

For heavy rain I also have a rain cover, but it tends to hold in a lot of moisture that is normally released by you head. This is a nice bit of additional protection on either rainy or extreamly cold days (I consider extreamly cold anything below 10F).

Happy riding,
André

3M Diamond Grade is better than SOLAS for non-marine applications.

A little pricey for a helmet cover but might be worth it for safety. Also flexible since you can use it with nearly any standard type helmet. These Illuminite products are highly reflective from what I have been able to tell from the ads.


http://www.rei.com/product/759799