General Cycling Discussion - Finally got a helmet!

After two too-close calls in the past couple of weeks, it became nearly an emergency to buy a helmet. My favorite LBS didn't have one that fit, so I went to another excellent LBS across town and they had one Giro Atlas II that fit me like a glove. $35 and I have a great helmet.

To all who expressed their genuine concern over me not having a helmet, Thanks :D

Good show! I used to ride without a brain bucket, rationalizing that I was not riding in traffic. Except when I raced BMX, where you are required to have one, and then you are talking full face. I'm sure mine saved me at least once. Once I started riding more seriously though, I quit goofing around with my safety.

I've seen 2 heads smack blacktop in the last 3 weeks, one was mine. Thank God and Giro we both had helmets on. My friends accident seriously could have been fatal if he hadn't had his helmet on, very scary stuff that happens in an instant. Glad you got yours. :)

Thanks for the replies. I made a stupid mistake and ended up stopping in front of a car a couple of weeks ago, and then yesterday between my poor judgement, and a driver not looking where he was going at all (too busy stuffing his face with a hamburger) and bumping me, almost knocked me over, I thought "Gee, if I want to live past 30 I'd better get a helmet."

A wise decision.

Don't flame me but I don't have a helmet... I'd love one and have tried every bikeshop and helmet brand in north-west England but I can't find one that fits :( !

My head isn't huge at all but it isn't 'round', it is front to back that I can't get to fit, I guess I have a long head. I had the same problem graduating, they had to send out for a mortar board that fit!!

If anyone has any suggestions, apart from wrapping my head in bubblewrap for each ride, I'd be more than grateful :).

Don't flame me but I don't have a helmet... I'd love one and have tried every bikeshop and helmet brand in north-west England but I can't find one that fits :( !

My head isn't huge at all but it isn't 'round', it is front to back that I can't get to fit, I guess I have a long head. I had the same problem graduating, they had to send out for a mortar board that fit!!

If anyone has any suggestions, apart from wrapping my head in bubblewrap for each ride, I'd be more than grateful :).
Try a Specialized I have a large head that's long from front to back and they fit me quite well.

Don't flame me but I don't have a helmet... I'd love one and have tried every bikeshop and helmet brand in north-west England but I can't find one that fits :( !


If you don't mind going up in price a bit, the higher end Bell or Specialized helmets ($85+) have a bit more adjustability and far better fit systems than low-end helmets. Visualizing your problem, I can't see how a helmet couldn't fit. The range of adjustability on my Bell Ghisallo for front to back is substantial. The side straps, no matter the size helmet will cinch down enough for you even if you have to wear a slightly larger helmet.

A problem I find is that people trying on helmets for some reason expect to put it on their head and have it fit instantly. Right out of the box. Not gonna happen... so they try helmet after helmet until they find one thats adjusted close to where they need it to be and then base their purchase on that, rather than taking a minute to adjust each helmet they try on. Spend some quality time with the prospective helmets and I'm pretty confident you can find one you will feel comfortable with.

Don't flame me but I don't have a helmet... I'd love one and have tried every bikeshop and helmet brand in north-west England but I can't find one that fits :( !

My head isn't huge at all but it isn't 'round', it is front to back that I can't get to fit, I guess I have a long head. I had the same problem graduating, they had to send out for a mortar board that fit!!

If anyone has any suggestions, apart from wrapping my head in bubblewrap for each ride, I'd be more than grateful :).

My Specialized came with a set of adhesive backed soft foam pads to fine tune the fit. It fit me well without using them, but I think that they would help you get the fit you need. I don't know about other brands, but if they don't have something similar, I would think it fairly easy to make something similar without spending much money or time.

I've tried them all, even the XXls. The problem is that the only helmet that ever came close fitted but it was wedged tight on the front and back of my head which hurt somewhat... :(.

That really sucks. Have you considered contacting a manufacturer directly to see if they have any suggestions?