Originally Posted by
Pinkbullet3
How dickish would it be to try on helmets at your LBS and then once you've found your fit, buy the thing off the internet? I'd probably just buy it from the shop, despite the fact that I could be saving money. I have yet to snoop around but I feel that you wouldn't be saving all that much money anyway.
Pretty dickish but it happens.
OP, don't be too concerned with whether your helmet is pro or not. Fit and comfort are not determined by price, they are determined by how the shape of the helmet compares with the shape of your skull. My head is so weirdly shaped that there are only three models of helmet that fit it, out of the 20-30+ I've tried on. They are all low end models too. I have wished for a nicer helmet that actually fit my head, but have not found one yet.
A pro helmet will be a bit lighter and better vented than a cheapie. Frankly though in this day and age every helmet at your lbs isl good, and a cheap helmet today is likely to be much better than the most expensive helmet from 10 years ago.
A problem with pro helmets is that if you are doing regular commuting to class etc with any helmet, even if you never crash it is going to get knocked around a lot and pretty soon you are going to need another helmet. This is easier to handle if your helmet cost $40 than if it cost $200. In my opinion unless you are made of money an expensive, ultra light helmet is better suited to roadie/ sport riding than day to day commuting in the real world.
tldr: Get whatever fits you and doesn't look too dorky.