Originally Posted by
Paul Barnard
Good thread! I appreciate the time you put into it. We don't get a lot of quality content like that here. I suspect in a lot of ways helmets are like saddles because heads are like butts
For sure helmets are like butts. 100%.
I tried to limit my ramblings for each helmet to the features, build, finish, etc since whether it fits me well or not is of no help to most others.
If I were flush with Scrooge McDuck level wealth, I would 100% start a helmet company and use the best of all the different brands Ive tried.
- POC and Kask's full wrap around shell for the exposed underside to reduce gouged foam.
- Giro's Spherical MIPS tech that totally eliminates the plastic liner everyone else is using and integrates MIPS into the helmet. Or POC's SPIN tech. Who knows which is better in reality.
- ABUS' design where you can remove the straps for cleaning.
- ABUS' strap design which results in them laying flat while being very light.
- Integrated ports for easy sunglass storage like on POC, KASK, ABUS, and MET.
- A fit dial that is simple to turn and stays put. Same with vertical adjustment- easy to set and stays put.
- A front overhang that isnt super deep. When in the drops, the deep overhang will reduce vision.
- Good ventilation with not just a lot of vents, but placement that makes sense.
Whats funny is that besides GIRO's Spherical tech, pretty much everything I want could easily be designed into an $80 helmet. It cant be expensive to sew the straps together instead of using a plastic clip to connect them, for example. Wrapping the plastic shell around what would otherwise be exposed foam on the underside brim would be more expensive for manufacturing, Im sure, but Im not sure if that means the helmet needs to be $200-300 in price. Oh, and good a chin strap retention band that holds the excess strap just isnt expensive, but boy Giro skimped on it with their midpriced Syntax.
What I am surprised most out of all this is that I chose 2 relatively mid-priced helmets that cost $140-155 delivered to me from overseas and arent available domestically.
Before doing this, I figured I would end up with a POC and Kask since they are so trendy and seem to use nice materials. The fit and finish of both is top notch. The look on me was just too much though. They are both 'deep' helmets too in that they fit lower onto my head and while the design is neat, it just isnt for me.