Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Fifty Plus (50+)
Reload this Page >

Helmets for Head Shapes

Search
Notices
Fifty Plus (50+) Share the victories, challenges, successes and special concerns of bicyclists 50 and older. Especially useful for those entering or reentering bicycling.

Helmets for Head Shapes

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 07-22-15 | 02:40 PM
  #1  
bassplyr's Avatar
Thread Starter
Senior Member
 
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 118
Likes: 0
From: Middle, TN

Bikes: Trek Domane, Specialized Secteur, Giant Roam 1, Trek 2.1

Helmets for Head Shapes

I am due for a new helmet, current Bell Lumen is over four years old. I tried a Giro Aeon and Atmos II today but it seems they were tight front to back but loose side to side. I assume my head is more oblong vs. round. does anyone have an idea of what brands might be more suited to my egg shaped noggin?

thanks,
Roger
bassplyr is offline  
Reply
Old 07-22-15 | 02:47 PM
  #2  
osco53's Avatar
Old Fart In Training
 
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 2,268
Likes: 23
I had that problem with a Giro,, not as bad as you describe but a little. I tried a different style of Giro, problem solved, bought it, crashed it bad, moved on.
My next Helmet was a Bontrager, It fit my fat head completely different, but much better. Not loose on the sides or ends, not too tight on the sides or end to end..
If I crash it I will replace it with the exact same one... Bontrager Rally..



I ride Single track, I ride Hard,,, I am unaware of this helmet being up on my head. It Fits me that good,,
Then again heads are like feet, except they don't smell as bad...

Helmets, shoes, gloves, shorts, shirts,,I do not buy Internet as fit is too Important to me, so I buy local, always..

Last edited by osco53; 11-29-16 at 06:32 AM.
osco53 is offline  
Reply
Old 07-22-15 | 04:34 PM
  #3  
Banned
 
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 43,586
Likes: 1,380
From: NW,Oregon Coast

Bikes: 8

seems Bell tended to be rounder, Giro more oval , consolidations happen .. Bell sports group owns them both, now..
fietsbob is offline  
Reply
Old 07-22-15 | 04:48 PM
  #4  
rck's Avatar
rck
Senior Member
 
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,344
Likes: 7
From: monroe (sw) wi

Bikes: cannondale 400st, dean el diente, specialized hybrid

I just recently bought a Specialized Align at a cost of $40+. I've got an oblong head as well and it fits me surprisingly well.
rck is offline  
Reply
Old 07-22-15 | 05:58 PM
  #5  
BluesDawg's Avatar
just keep riding
 
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 13,560
Likes: 44
From: Milledgeville, Georgia

Bikes: 2018 Black Mountain Cycles MCD,2017 Advocate Cycles Seldom Seen Drop Bar, 2017 Niner Jet 9 Alloy, 2015 Zukas custom road, 2003 KHS Milano Tandem, 1986 Nishiki Cadence rigid MTB, 1980ish Fuji S-12S

I bet if you went to a bike shop and tried on a few different brands of helmets, you'd find your answer.
BluesDawg is offline  
Reply
Old 07-23-15 | 02:44 PM
  #6  
John E's Avatar
feros ferio
25 Anniversary
 
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 22,417
Likes: 1,882
From: www.ci.encinitas.ca.us

Bikes: 1959 Capo Modell Campagnolo; 1960 Capo Sieger (2); 1962 Carlton Franco Suisse; 1970 Peugeot UO-8; 1982 Bianchi Campione d'Italia; 1988 Schwinn Project KOM-10;

Originally Posted by fietsbob
seems Bell tended to be rounder, Giro more oval , consolidations happen .. Bell sports group owns them both, now..
I thought that, as well, and happily wore Bells -- starting with the original Biker -- for 30 years on my round head. However, my current helmet, which fits me beautifully, is a Giro Xen, which does indeed seem more spherical than other Giros. There is no substitute for an in-person fitting, just as with shoe buying.
__________________
"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069
John E is offline  
Reply
Old 07-23-15 | 03:08 PM
  #7  
OldsCOOL's Avatar
Senior Member
20 Anniversary
 
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 13,358
Likes: 665
From: northern michigan

Bikes: '77 Colnago Super, '76 Fuji The Finest, '88 Cannondale Criterium, '86 Trek 760, '87 Miyata 712

OldsCOOL is offline  
Reply
Old 07-23-15 | 03:18 PM
  #8  
CliffordK's Avatar
Senior Member
10 Anniversary
Community Builder
Community Influencer
Active Streak: 30 Days
 
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 27,576
Likes: 5,487
From: Eugene, Oregon, USA
I haven't ever been too picky about helmets... so I can just about grab any helmet other than a kid's helmet and it fits...
Umm... well, I did snag a kid's helmet which I installed new pads in to use as my boating helmet.

Most of the modern helmets have several components.
  • Shell (either paper thin, disposable, or hard for moderate abuse)
  • Hard Foam Layer. This is what absorbs the impact.
  • Primary straps/chin strap, which go though or around the foam part. This is what primarily keeps the helmet on the noggin during a crash.
  • Soft Foam pads, that can potentially be custom sized.
  • All the webbing

My interpretation is that the soft foam and webbing does help with the comfort of the helmet, but it provides minimal safety benefit. In many cases, the webbing seems to only be held in place with velcro.

So, it would seem there would be a lot of leeway for adjustments.

For those with a round head, somewhere I have the old Skid Lid that was 100% round (with pads to shape for the head).
CliffordK is offline  
Reply
Old 07-23-15 | 07:46 PM
  #9  
jyl's Avatar
jyl
Senior Member
 
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 7,643
Likes: 68
From: Portland OR

Bikes: 61 Bianchi Specialissima 71 Peugeot G50 7? P'geot PX10 74 Raleigh GranSport 75 P'geot UO8 78? Raleigh Team Pro 82 P'geot PSV 86 P'geot PX 91 Bridgestone MB0 92 B'stone XO1 97 Rans VRex 92 Cannondale R1000 94 B'stone MB5 97 Vitus 997

Giro still has a more oval shape than most brands.
jyl is offline  
Reply
Old 07-23-15 | 08:02 PM
  #10  
CrankyFranky's Avatar
Procrastinateur supreme
15 Anniversary
 
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,216
Likes: 3
From: Franko barada nikto

Bikes: Enough bikes...for today!

Fit should be the deciding factor, I feel. That, and whether you want a visor or not. I replaced a serviceable cheap Schwinn-branded helmet with a Giro Atmos (I) a year and a half ago, because it fit me best. I ended up missing the luxury of the visor on the cheaper helmet though, and began thinking I'd spring for sports wraparound prescription glasses.
Lack of visor didn't stop me from wearing the new one, thank goodness, because I suffered a freak accident and ended up hitting the pavement squarely down (not flying, a rotational smackdown!) onto my forehead. I cracked the front of my helmet and had a mild concussion and cloudy head for a couple of days. But because the fit was right, and the Giro I had has a very easy adjustment, it did not slip and saved my eggs (well some of 'em). YMMV.
CrankyFranky is offline  
Reply
Old 07-24-15 | 02:22 PM
  #11  
bassplyr's Avatar
Thread Starter
Senior Member
 
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 118
Likes: 0
From: Middle, TN

Bikes: Trek Domane, Specialized Secteur, Giant Roam 1, Trek 2.1

Got around to the LBS and tried on a Specialized Propel 2, perfect fit, a good 50 grams less than the Bell, high visibility yellow and a 10% discount for being a member of the local bike club. Problem solved.

Roger
bassplyr is offline  
Reply
Old 07-25-15 | 08:43 AM
  #12  
Garfield Cat's Avatar
Senior Member
20 Anniversary
 
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 7,125
Likes: 111
From: Huntington Beach, CA

Bikes: Cervelo Prodigy

Originally Posted by bassplyr
I am due for a new helmet, current Bell Lumen is over four years old. I tried a Giro Aeon and Atmos II today but it seems they were tight front to back but loose side to side. I assume my head is more oblong vs. round. does anyone have an idea of what brands might be more suited to my egg shaped noggin?

thanks,
Roger
Here's what one reviewer said about the Mixino model of Catlike:

The largest change on the new helmet is the new fit system. It consists of several different changes to the older system. They have created the helmet so it can work for all types of head shapes: round, elliptical, oval, and oblong. To do this Catlike has created Ergonomic Wings. This offers lateral adjustment optimized by specific padding that is supplied in three different thickness in order to customize your comfort and reach maximum stability. For a round head, the setting uses no pads, for oval use the 2mm pad, for ellipses use the 4mm pad and finally for an oblong head the 6mm pad is to be used. These pads as well as the others in the helmet use Outlast technology. It was originally developed by NASA and uses phase change material that absorbs, stores, and releases heat for optimal thermal comfort. The Mixino has a pad on the top and one across the forehead.

full review: Catlike Mixino Helmet | Your Mileage May Vary Reviews

The big question is the price point you are willing to shell out for this kind of thing.
Garfield Cat is offline  
Reply
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Wheever
Road Cycling
12
07-08-18 09:41 PM
johnlink
General Cycling Discussion
3
07-23-14 04:30 PM
tmeisky
Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg)
14
01-01-13 12:52 PM
Inertianinja
Road Cycling
18
06-06-12 09:11 AM
Mr. Fly
Road Cycling
4
05-21-11 03:58 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off



Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2026 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.