Helmet fit
09-01-2011, 11:29 PM
#1
Helmet fit
Like shoes I seem to be the perfect size 8 shoe or I'm just not picky. We have all read the general recommendations on sites like Simpson racing etc. On how to basically fit a helmet. When I do these things it seems like most brands can fit just fine. I don't have a shoei head or an arai head in motorcycle speak. So can anyone comment on fitment perfection in race helmets? What do you try to achieve?
09-02-2011, 08:30 AM
#2
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When I'm fitting someone to a helmet here's a quick list of the things I look for.
1. Does it come all the way down. I look at their forehead and I really don't want to see much of it. The helmet should come down around the eyebrows.
2. Then I look at the cheeks. snug against the cheeks so the helmet doens't flop around.
3. After that I have to rely on what people tell me. For me I look for something that I can feel on pretty much my whole head. Dome of head, sides of head, back of head. No gaps and no hot spots. The hot spots will start to hurt after 15-30 minutes. One of my old Bell helmets was great except on a hot day at 45 minutes there was a spot on my forehead that was incredibly painful. Part of the reason they recommend to try them on for an extended time.
The reason I want a good contact throughout the helmet would be if I needed the impact protection. Any 'points' in the helmet would receive a lot of the force and the gaps wouldn't support anything so then a lot of the helmets impact safety is negated.
At a certain point if you can't find a helmet that fits there are places that will shape the inside for you. Stand21 comes to mind. I think you said in another thread about a poor experience with them in the past. The guys there now are top notch and I would trust them taking care of my noggin.
1. Does it come all the way down. I look at their forehead and I really don't want to see much of it. The helmet should come down around the eyebrows.
2. Then I look at the cheeks. snug against the cheeks so the helmet doens't flop around.
3. After that I have to rely on what people tell me. For me I look for something that I can feel on pretty much my whole head. Dome of head, sides of head, back of head. No gaps and no hot spots. The hot spots will start to hurt after 15-30 minutes. One of my old Bell helmets was great except on a hot day at 45 minutes there was a spot on my forehead that was incredibly painful. Part of the reason they recommend to try them on for an extended time.
The reason I want a good contact throughout the helmet would be if I needed the impact protection. Any 'points' in the helmet would receive a lot of the force and the gaps wouldn't support anything so then a lot of the helmets impact safety is negated.
At a certain point if you can't find a helmet that fits there are places that will shape the inside for you. Stand21 comes to mind. I think you said in another thread about a poor experience with them in the past. The guys there now are top notch and I would trust them taking care of my noggin.
09-02-2011, 01:08 PM
#3
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As demonstrated by a motorcycle racer once:
"The helmet should have contact with all of your head. It should be snug but not uncomfortably tight. Never loose. This is the fit test: put it on correctly. Rotate it up and down gently (then side to side). It should hold and move the skin of your face and head with it - until the skin is tight - then the helmet lining should slide across the surface of your skin & hair without causing pain."
Worth remembering too perhaps, most helmet linings compress and conform after the heat and moisture of use - seeming to "stretch a little". After a few hours of use it is typically near to final fit.
As demonstrated by a motorcycle racer once:
"The helmet should have contact with all of your head. It should be snug but not uncomfortably tight. Never loose. This is the fit test: put it on correctly. Rotate it up and down gently (then side to side). It should hold and move the skin of your face and head with it - until the skin is tight - then the helmet lining should slide across the surface of your skin & hair without causing pain."
Worth remembering too perhaps, most helmet linings compress and conform after the heat and moisture of use - seeming to "stretch a little". After a few hours of use it is typically near to final fit.
