How Do You Know if a Helmet Fits?

Hi All,

I always wear a helmet for cycling, because I'm superstitious and it's
part of my ritual.

I have a very cheap helmet, and have often wondered why it s so cheap,
and if it is missing something because of this. A colleague tells me -
and I have heard the same thing elsewhere - that the fit of a helmet is
essential to its safety and a big consideration in the price. She had
hers specially fitted in the shop, and it cost about five times as much
as mine.

So how can I tell if my helmet fits? To put it on, I remove my hair
clasp but keep my hair twisted up in the back, bend over forward and
bucket my head into the helmet, inverted with the straps spread out. I
pull it tautly to the middle of my forehead and click the straps before
righting my posture. I can feel it all around my head at a nearly
horizontal angle just over my ears, and the visor is quite low over my
vision. The chin strap is just tight enough that I feel the need to undo
it when I go round the supermarket.

Haven't a clue if that's right or wrong. Your ideas?

EFR
Ile de France

On Thu, 22 Apr 2004 17:29:48 +0200, Elisa Francesca Roselli
wrote:

Hi All,

I always wear a helmet for cycling, because I'm superstitious and it's
part of my ritual.

I have a very cheap helmet, and have often wondered why it s so cheap,
and if it is missing something because of this. A colleague tells me -
and I have heard the same thing elsewhere - that the fit of a helmet is
essential to its safety and a big consideration in the price. She had
hers specially fitted in the shop, and it cost about five times as much
as mine.

So how can I tell if my helmet fits? To put it on, I remove my hair
clasp but keep my hair twisted up in the back, bend over forward and
bucket my head into the helmet, inverted with the straps spread out. I
pull it tautly to the middle of my forehead and click the straps before
righting my posture. I can feel it all around my head at a nearly
horizontal angle just over my ears, and the visor is quite low over my
vision. The chin strap is just tight enough that I feel the need to undo
it when I go round the supermarket.

Haven't a clue if that's right or wrong. Your ideas?

I figure if you're going to wear a helmet, wear it right....and you're
wearing yours rightly, so far as I can tell.

I'm forever scolding my little brothers to tighten their helmet-straps
and slide the helmets forward to protect the front of their skulls.

Not that I think they need a helmet for the riding that they do,
necessarily. I made out all right without one--but would *you* want
to stand there, carrying your injured baby brother in your arms,
knowing that she'll hold you personally responsible?

Thought not.

-Luigi


EFR
Ile de France

Elisa Francesca Roselli
wrote in :
So how can I tell if my helmet fits?

1. is the helmet comfortable on your head when you're riding?

2. With the helmet on your head, pull up on the front of the helmet. The
straps should hold the helmet securely on your head; no sliding backwards.

3. Same as step 2 with the back of the helmet.

"Elisa Francesca Roselli" wrote in message
...
So how can I tell if my helmet fits?

In a crash you might land somewhere on the front rim.

If you put your hand on the front rim of your helmet, can you push it up to expose
your forehead? If it can be pushed up that way, that will happen that type of crash,
and the helmet is useless.

I found that until they had helmets with the part that goes under the base of the skull
(the top of the back of the neck) to hold the helmet in place, it was virtually impossible
to get a helmet to have a safe fit without it being fairly uncomfortable. If you can get
a good fit from an inexpensive helmet, that's great. I can't.

"Elisa Francesca Roselli" wrote
Hi All,

I always wear a helmet for cycling, because I'm superstitious and it's
part of my ritual.

I have a very cheap helmet, and have often wondered why it s so cheap,
and if it is missing something because of this. A colleague tells me -
and I have heard the same thing elsewhere - that the fit of a helmet is
essential to its safety and a big consideration in the price. She had
hers specially fitted in the shop, and it cost about five times as much
as mine.

So how can I tell if my helmet fits? To put it on, I remove my hair
clasp but keep my hair twisted up in the back, bend over forward and
bucket my head into the helmet, inverted with the straps spread out. I
pull it tautly to the middle of my forehead and click the straps before
righting my posture. I can feel it all around my head at a nearly
horizontal angle just over my ears, and the visor is quite low over my
vision. The chin strap is just tight enough that I feel the need to undo
it when I go round the supermarket.

Haven't a clue if that's right or wrong. Your ideas?

EFR
Ile de France


The helmet sounds like it fits snugly enough to protect you, if it's
comfortable than it's probably a good fit.

Expensive helmets offer better ventilation, which is essential for hard
riding in hot weather, and more elaborate strap systems that may or may not
offer more comfort and better retention, but if your current helmet is a
snug, comfortable fit I wouldn't worry too much.
--
mark

On Thu, 22 Apr 2004 17:29:48 +0200, Elisa Francesca Roselli
wrote in message
:

I have a very cheap helmet, and have often wondered why it s so cheap,
and if it is missing something because of this. A colleague tells me -
and I have heard the same thing elsewhere - that the fit of a helmet is
essential to its safety and a big consideration in the price.

Small consideration in the price, I reckon. If you genuinely want a
helmet to savce you more than the most trivial of injuries, start by
finding one certified to Snell B95 instead of the much lower standards
most helmets are certified to.

Then get one that fits before you've started faffing around with foam
pads; they are just to make fine adjustments, not to make the thing
fit. The helmet works by using plastic deformation to reduce the
delecrative forces on the head; if your head is not in contact with
the foam part of the helemt then you will hit the foam part just as
hard as you would have hit the road.

Then make sure it doesn't slip around, which means rejecting 90% or so
of helmts due to the impossibility of adjusting the chin straps
properly.

Alternatively, accept that it will only save you from trivial
injuries, buy whetever is comportable, and ride as if you were wearing
a glass hat with razor blades embedded in it.

--
Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

Thu, 22 Apr 2004 20:50:59 +0100,
,
"Just zis Guy, you know?" wrote:

Alternatively, accept that it will only save you from trivial
injuries, buy whetever is comportable, and ride as if you were wearing
a glass hat with razor blades embedded in it.

It saves me a trivial $100 ticket in the law-enforcement lottery.
It makes a good rain hat and place for lots of reflective tape.
White ones are most visible. . . unless you can get fluorescent pink!
--
zk

On Thu, 22 Apr 2004 13:50:05 -0700, Zoot Katz
wrote in message :

It saves me a trivial $100 ticket in the law-enforcement lottery.

Pity they deter cycling and don't reduce the risk of injury, really,
or there would be no downside ;-)

--
Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

Elisa Francesca Roselli wrote:

So how can I tell if my helmet fits?

Thanks to all who replied on this, especially David and Guy who caused me to
realize that in fact my helmet is not nearly snug enough. It slips around
freely, both in front and in back.

But on the inside it has a velcro-lined strap with a tightening mechanism
that goes under the back of my skull. I never understood how to use this
until now. I put the helmet on, then pull in this strap as far as it will go
to circle my skull. The chin-straps are also about an inch tighter now. They
will irritate me in the heat and probably give me a rash, but that is true
of anything tight and sweaty.

The helmet still slips, but much less so. I'll see about contact with foam
later - from the feel I cannot really tell if I am contacting foam or just
my own chignon, but I don't suppose that makes too much difference.

EFR
Ile de France

Thu, 22 Apr 2004 22:10:32 +0100,
,
"Just zis Guy, you know?" wrote:

It saves me a trivial $100 ticket in the law-enforcement lottery.

Pity they deter cycling and don't reduce the risk of injury, really,
or there would be no downside ;-)

Everyone over thirty should be dead from growing up without
child-proof potion bottles.
--
zk