More Gear Shopping–Helmets
I need a new helmet. I still have one decent helmet but my best one, a Shoei, gave its life for me on June 29 and needs to be replaced. So while I was at Performance Cycle last week I looked, with the assistance of Stevie, at helmets. I hadn’t planned to but hey, I was there.
According to Stevie the best helmets are made by Shoei and Arai. I was interested to look at the Arai because I know the Shoei but don’t really know anything about the Arai.
The one thing that caught my eye immediately is that they specify whether their helmets are intended for people with rounder heads or people whose heads are more oval in shape. This is fabulous. When I started riding I had two Bieffe helmets and both of them were incredibly uncomfortable. Painful. That was a big part of why, in my early days, I mostly rode without a helmet; wearing the helmet I had hurt.
This is the Zox helmet I bought mid-trip. It’s not a top-of-the-line helmet at all but hey, the color matches my bike! ¯\_(“)_/¯
Now Stevie, at Performance, was fully aware of this. That’s good in a salesman. And he said the Shoei was actually a compromise between the two extremes, while the Arai was an all-out oval. I tried on the Arai and I was not as pleased as I expected to be with the way it felt. It felt super snug. Stevie checked, having me push the helmet all the way one direction and then inserting his fingers between the helmet and my head and he said the fit was actually quite good. And maybe once I would wear it a while the padding would adjust to the shape of my head and feel good.
But then there is the price. The Arai runs about $200 more than the Shoei, and the Shoei is not cheap. We’re talking $650 and $450 respectively. It would be hard for me to pay that extra $200 for something that doesn’t feel especially comfortable. And maybe my head really is more midway between round and oval.
I think I’m going to get the Shoei. It’s the RF-SR model. Basic but a very good helmet. There’s a limited color selection so I guess I’ll go with white this time (my old one was black) for the increased visibility. And maybe I’ll put a bunch of colorful decals on it.
Biker Quote for Today
Adrenaline is my fuel; adventure is my destination.
