Which Model of Helmet Do You Wear and Why? How Frequently Do You Replace It?

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bilwit
Posts: 1526
Joined: Sun Apr 03, 2016 5:49 am
Location: Seattle, WA

by bilwit

Synthe! Subtle, lightweight, plenty of ventilation. Used it for a couple years before I scratched it up pretty bad in a crash and then just bought the same one for cheap on ebay. Always liked the look of the Mojito or Protone though but haven't been tempted enough to get one yet

AJS914
Posts: 5397
Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:52 pm

by AJS914

Beware of cheap ebay helmets. I bought a Giro Aeon that was fake. It was a really damn good fake and looked 99% the part.

by Weenie


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1415chris
Posts: 1433
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 8:59 am
Location: Surrey UK

by 1415chris

Giro are made cheap (Synthe), retention system, padding, straps are quite poor. General quality of inners is not impressive at all.
Compared to Kask I own, it is very obvious.

eaglejackson
Posts: 259
Joined: Wed Aug 27, 2014 5:26 am
Location: PNW

by eaglejackson

Make sure it fits well. I've mostly worn Giro over the years and replace my helmet every 2-3 years or so. Giro fits my head well. I like the Kask Protone, but it didn't fit comfortably. Bell and Specialized road helmets don't fit me as well as Giro, either. I wore a Catlike Mixino helmet for a couple of years. It's very light - noticeable when I wear it. And great ventilation. The looks are polarizing. I kind of liked them but my wife (also a rider) continued to give me non stop crap about the looks so I switched. It's easier to switch helmets than wives :) I'm on a Giro Synthe now. It fits great and looks good. I didn't go with MIPS. The plastic MIPS liner wasn't very comfortable on my head, plus I'm not convinced of any efficacy.

rlanger
Posts: 382
Joined: Sun Oct 02, 2016 11:53 am

by rlanger

I wear the Kask Mojito, primarily because it fits, looks good, and I didn't want to shell out the extra cash for the Protone, although that helmet really is light and comfortable.

The Mojito is great, but you have to be careful about which sunglasses you choose to pair it with. Not all sunglasses will be able to pass through the adjustable head strap. Not sure, but I assume the same goes for the Protone.

Looking forward to checking out the new Valegro from Kask. Looks like a nice helmet and really, really light.

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wheelbuilder
Posts: 1193
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2017 2:10 am

by wheelbuilder

Kask Vertigo. Pure luxury and super high quality craftmanship. Most helmets look so cheap when closely examined. The Vertigo is far and away better made and finished than any helmet I have ever owned. Super comfortable, made in Italy, leatherette chin strap. It does in fact not work well with some glasses. The new Kask Koo glasses are the perfect match, and the best sunglasses I have used so far too! Carl Zeiss lenses are really high quality. Kask gets most things right imo.
Never cheer before you know who is winning

ico
Posts: 301
Joined: Wed Nov 10, 2004 8:20 pm
Location: on the border

by ico

After two models of Specialized Prevail S-Works, two top-end Giro helmet I've bought POC Octal. I sweat a lot and always fighting with excesive sweat in my eyes. POC Octal is the firts helmet that stopped it. I can't say if it is due their retention system or venting..but it works.

Stueys
Posts: 673
Joined: Sat Nov 22, 2014 1:12 pm

by Stueys

ico wrote:After two models of Specialized Prevail S-Works, two top-end Giro helmet I've bought POC Octal. I sweat a lot and always fighting with excesive sweat in my eyes. POC Octal is the firts helmet that stopped it. I can't say if it is due their retention system or venting..but it works.


Try a smear of Vaseline above your eyes

MiddMan
Posts: 284
Joined: Sun Jun 07, 2015 4:54 pm

by MiddMan

Giro Atmos for many years (original one, early 2000s style). I loved it, great ventilation but pads got worn out, straps got old and stiff, etc. Still have it around somewhere.

Rudy Project Windmax is my current cap. I generally like it but it's not perfect. It fits me well, which is important, though I find it doesn't vent as well as my previous helmet. Straps are flat webbing as opposed to tubular, which is not quite as nice. Overall it's a solid lid and I got a great deal on it. Overall I would recommend it.

I wanted the Kask Vertigo as I heard it was very high quality, but the numerous complaints about it not working with sunglasses put me off. (Also: no local place to try it.)

I would say fit/coverage and ventilation are the most important factors, along with safety/quality of course.

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stockae92
Posts: 295
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2015 5:13 pm

by stockae92

I am using Giro Aeon for road. Its noticeable lighter than the other Giro MTB helmet that I have. Its more comfortable with the lighter weight. I try to stick to Giro because the sizing fits me a little better. than others.

For helmet, I highly recommend going to LBS because fitment for different models within the same brand sometimes makes a difference too.

ico
Posts: 301
Joined: Wed Nov 10, 2004 8:20 pm
Location: on the border

by ico

Stueys wrote:
ico wrote:After two models of Specialized Prevail S-Works, two top-end Giro helmet I've bought POC Octal. I sweat a lot and always fighting with excesive sweat in my eyes. POC Octal is the firts helmet that stopped it. I can't say if it is due their retention system or venting..but it works.


Try a smear of Vaseline above your eyes


Thanks, will try.

topflightpro
Posts: 829
Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2009 2:35 am

by topflightpro

I have a Giro Synthe. I thought it felt great until I tried on some Kasks. Man, those have some nice padding, though the straps can be a bit funky.

My current Synthe is a bit more than a year old, and the pads are starting to come out - I need to get replacements. My previous Synthe had MIPS, but I totalled it in a crash. I did not like MIPS. The connection system was not comfortable. It's hard to explain, but I just didn't like it.

Going forward, I'll likely be looking at the Kask Mojito, Vertigo or Protone.

As for replacing, I usually end up replacing helmet every 2-3 years. Some were replaced after crashes, others due to age. I'm not sure how much truth there is to the foam degrading. I've seen videos of sneakers that people collected that fell apart after 20 years. Still, I'm willing to spend a couple hundred bucks every few years and know my helmet is up to current safety requirements.

KarlC
Posts: 1028
Joined: Fri Dec 05, 2014 2:08 am
Location: De Portola Wine Trail Temecula CA

by KarlC

Ive been using a Giro Air Attack Shield for a couple of years now, I was ready for a change so after looking at other helmets I was interested in the Specialized S-Works Evade, hard to beat for $55 and it matches my BMC TMR01 ....

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/clear ... eam/106907
C64 My Sixty 4 SR EPS 12

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reknop
Posts: 313
Joined: Wed Feb 25, 2015 10:15 am

by reknop

I switched from a Giro Aeon (non-mips) to the Giro Synthe MIPS. We had a couple of crashes during rides in our cycling club while the a couple of accidents with professionals (Michele Scarponi) in my age made me switch to some extra safety.

So I went for the Giro Synthe MIPS, and I'm very pleased so far. No issues of difference in fit between the two helmets and I'm happy to carry a few grams of extra weight for increased safety.

https://www.remo-knops.com/6307/giro-sy ... et-review/

I'm not sure what would have happened to Richie Porte when I didn't have his helmet on ...
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gsindela
Posts: 88
Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2017 8:48 pm
Location: Geneva, IL, USA

by gsindela

rlanger wrote:I wear the Kask Mojito, primarily because it fits, looks good, and I didn't want to shell out the extra cash for the Protone, although that helmet really is light and comfortable.

The Mojito is great, but you have to be careful about which sunglasses you choose to pair it with. Not all sunglasses will be able to pass through the adjustable head strap. Not sure, but I assume the same goes for the Protone.

Looking forward to checking out the new Valegro from Kask. Looks like a nice helmet and really, really light.


+1; FYI: http://road.cc/content/tech-news/225315 ... gro-helmet
2015 Storck Scenero G3, Force 22, Ultegra wheels, Zipp AL bars, stem, post

by Weenie


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