Road Helmet for Tiny Noggin?

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SolidSnake03
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by SolidSnake03

Hey everyone,

I will be quite upfront here and say that I have a TINY skull. I have trouble every winter finding caps that actually fit without being too big/baggy/long because of this. This difficultly in finding fitting head wear translates to cycling as you might assume making finding a nice fitting helmet quite the task for me :cry: . I have owned two Giro helmets, currently a small Ionos that just doesn't feel right. I have adjusted it a ton but can never get it to "disappear", I think the shape of Giro's helmets just doesn't fit me properly.

Anyhow, to give you a bit more info, I triple measured my head and I came up with ~51cm. Giro seems to not agree shape-wise, neither does Lazer as I have tried those on extensively. Any suggestions of helmets to try? I'm looking at a Bell Volt but I don't know where/what else to look at.

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mattiTWOROADS
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by mattiTWOROADS

WOW... your melon is smaller than mine! :beerchug:

The only helmets I've liked that don't make me look like a giant toadstool mushroom are:

LAS victory - small --- I loved this helmet dearly but had to replace it due to a crash and couldn't find a new colorway I liked.

MET stradivarius - small --- this is the helmet that replaced the LAS and I'm quite fine with it (still miss the matte black LAS, but whatever...

others I've tried and didn't hate but didn't go for where:

specialized decibel --- one minute I loved it, the next I hated it looks-wise. I also wasn't thrilled about the aesthetics.

Kask --- loved the look AND feel of the thing and would have gone for this over the met, but got a great deal on the met and was afraid my neck might get sore from carrying this boat anchor around on my head (felt really heavy...).


them's my experience with my small noggin.
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MajorMantra
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by MajorMantra

Uvex size small is 50-55cm - might be worth a try. The fp1 is nice.


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SolidSnake03
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by SolidSnake03

I appreciate all the responses so far...even the hello kitty one :mrgreen:

I looked into the Las Victory but I'm a bit concerned that the smallest size listed is still 53-56ish cm. The Bell Volt and most of Specialized seem to go down to ~50cm which I think is really what I need. I will look into the Uvex and see what I can find.

I'm really not picky in terms of color, white, black or silver are all fine with me. Also, as long as it can hold sunglasses and doesn't make me look like a mushroom I'm happy. The mushroom thing aside from the fit issues is my other problem with the Giro helmets I have tried.

Any other suggestions or brands I'm not thinking of? I'm trying to figure out all my options here and go from there, I'm sure there are other company's I'm just not thinking of.

Thanks!
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roca rule
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by roca rule

I have not tried them but catlike might have something your size.
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SolidSnake03
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by SolidSnake03

roca rule wrote:I have not tried them but catlike might have something your size.
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Just checked out Catlike's website and according to that even the XS is still 53-54cm...am I really that much of a weirdo? :noidea:

Bit of further research has turned up the Bell Volt again along with all of Specialized Road Helmet's which go down to ~50cm for the small...

I'm totally fine with having to choose one of these however I'm just curious what else might be out there.

Also, my skull seems to be a bit more oval as opposed to round judging by my general fit class regarding the Giro. Bit of reading has shown that Giro seems to make their helmets suited for mostly "round shaped" skulls.

*edit*

Kask's "Medium" size for the K50Evo and Mojito claims it goes down to 48cm. Anyone have experience with either of these helmets and if they are a more "oval" shape?
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clarkson
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by clarkson

I have a small Uvex FP1 at the moment, and it's fantastically comfortable. I recently tried a Kask helmet though, and was blown away at the range of adjustability. I know team sky switched to a lighter model this season, if you can find one to try I would recommend it. Or abuse online companies with solid return policy.

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SolidSnake03
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by SolidSnake03

clarkson wrote:I have a small Uvex FP1 at the moment, and it's fantastically comfortable. I recently tried a Kask helmet though, and was blown away at the range of adjustability. I know team sky switched to a lighter model this season, if you can find one to try I would recommend it. Or abuse online companies with solid return policy.


I am quite interested in the Kask helmets, particularly the K50 Evo and the Mojito since those both come in a Medium which says it goes down to 48cm. I have heard the same about there large amount of adjustments. Unfortunately, according to Kask's website there isn't a single dealer in my state, WI, so I would have to order online. Might consider abusing Real Cyclists return policy although I feel a bit bad since I have abused that thing enough trying to find bibs previously....

Anyone own or have experience with either of these Kask Models or the Bell Volt?
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Geoff
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by Geoff

My girlfriend has a small head. The Bell Sweep is one that works for her.

seandonovan
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by seandonovan

I can't comment on the small head issue, but as someone with a big head who went shopping for a helmet last fall, I tried a number of different brands of helmets. Some fit, some were AWFUL. For instance, the Giro's were pinching in some places but extremely loose in others. I ended up with a Bell, as it fit nicely: no pinching, no gaps. I was surprised, to be honest, how different the shapes were, even between brands of different companies (e.g., Bell and Giro). Take a trip to a couple of shops that stock different brands and try them on. Only way I found out how terribly Giros fit me, for example.

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SolidSnake03
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by SolidSnake03

I'm going to a few shops this weekend and hopefully should be able to try on a bunch of Bell and Specialized helmets. If one of those works well I will probably go with it. Would love to try the Kask but would have to do the online purchase/return thing if it doesn't work. Might see how Bell/Spec work out first....
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journeymonk
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by journeymonk

I also have a small noggin and didn't like the fit/look of the Small Ionos over my head.

Instead, I've sticked to the Atmos of yesteryear--still one of the best helmets out there. Black masks the bulk quite well, and the size/angles of the vents and sides of the helmet reduce the "mushroom factor."

Hope that helps.
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SolidSnake03
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by SolidSnake03

journeymonk wrote:I also have a small noggin and didn't like the fit/look of the Small Ionos over my head.

Instead, I've sticked to the Atmos of yesteryear--still one of the best helmets out there. Black masks the bulk quite well, and the size/angles of the vents and sides of the helmet reduce the "mushroom factor."

Hope that helps.


I'm hesitant to try another Giro since the past two I have had were not well fitting. I don't think it's so much the model of Giro helmet as it is that company's "head shape" so to speak that they design their helmets for.

I would prefer to avoid the mushroom look as well however if the helmets fits that is significantly more important :thumbup: I can tolerate looking a bit odd if the fit is perfect for my tiny noggin :mrgreen:
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sanrensho
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by sanrensho

I would suggest borrowing and trying a Giro Prolight in size S. The strap construction makes it the most form-fitting of any Giro I have tried. In fact it felt tight at first but now I don't notice it.

Before Giro moved to their current S/M/L sizing, they offered helmets in XXS/XS, which were a bit tighter than the current size S. Another idea is to wear a do-wrap/skull cap to fill out your helmet a bit.

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