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Let's talk helmets


AustinBike

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I would also check REI stock.  They do curbside pick-up if in store and returns are as easy as Amazon.  Unfortunately they don't carry Bell or Giro anymore.  They have just have SMITH, Bontrager, POC, and TLD though POC is $$$.  The TLD A1 MIPS is in your price range but not sure if it's what you're looking for.

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10 minutes ago, ATXZJ said:

did you call peddler and see if they have the Giros in stock? Seems like it'd be a lot easier than amazon

Because of wife’s surgery I am a no go on going into retail for a while still. Amazon gives free returns and I can just drop it (masked) at UPS store in my neighborhood. Way easy.

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And the Smith was replaced by a Bell Sixer. One ride, pretty uncomfortable. Wife said “what happened to your head” when I returned, two big grooves on my (big, bald) forehead.

Shit, done with Amazon, free returns is great, but this is a pain. Maybe I will mask up and check out some shops. REI was out of most stock in my size, maybe Pedler is next.

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13 hours ago, AustinBike said:

And the Smith was replaced by a Bell Sixer. One ride, pretty uncomfortable. Wife said “what happened to your head” when I returned, two big grooves on my (big, bald) forehead.

Shit, done with Amazon, free returns is great, but this is a pain. Maybe I will mask up and check out some shops. REI was out of most stock in my size, maybe Pedler is next.

The Peddler in Cedar Park had a good selection last weekend. Bell, Smith, Kali.....can't remember the other brand.

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1 hour ago, WhoAmI said:

The Peddler in Cedar Park had a good selection last weekend. Bell, Smith, Kali.....can't remember the other brand.

I can confirm that as of yesterday evening The Peddler still seems to have a ton of helmets in stock. I didn't go inside the store (they close at 5 now, apparently) but there were helmet boxes stacked 5 or 6 high along the windows at the front of the shop.

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9 hours ago, olddbrider said:

I can confirm that as of yesterday evening The Peddler still seems to have a ton of helmets in stock. I didn't go inside the store (they close at 5 now, apparently) but there were helmet boxes stacked 5 or 6 high along the windows at the front of the shop.

Went in there today. Lots of smalls and mediums. Still on the hunt. There was a Fox that felt comfortable. Realized I really need to bring my existing helmet and glasses in to see how they compare.

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  • 1 month later...

I'm not in the search boat too and I'm in the dreaded 59cm head size that seems to be right where the sizes change in most brands.  I tend to like to ride the chunk, do fast (for me) descents, and am working on jumps (not very good) so I want more coverage than a general XC helmet.  Something more in the trail/enduro range.  I tried a POC Axion (shipped from REI) in XL/XXL.  It was super comfortable and love the style of it but it just sat too low on my forehead where it blocked some of my vision on descents and wouldn't fit with goggles either.  I ordered a POC Tectal from Amazon in the M/L size (yes pricier but that was only POC in that size) but the shell was too tight on side of my heads where it would be uncomfortable long term.  So looks like POC is out for me.

I just ordered a TLD A2 (M/L & XL/XXL), a Smith Forefront 2 (L), and a Fox Speedframe (M) from Amazon (thank god for Amazon card and free returns so I can order all at once and return whatever doesn't work).  So I'll be doing sizing/feature checks on all 3 in the next week or so.  I'm coming from an original Smith Forefront (2015) in L so I'm guessing the Smith will fit but want to check out how it varies in features and fit as it's been awhile.  I'm right at the upper size of the M range for the TLD and Fox so we'll see how they fit.  There were no L for the Fox to be found anywhere so I may be out of luck on that one.

As a side note, I did try on a Bontrager Rally Wavecell at REI (they had a few in each size) and the L fit well.  Just not sure about the Wavecell tech and breathability.  It was also a bit heavier because of that too but at least it's a backup to try, if needed.

Welcome to other suggestions in case these don't pan out.  I can also update if anybody's interested.

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I said earlier in this thread that I tend to just buy Medium Giros because I like the way they fit, but a failure like this gets me second guessing that logic. This is actually my second Giro that failed in the retention system. The first was a Hex many years ago. I believe they replaced that one under warranty.

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5 minutes ago, notyal said:

And right on queue, I just got the reply from Giro saying they are not going to replace it. Guess I won't be cross-posting this one over to the "good customer service" thread. 

For the Bontrager, I did see that they would replace for FREE in the event of a crash in the 1st year.  Don't know of any others that do that, most of them are just wholesale price for crash replacement.

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3 hours ago, notyal said:

I noticed on Sunday that the plastic around the retention knob on my Giro Montaro is cracking, so (depending on if Giro's warranty covers it), I have a renewed interest in this thread. AB, what did you end up with?

A Bell Spark:

http://www.austinbike.com/index.php/product-reviews/380-review-bell-spark-helmet

Tried a Bell Sixer and sent it back:

http://www.austinbike.com/index.php/product-reviews/379-review-bell-sixer-helmet

Also no go on a Smith Venture:

http://www.austinbike.com/index.php/product-reviews/377-review-smith-venture-helmet

 

After about 6 weeks with the Spark I am getting used to it. I think the real difference is between a MIPS and non-MIPS helmet (old one). MIPS give better covering for your head but tend to be more "cramped" when putting sunglasses on and head coverings in the winter. 

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3 hours ago, gdog-1992 said:

I'm not in the search boat too and I'm in the dreaded 59cm head size that seems to be right where the sizes change in most brands.  I tend to like to ride the chunk, do fast (for me) descents, and am working on jumps (not very good) so I want more coverage than a general XC helmet.  Something more in the trail/enduro range.  I tried a POC Axion (shipped from REI) in XL/XXL.  It was super comfortable and love the style of it but it just sat too low on my forehead where it blocked some of my vision on descents and wouldn't fit with goggles either.  I ordered a POC Tectal from Amazon in the M/L size (yes pricier but that was only POC in that size) but the shell was too tight on side of my heads where it would be uncomfortable long term.  So looks like POC is out for me.

I just ordered a TLD A2 (M/L & XL/XXL), a Smith Forefront 2 (L), and a Fox Speedframe (M) from Amazon (thank god for Amazon card and free returns so I can order all at once and return whatever doesn't work).  So I'll be doing sizing/feature checks on all 3 in the next week or so.  I'm coming from an original Smith Forefront (2015) in L so I'm guessing the Smith will fit but want to check out how it varies in features and fit as it's been awhile.  I'm right at the upper size of the M range for the TLD and Fox so we'll see how they fit.  There were no L for the Fox to be found anywhere so I may be out of luck on that one.

As a side note, I did try on a Bontrager Rally Wavecell at REI (they had a few in each size) and the L fit well.  Just not sure about the Wavecell tech and breathability.  It was also a bit heavier because of that too but at least it's a backup to try, if needed.

Welcome to other suggestions in case these don't pan out.  I can also update if anybody's interested.

I looked at the Fox Speedframe, if I had not settled on the Bell Spark I would have bought the Fox.

Peddler's in Cedar Park had a large selection. As much as I did not want to go into a retail store during COVID, that was a blessing because it allowed me to save a lot of back and forth by trying things on. My purchase was hastily done and in retrospect I might not have "settled" on the Spark in normal times, but just being inside a building was freaking me out.

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13 hours ago, TAF said:

So happy I cleaned out Division One's stock of XL/XXL POC helmets - lids for life! If you find something that works for you, it's well worth buying a second, because you never know when the supply chain might dry up.

Or when a thin, under spec'd, non-replaceable piece of plastic breaks, you are out of the 1 year warranty, and then you are stuck with multiple overpriced POS products.

Yes, I'm probably overly bitter about this, but I feel like the "most important piece of safety gear" should be able to survive a gear bag if I'm asking it to protect my brain in a violent crash. 

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41 minutes ago, notyal said:

Or when a thin, under spec'd, non-replaceable piece of plastic breaks, you are out of the 1 year warranty, and then you are stuck with multiple overpriced POS products.

Yes, I'm probably overly bitter about this, but I feel like the "most important piece of safety gear" should be able to survive a gear bag if I'm asking it to protect my brain in a violent crash. 

Not entirely sure I understand your post, but obviously I think POC helmets are good quality, or I wouldn't have bought a supply of them.

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15 minutes ago, TAF said:

Not entirely sure I understand your post, but obviously I think POC helmets are good quality, or I wouldn't have bought a supply of them.

I'm just bitching about my situation. I guess the point is that I think Giro makes a quality product, and this is one of their higher end helmets. If I had bought 4 of them when I bought this one, I'd have 3 additional helmets that are now out of warranty, and I'd be worried that they all might have this same issue. 

Oh, and there may have been some confusion with POC vs. POS. I was referring to a piece of shit, not even thinking about how close to POC it looks. 

Edited by notyal
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Has anyone seen any Smith Mainline lids around town?  I'm in the market for a lightweight full face and this is the next one on my list to try.  I've already tried the Troy Lee Stage and didn't like how the liner covered and put pressure on the lower half of my ears.  I also tried the Leatt DBX 4.0 and while it seemed to fit comfortably, I was able to slide the helmet around too much on my head (not enough friction in the liner?), it just didn't stay put for me to be comfortable it wouldn't move in a crash.  Perhaps as a motorcyclist my expectations are too high for a full face, I'm used to a helmet not being able to move around much at all and if it does that means it's not the right fit.

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I was looking down at some tricky rocks in BCGB last night and bounced my helmet off a very solid tree. I was a bit dazed for a moment and my neck is just a bit sore from the jolt, but I'm OK. I emailed Giro about their "crash replacement" policy. I'm not expecting much, but they offer a discount for a new helmet if you crunch your old one. chance are, it's not much. However, I don't feel 100% certain this helmet is totaled. there's a small dent in the outer shell but I can't tell if the inside is compromised.

1726259467_ScreenShot2020-12-11at9_13_07AM.thumb.png.90dc9a71595ab93f470f2aa5a2823a01.png

 

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