Troxels current fitting manual says that the chin
strap should be no more than 1 or 2 fingers. The old fitting information that
came with the helmets said that the chin strap should be tight enough that you
could not remove the helmet without undoing the strap, but loose enough to not
cause distraction to the rider. or something like that. Lots of us with looser
straps are just following the instructions that came with the helmets. Gee, I
hadn't read the fitting manual for ummm, almost 10 years. Changed a lot it has.
:o)
I am
glad the subject of helmets is being discussed. When my gelding was
green I crashed more than a few times, and one time I broke my helmet all the
way down the back. A rider who was quite a ways behind me told me they
heard my head hit. I didn't even have a headache, although I did hurt my
lower back. You won't find me riding without a helmet.
I am
always happy to see riders wearing helmets. However, I have noticed that
many riders do not tightly adjust the chin strap on their helmets.
Instead, the strap is hanging several fingers and sometimes a hand width below
their "throat latch". While I am happy to see AERC using pictures of
helmeted riders, it always distresses me when I see pictures of top riders
with their chin straps loosely adjusted. I think this sends a poor
message. I know when I've hit the dirt, I feel my helmet slide a little
as I roll, even when it is adjusted snugly. I now wear a Tipperary, so
maybe it won't move as much, but I still adjust the chin strap snugly. I
fail to understand how a helmet will work when it is not strapped securely on
the object it is supposed to be protecting.
Does
anyone have any thoughts on this or a good article or study on helmet fit that
I could reference? Thanks!
