Re: HELMET: BEST BRAND?

[flemmerl@rcbhsc.wvu.edu (Flemmer, Linda)]

Rockinpony@aol.com wrote:
> 
> OK.  You folks have sold me on helmets.  What are some of the better brands?

Troxel and Lexington both make good helmets, but every helmet that is
ASTM/SEI approved should meet the minimum protection requirements.  Look
for that approval.

In my experience, each line of helmet fits differently, and different
models from any one manufacturer fit differently as well.  You need to
try them on to see which fits the shape of your head the best.  It
should fit snugly enough (when properly adjusted) that your scalp moves
with the helmet when you rock it, but it doesn't pinch & bind or cause
headaches.

One friend of mine has a very oblong shaped head and had a lot of
trouble finding a helmet she could wear.  She found the one that fit the
closest and then used sand paper to shape the front foam on the helmet. 
This is NOT recommended by the manufacturer, but she felt that having
ANY helemt was better than not using one when none of them fit.

Most of the visors that come with the helmets are poor.  The ones from
Troxel warped and didn't provide enough shade.  I bought an after market
visor by a bicycle company called Salamander.  It is stiff cordura,
larger than the std Troxel visor, velcros on, and much more stylish. 
(Came in a liited number of colors in a bike catalog - most importantly,
it came in purple!)

My husband's neck gets too sunburned when he rides in the summer.  (We
already live in WV - we don't need to be red necks, too.)  He made a
"French Foriegn Legion" cape to go over the helmet.  Thin white cotton
goes from ear to ear around the rear of the helmet, kept on by an
elastic band around the bottom of the helmet.  He looks like an extra
out of an Erol Flynn movie, but it works great.  (One more thing for the
neighbors to talk about "that crazy couple that moved in & rides the
pooh out of their horses."  You know - funny tight, helmets, gaiters,
gloves, weird saddles, bright colored plastic tack, wide stirrups,
sponges et al hanging off of the saddle, now he's joined the French
Foreign Legion)

Linda Flemmer