Confederacy of a Dunce - Adventures of a very large head

Monday, December 11, 2006

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During our recent trip to the USA, we spent a bit of time visiting bicycle shops in the Pensacola metro area, in search of a new helmet to replace my current one (extra large Giro Laguna) which is starting to show signs of age. Now it's been some time since I've shopped for a helmet (the current one came from my father, who no doubt found it at a super-low price in a clearance sale somewhere), and I've discovered a worrying new trend in cycle helmet fashion.

My previous helmets have all been variations of a general theme: the helmet is secured by a chin-strap which divides just under the ears, plus (lately) a sort of plastic cradle at the back of the head, held in place by the straps. Fine fitting adjustments can be made by shortening or lengthening various parts of the straps, and foam pads of variable thickness (in my case, the thinnest ones available) are placed to ensure that the helmet fits securely against the head. Most new helmets I saw in cycle shops still have the chin straps, but these are used only to ensure that the helmet stays on in a crash. Instead, these helmets are secured by an adjustment system somewhat similar to an adjustable baseball cap. Various companies have their own terms for this sort of system ("ring fit systems", such as Bell's ErgoDial, Giro's Acu-Dial and so on), based on a sound idea: ensuring that helmets are properly fitted so that they will actually protect the head as much as possible in an impact (most helmets are not worn correctly, most commonly leaving the forehead unprotected; see this site for info on "How to fit a bicycle helmet"). Unfortunately, none of these systems seem to accommodate a head that is significantly larger than average (much less a large head wearing a hat for winter warmth). My own head happens to be at least an American size 8, a circumference that goes beyond the range of your readily available ErgoDial etc. products. So I returned to London without a new helmet after all.

Since then I've looked around a bit more. There's a nice page on helmets.org specifically listing the helmets that are available for large-sized heads. At the top of the list are the Bell Kinghead and the Vigor Duo, both of which are advertised as fitting 26-inch heads. So now it's just (I hope "just") a matter of finding someone who carries one of them; my initial google searches show nothing (0 hits for "vigor duo" site:uk; only two for "bell kinghead" site:uk, and both of those are junk/link farm sites). At least there's hope I'll be able to get a helmet that does not require someone making a custom mold of my head.

bike

Monday, December 11, 2006 1:53:07 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)