Trying It On

I have received some great feedback from riders about helmets, the model each like, and words reflecting cautions and hazards to avoid. If there is one phrase I hear again and again since I began my new helmet search it’s “try it on.” This one piece of advice I truly want to follow which unfortunately is proving to be better said then done.

Of the dealers that I can travel to during my lunch hour, all seem to carry one make with a smattering of others thrown in to fill up the shelf. The major representation is the HJC. I was even able to find my size and give it a try. (I am already an HJC owner.) The smattering of other models is all over the map, with not a single size suitable to test on my head.

I log back into the net to continue my search. The official sites for each name brand will gladly send you a list of dealers in the area that market their helmet. I get a few lists. I find dealers on the list that I have already visited. They didn’t have them on the self to try. They will gladly order one for you, most certainly. However, this is what I’m trying to avoid, ordering a helmet that I have to send back.

My frustration mounts. The idea for my next plan of action came from a newer member of the New England Riders. Knowing I was on the helmet hunt, he carried to the Meet and Greet, a flip face helmet his wife likes very much. The size chart for this helmet indicated that in inches, his wife’s helmet should fit. I gave it a try. Not bad. I guess my plan will have to be quizzing folks about their helmets, and if in my size range, ask politely if I may try it on my own head.

It isn’t the best plan I’ve hatched, but it can’t be any more torturous than riding to every dealer in a 100 mile radius just to discover they all have HJC. Not that I have anything against HJC, mind you, but I like to keep my options open. Add to that, if I’m going to ride around all day long, it will be on the twists and sweeps, not light to light, and intersection to intersection.