This week it's time to look at helmets, and there's a bewildering array to choose from, coming from many different brands with a huge price range. The most basic will start below £100, going up well beyond £500 for the latest and greatest.
A helmet is something that is very important to get right, after all it's protecting your noggin! First of all, you've got the fit to consider, and you'll find that different brands will fit different heads. This is somewhat trial and error, so it's important to find the size that fits you best, and then see which brands tend to suit your head shape. Once you've got this down, it's time to look at prices and features.
As mentioned before, prices vary widely, and you'll find they don't quite match the feature list you'll find with each helmet. It's possible to get an integrated sun visor, included Pinlock anti-fog insert, quick-release visor (maybe even a spare visor) and 4/5 star SHARP rating for well under £200. You'll find helmets costing more than twice this with no discernable extra 'feature', so where does this money go? Helmets are often one of those things where you get what you pay for, and often you'll find the money goes on design expense; this will include improved aerodynamics, more premium materials and better overall finish. Shoei, Arai and Schuberth are the typical brands that belong in this category, with top-of-the-line materials and design, and prices to match.
When buying a helmet, quite often you'll be looking to either get your first, or replacing an existing one, rather than getting one as a secondary helmet. This doubly means that you should get it right, and it also means you'll want a helmet that'll take whatever's thrown at it.
The main thing that'll determine what you get will likely be how much you can spend, providing you don't compromise the safety factor of course.
Starting from the bottom, a long time favourite has been the AGV K3, however a new contender looking to upset the balance of things is the Shark D-Skwal. The K3 comes in at around £150 depending on graphics, however the D-Skwal comes in at the same price point with a wide range of colours and designs. A great feature set of a drop-down sunvisor, included Pinlock insert, quick-release ratchet strap and visor mean this is a proper helmet for a wallet-friendly price.
Moving up a notch, and Shark have been making waves again with their newly introduced Spartan Carbon. Ordinarily, getting carbon fibre in your helmet requires spending an awful lot of money, and for good reason, it's very hard to design the material so that it retains its strength, and the manufacture isn't simple either. Because of this, it's usually the preserve of race helmets, where lightness and strength are the two major drivers. The Spartan Carbon comes in at £340, well in the mid-range of helmets, and a high-end feature set. Naturally a Pinlock, quick release visor and drop-down sunvisor comes as standard, and makes use of the most secure double D-ring fastening system. It also looks gorgeous thanks to the carbon fibre, so it has that going for it!
Moving into the big bucks, and the Shoei GT-Air 2 is one of the kings of all-purpose helmets. Starting at £470 and coming in a wide range of colours, its feature set sounds like nothing beyond the previous helmets; it includes a drop-down sunvisor, Pinlock insert and quick-release visor. Once you start using it you can see where the money is going; excellent stability and low noise spoil you, while the locking visor means absolutely everything is kept out. Its vents are second to none too; you can feel an actual breeze over your face and the top of your head, great for those warm days and keeping glasses fog free. All these things together make this absolutely worth your consideration if you want a helmet suited to the daily commute, or the most epic of road tours. If it's a touch out of your budget, the original GT-Air is worthy of consideration as its received significant discounts following the introduction of the GT-Air 2.
Pop into our shop in Stevenage to try these helmets and get our expert advice on fit, safety and features to let you find the best helmet possible for your money. In the shop all helmet sales are final, as we only like to sell helmets where we know 100% they have not been damaged, but we can also offer you a demo in a Shark Spartan Carbon or D-Skwal.
Like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, subscribe to our mailing list to keep up to date on events happening at Bike Stop throughout the year, drop by to have a chat abwe out what gear will work best for you, or anything else, and have a delicious Lavazza coffee and a cake.
