Will This Helmet Break-In?

I was in Tulsa, OK recently and stopped by CycleGear to have a look around and picked up a Bilt Spirit fall-face helmet on the cheap. I've been using the helmet for over a month and it is still on the too tight side of things. I have a large melon and purchased the 2XL so getting a larger size isn't an option. The main area of concern is around the cheek pads, they are tight right in front of my ears. I have tried compressing the foam in this area with a spoon and it helped a little.

Will this helmet ever break-in to fit my head or should opt for a different helmet? Also I guess I need to know how tight a full-face helmet should fit.

Thanks

brian

Different lids suit different head shapes, I've been through about 9-10 different makes of lid.

I've found that Shoei fit my head best, I have a Raid II which was comfortable form the beginning and still is, I recently bought a Shoei Neotec but at the beginning it was a little tight around the cheeks, after 1000 miles it had give a little to the exact shape of my head and is now uber comfy.

Give your new lid a bit more time maybe, if it don't improve then move on to the next manufacturer until you find the right one for your head.

One thing is for sure in my experience, I've had cheap lids and expensive lids, you get what you pay for without a doubt.

I agree with Jelly on time, break in, and different helmets fit different heads. Another option is some manufactures offer replacement cheek pads that are thinner.

belrix said:

I was in Tulsa, OK recently and stopped by CycleGear to have a look around and picked up a Bilt Spirit fall-face helmet on the cheap. I've been using the helmet for over a month and it is still on the too tight side of things. I have a large melon and purchased the 2XL so getting a larger size isn't an option. The main area of concern is around the cheek pads, they are tight right in front of my ears. I have tried compressing the foam in this area with a spoon and it helped a little.

Will this helmet ever break-in to fit my head or should opt for a different helmet? Also I guess I need to know how tight a full-face helmet should fit.

Thanks

brian

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Hopefully it's a full face, and not a fall face, hee hee hee

*Exactly* where in front of the ears? And "foam"?

Unless it's a fairly oddball helmet construction, theoretically there shouldn't be any Styrofoam directly in front of the ears where the cheek pads are located. (Not in any of the roughly 20 or so helmets I've owned, anyway )

So if it's not actually Styrofoam we are talking here, but the open cell foam of the cheek pads themselves, then I can't really see mooshing it with a spoon doing anything remarkably beneficial, as it springs back to original shape pretty quickly.

Over time it does compress, sure, but it's more like many months of steady wear in my experience, and by that time it can be actually breaking down and beginning to look/feel shabby, verging on now being too loose. Kind of like favourite jeans/shoes, etc. That window of "perfect" always seems to suddenly turn for the worse before you know it, lol

Like Ed Up suggests, is this helmet capable of swapping out the cheek pads for different sized ones?

My Icon helmets have removable and washable interior liners and changeable cheek pads that come in several different thicknesses. I swap out the thin ones for the thick ones depending on winter/summer, if they are getting especially scruffy looking, etc., myself.

If a helmet is still too tight after a month, imho it will probably not get any better. In addition to compressing or removing some sponge padding in a helmet, I have on a couple of occasions had to compress small ridges of the polystyrene shell to make it more comfortable. I would not do this excessively as the polystyrene is there to absorb shock, but some bumps and ridges can be compressed without compromising this aspect.

I have put shoe stretchers in the helmet to widen the helmet, cut out foam, and replaced cheek pads, but sometimes some helmets just will not fit no matter what you do.

Thanks for all the replies!

Weather looks good on Friday and Saturday for riding so I'll give the helmet one more shot.

Plus with all the sales going on this weekend I will be a good chance to get a deal on a new lid.

Happy Turkey Day!

just remember that when compressing the foam you are messing with your safety in the event of a crash

the foam is suppose to compress when you crash and hit something, therefore compressing with the foam with a spoon is taking away the energy absorbing ability of the foam.


better is to find a helmet that fit your head. if your hair a bit long? get a hair cut.

You've been using it for a month, but how many miles/hours in that month? Do you ride for a few hours on the weekend, or commute every day for an hour each way? If you have been using it often for a month straight, you should be able to feel it getting better. If not, see if the manufacturer offers any other pads that can be swapped out. My current helmet had several pressure points at first. In fact, it was almost painful after about an hour of use. By the end of the first week of wearing it for 3-4 days a week commuting 45 minutes each way, it suddenly felt like the best fit I've ever had. My previous helmet felt great right out of the box, but became too loose after a few months of wear.

Take the cheek pads out and see if there is a 5mm layer that you can remove. My Arai has this feature

My HJC took a couple of months to loosen up. It was real tight at first. I ride darned near everyday...

itlives said:

My HJC took a couple of months to loosen up. It was real tight at first. I ride darned near everyday...

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Agreed. If it doesn't hurt a little when you first start using a new helmet, you bought one size too big.

Just took a 2 hour ride and the helmet was tight but not uncomfortable, guess I just need to ride more!

I have found a smoking deal on a LaZER Monaco Hi-Vis helmet, photochromatic face shield included!

belrix said:

Just took a 2 hour ride and the helmet was tight but not uncomfortable, guess I just need to ride more!

I have found a smoking deal on a LaZER Monaco Hi-Vis helmet, photochromatic face shield included!

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before you look for deals, look for you head shape first. the better the helmet fits your head the better the protection and greater the comfort. every helmet has a different internal shape

Photos?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

belrix said:

Just took a 2 hour ride and the helmet was tight but not uncomfortable, guess I just need to ride more!

I have found a smoking deal on a LaZER Monaco Hi-Vis helmet, photochromatic face shield included!

Click to expand...

I ordered the carbon Monaco. awesome helmet.
someone gave me a bilt flip face helmet. ill never wear it or sell it or give it to someone. it is a p.o.s. fell apart while I was riding

I almost went with the Monaco but just ordered a Shoei Neotec. Pricey but hopefully worth it.

With Cycle Gear they should take it back - they have some policy about that that is generous.

Old Can Ride said:

I have put shoe stretchers in the helmet to widen the helmet, cut out foam, and replaced cheek pads, but sometimes some helmets just will not fit no matter what you do.

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This is especially true for the budget manufactures that are out there. As the old saying goes "You get what you pay for..."

I finally bought myself a Shoei Neotec, what a difference compared to my old Nolan N103.



I thought that the N103 was a great quality helmet compared to what I used to wear before, an AGV.

belrix said:

I almost went with the Monaco but just ordered a Shoei Neotec. Pricey but hopefully worth it.

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Without a doubt!!!

I picked my up at the International Motorcycle show when it was in town at the Long Beach. I paid $535 with tax included, the price before the tax was $486. The "List Price" for this unit is over $600. I also bought a Sena SHM10 for this helmet for another $150. That Bluetooth made a great helmet, "Awesome!!!".

I was also properly fitted by the a factory rep while I was there at the show, I wear a Large. Then the task was to locate a on-site vendor that sells them at the show. Mission Accomplished!!!