Thought I'd share some feedback on a current mission to replace my 5 or 6 yr old Shark Helmet. It's a minefiled when looking at helmet choice and fit is obviously the primary driver along with quality, style and features wanted. After looking on-line at real world feedback from riders and on what offers were about, I shortlisted a couple of Shuberths and shoei(GT Air 3 Pro and 4 Pro), a Shark Spartan Carbon, a full face Shoei (entry level version), HJC RPHA 90 flip up and several others...quite a wide variety of budgets and styles.
What quickly became apparent when jumping on the bike to visit different stores after on-line research was that 1) you tend to get what you pay for up to a certain price point (say around £250 or so) but after that, it's just not that clear cut!
One issue I had with my old Speed R Helmet was wind noise, lack of chin curtain for colder days, and poor visor sealing which let water in when it chucked it down. I found online feedback that the same issues were prevalent amongst many of the flip up helmets regarding noise and water tightness (especially cheaper ones) so narrowed my choice to just the Shoeis which had a good rep. The newer 4 Pro seems worse in performance in these areas than the older 3Pro so if you can get your mits on a "3" for reasonable money, that's a wise buy. I couldn't so didn't end up with one, setting a budget of strictly no more than £300 which is more than enough to get a decent lid these days...just not a "3". Still, the flip up was a nice to have not an essential.
Fit to my mind is very important, and I couldn't get on with the HJC as it felt more rounded and tight on the forehead plus I was far from impressed with the generally plasticky feel of the helmet and fittings. I didn't share Ride magazines enthusiasm for this helmet tbh. It felt cheap especially compared with the Shark helmets. I have a head shape that favours newer Arais, Shoeis and the Schuberths I tried. They all fitted well. Again, I wasn't blown away by an RX7 I looked at as it had less features than the Shark top line helmets and frankly, the pricier Sharks still looked and felt better made! It (RX7) didn't seem to perform any better in SHARP safety tests either.
I finally descended on a Shark Spartan Carbon Skin helmet . Upon picking it up, it was amazingly light for a large size, but not as light as it's more expensive pure carbon sibling. The Spartan uses a fibreglass inner matrix with a carbon fibre outer skin, which combined reduce mass and improve strength. In fact it scored joint second on the SHARPS helmet tests for helmets in its class (allegedly). The finish was better than my older Arai quantum helmets by a mile and so was the quality and feel of the interior and the visor. In fact, I preferred it to the Arais I looked at. Dead impressive. If this is sounding a bit like an advert for Shark, then it partly is as this particular helmet deserves it. It's feature packed (unlike some of the more expensive brands), top-tier fit and finish and feels and looks classy. On line feedback praised it for fit and on general quietness (improved over the Speed R through computational testing). The reason I'm writing this drivel is to highlight the best thing about this helmet....its cost. It has an RRP of £390 but as several in the model line up (only difference is graphics) are being discontinued you can buy on a deal for as little as £220 if you shop around.
I visited Helmet City to try one (Cheltenham) and the staff there were brilliant...couldn't have been more patient or helpful with me trying on everything in sight. They had it on offer for a little over £240 which is still a bargain...not just because it's £150 off RRP but also because they throw in a spare visor worth £70, a pinlock insert and this specific model comes with a full 5 year unconditional warranty against any defects or problems with it. It is also glasses friendly, has an internal sun visor, a chin curtain, decent vents and is extremely comfortable to wear. It also has cut outs for comms already provided within the helmet like some others.
If you're in the market for a new lid, try one of these Spartans if you can, as I reckon they'll not hang around long at these sort of prices. I unreservedly recommend Helmet City too for their service and choice in store. I wasn't especially wedded to Shark even though my old one was a decent lid, but the fact I ended up with another speaks volumes to me for their quality and VFM, even at full RRP. At £150 off, they're a stone cold bargain. If on line ordering and worried about fit, they are close to what they say (large is a 59/60) and are a medium oval shape which is likely to suit many. With only 2 shell sizes, some in between sizes may look a little large on smaller heads! On the bike it's quiet, comfortable, well vented and the visor seals brilliantly with no effort thanks to a patented self seal mechanism. Couldn't be happier.
What quickly became apparent when jumping on the bike to visit different stores after on-line research was that 1) you tend to get what you pay for up to a certain price point (say around £250 or so) but after that, it's just not that clear cut!
One issue I had with my old Speed R Helmet was wind noise, lack of chin curtain for colder days, and poor visor sealing which let water in when it chucked it down. I found online feedback that the same issues were prevalent amongst many of the flip up helmets regarding noise and water tightness (especially cheaper ones) so narrowed my choice to just the Shoeis which had a good rep. The newer 4 Pro seems worse in performance in these areas than the older 3Pro so if you can get your mits on a "3" for reasonable money, that's a wise buy. I couldn't so didn't end up with one, setting a budget of strictly no more than £300 which is more than enough to get a decent lid these days...just not a "3". Still, the flip up was a nice to have not an essential.
Fit to my mind is very important, and I couldn't get on with the HJC as it felt more rounded and tight on the forehead plus I was far from impressed with the generally plasticky feel of the helmet and fittings. I didn't share Ride magazines enthusiasm for this helmet tbh. It felt cheap especially compared with the Shark helmets. I have a head shape that favours newer Arais, Shoeis and the Schuberths I tried. They all fitted well. Again, I wasn't blown away by an RX7 I looked at as it had less features than the Shark top line helmets and frankly, the pricier Sharks still looked and felt better made! It (RX7) didn't seem to perform any better in SHARP safety tests either.
I finally descended on a Shark Spartan Carbon Skin helmet . Upon picking it up, it was amazingly light for a large size, but not as light as it's more expensive pure carbon sibling. The Spartan uses a fibreglass inner matrix with a carbon fibre outer skin, which combined reduce mass and improve strength. In fact it scored joint second on the SHARPS helmet tests for helmets in its class (allegedly). The finish was better than my older Arai quantum helmets by a mile and so was the quality and feel of the interior and the visor. In fact, I preferred it to the Arais I looked at. Dead impressive. If this is sounding a bit like an advert for Shark, then it partly is as this particular helmet deserves it. It's feature packed (unlike some of the more expensive brands), top-tier fit and finish and feels and looks classy. On line feedback praised it for fit and on general quietness (improved over the Speed R through computational testing). The reason I'm writing this drivel is to highlight the best thing about this helmet....its cost. It has an RRP of £390 but as several in the model line up (only difference is graphics) are being discontinued you can buy on a deal for as little as £220 if you shop around.
I visited Helmet City to try one (Cheltenham) and the staff there were brilliant...couldn't have been more patient or helpful with me trying on everything in sight. They had it on offer for a little over £240 which is still a bargain...not just because it's £150 off RRP but also because they throw in a spare visor worth £70, a pinlock insert and this specific model comes with a full 5 year unconditional warranty against any defects or problems with it. It is also glasses friendly, has an internal sun visor, a chin curtain, decent vents and is extremely comfortable to wear. It also has cut outs for comms already provided within the helmet like some others.
If you're in the market for a new lid, try one of these Spartans if you can, as I reckon they'll not hang around long at these sort of prices. I unreservedly recommend Helmet City too for their service and choice in store. I wasn't especially wedded to Shark even though my old one was a decent lid, but the fact I ended up with another speaks volumes to me for their quality and VFM, even at full RRP. At £150 off, they're a stone cold bargain. If on line ordering and worried about fit, they are close to what they say (large is a 59/60) and are a medium oval shape which is likely to suit many. With only 2 shell sizes, some in between sizes may look a little large on smaller heads! On the bike it's quiet, comfortable, well vented and the visor seals brilliantly with no effort thanks to a patented self seal mechanism. Couldn't be happier.
