I am having a hell of a time finding an aero helmet to fit my odd (apparently) shaped head. I want to stay with CSPC, not so much because I trust them any more, I just do not feel like taking a chance on a DQ in some of my races. Here is the list of the helmets I know of, please add any other for me to look for:
Giro Advantage 2 - does not fit
LAS Chrono - have not tried
Lazer Chrono 3 - have not tried
Limar Chrono 05 - does not fit
Louis Garneau Rocket - maybe (closest I have found, but not great)
Louis Garneau Chrono - do not want an “open” helmet
Rudy Project Syton Supercomp - does not fit
Rudy Project Syton Open - do not want an “open” helmet
Shain BK500 - not even going to try
Spiuk Kronos - does not fit
Gray Aerodome - have not tried
I use a Bell Alchera. I tried a dozen different road helmets before I settled on this one. Bell seems to fit me better than anything else I have tried, but unfortunately the Meteor II is a no go because of the CSPC thing.
The specific problem, in my case, is that I have a very long, narrow, high head. Helmets that are large enough to fit front to back tend to leave so much space on either side that they rattle around like crazy (on some of them I have been able to put my closed hand inside the helmet next to my temples). Ones that fit reasonably close to the sides to feel safe squeeze my forhead and the back of my head so hard that I have a terrible headache after 15-20 minutes. The double whammy for me with aero helmets is that my head is high enough that most helemst sort of just perch up on top of my head rather than coming down around it (which I am sure reduces the protection that they offer) so with most aero helmets the bottom edge of the ear flap parts cut across the middle of my ears rather than cover them.
I know, perhaps an aero helmet is just not a practical option for me. I am just not ready to give up quite yet.
If you tried Bell Meteor and if it fits you good I say use that one. For safety issue there is absolutely no difference rather than politics IMO. If the helmet is safe all around the world and not in the USA does it make it any difference? The major reason Bell Meteor is not getting a US certification is the market for Aero Helmets and the US distributer for Bell is the same distributor of Giro. Since they have Advantage in the market I don’t think they will get approvel for Meteor as well.
One option you can do for the sticker is…
Get the meteor, remove the sticker from your regular road helmet and put it in the Meteor 2
I don’t believe in trial by internet, but it’s very easy to find all sorts of people wearing them at USAT events. They cracked down a lil last season, but feel USAT’s stance on this policy is silly.
While I feel that the Bell Meteor is safe too, I chose another helmet cuz of the certification. The Bell fits me better than any other Aero helmet and I wish they would get the certification.
With that said I got checked at Steelhead 70.3 last summer and was lucky to have my CSPC sticker in my LAS.
With all the custon paint jobs I’ve seen over the past few years, who can well which helmets have the certification and which do not? Just by the aero helmet that fits, paint it and remove the certification sticker that is inside our road helmet and stick it in inside your new aero lid…problem solved.
Subject: streamlined helmet ejection To: ASTM F08.53 Chairman: P. David Halstead From: Hugh H. Hurt, Jr, Head Protection Research Laboratory (Professor Hurt also wrote ‘Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators’)
During the last couple of years, the technical staff at HPRL has encountered an interesting-and possibly dangerous-problem with the aerodynamic-shaped or streamlined bicycle helmets. These popular helmets have a teardrop design which tapers to a wedge at the rear of the helmet, supposedly reducing aerodynamic drag along with increased ventilation through the many openings in the shell.
The adverse effect of this aerodynamic shape is that the wedge at the back of the helmet tends to deflect and rotate the helmet on the head when impact occurs there. Any impact at the front or sides of the streamlined helmet is no different from other helmet shapes, but any impact on the rear wedge tends to rotate the helmet on the head, probably deflecting the helmet to expose the bare head to impact, and at worst ejecting the helmet completely from the head. Actually, everybody who has tested these streamlined helmets over the past years has encountered the problem of these helmets being displaced during impact testing at the rear wedge. Usually additional tape was required to maintain the helmet in place during rear impact tests; usually the basic retention system alone could not keep the helmet in place during impact testing on the rear of the helmet.
Unfortunately, the implication of helmet displacement and possible ejection in an actual accident impact did not register as a real hazard in previous years of testing, but now there are accident cases appearing that show this to be a genuine hazard for bicycle riders wearing these streamlined helmets. Accident impacts at the rear of these streamlined helmets can cause the helmet to rotate away and expose the head to injury, or eject the helmet completely. The forces generated from the wedge effect can stretch the chinstraps very easily, and even break the retention devices.
Cheers,
Neal
“The knowledge that every ambition is doomed to frustration at the hands of a skeleton have never prevented the majority of human beings from behaving as though death were no more than an unfounded rumor.” Aldous Huxley
If the helmets that are listed in the first post are the only ones certified at USAT races, then how is it possible that the pros and other age groupers are in Specialized areo helmets, the Bell Meteror II helmet, etc…
There are pics of these pros in these helmets on the covers of the tri magazines all the time.
Get the meteor, remove the sticker from your regular road helmet and put it in the Meteor 2
That’s a good way to get your USAT license suspended. It’ll probably fly at local races, but they use pretty decent officials for big races, and they know what the Bell helmet looks like.
Be sure you are wearing the helmet, or trying it on, at the angle it was intended to be worn, i.e., not rotated too far back on your head. I notice in the store people try on an aero helmet, bend over in front of a mirror to try to see their profile, and invariably want to shove the helmet back their head to get the fairing against their back. They they mention the helmet “doesn’t feel right”.
I did read what you wrote about the shape of your head, so you may be a candidate for a larger size with sizing pads added in the side to insure a snug, secure fit.
Have you tried on the smaller of the Louis Garneau helmets? The little silver one (Chrono)? That fits more normally than any aero helmet I’ve tried since it doesn’t cover your ears.
I heard somewhere that there are two USAT races that have a rules change to allow Bell Meteor and other non-CPSC helmets: the Kona IM World Championship and the Clearwater 70.3 World Championship.
I think the Specialized helmets are good to go now. I’ve been off doing military stuff since September, so I’m pretty out of the loop, but that’s what I was told right before I left.
If the helmets that are listed in the first post are the only ones certified at USAT races, then how is it possible that the pros and other age groupers are in Specialized areo helmets, the Bell Meteror II helmet, etc…
There are pics of these pros in these helmets on the covers of the tri magazines all the time.
How is this possible that they are not DQ’ed?
They do the same trick sticker. I have seen 2008 Meteor passed an inspection twice.
They do not care about the brand and painting due to all those rebadging and custom color and lots of different models. Do you guys really expect who can not see the safe drafting distance can differ 2 aero helmets?
Charlie Crawford always specifically says that he can tell the difference between all the different helmets at every pro meeting I’ve been to that he’s officiating (which is like half of the major triathlons) and that switching stickers will get you suspended.
Certainly no one can tell you which will fit you. In a standard road helmet, the Bell Sweep R fits perfect. The Giro Pneumo and Atmos hit me on the front and back but not on the sides. I also have a large melon so a large is close to the max opening.
I was surprised when I tried on the Giro Advantage II that it fits my head quite well, much different than the road helmets. I recently bought a used LG Rocket as well and it doesn’t match my head shape as well.
When you say it seems like the helmet is too high on your head, visually, it usually appears that way, especially on larger sizes. Also, getting the ear covers over your ears takes some practice, especially being careful to not hyper extend (which isn’t much) the flaps and crack the shell (lots of people have done this).
