good deals on helmets and helmet sizing questions

["Wayne Abbott" <wabbott@domain.elided>]

This past Thursday I drove to the Simpson store at the Lowe's Motor Speedway
near Charlotte, NC.  to get some expert advice on fitting a helmet to my head
and see what was available.  I found a lot of helmets but not a lot of
expertise.

If anyone else in the area is looking for a helmet, they had 8-10 helmets of
discontinued styles, mostly SA2000 with a couple of M2000.  $260.00 each, some
were originally priced at double that or more.  A very good deal if one fits
you.  None for me though.

Anyway the clerk measures the circumference of my head and says that is equal
to about size 7 1/2 to 7 5/8, here are the helmets, just keep trying them on
till you find one that fits.

Now for the questions, can anyone describe to me a little more of what I
should be looking for?  The best fit was from the Simpson LXF which is the
shieldless full face version of the LX open face helmet.  Others that I tested
left the lower half of my chin below the chin bar.  A bonus is that the LXF is
one of the lower cost helmets but I think that I would like to get one with a
shield and then have the option of using the shield, a tinted shield has got
to be more comfortable than squeezing sunglasses in there too, or removing the
shield for ventilation.

I know that the helmet should be snug, it should take some "spread" to get it
over the ears and on your head, cheek pads should be in contact with cheeks,
eyes in or about centered in the eyeport, and top edge of the liner padding
just above the eyebrows.  Once on and strapped tightly you shouldn't be able
to remove or have significant movement of the helmet.

I found several which did all of these but most left what I felt was too much
of me hanging out the bottom of the helmet.

I left empty handed and a little disappointed that there was only a cashier
there.

Does anyone have any knowledge how some of the other manufacturers sizing
compares to Simpson?  Comfort?  Fit?
Helmet rentals?

Any comments on any manufacturers, Simpson, Bell, Bieffe, G-Force, etc.

Do you have a helmet collecting dust?  Do you want to get rid of it?  Drop me
a message.

Thanks for any input,
Wayne Abbott, hopefully driving at Roebling in March
76 Alfetta GT, most probably not going to Roebling in March
86 Spider Graduate, hopefully going to Roebling in March
87 Milano Gold, not going anywhere
Durham, NC
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