I'm from the northeast and the season's end is coming closer...so I'm wondering, when's the best time to buy a new helmet?  Maybe the off season or whenever they introduce next years model? I'm not sure..

On that note, I have a Scorpion EXO 400 and love it...any recommendations?  (FYI college student on a ramen budget)

Mike

ICON has some pretty cheap decent helmets

I just go the EXO-1000 from sportbiketrackgear.com for $100

you can buy anytime!

http://www.newenough.com/street/closeouts/helmets

bargain bin at newenough. i dunno how those are but worth the research.

waiting for those $30 icon mesh jackets to go sale again like last year. that was a steal!

If you're into Snell approved helmets, the standards are updated every 5 years, but this year's stardards are too stringent, so they're changing the standard, and 2011 should be a good year to buy a Snell-approved helmet (a few more months for a better year).

QuoteIf you're into Snell approved helmets, the standards are updated every 5 years, but this year's stardards are too stringent, so they're changing the standard, and 2011 should be a good year to buy a Snell-approved helmet (a few more months for a better year).

That's actually one thing I specifically look for in a helmet...good to know about the change in standards too.  Where did you find this out?

QuoteI just go the EXO-1000 from sportbiketrackgear.com for $100

What a great price!!!! I feel like a fool for paying $120 for mine 

Hey Nuss, what I do is go on all of the Online stores and apply to their emailing lists. A lot of times there great deals are on bogus sizes but sometimes you get really good deals and adding the Online coupons makes it even cheaper.

Hey, WVU!  I graduated from there in '04.  Hope to make it back to mo-town for a game next year.

The best time to buy a helmet is right after an MSF course, because a lot of places will give you a one-time 15% discount with your MSF card.  So go in, buy all your gear and save some money.  I've always bought helmets in brick and mortar stores.  A helmet that looks great on paper might feel like a lopsided brick wrapped around your head in real life.  One thing you'll notice as you start to go up the price range is that helmets start getting *much* lighter, and though it's hard to tell in the store, they'll be much quieter at high speeds.

Quote from: scratch on October 19, 2010, 03:08:03 PM
If you're into Snell approved helmets, the standards are updated every 5 years, but this year's stardards are too stringent, so they're changing the standard, and 2011 should be a good year to buy a Snell-approved helmet (a few more months for a better year).

My search foo must be weak tonight. Can you post a link about this?

I would definitely buy one in person. If you find one you like online, try to find a store that sells them before you buy it. I have one HJC and it's ok, my wife has another HJC that is my size, but just absolutely hates my head and can ruin an otherwise good ride. A lot of shops have a clearance section, just check it out every couple of weeks to see what you can find. I'm due for a new helmet this winter as my current is 7 years old and falling apart. I'm also hoping to pick up an MX helmet cheap over winter for in-town rides where I don't actually get to go over 25-30mph, but I'm just keeping an eye out.

Haha good to see another Mountaineer out here Brendan!  I graduate next December but I'm looking at continuing to grad school.  Good call with the MSF course tho, I'm going to try to get into it this summer...it fills up so fast back home.

+1 for the email list idea JB848..I'm setting up a filter now.

You'll have to read the article in the link "Blowing the Lid Off".

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=339873&highlight=snell+helmets

Or, search snell and helmets in b.a.r.f., or just Blowing the Lid(s) Off.

I personally have always been a fan of Fulmer helmets. They have some great designs and run in the low $100's, much like Icon. I just feel like Icon stuff makes you look like a ricer, I won't wear it myself. To me, wearing an Icon helmet is like having Rotas on your civic. It conveys a message that I don't feel suits me.

But to each his own, Cycle Gear sends out a weekly e-mail and I have picked up on some good deals there 

All of my helmets have never had a design, they're cheaper that way.

I had a great experience with helmetcity.com. They price matched me (no questions asked -- just said 'Ok') on an HJC FS-15 and shipped it in less than two days (from Cali to DC). It listed at $139; got mine for $112. 

Scratch - That story gets me thinking now...All this time I've blindly accepted Snell as the best.  What's the general consensus of helmet standards around here?

Quote from: scratch on October 19, 2010, 03:08:03 PM
If you're into Snell approved helmets, the standards are updated every 5 years, but this year's stardards are too stringent, so they're changing the standard, and 2011 should be a good year to buy a Snell-approved helmet (a few more months for a better year).

Seriously? That's about dumb as shaZam!.

Check out Sparks helmets. http://www.sparxhelmets.com/

Cheap sales on closeouts. European standard and DOT, of course. Some come with a tinted and clear shield.

Quote from: scratch on October 20, 2010, 11:14:51 AM
You'll have to read the article in the link "Blowing the Lid Off".

Ok, I'm familiar with that one, and Dexter Ford's stuff.  I don't see anything stating that M2010 is too stringent (but I can see why some manufacturers might say so.)  And I don't see anything about Snell re-writing M2010, although there is something about a slight adjustment.  There is some confusion about labeling, and that is what Ford was writing about in the New York Times.  Snell is allowing manufactures to continue making helmets to the 2005 standard until 2011, but the label on the outside is indistinguishable from the M2010 label.  Customers may think they are buying a helmet meeting M2010 if they buy a helmet that was made in 2010.  You have to look at the label on the inside to know for sure.  Manufacturers can continue selling M2005 helmets through 2012, I think, but your local dealer can sell whatever he has in stock for as long as he likes.

Quote from: Nuss on October 20, 2010, 01:41:38 PM
Scratch - That story gets me thinking now...All this time I've blindly accepted Snell as the best.  What's the general consensus of helmet standards around here?

DOT only requires a manufacturer to self-certify.  So I can lay up some fiberglass bowls in my garage and put some foam inside, then "say" it meets DOT, slap a DOT sticker on the back and sell them as meeting the standard!  If the lab samples one of my products and finds that it doesn't meet the standard, I have to stop selling it until I can provide a sample that does pass.  It just kills me that some manufacturers can't even get the label right! http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/testing/comply/fmvss218/  The DOT labs only sample some of the products available with the DOT sticker, whereas Snell accepts samples from manufacturers to test before they can apply the label.  I won't trust a Chinese manufacturer to make a helmet that meets DOT standards based on their own word.  They simply can't be trusted, they poison their own baby formula supplies with bad chemicals for heaven's sake!

So, my next helmet will be Snell certified to M2010 standard.  But that's just me.

I just got a Scorpion EXO 400 for $70. Not bad for a very limited budget, and the Snell M2005 rating makes me feel a little better versus just the DOT certification on the Bell that I was considering.