[Closed] Full face for trail riding and big head?

i quite like my mt500...

For my 63cm bonce I find I have to try a lot of helmets on before I find one that even vaguely fits, maybe because the adjustment stuff hasn't any slack to take up (not exactly relevant for FFs). So I dread helmet shopping. For FFs I tried many about 10 years ago without success. I bought a specialized then but it doesn't really fit. Then this year I had another go. I bought a Troy Lee Stage which coincidentally is ventilated enough for trails. It's a good fit. Also tried the Fox and 100% equivalents. The Fox wouldn't get close and the 100% did at least go on my head. Then again, the Bell with the removable chin piece wouldn't go on my head either so our heads are probably a different shape...

I have a large head (particularly front to back). The Proframe doesn't fit me at all. TLD Stages does, and is a nice helmet, with lots of padding options to get the fit right. It's a bit spendy, but a really nice helmet. I also have an A2 for trail riding.

Giro helmets also tend to work for me but the switchblade (which I also have and is a brilliant fit) is just too hot for me, and it's quite a bit heavier.

Giro helmets also tend to work for me but the switchblade (

Ooh , sounds interesting
Are you saying that Giro have finally brought out the switchblade on XL?

Or do you not actually have that big a head😉

Any better options than the Fox Proframe?

I repeated a 300ft pedal up at a trail centre to ride some jumps on the bottom of one of the tracks in my proframe and christ it was hot, one of the runs I took it off completely, the other I had it perched on top of my head like a lid on the rim of a saucepan

Are you saying that Giro have finally brought out the switchblade on XL?

Or do you not actually have that big a head😉

The L Switchblade (according to the label) is 59-63. The XL/XXL Stages is 60-63, again, according to the label.

I've been struggling with helmets 😉 since my teenage years (riding, skiing, cycling, motorsport). I'm about a measured 63, but have an oval head (front-back is larger than side-side) so most helmets, even 63, don't fit as they assume a head shape that's rounder, so more of the 63 is used up on the sides than is the case on my head. The Bell Super 3 is one of those that won't fit me in a size 63, for example, others include the Fox Proframe.

If you haven't tried a size L switchblade on your head, do so, don't get hung up on the L vs XL debate. The L very definitely has as much space as most XLs. But it'll be too warm for the riding you describe, I think.

I have a head shape similar to you @orangespyderman, but the super 3 fits fine, weird.
I'll order both the stage and proframe and keep the one that fits better.

I've got the same oval head issue, so I think the stage may be a really good shout. On me I need the minimum width pads and I couldn't handle it even a fraction tighter on length, bit it is just big enough and "just enough" is in many ways the best answer.

It is hotter than an open Face helmet of course, but it's also a far cry from traditional FFs on ventilation. If you need FF this is a pretty cool one but I'd still want to take it off for significant climbs.

Yeah, it can be a real pain when in between, or over the threshold of sizes.

Have you tried a Bell Super DH?

I used to own a Bell Super 2R in Large, for my 59.5cm head. Medium was really tight and uncomfortable, and the slightest push on the chinbar put it in contact with my chin. The Large fit well enough when fully tightened, but if I shook my head, there was definitely a bit of wobble (although still felt secure). Whether that wobble would actually be an issue in the real world, I'm not sure.

But got a Bell Super DH (Large) arriving today, so can give you the lowdown on that when it arrives.

For the benefit of all you medium sized head people, the definition of big head is:

You don't even bother trying on helmets without an XL or XXL label. Even then you only try on Giro helmets and one or two others.

You buy the biggest helmet you can find that you can force onto your head, ignoring the intense pain and potentially cracking noise as the polystyrene splits asunder. You rip out the MIPS liner and then get busy with sandpaper or a hot spoon. You gouge out large chunks of polystyrene from the back and front of the helmet until it gets to the stage that it actually almost fits on your head.

Yours bitterly

The Elephant Man

SixSixOne reset in XXL - the only one on the market that fits my head. One of the cheapest too, but not as vented as some of the £300 jobs....

Damn, I was thinking on getting it via ride to work from Evans, but just found out you can't get a full face via the scheme...weird as I've seem quite a few people commuting in full face.

@thegeneralist hot spoon you say? I long considered taking a Dremel to my old FF but never plucked up the courage. Might try the heat treatment. What could possibly go wrong...

I find the concept of helmet recommendations and reviews laughable. It's binary - either I can get my head in it or I can't, and mostly I can't. Helmet shopping Mekons - get used to having about £700 outstanding at CRC just trying to find something that doesn't perch atop your head like you were drawn by Roger Hargreaves.

SixSixOne reset in XXL – the only one on the market that fits my head.

Yep, think that's the one I have. Minus MIPS liner and a chunk of polystyrene at the back. Did your head fit straight in? You lucky man.

hot spoon you say?

If have to be honest and say I wouldn't recommend it. The polys' bubbles up, melts and form loads of blisters, ridges etc which set solid. You then end up with nasty scars on your forehead where the melted and resolidified styrene scrapes away your skin.
Hence I graduated to sandpaper, which takes hours. In fact I think I wrote a thread about it a while back with an onanological theme.🙄🥵

Would be intrigued to know how well the dremmel works.

Yours

Scarface elephant Man.

Any of you big-head-long-back-to-front guys tried the 100% Trajecta?

Any of you big-head-long-back-to-front guys tried the 100% Trajecta?

I tried the Aircraft, not the Trajecta. It was too small but not by the same margin a lot are, and all heads are different. So worth a shout I'd say, even though they only offer two sizes, S/M and L/XL, which normally rings alarm bells.

Kali Invader

Fox Proframe with some polystyrene removed at the front with a stanley knife and then some sand paper just about fits my long alien shaped bonce. It's not massively comfortable so I might try the TLD Stage.

I tried the Aircraft, not the Trajecta. It was too small but not by the same margin a lot are, and all heads are different. So worth a shout I’d say, even though they only offer two sizes, S/M and L/XL, which normally rings alarm bells.

It does say this on the 100% website, but all the online shops that have it in stock seem to have 4 sizes available (S/M/L/XL), and the XL is listed as 61-64cm which sounds promising...

An update on this:
Got a TLD Stage XL, didn't fit.
I then tried a Leatt DBX 4 XL, doesn't fit either.

The search continues.

Next one is gonna be the Bell Super DH, although I don't really need the removabe chinbar

Lazer helmets are also the correct shape for over-sized egg heads. I've not looked recently but their 63 open face was a good fit on my head. Kask XL also works for open face hats. 62 can leave me feeling like a vice has been placed just above the temple after 5 minutes and someone is tightening it slowly but surely.

Where do you live? I'm South-East Wales in Monmouth.
I got myself a Specialized Deviant (my riding mates said the "Deviant" referred to my head size), it's labelled 57-63cm and fits my fairly large head, it's a few years old, never been crashed but does have a few scuffs. There's no point in me keeping it as due to a neurological condition I now can't walk more than 30 yards and can only do 2 mile pootles on the bike, so you're welcome to it if I can get it to you.

Have you tried the endura?

I'm quite a long/thin, and big head, and usually wear a large; but in the endura I am a medium, so bigger sizes may suit you?

For reference a large proframe fits me front to back but is very round, so gives me space at the sides.

@HughStew That's very kind of you, sorry to hear you can't use it. I live in London, if covid ever allows a trip to BPW and I still don't have a helmet I'll let you know. Many thanks.

@ayjaydoubleyou Not yet, but seems like the shape is quite oval so it might fit, thanks for the heads up, will try to get hold of one.

Leatt DBX 3.0 Enduro is my all riding lid. Fits great on my 62cm melon. Removable chin bar is great. Not full DH but good for just about everything else.

I have a huge head and found the TLD Stage Stealth XXL worked well: Link here

Looks like this model may be discontinued now, but would recommend something like it as an airy full-face design. It's a squeeze to get on initially, but it feels good when it's on and has various swappable padding sizes for the inside.

@thinksta that’s the one I tried and had to return, too much pressure in the forehead. It was a lovely helmet, such a shame it didn’t fit...

After years of carefully sanding the inside of helmets (pisspots, FF and XC lids) I’ve got an iDP7 open face lid that’s quite roomy. Maybe have a look at what their full face lids are like size wise. I get a little sad every time someone releases and shiny new lid and realise that they only go up to 60 or 61cm )-:

As said above, when it comes to helmet shopping seem to order all the (supposedly) big helmets from CRC/Wiggle/etc (whoever has free returns) and try them all.

For my 62cm bonce I got a Fly Racing Default XL £79 on Amazon my only irritation is the chin strap is a bit fiddly.

SixSixOne was also a good fit for me.

I hope some of the helmet companies get to read this. There is obviously a demand for XXXL lids

I finally managed to find one that fits, it’s the Endura MT 500!!
Thanks everyone for the suggestions!