Where can I buy an appropriate helmet?

[CarZee]

Anyone recommend a good place for racewear (helmet, gloves etc) for track day & amateur racing use?

Preferably a shop rather than internet site - ie able to try stuff on & therefore in the Hampshire/Berkshire/Surrey/Sussex areas..

[GreenV8S]

quote:Anyone recommend a good place for racewear (helmet, gloves etc) for track day & amateur racing use?

Preferably a shop rather than internet site - ie able to try stuff on & therefore in the Hampshire/Berkshire/Surrey/Sussex areas..

Helmet try a good bike shop, they will likely only stock the road legal standards but they're all you need unless you going for the expensive motorsport specials. Other stuff I would mail order unless there's a good supplier in your area.

Cheers,
Peter Humphries (and a green V8S)

[manek]

I bought mine in a bike shop in the Seven Sisters Road -- the assistant spent an hour making sure it fitted properly and was suited for the purpose. And since he didn't have the exact size in the one I wanted, he gave me a discount on the next one up in the range so it cost no more.

The icing on the cake of this particular good experience is that he walked up the road to see the car and to listen to me drive it away. Wish I needed to buy a helmet more often!

[Cotty]

quote:Anyone recommend a good place for racewear (helmet, gloves etc) for track day & amateur racing use?

Preferably a shop rather than internet site - ie able to try stuff on & therefore in the Hampshire/Berkshire/Surrey/Sussex areas..

A good idea might be to find the helmet you like in a shop try it on to make sure the fit it ok then check out the deals on the internet/mail order companies.

www.motorbikebob.com is quite good.

I currently have an AGV Demon Top Vent for karting £125. It has two top vents and a chin vent so ventelation is good.

Paul

[CarZee]

Thanks for the advice guys.. I'd definitely wanna try stuff on before ordering.

Then I'd buy from the shop.. I mean I *could* order from the internet, but I believe that for the sake of a couple of quid extra I'd rather support the people who run the shops where some customer service can be had - as per Manek's experience - rather than shaft them by trying their stuff on then buying from some internet warehouse.

Cotty - is your helmet MSA approved? I'd want this so I don't have to buy another lot of kit when I get round to getting my B license and having a go at racing..

Also, since I'm concerned mainly with tin-tops, I might prefer a rally style open face jobbie.. presumably your karting helmet is full face.. ?

[tvrmark]

It does not need to be MSA approved, all it needs is to be a minimium of BS6658 type A. Then see a marshal at your first event he (or she) will inspect it and give you an MSA approved sticker.

Mark

[CarZee]

I see.. cheers tvrmark..

Probably could have found that out if I'd bothered to open my blue book..

[les2]

If you are near Brands Hatch then try Stand21 perhaps.

[Roy C]

quote:
I'd definitely wanna try stuff on before ordering.

Then I'd buy from the shop.. I mean I *could* order from the internet, but I believe that for the sake of a couple of quid extra I'd rather support the people who run the shops where some customer service can be had - as per Manek's experience - rather than shaft them by trying their stuff on then buying from some internet warehouse.

Cotty - is your helmet MSA approved? I'd want this so I don't have to buy another lot of kit when I get round to getting my B license and having a go at racing..

Grand Prix Racewear in Chiswick has a big selection of helmets that you can try for size, plus all the other kit.

Their website www.grandpri.com/ includes helmet ratings and info www.grandpri.com/helmetinfo.html

[MattC]

Cotty - shame on you! Support your local shop! If they all go out of business, do ya think the Internet firms will let you return your future lids "cos they don't quite fit"?!?

Carzee: (Full face lids)
Can't see the point of open-face. You'll be way safer with full face anyway, plus you can use it for other events e.g. karting/single-seaters/biking. Might save you money in the long run!

I went to Motorcycle City in Farnborough (North Camp?). Very helpful, told me how to judge the fit - otherwise I'd have been clueless. They're a big shop, but if any bikers here know of a better outlet, speak up.

Cheers,
Matt
p.s. If you don't get one with a removeable liner, consider a balaclava - MUCH easier to wash

[Cotty]

quote:
If you are near Brands Hatch then try Stand21 perhaps.

Formula One are also up that way just a bit further up the road from the Thistle Hotel entrence

[Cotty]

quote:

Grand Prix Racewear in Chiswick has a big selection of helmets that you can try for size, plus all the other kit.

Their website www.grandpri.com/ includes helmet ratings and info www.grandpri.com/helmetinfo.html

Ok probably gonna get slated for this but their web site also has a large sale/end of line section. As everyone is bringing out their 2002 lines you might find a 2001 helmet heavely discounted.

I use GrandPrix Racewear for my karting gear as I get a discount through Club100.

As for not supporting my local shop, I dont have a local shop and when I did find the helmet I wanted no one had one in stock so ordered it through an internet store and saved £25

Paul

>> Edited by Cotty on Tuesday 12th February 13:39

[snarfy]

Does anyone know where I can get a decent helmet for trackdays and for use as pillion etc in the north london area. (around n5, n1 n7 and into the city) ??
I'm at Oulten this weekend and usually borrow one of my brothers but really need to get one for myself.

[dontlift]

CZ, give me a call, I can get Bieffe SNELL 2000 helmets at upto 50% discount on the F1 units etc

[daydreamer]

I went to Grand Prix Racewear at Silverstone. May not be the cheapest, but very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Also, if you want to do any of the Silvertone courses, you get a 15% DISCOUNT if you are a loyalty card holder - which is free. (A valuable piece of information you missed out when persuading me to do this Dontlift, leaving me £450 light of pocket ).

I'd definitely go for full face. Otherwise It's tin top only for racing. Thing is, if you discount all single seaters, and all Caterhams, Radical (and similar) etc then there's not much left, so unless you are set on Mini's or 205's, I'd keep the options open.

[mikeh]

You could try

Autocross, between Wokingham and Bracknell

Merlin Motorsport, Castle Combe paddock

GPR, Power Road, Chiswick


Mike

[dontlift]

daydreamer said:

I went to Grand Prix Racewear at Silverstone. May not be the cheapest, but very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Also, if you want to do any of the Silvertone courses, you get a 15% DISCOUNT if you are a loyalty card holder - which is free. (A valuable piece of information you missed out when persuading me to do this Dontlift, leaving me £450 light of pocket ). I'd definitely go for full face. Otherwise It's tin top only for racing. Thing is, if you discount all single seaters, and all Caterhams, Radical (and similar) etc then there's not much left, so unless you are set on Mini's or 205's, I'd keep the options open.

I only paid 280 quid for my Beiffe F1 helmet but it is all done to the exchange rate on the date as i get them from the continent

[Pierscoe1]

at the opposite end from CarZee....

does anyone know how to find out what helmet size you need if you're ordering from a website or whatever??

is there a table of measurements etc??

[GarryM]

Put a tape measure around yer 'ed - around forehead to get the biggest measurement. Try it several times to make sure you get it right (in cm). 58cm is M, 60 L, 62 XL etc.

I'd be wary of buying over the internet without making sure you can send it back if it doesn't fit. Different makes fit differently - I have a near 60cm bonce but a 60cm AVG helmet was too big but the helmet I bought, which fits nicely, is a 62cm ?!

[Graham.J]

Grand Prix Racewear and Demon Tweeks do allow you to return a helmet if it doesn't fit, the first helmet I bought was a touch too small so I sent it back (to GPR) and they sent out a bigger one.