Motorsport helmet showroom in Thames Valley or London

[JonRB]

I took a bit of a risk and bought a helmet on-line by taking my head measurements and ordering from a sizing chart. It was a risk that didn't pay off as the helmet doesn't fit and looks faintly ridiculous on me too (ie. size and shape not really compatible with my head).

I'm based near Fleet in Hampshire and could do with being able to walk into a physical shop this Saturday and actually try on helmets to find one that fits me. I'm prepared to go into London, but not to drive all the way to, say, North Wales where Demon Tweeks are based!

I'd prefer open face as I'll be using it in a tin top for track days and I find full face a bit claustrophobic.

Does anyone know any places that may be suitable?

(I presume I can't use my existing helmet any more as it was manufactured in 1995 and only conforms to "BS 6658 : 1985 Type B"

[wookie]

What about going to any Metropolis/Infinity (formerly Motorcycle City)/Hein Gericke shop in and around London. They always have a good selection of crash helmets to try on.

[woof]

grand prix racewear A4/A406 roundabout

[Locoblade]

GP Racewear as mentioned would be the closest / easiest to get to, another alternative would be Merlin Motorport at Castle Combe which would only be just over an hour away near Chippenham, Wilts

[JonRB]

wookie said:

What about going to any Metropolis/Infinity (formerly Motorcycle City)/Hein Gericke shop in and around London. They always have a good selection of crash helmets to try on.

I was under the impression that a majority of motorcycle helmets weren't suitable for motorsport use. Besides, I don't really want a motorcycle helmet anyway. But (genuine) thanks for the suggestion anyway.

woof said:

grand prix racewear A4/A406 roundabout

Locoblade said:

GP Racewear as mentioned would be the closest / easiest to get to, another alternative would be Merlin Motorport at Castle Combe which would only be just over an hour away near Chippenham, Wilts

Thanks chaps. I'll look them up and see if they're open on a Saturday.

[chassis 33]

JonRB said:

I presume I can't use my existing helmet any more as it was manufactured in 1995 and only conforms to "BS 6658 : 1985 Type B"

Not wanting to play the demon on one shoulder and the angel on the other, it goes against the old adage that a "$5 head wears a $5 helmet", however I've never been at a trackday where they actually check the standard/condition of your lid.

On the other shoulder if you're the slightest bit concerned that the old lid isn't up to it, its makes sense to get a fresh one, when I had my crash in testing at Mallory a few years back I couldn't remember if my head had hit the cage or anything so the first thing I did when I got out of hospital (thankfully just in for observation) was to cut the strap off the lid I had been wearing.

Don't know what your budget is, but there is a French company, Stand21 based right by Brands Hatch that will do custom helmets for your head, I got measured up at Autosport this year and the lid would cost about £600 from memory. www.stand21.fr/contactez-nous/angleterre/angleterre.html

Regards
Iain

[JonRB]

chassis 33 said:

Not wanting to play the demon on one shoulder and the angel on the other, it goes against the old adage that a "$5 head wears a $5 helmet", however I've never been at a trackday where they actually check the standard/condition of your lid.

True, but I'm pretty sure that a 10 year-old helmet that has knocked around for that length of time and also been dropped at least once isn't going to afford my head a lot of protection in a shunt. So best to replace it really.

chassis 33 said:

Don't know what your budget is, but there is a French company, Stand21 based right by Brands Hatch that will do custom helmets for your head, I got measured up at Autosport this year and the lid would cost about £600 from memory.

Thanks for the tip-off, but I can't really justify that kind of money for occasional track day use. I was thinking of more like £200 and less. The Sparco came to £183 delivered and I thought that was bad enough given the amount of use it'll get.

[HiRich]

Grand Prix Racewear is easy to reach (M3, M25, M4 into town, take the first exit off the elevated section, turn left at roundabout, first right 50 yards on). Check their range at www.gprdirect.com
But a word of warning. At this pre-season time stock is turning over fast, and they are often a bit light on stock (and always it's the model and size you want). Bit of a bummer if you're coming from Hampshire. Once you've shortlisted some ideas from the website, give them a call tomorrow to check their stock situation and whether they've got more coming. It might be worth waiting a week for a new delivery of Arai's or whatever.

[JonRB]

I went up to GP Racewear, BTW. Tried on several helmets and, somewhat ironically, Sparco's cheapy no-frills "clubman" helmet at around £90 fitted me the best so I bought that. So saved myself some money into the bargain as well.

Edited by JonRB on Tuesday 10th April 11:39

[Nick_F]

No offence intended, but keep a close eye on the fit as time goes by.

My first helmet was a cheapie, and over the course of a couple of seasons the fit got progressively looser as the liner compressed.

[JonRB]

Nick_F said:

No offence intended, but keep a close eye on the fit as time goes by.
My first helmet was a cheapie, and over the course of a couple of seasons the fit got progressively looser as the liner compressed.

Thanks - I'll keep an eye on that.