Having come back to biking after an 8 year lay off I was acutely aware that my old HJC lid had most likely come to the end of it’s useful life. It had never been called upon in anger however from what I understand helmets degrade with time making them less sound after that sort of hiatus.
I shopped around quite a bit, visiting J&S and Get Geared in Leeds and then read everything I could online as well as checking out the main online retailers for discounted options. I like a bargain and I have a big head so basically the initial shopping proved fruitless. The breakthrough came when I dropped into Jordan’s Bikes on the outskirts of Leeds to check out an MT-07 they were selling. I didn’t like the bike however a very helpful lady in the accessories department rather patiently took me through some helmet options.
I wanted something mid to top end, light (between 1250-1450g) and with internal visor and pinlock as standard – obviously you can pay a lot less however I wanted to make sure I had something that wouldn’t detract from the riding experience. In the end it came down to a choice between the very sexy Spartan and a discounted Shoei GT Air in fetching blue, red and white. Both were XL, very comfortable and with an end of line discount the Shoei came in just £80 more than the Shark at £380.
I have to say I really valued the face to face support I received, firstly to check size for me and secondly to help me understand what it was that I was really paying for. I waivered for about 10 minutes and then went with a mixture of head and heart plumping for the Shark for two reasons; firstly it’s a little less expensive and secondly and most importantly as a glasses wearer it has gaps in the padding which are purpose designed for my specs – the clincher!
So, the Shark won out (although I’m pretty sure the GT Air would have been a great option too). I’ve been riding with it now for about a month, covering maybe 500 miles total and I have to say it’s great. It’s light (1350g), there’s little wind noise (thanks to the two aerodynamic fins on the rear crown) and with pinlock visor liner fitted the fogging is pretty minimal.
My only possible complaint is it’s pretty cosy on the cheeks, not uncomfortably so however at times I really notice my cheeks and teeth in close proximity. That aside I’ve had no issues so far and in terms of looks it’s absolutely stunning, a mixture of gloss black and carbon weave, hence the lightness.
So that’s it, you pretty much get what you pay for. The only downside now….it’s so nice I’m loathed to fit the obligatory helmet mount for my GoPro camera. It just seems wrong to add an ugly little adhesive patch to such a lovely sleek helmet #firstworldproblems 😂
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#helmets #sharkhelmets #shoei #bikes
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