Philip Fibiger

After my motorcycle accident, my helmet got a pretty good size chunk knocked out of it, and I had to replace it. My last helmet, an AGV X-Vent, I got a really good deal on by ordering it online. This time I decided I’d try to find the correct helmet size and shape for my head. I’d heard that Cycle Gear has a good selection of helmets, I headed to a store in Lomita to try them on. The woman at the store wasn’t too helpful, gave some vague recommendations, and I settled on a Shoei RF1000 in extra large. It felt pretty good. They didn’t have the color I wanted, and I wanted to try on some other brands that they didn’t have in my size.

The next weekend on route to a visit in the Valley, we drove to the Cycle Gear in Canoga Park. I mentioned to the guy that I needed a new helmet, and I’d like to find one that fit me properly. He asked if I was interested in having them help me find a helmet, which of course I was. We spent the first 5 minutes discussing the differences between all the major brands, which they prefer to wear and use and why. Nick measured my head with a tape measure, and told me that I was on the border between a medium and a large. This blew my mind, I’d been wearing an XL since I started riding, I didn’t realize how snug “snug” should be.

I tried on a bunch of Shoei helmets, medium was too tight, after trying on 3 different models I’d found one that fit ok, the same one I’d tried on at the other store, but in a size smaller. I’d wanted to try Arai helmets, they make them in 3 different shell shapes, round, medium oval, and long oval, so that they fit a wider range of head styles. The Quantum, round, was way too short on my head, but when I put on the Arai Signet, it fit like a glove. He had me wear it around the store for 10 minutes, making sure it didn’t rub anywhere or feel too tight. He told me about how it’d break in, how the helmet would fit differently after a few weeks, making sure that it wouldn’t be too lose after that. I picked my color and ordered my helmet, it showed up at the store within a couple of days. Trying my old helmet on side by side with the new one is somewhat staggering, the old one feels like it flops around on my head way too much now that I realize how a helmet should fit. The Signet was a pretty serious chunk of change, but as the conventional wisdom says “if you have a $50 head, buy a $50 helmet.”

Arai is an interesting case because they’ve stopped selling helmets online for exactly this reason. They claim that some huge percentage of riders are wearing helmets that are 1-2 sizes too big. They’re clearly losing volume by refusing to sell online, but by forcing people to go in and be fitted for a new helmet, I think they’re doing right by their customers.

The real reason I wanted to relate this story doesn’t have to do with helmet sizing, but rather with how rewarding a retail transaction can be if done right. I had no interest in going home and looking for a lower price somewhere, either from a shady ebay dealer who sells online and shouldn’t or calling around and getting some other dealer to beat Cycle Gear’s price. They sold the helmet at a fair price, and the service I got was outstanding. I won’t hesitate to go back to them for other equipment when the time comes. Clearly there are plenty of goods that aren’t as important to see, feel, or try on before purchasing, but thoughtful customer service can make a world of difference, turning a casual shopper into a dedicated customer. I’m clearly a proponent of online commerce, but really excellent customer service is such a rarity these days, it feels like something you should cherish if you’re lucky enough to find it.