About Your Lid Picker Report

Shape

This column shows you how well the approximate shape of your head compares to the shape of the helmet's interior.  IDEAL is the best match and is highlighted in bright green.  Other helmets listed as SLIGHTLY NARROWER or SLIGHTLY ROUNDER are also VERY close matches...  well within any sort of statistical degree of accuracy, so consider those as good choices too.

You might notice that some sizes in a particular model are a match for shape, but others are not.  This is because the overall interior shape of the helmets changes across a size run.  We've discovered the smaller helmets are generally more narrow and the big sizes are rounder.   And in some helmets, there is a "bump" in the progression from narrower to rounder across the sizes when there is a shell size change.

Size Chart Matches

We've included this column for you as a convenience.  This column simply compares the circumference you listed to the size chart for each of the helmets.  Every manufacturer's size chart is different, and sometimes a single manufacturer will have multiple size charts that apply to different helmets in their product line.  Since there are so many, this column makes it easy to see where you fall in relation to the size chart for each helmet model.  You'll also see if your measurement is in the CENTER OF THIS RANGE,  HIGH END OF THIS RANGE or the LOW END OF THIS RANGE.  If you are near the upper end or lower end of a range, we'll highlight the size above or below for your consideration as well. 

We are using published data from manufacturers to indicate which range you fall in.  When your measurement falls between two ranges on the manufacturer's size chart, we show you as being in the larger size.  Example:  HJC's standard size chart shows a size small at 21 5/8" to 22" and a size medium is 22 1/2" to 22 7/8".  If you reported your circumference at 22 1/4" our report will peg you as falling into the low end of a size Medium for that helmet. 

OK by Measured L and W

Aside from overall shape match and where you fall into the manufacturer's size chart, is the measured length and width of your head a match for the measurements we have?  This column shows how well it matches up. When you wear a helmet, the padding inside conforms to your head to give a comfortably snug fit.  The goal is to find a helmet where there is sufficient compression of the foam to get the snugness, but not one so small that it causes discomfort.  This column indicates how well YOUR measured length and width matches up with our measurements of the helmet's interior with the needed level of compression of the padding inside.  

Of the three indicators, this one is most indicative of which helmets WILL NOT fit, but it is less indicative of which ones will fit the best.  So even though we indicate IDEAL and IN RANGE to differentiate which ones are the very best, don't read much into this distinction.

Keep It Real

The shape of a human head is complex and we are offering a report to predict which helmets have the best chance of fitting you the best based upon three points of reference.  Each of the references are relatively simplistic compared to the complexities of the shape and other factors that go into getting a good fitting helmet.  We believe that by combining the indicators, you'll improve your chances of finding a great fitting helmet, BUT ANY ONE, OR EVEN ALL OF THE INDICATORS COULD PROVE FALSE FOR YOU for any given helmet. 

The final judge of whether a helmet fits you correctly is your decision because ultimately you are the only one in a position to judge.  Please visit our Resources page for links to each manufacturer's websites with information on how a helmet should fit.  Each one describes it slightly differently but the overall ideas are the same.