# Giro helmet sizing question.



## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

I have a 59cm melon and the cross-over size from M to L in Giro helmets is right at 59cm. So which one do I order? I want to order an Air Attack.

I've been using a size L Giro Atmos for years and it fits fine but I'm sure we'd all like to get the smallest helmet possible.

In the cooler weather I wear a thin head/ear covering under the helmet.

Any Giro owners out there with 59cm melons?


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## mikerp (Jul 24, 2011)

I'd give the M a shot and see how it fits.
I'm a 58 and definitely have room to spare, even with a cap on. May be a comfort level thing as well depending on the individual.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

mikerp said:


> I'd give the M a shot and see how it fits.
> I'm a 58 and definitely have room to spare, even with a cap on. May be a comfort level thing as well depending on the individual.


Thanks. As I get all my stuff mailorder, I just don't want to pay shipping in three directions - between Canada and the USA.


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## StillKeen (Oct 4, 2005)

Giro's seem to vary a bit from model to model. I'm a M in the Pneumo and Aeon, but the Innos, SLX and Atmos are too tight in M (and too big in L). So you really need to try them on. There's 'fitting' your head, but also making sure that you don't have pressure spots or that your head is rattling around inside the helmet.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

StillKeen said:


> Giro's seem to vary a bit from model to model. I'm a M in the Pneumo and Aeon, but the Innos, SLX and Atmos are too tight in M (and too big in L). So you really need to try them on. There's 'fitting' your head, but also making sure that you don't have pressure spots or that your head is rattling around inside the helmet.


Hmmmm, good point. I guess I assumed Giro sizing would be standardized. I'm thinking of buying the new Air Attack and there would be no stores up here in Canada carrying them where I could even go and underhandedly try one on.


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## StillKeen (Oct 4, 2005)

Mike T. said:


> Hmmmm, good point. I guess I assumed Giro sizing would be standardized. I'm thinking of buying the new Air Attack and there would be no stores up here in Canada carrying them where I could even go and underhandedly try one on.


I find it pretty frustrating, as until the Aeon came out, the only Giro I could fit was the Pneumo ... and I wanted the latest and greatest, not a five (or more) year old model. I'd get excited when a new model came out, but each time I'd go to the LBS and find that it didnt fit me.

When I find helmets the fit my head size AND shape, I buy them. I'm after it fitting so that if I push the helmet from any direction I feel the force distributed over a large area, and the helmet doesn't wobble about either. Some helmets are suitably sized to fit my head, but when I apply force, I feel it all contacting at one or two points (so in a crash I won't be distributing the force over the maximum area).

You might just have to hold off until you get a chance to try one on.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

StillKeen said:


> You might just have to hold off until you get a chance to try one on.


That might be difficult to impossible as I don't have a LBS. Maybe the price I pay is the risk of having to ship it back - or sell on e-bay. Hey there's an idea! I'm getting a really good price from a shop in the USA so maybe I order both sizes and sell the one I don't want on fee-bay. Hmmm...............


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## Eric_H (Feb 5, 2004)

I am more or less right down the middle like you on Giro sizing, in theory. I have yet to find a M that I can wear comfortably though, they all have a slight pressure point above my temple. So every Giro I have worn from 1996 onwards has been a size L, and usually I have the RocLoc cranked almost all the way in. Also in my climate I wear something under my helmet for about 9 months of year so I absolutely need L for this reason. On the hottest days I have taken to wearing this skull cap which takes up a bit of space:

DoWrap SweatVac Ventilator Cap - Excel Sports

I really like wearing these caps, they soak up the sweat and keep the helmet from becoming a cesspool of salt and dirt.


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## mikerp (Jul 24, 2011)

Mike T. said:


> Thanks. As I get all my stuff mailorder, I just don't want to pay shipping in three directions - between Canada and the USA.


I'll take a tape to the suspension system tonight and give you a max measurement.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

mikerp said:


> I'll take a tape to the suspension system tonight and give you a max measurement.


A great idea. Thanks.


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## Fignon's Barber (Mar 2, 2004)

StillKeen said:


> I find it pretty frustrating, as until the Aeon came out, the only Giro I could fit was the Pneumo ... .


Exactly. The aeon, pneumo, and now the air attack are the same fit: oval. The others are for rounder heads. To the OP, I have a 59cm head, oval shape, and the AIR Attack medium fits perfectly. come to think of it, I now have 3 helmets in the closet: a 10 year old pneumo, a 2 year old aeon, and a new AA. best fit for me.


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## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

Yep, head shape is a major consideration. My head is 59cm and longish front to back. I need a large in Giro, Bell, LG, Mavic, Specialized.... Even then I sometimes get pressure points above my forehead if the interior shape isn't right. I have a large Air Attack that's is just long enough. One feature of the air attack is an internal suspension at the front that allows air to enter under the brim of the helmet. As it's getting warmer, I'm finding that the length of my head tends to close this off in the middle front so that I don't get good airflow over the front middle of my head. Pushing the helmet forward or holding it up a bit in the front opens this up and allows the air to flow. I'm considering making an adjustment to the fit.


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## mikerp (Jul 24, 2011)

Mike T. said:


> A great idea. Thanks.


BTW, based on past posts I'm guessing this is in regards to an Air Attack.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

mikerp said:


> BTW, based on past posts I'm guessing this is in regards to an Air Attack.


Yep. That's the one. My opinion on 'em is still open though - in some shots they look ok; other shots, less so. I guess they're just new to us - although they look more of a 20 year throwback than anything. Maybe.....


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## davegregoire (Apr 9, 2012)

I am a 59 and I can put on a medium Aeon and Atmos and with the roc loc opened all the way out I am fine. I ride with a Halo sweatband in the summer (Vegas heat) and a skull cap in the winter though and find the M to tight in those cases. I just bought a large Aeon to solve the problem.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

Edit - It's an Air Attack that I want. I mean to say that.


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## mikerp (Jul 24, 2011)

Mike T. said:


> Yep. That's the one. My opinion on 'em is still open though - in some shots they look ok; other shots, less so. I guess they're just new to us - although they look more of a 20 year throwback than anything. Maybe.....


With the adjustment strap completely open it measures a good 59.5. Wearing with head covering at 59 will really depend on the shape of your head, while the strap opens up for the circumference the "crown" of in the helmet is fairly fixed. The helmet fit definitely leans towards narrow heads not round. I'm going to say your best bet is to order one of each and sell the other.


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## c_h_i_n_a_m_a_n (Mar 3, 2012)

I have a 59-60 round head. Was using the Giro Pneumo medium for a few years and then when I decided to use a head sock for colder weather, it did not fit and then tried out a Kask with a better fit and it felt so much better. The sides of the Giro used to press against my head, but I just lived with it all this while. The missus is now using the Pneumo.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

mikerp said:


> With the adjustment strap completely open it measures a good 59.5. Wearing with head covering at 59 will really depend on the shape of your head, while the strap opens up for the circumference the "crown" of in the helmet is fairly fixed. The helmet fit definitely leans towards narrow heads not round. I'm going to say your best bet is to order one of each and sell the other.


Thanks for doing the measurement *mikerp;* much appreciated (and all other responders too). Your measurement helps. I wish I had a LBS where I could buy one but - up here in Canada, IF I could find a store with the new Air Attacks they would be $260 at least and I've been quoted $155 from a bike shop (not even a normal mailorder place!) in OR.


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## mikerp (Jul 24, 2011)

Mike T. said:


> Thanks for doing the measurement *mikerp;* much appreciated (and all other responders too). Your measurement helps. I wish I had a LBS where I could buy one but - up here in Canada, IF I could find a store with the new Air Attacks they would be $260 at least and I've been quoted $155 from a bike shop (not even a normal mailorder place!) in OR.


You're welcome, like us know how it goes.
Mike


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## Clipped_in (May 5, 2011)

davegregoire said:


> I am a 59 and I can put on a medium Aeon and Atmos and with the roc loc opened all the way out I am fine. I ride with a Halo sweatband in the summer (Vegas heat) and a skull cap in the winter though and find the M to tight in those cases. I just bought a large Aeon to solve the problem.


I'm in the same boat, but I've found that sizing varies between different Giro models. I tried on a lot of helmets, but I went with the Aeon - Medium because it is the best fitting / most comfortable lid I've ever strapped to my melon. YMMV


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