Helmets in China

Having difficulty finding "S" size helmets in China. I've visited shops in Shanghai, called Beijing shops and contacted various resellers online (Taobao). I have been told there's no market for small-size helmets in Mainland China, so for import helmets, they don't stock them. Which means you need to order directly from HK or do this via the China reseller. The problem is that you don't get to try-on the helmet to check for fitting before buying, so if the fit is not right you are stuck with the helmet after taking delivery from HK (no returns). :deal:

What I'm ideally looking for is a SMALL Nolan N-103 or Shoei Multitech (Flat Black). If anyone knows where to find either of these for purchase, or at least can find one in Shanghai or Beijing for a fitting so I know if it fits properly before buying from HK, please let me know. Thanks.
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MK, just grow an afro!

Be careful, Asian models from Shoei do not fit like European and North American. I have 1 Synchro and 2 Multi-Techs and the USA model is far superior to the one's I purchased in Hong Kong.

Cheers
ChinaV

By the way, those look like some good helmet choices.

Did you try Jim Bryant? When we rode to the Great Wall on Wednesday, he was wearing a nice Guangzhou-made helmet which he said was of acceptable quality and looked to be quite practical. It was a "modular" design, meaning the front of the helmet can be pushed upward without undoing the chin strap, and had a retractable sunvisor built in. He sells this in his shop for around 700 RMB. So you might ask him about the size. He's jimbosidecar in this forum.

EDIT: NOT THAT I'M VOUCHING FOR LOCALLY MADE HELMETS! Actually, my helmet, which I bought in California at CycleGear, is made in China, as are many other brands today, including premium helmets. Wonder if there are good threads out there about what actually constitutes a good helmet, and which China-made models measure up.

cheers

My two fen based solely on my own experience with products sold in China versus products sold in the USA / Europe / etc is ...

1) Most products are manufactured in China ... and although it used to be the case that the better quality items were exported, this isn't always the situation any more
2) It is near impossible to know which are "genuine" and which are "fake" ... in fact, I think that many of the "fake" items in China are actually "genuine but unauthorized" items that are falling off the backs of trucks, or heading out the factory's back doors
3) In the last few trips home, I've purchased "genuine" products from "reputable" dealers and later discovered that the products were, in fact, "fake". And the "fake" products in China were actually better quality. I think the dealers at home are feeling a real pinch, economically
4) I think helmet choice / comfort is paramount. My own personal collection includes several helmets that are top-rated but damn uncomfortable & inconvenient & some even downright unsafe because they have restricted vision / hearing. You NEED to hear and see everything going on around you, and you need it to be comfortable so that you are not getting tired or annoyed.
5) Jim's helmets are great, if they fit your noggin' ... 90% of your effort should be getting a great fit, with excellent vision & hearing ... you WILL get into trouble if you never see/hear it coming, or your gear is somehow uncomfortable.

And although I like to wear bright colors up top, the reality is that most Chinese drivers will NOT see you or, frankly, couldn't care less about you. This is especially true in Beijing where gridlock is driving people insane. Therefore, the responsibility is yours to stay aware. Passive / aggressive driving and always having an escape route for the unexpected. The "gear" between your ears for intelligent defensive driving is the key, IMHO.

It would be great to hear more about people's experiences with particular shops / outlets, and it would also be nice to have a separate area in this website devoted to gear. Thanks for the taobao links & the Beijing outlets posted earlier.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lao Jia Hou

4) I think helmet choice / comfort is paramount. My own personal collection includes several helmets that are top-rated but damn uncomfortable & inconvenient & some even downright unsafe because they have restricted vision / hearing. You NEED to hear and see everything going on around you, and you need it to be comfortable so that you are not getting tired or annoyed.

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Totally agree that comfort and fit are essential, though this can put you into a bind. I was a complete novice when I bought my helmet in California, and tried on dozens of models from every manufacturer, including the majors, at prices from a bit north of $100 to $800. Say what you will about my head, but many were uncomfortable. Those with the suggested "just snug enough" fit either created intense pressure points that would have been excruciating to the point of distraction, or were otherwise ill-suited to my noggin. In the end, the one that fit best was one of the budget models straight off the boat from China. I've learned a lot more about my own preferences since then, and deeply envy you guys with modular models that let you open up your face without unstrapping, so I'll continue my search. But if that search leads to a locally made brain bucket that fits and yet seems to offer an acceptable level of build and quality, I'll definitely opt for that over an ill-fitting or downright painful premium brand.

I don't think I'm just being a cheapskate.

PS -- Lao Jia Huo is correct about Beijing drivers, especially the self-important passive-aggressives! Bloody hell, if you are not staying aware 360 degrees around you, you'll suddenly have some f*ckwit in a big black Audi nosing into your lane beside you, just inches off your beam. In heavy traffic where there's nowhere to go, and certainly no point in passing, you'll have f*ckwits tailgating you within a meter or less, and flashing their lights and blowing their horn, clearly endangering your safety just to say, "Get off the road; you don't belong here; I'm in a car and I'm more important." Serious vein-melting assholes.

cheers

Quote:

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Originally Posted by euphonius

... you'll suddenly have some f*ckwit in a big black Audi ...

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Right on, bro!

You'll be happy to learn that when Steve and I were heading back home on the 5th Ring Road after our ride, we saw some "f*ckwit in a big black Audi" with his car dramatically ON FIRE ... :clap:

So, we both looked at each other and smiled :thumbsup:

However, true to form ... the "genius" continued driving his car down the shoulder, faster than the bumper-to-bumper we were caught in, with oodles of smoke billowing out the back from his doors, his trunk, and underneath ... maybe he thought the wind would extinguish the fire?

So, that is the kind of "f*ckwit-genius" who is behind the wheel when we are presenting ourselves as vulnerable bugs on the road.

And people wonder why I ONLY ride my e-scooter in the bike lanes or take the subway inside the city.

Thanks to everyone for the feedback. I ended up finding a HJC with one-button opening of the chin bar-face shield which fits snug. As mentioned, I tried other brands (Shoei and Nolan) and found that Medium was too big for me, but strangely discovered that with HJC the right fit was Large. :confused1:

IS-MAX BT
http://www.hjchelmets.com/images/pro...x/bt/black.jpg

Also love the one-touch Integrated SunShield: Smoke-tinted 3-stage adjustable SunShield.
It deploys "quickly and easily". While riding out around Moganshan last weekend with euphonius, we rode through a few tunnels, and with just a tap to the top of the helmet, the visor retracted, and then could easily slide back down on the way out of the tunnel.

One issue I have is related to the built-in recess for an optional wireless intercom. When riding at high-speeds (i.e. on the expressways) it is way too noisy. After checking the HJC website, I now see that there is supposed to be a cover on the recess (see photo) - but I was told by the shop they don't come with one. I'll see if I can source one from HJC directly, but I'm a bit confused why mine didn't come with this cover. :confused1:

I have a XXL body and head to match which makes finding a helmet in China a rather daunting task. I tried the motorcycle market in Guangzhou. Nope. Tried Taobao and sure enough there are XXL helmets listed but when contacted the shops did not have any available. (And I really did not want to order sight unseen.) Two strikes. I was in the process of buying a new motorcycle in Jiangmen and found a helmet factory there - MHR Helmets. One of their main lines is LS2 helmets. I called David, one of the salesmen, and was given an invitation to the factory.

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The sprawling factory has about 1500 workers and has many basketball courts and even a small lake that is nicely landscaped for the worker's. According to David they make helmets for some major US brands like Bell. LS2 is headquartered in Spain.


They had a nice showroom and I was able to look at and try on as many styles as liked. When I had a few picked out, we walked to the warehouse and one of the workers pulled some XXL helmets for me. I bought a couple and have been very happy with the fit and quality.

This post is really interesting! I like your initiative, Robert, and welcome to the forum!

It would be really useful to know which of the big international name brand helmets are being made in China, and by which Chinese factories, as this could help us to sift the wheat from the chaff among locally produced brain buckets.

My first helmet, bought from the US West Coast chain www.cyclegear.com, is branded Seven Zero Seven and is labeled Made in China, but with no explicit indication of the Chinese manufacturer. But Robert's revelation that this outfit MHR is a huge operation that OEMs for Bell among others really gets me wondering. Yes, there are a lot of crappy helmets in the Chinese market, and those local riders who even bother with helmets don't seem to be too discriminating about what to use.

But if manufacturers like MHR are reaching a critical mass, and starting to launch their own brands using the same technology that goes into their OEM products, it would be great to get this intelligence into the light of day.

Robert, your link labeled Attachment 2165 relating to a factory invitation is not working. If you do have more information of what international brands are OEMing these MHR helmets, do let us know!

thanks again!