I've totally derailed this thread from it's original intent (which was to tell everyone about this 'new' helmet brand anyway...
)
Chuck, I know it's a heated debate, and I too hate the 'what is your head worth' comments. Is my head worth $600? Absolutely - it's worth much more. But would I buy a helmet that cost that much? Probably not. I know that might not make sense, but I'm sure some people understand what I'm saying (or typing).
Yes, I would like to buy the best helmet I can, but I also want the most bang for my buck -- I don't want to pay for the extras.
Right now I've got a cheapo HJC that I picked up to use for the MSF - CL series, I believe, so it's a polycarbonate shell. I dig the AC-12 Carbon just because it looks neat. *shrug*
Rummy, less aerodynamic drag is great -- but for commuting and weekend rides, is it a necessity? (I'm not looking for an answer necessarily, just throwing this out there.)(PS You were trying to sell an SV, right? How'd that go?)
What I really want in a helmet? :
- Lightweight (relatively ... I mean, baseball caps are pretty lightweight...)
- Good venting/fog free shield
- Removable liner for cleaning (I wear an UnderArmour Skull cap to keep things clean in there, but I can imagine as we get towards hot weather, the funk that can develop [this is my first full season riding])
- The ability to swap out visors quickly (or something like Scorpion sun visor)
- Maybe noise reduction (and Rummy's mention of aerodynamics fits in here?), but I wear earplugs, so that's not a big deal.
*shrug* I just don't it to go into a Brand X vs. Brand Y vs. Brand Z, and DOT vs. Snell. I know that's where helmet threads/debates end up going though.