03-25-2016, 06:50 AM
Thank you, Paulb.
UPDATE: Today, I went to Cycle Gear (Laurel, MD) and Bob's BMW (Jessup, MD). I tried on the Shoei Neotec first at Cycle Gear, then headed to Bob's BMW to try on the Schuberth C3 Pro. Big thumbs up to Bob's BMW for having several of the C3 Pros to try on, including one in the back for test riding! I headed out on the highway for 15 minutes, and learned a few things.
- It is very quiet
- Great view, very open visor design
- Not as soft/plush/comfortable as I would expect
- The chin strap is placed pretty far back, making it unconfortable to look down at all. The strap presses against your Adam's apple area.
- The helmet prefers clean air. The amount of noise jumps significantly if I leaned forwards towards my windscreen (into some turbulence).
- The helmet is very sensitive to the angle of your head. Straight v. 5 degrees down v. 5 degrees up, etc, all resulted in changes of noise level / type.
I headed back to Cycle Gear and purchased the Shoei Neotec, though I still hadn't ridden with it. It was just that much more comfortable in the store. On riding home, I discovered:
- It continues to be comfortable after an hour.
- The helmet is much more forgiving of where you are on the bike and what turbulence you encounter. When moving from straight up to a tucked louder-due-to-Road-Comet position, the change in noise level wasn't anywhere near as dramatic as the C3 Pro.
- The noise is also more constant regardless of how much you tilt your head forward or back.
- It was a little louder than the C3. However, after 20 minutes, I discovered I had a tab open in the front to let in air. After depressing it, the noise level dropped even more, and it *seems* quieter than the C3.
- It came with pinlock (like the C3). Hopefully will resolve some of the fog issues I encountered over the winter.
- The regular D-ring straps will lock to my bike.
I record audio for a living and will begin to experiment with earplugs on the bike. I have custom in-ears as well as generic Etymotic plugs available.
UPDATE: Today, I went to Cycle Gear (Laurel, MD) and Bob's BMW (Jessup, MD). I tried on the Shoei Neotec first at Cycle Gear, then headed to Bob's BMW to try on the Schuberth C3 Pro. Big thumbs up to Bob's BMW for having several of the C3 Pros to try on, including one in the back for test riding! I headed out on the highway for 15 minutes, and learned a few things.
- It is very quiet
- Great view, very open visor design
- Not as soft/plush/comfortable as I would expect
- The chin strap is placed pretty far back, making it unconfortable to look down at all. The strap presses against your Adam's apple area.
- The helmet prefers clean air. The amount of noise jumps significantly if I leaned forwards towards my windscreen (into some turbulence).
- The helmet is very sensitive to the angle of your head. Straight v. 5 degrees down v. 5 degrees up, etc, all resulted in changes of noise level / type.
I headed back to Cycle Gear and purchased the Shoei Neotec, though I still hadn't ridden with it. It was just that much more comfortable in the store. On riding home, I discovered:
- It continues to be comfortable after an hour.
- The helmet is much more forgiving of where you are on the bike and what turbulence you encounter. When moving from straight up to a tucked louder-due-to-Road-Comet position, the change in noise level wasn't anywhere near as dramatic as the C3 Pro.
- The noise is also more constant regardless of how much you tilt your head forward or back.
- It was a little louder than the C3. However, after 20 minutes, I discovered I had a tab open in the front to let in air. After depressing it, the noise level dropped even more, and it *seems* quieter than the C3.
- It came with pinlock (like the C3). Hopefully will resolve some of the fog issues I encountered over the winter.
- The regular D-ring straps will lock to my bike.
I record audio for a living and will begin to experiment with earplugs on the bike. I have custom in-ears as well as generic Etymotic plugs available.