Arai Chaser

My Arai Condor will soon be 5 years old and as I find the helmet very comfortable I am thinking of replacing it with an Arai Chaser. There is presently a sale of Arai Chasers in George White with Chaser Spike Red selling for £169,99 (thats £200 off the normal price!) My only dilemma is, should I risk buying a helmet before trying it on? My Condor is 59-60 Large and the Chaser is advertised as 60 large. In theory they should be the same size but can the fitting be different? Any advise and opinions on the Chaser helmet will be greatly appreciated as although its a very good offer it can also be wasted money if it doesn't fit properly.

Not worth it. I have found nearly every helmet fits slightly differently. For instance Shoei Xr1000 is different to an XR1100.

I did the same with a pair of TCX boots recently. Took a gamble, was wrong and had to go through all the hassle of sending them back etc.

[punyXpress]

HG Cardiff open 12 to 4 tomorrow for their New Year Sale - worth a trip over ?

May visit HG tomorrow. Will be good to try different helmets. As for the George White offer, I'm going to play it safe and not risk buying a helmet without trying it on first. Thanks for the quick response.

[Sir Trev]

There were some special edition Chaser models that did not sell well, hence the discount. I got a plain white one but could have bought one of several highly garish versions of the same for a lot less, but they looked like someone had been sick on them...

ALWAYS try a lid on before you buy it.

I have both a Condor and a Chaser, mine are both XS (54). The black Condor is my road only helmet and the Matt Aluminium Chaser only gets used on track.

Each one fits my head well, but in different ways. The Condor feels the tighter of the two despite being the more frequently used, and the Chaser feels plusher and more refined yet still a firm fit. Of the two the Chaser definitely has the better venting, which is why it's my track lid. The general fit is slightly different, as if they were each made to fit a different shape of head, but on my noggin they both fit ok.

I'd say try both back to back to get a good idea of whether or not the Chaser is the helmet for you.

Thanks Lozzo. Your comparison of the Condor and Chaser is spot on! Tried the Chaser on at Heingerrick and was happy with the fit, feeling as comfortable as the Condor. Strangely enough, I also found that it didn't feel quite as tight as the Condor. You'd think that being a brand new helmet it would be the other way round. Anyway, I ended up buying the Chaser Legend Phil Read which has a more tasteful and classical black and white design than the more garish other designs available. Like Lozzo pointed out, the venting on the Chaser is better and has an intermediate setting. I also like the fact that the knobs are much chunkier and far easier to change with gloves on. Although still expensive at £240 I thought it a good buy bearing in mind that it would normally cost £369. So hopefully, it will be another five years before I change helmet.

Good choice, the Chaser is a very nice lid. £240 is cheap for a current model Chaser as they were a lot more than that during summer. When I got mine 3 years back they were just coming up £300 for the plain colour ones. My Condor retailed at £199 when I got mine 4 years ago.

[rictus01]

just as a matter of interest, where (apart from historic plastic helmets) does this 5 year thing come from then

As far as I'm aware the shells are far more durable these days and it's more to do with wear than age.

Cheers Mark.

Originally Posted by rictus01

just as a matter of interest, where (apart from historic plastic helmets) does this 5 year thing come from then

As far as I'm aware the shells are far more durable these days and it's more to do with wear than age.

Cheers Mark.

I may be wrong but i think it has something to do with sweat/toxins etc reacting with the polystyrene liner inside the lid.As such it is five years from when the helmet is first used.