Getting to know more about Schuberth Helmets

As you might remember, I recently had the opportunity to ride a BMW in Ireland for a day. It was an interesting mix of fun, adventure and rain. Lots of rain!

Unfortunately I had an issue with my Schuberth leaking and my Pinlock insert not cooperating. Luckily I went to visit my friends at Schuberth N.A. at their headquarters in Southern California. Whenever you invest in a high end, premium helmet, that company typically offers a level of customer service that you may not be able to find with an entry level one.

Schuberth is no different. Their office is like a small startup, an informal, casual atmosphere but a level of professionalism and customer service that is defined by an elite crew of team members.

The issue I had with my helmet was that the seal between the visor and the helmet was broken so I was getting wet! I knew this wasn't normal and certainly there had to be an explanation. Phil, one of their customer service technicians took my helmet away so quickly I wasn't able to take a picture of the problem.

Basically there was a visible bubble along the seal, definitely not normal. Above and to the left of where it says Schuberth along the left cheek.

Whomever Andy was, I hope he went far.

He also noticed my Pinlock visor wasn't seated correctly. If you have a Pinlock visor, then you may or may not know that it might need adjustment every now and then especially if the visor stops working. I don't know why it didn't occur to me to do that with this one, because I've had to do that many times with other Pinlock helmets I've had. If the pins become too loose or too tight, then your visor won't seal correctly and it can separate from the visor. There should never be space between the Pinlock and the visor. If you can visibly see fog or air between, then you need to readjust the pins on the visor. (or it might be the wrong model # for that helmet, which I've also encountered).

Follow this link for instructions on removing and adjusting the tension on your Pinlock visor: http://pinlockusa.net/TensionAdjustment

Up to this trip, I had never experienced these issues riding in the rain/wind. It makes sense that over time the pins may become too loose. Or you may have tightened them by accident, since it can be difficult to see the tiny arrows on the pins.

If your helmet stops working the way it was supposed to, bring those issue(s) to the attention of your manufacturer. Every reputable company has either an 800 number or email address to help you address the problems.

My plan was to ultimately have a podcast of our conversation recorded for you to download. Unfortunately, my laptop decided to quit working on me right before I needed to press record. So we'll be circling back to try this again real soon.