Custom helmet

I think anything asymmetrical drives TJ nuts, but those are also some of my favorite helmets that I see him make. Symmetry is overrated

I get that. It’s also super unnecessary for the most part, so custom things shouldn’t be a super high priority. There’s some psychology behind it, but that’s a different discussion for another thread.

The gist of it is though that having a chrome visor/painted helmet/custom suit will help you feel like you “belong” up front. Visors especially, because it’ll get in your head knowing other people can see your eyes but you can’t see yours. Helmets and such will make you feel like you stick out with everyone else having a custom paintjob. I’ll have to see if I can find where I read that, but I remember I read it somewhere.

My self-confidence is higher when I wear my bespoke business suits with Hermes ties as compared to when I wear my back-up Macy’s suit. Its kind of silly but dressing up and looking sharp makes you feel like a weapon, sometimes.

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It’s the same idea here. I felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb in 2018 racing against TJ and his fancy helmet, plus all the other guys.

I do find it funny that Ugo Ugochukwu still wears his silver Bell in the European and World Championships and won the European Championship, so obviously having a fancy paintjob doesn’t actually matter at all.

Circling back to the main point, you can absolutely do vinyl on your helmet if you do it in parts. My friend Danny did that with his new helmet and it looks pretty good. Ask around some vehicle wrapping places like Richard mentioned and see what you can find.

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Been interested in doing this:

Or this:

Silver seems to be expensive to work with in paint, & I’m not sure if a wrap would be any cheaper in that regard.

Silver metallic is the same as any other paint, so no extra cost associated with it. But the first photo you’ve got there is chrome base which is the most expensive option you can add onto a paint job.

Ever do gold foil? I bet that gets pricey.

There was an episode of TopGear where this beautiful red car had a gold undercoat to make it really rich and warm red.

Yeah, it’s not super expensive but adds a couple hundred bucks to the paint job if you use real gold leaf. I have a bunch of different books of leafs, from pale 16kt to pure 24kt.

Thanks for the clarification. Not sure if substituting metallic silver for chrome would “work”, but a digital graphic model would enable comparison.

I guess while we’re harassing @tjkoyen with questions:

Do you have to do anything different for carbon helmets vs composite?

Speaking of helmet paint I bought Nick a new bell eliminator.

These come ore-painted (not vinyl) and is pretty darn good looking for the price. I think retail is 420 but I paid like 275.

I think they even have a layer of clearcoat.

This one was out of stock but not bad for a pre-decorated helmet.

Nope, carbon helmets are exactly the same as anything to paint.

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Check out HarrisDecals.com vinyl decal sets. That’s what I did with my new helmet. They have dozens of designs, and you can specify colors, too. For instance, the design I chose used Lizard Green, Navy Blue, Orange, and Grey. I changed the Grey to Blue and requested a proof. In a couple days, they sent me a proof, which looked great, and I ordered the kit for $45. The decals are easy to apply, and can be moved as long as you don’t press them down for final placement. I had a little difficulty with the compound curve along the bottom edge of the helmet, so I got some creases there. But over all, I love the look! And over time, if it gets a little scratched up, I can just peel off the old kit and install a new one! Not freak out from a scratch on my brand new $500 paint job!

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Rainer Pansch of Pansch Grafix did my helmet, he has done a lot of very cool unique helmets.
https://www.facebook.com/PaintMyHelmet/

My helmet is a Lowenbrau Porsche/Steam Punk themed design.

Also, I took this photo back in 2019 of my friend Kevin Doran who was the Team Manager of Holbert Racing and The Constructor of the car in the photo Chassis HR1 currently run by Gunnar Racing.

I gotta agree with Ron on Pansch Grafix.

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another option would be to design it on this website called helmet made and then send it to the guy painting your helmet.
https://www.helmade.com/en_us/