Shred Ready Helmets / Can Can Audio Earflaps

Well, the Shred Ready lid now has some well earned sweat in it from some static fun this evening so here's the report.

The Lid:
Seems to be pretty standard as far as lids go. Lightweight, decent ventilation (could be better but I imagine it'll be cool enough once dunked a few times in the lake after some botched waterstarts....okay....after MANY botched waterstarts ; )

Fit is accomplished through an interchangeable set of fit pads - one for across the brow, another around the back of your head. They velcro in and out and hold tight. I switched to the mediums from the preinstalled larges and there was a significant change in sizing. I'm pretty sure this is a good "one size fits all" solution. I did have to watch as I was pulling the pads off, the little squares of velcro affixed to the inside of the helmet looked like they might want to peel up and off. DIdn't but looks like a potential issue. Minor though.

The Can Can Earflaps:
After living and loving my Giro lid with the TuneUps ear pads I had high expectations which were sadly not met by these. It seems to me that they are okay, and there HAS to be some tradeoff in sound quality for a waterproof speaker, right? I'll give it that much. Oddly though, the ear flaps sat well away from my ears with the helmet strapped on snug. When I pushed the pads in to contact my ears the sound quality dramatically improved - ALMOST as good as the TuneUps, just not the same wide frequency range (hi's and low's). So, after monkeying around a bit I discovered that all I needed to do is slide some foam bits over the straps such that when the helmet is buckled on, it would push the ear pads to my ears. Imagine the pipe foam insulation some of us use on our buggies' bars. Something like that but on a much smaller scale (of course).

As a small bonus, if you use closed cell something or other you'll add to your buoyancy in the water

For the price - no complaints although if music is your thing I'd save the cash and buy some good in-the-ear, waterproof earbuds. It wouldn't surprise me if I make the switch - just that I have yet to find earbuds like this that stay seated without constant fussing. The lid itself is definitely worth it - and the fact we scored them nearly half of retail...even better. I'd gladly pay full price though. What's $50 when it's your brain on the line?