New Helmet time
 

MIPS is a good thing. The POC looks to be well-ventilated as well, but I have no personal experience with it.

Things I will not buy without trying them on: cycling helmets, and cycling shoes.

When I cracked my Smith, I went to the LBS and tried on every single helmet they had in my size. Bought the one that fit the best.

On my odd noggin, the fit of all of the POC helmets is... undesirable. Kask was the winner. The new Oakleys are nice. Came out too late, as I had already bought the Kask.

I have a Giro Synthe MIPS. I crashed at 16mph 3 weeks after getting it. Cracked the helmet and Giro gave me 50% off on a replacement,

People's heads are different shapes, so get one that fits.

POC fits a bit small, well ventilated, heavier (15 gms) than advertised. Kask Protone is really well ventilated and light, size is true to measurement 1-2 grams heavier than advertised . Giro Synthe fits a little big weight is 1-2 gms as advertized. Specialized Evade, true to size. 1-2 gms as advertised, exceptional ventilation over the others that I own above and the lightest. That's my noggin, I don't know how it will fit yours.

I recently picked up the Bontranger Velocis w/ MIPS, coming from a Met Manta. I got for a good deal and looks similar to a Giro Synthe. Also the Velocis has a few things they did, that I like. Such as adding rubber padding, where you would normally put your sunglasses through. The paint from the shell, covering the brim part. The sizing was pretty true to size.

The only thing I would have an issue is the straps. I find that there just to much, but that not a big deal.

I've had 6 different Giro helmets since the early 90s, but I decided to switch and bought the Oakley ARO5 this year. The ARO5 is very light with big vents, and is the most comfortable and secure helmet I've ever worn. It also keeps my head at least as cool as the best of the Giro helmets I've owned. I haven't worn a POC or a Kask, so I can't compare those for you but I would buy another Oakley again without thinking twice about it.

Definitely try them on. I have a (big) oval head and while the POC Tectal MTB helmet fits me great, the Octal didn't at all. Even tightened down there was a ton of side-to-side play so it was too round. Giro's don't really fit me either.

Ended up with Kask Protone which while expensive, fits like a dream and is super comfortable.

Long Oval head shape here as well. But have the Giro Savant which many say is better for round head. Savant is a great value helmet, light and with great venting for hot Florida riding.
I am not a MIPS fan FWIW. Didn't want it.

In Florida OP, venting is a big consideration so be sure to read reviews because of aero versus venting tradeoff.

Asking which helmet is best for comfort is like asking online what flavor of ice cream tastes best. You must try them and see for yourself.

Oh, the answer is probably chocolate.

Boring :(

Better than vanilla.

Cherry Garcia. Chocolate AND vanilla are for small minded people with poor problem solving skills. Spumoni works too.

The wife bough an Oakley helmet this year and she loves it. Fits her noggin well, has good ventilation, and most of all holds her sunnies on her face perfectly. Just as you'd expect from Oakley.

^^^^^Me too!

Big fan of the POC Octal MIPs. I've ridden mine in both the winter and very humid/hot in the summer. It's a problem in the winter since I swear the helmet is actually cooler than no helmet at all (same is true for summer but it's not a problem but a benefit). So I'd give it high marks for both ventilation and protection. The new POC Ventral Spin also looks good. "Spin" is POC's proprietary technology similar to MIPS.

FWIW, I'd not buy a helmet without MIPS or some other equivalent technology. It's a game changer in helmet design, IMO. And at this point, its available at pretty much all price points. Bell/Giro made a big investment in MIPS financially and other helmet manufacturers are developing their own rotational protection technology now. POC was the first to adopt MIPS and is now moving to their own technology. So you have to look for what they call their version of MIPS.

J.

Agree.

I wish I could find the article, but it described the three basic head shapes that helmet suppliers design to. The head shapes looking from top down were (if memory serves): round, oval and "roval" for round-oval. So figure out what head shape works best for you and stick with it. They're all getting better on accommodating ore of the three shapes, but they still have to kind of stick with one shape to a degree in order to keep the helmet frame close to the head.

That said, I find that of the various Bell/Giro Helmets I've had, none of them had as comfortable padding as some of the other brands I've found. To date, for me, POC bike helmets are the best fit and most comfortable.

J.

This. Switched from a Giro Atmos to a Synthe a few months ago, I love it. I think it'll age well too, it's a great design looks-wise, it's well ventilated, it fits me well, it's allegedly more aero than the uber-dorky Air Attack... win/win.

Synthe gets pretty rave reviews. Can you tell us what your head shape is?...roundish or more long oval?

Honestly, I couldn't tell you. If it helps, I switched to the Atmos/Synthe from a Bell Volt which also seemed to fit just fine. I guess you could say my head is "regular shaped" because I haven't noticed any particularly awkward fits from any of the various helmets I've borrowed/tried on/owned, unless they're just too small.

Snell just did another test on the MIPS: https://helmets.org/mips.htm

Punchline:
- MIPS does nothing for direct impact
- MIPS may help in a glancing impact; but head movement in the helmet is more significant
- Thinner padding/foam - to accommodate MIPS - may detract from protection
- How the helmet reacts with the surface (road) is more important than MIPS, padding, etc. - smoother is better... like a skateboard helmet