taylorgeo

Any downside to a MIPS helmet?

alcjphil

No downside as long as it fits, is comfortable, and you will wear it on a regular basis

phughes

They "may" not have as good of ventilation as a non-MIPS helmet. It may be slightly heavier. But of course, compared to what? There is question to its benefit, Snell tested and said there was no benefit. The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute also is not sold on them.

All that being said, they aren't that much more expensive that a regular helmet now, so if you find one that you like, and it fits, and is comfortable, they there isn't really a downside. I bought a new helmet last year, but it wasn't MIPS. I was on tour, and had my wife bring me two helmets to try, I chose one because it fit and I liked it, and she took the other one back to the bike shop. I still like it, and I'm not concerned it isn't MIPS.

CliffordK

If it is MIPS, then it is not WaveCel?

canklecat

No, there's no downside other than a small increase in price and weight.

Yes, it works as claimed. I was struck on the head by a railroad crossing arm (long boring story). The MIPS helmet outer shell deflected the blow while the harness stayed securely put. Barely even a scuff to the polycarbonate shell and no damage. Yeah, I have a hard head but that would have hurt if the helmet hadn't worked so well. I was skeptical about MIPS before, even when I bought the MIPS helmet. But now I'm convinced.

The MIPS harness design is cluttered and could conceivably reduce ventilation a bit. I ride in Texas summers at midday in heat well over 100F, and the ventilation is adequate. Vent design matters more than the MIPS.

Check out POC's SPIN system too. Same principle, very different design, much simpler. Outstanding ventilation too, I can feel the air flow across my scalp even though I have thick, long hair.

I should take photos of the insides of both my Bell MIPS and POC SPIN helmets to show the differences. But there are already photos online for both in reviews by magazines.

I have two non-MIPS helmets, one MIPS and one POC SPIN. Big difference in fit and comfort. The non-MIPS helmet harnesses move when the helmet itself is deflected. The MIPS and SPIN helmets deflect *around* the harnesses. The latter are more secure and comfortable.

MIPS uses a fairly elaborate and well made harness with yellow rubber doodads attached to the helmet, and soft detachable pads inside the harness. The rubber doodads stretch and allow the outer helmet to deflect away from a blow, while the harness stays put on the skull.

POC's SPIN is much simpler. The harness is pretty comparable, minus the stretchy rubber anchors. POC says the main ingredient in the SPIN system is just their harness and soft, slick pad design. I haven't fallen or been struck in the head wearing the POC, so no personal experience with effectiveness. Reportedly POC didn't want to pay the fees to continue licensing MIPS (which POC used to use), although I don't know whether POC has confirmed that. Their helmets are already a bit pricey and intended for cyclists who don't mind paying more, so I'm not sure they'd be concerned about cutting costs. They may simply have decided their SPIN system works just as well with a simpler design.

But the ventilation is better than the Bell Formula MIPS or my older Bell. That's mostly due to the vent design. Bell uses typical diagonal slash vents. POC are known for their large, squared off, rectangular vents. My Omne Air Spin is a bit different from the Octal and Ventral. Similar overall helmet profile, but the Omne Air Spin has a more conventional look. It's more like a commuter or skater helmet with far superior venting compared with the typical Bern or Nutcase. It's so well vented I often prefer it on road bike rides in summer. But the Bell handles sweat better. The Bell Formula, Z20 and Stratus have the same sweat drip channel molded into the front brow of the helmets, and a clever pad design, so most sweat is diverted to drip in front of the helmet rather than running down my face. I often wear a bandanna with the POC, but don't need to with the Bell.

POCs are also kinda thick and blocky, mushroom-head looking. A bit heavy, but not bad. Just quirky.

Kapusta

I find it harder to find one that fits comfortably compares to non-MIPS, but once I found one that did, I don’t see a downside to mine.... at least the mips part.

JohnDThompson 

There appears to be empirical support for the MIPS claims. A brief scan of studies did not show any negative factors.

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q...elmet+efficacy

GlennR

I've had mine for 4 years and haven't found any downside.

I did crash 2 weeks after getting mine and cracked the helmet. I was able to ride home after regaining my wits. Did the helmet help.. I think so and bought another.

topflightpro

I did not like the MIPS Synthe I had a few years ago. The location of the MIPS system in the helmet was uncomfortable. Fortunately, I had extra old helmet pads laying around that I glued in to cover the hard spots.

My newer Aerohead MIPS fits much better.

Sy Reene

Downside is weight and size. Folks have called it slight, but I suppose it's relative. My Bell Z20 MIPS is 340g, my non-mips Abus is 220g. So, i guess in the scheme of things 120g is not that much, but on relative basis, the Z20 weighs 55% more -- and it looks much larger/mushroomy because it is. I find the venting much better as well in my non-Mips helmet. For some of these reasons, my MIPS helmet will likely get autumn/winter usage (warmer and safer) when conditions are a bit crappier than during the nicer months.

On related note, how much is MIPS safer because MIPS, or because a MIPS helmet is inherently constructed with 50% more stuff? Going to extremes, a motorycle helmet weighs a lot more and is probably incrementally safer than bike helmet of any variety.

taylorgeo

Saw this article that mentioned one report of "possible scalp damage" and one report of "hair loss." Purely anecdotal, though.

Looks like MIPS is a go... but I'd feel completely safe wearing a non-MIPS as well.

Thanks, everyone!

Atlas Shrugged

Not sure if I read this right but aren't we comparing apples and oranges here? Should be the same models one with mips and one without?

Sy Reene

Feel free to compare whatever you like; I compared two top end helmets that are cost comparable that I own and I could weigh (FWIW, Size Large for both).

shelbyfv

Several reasons you might want to wait on the helmet until you actually buy a bike. First, if you get a MTB or hybrid you might like a helmet with a visor. For road bikes, most folks find a visor interferes with vision. Second, helmets come in a variety of colors. Unless you get black or white, you might want to consider how the color complements your bike. Finally, if you aren't planning to get a bike in the foreseeable future, the helmet choices may be different by the time you need one.

sdmc530

got my 9 year old one. Its a nice Giro helmit. After seeing his my next will be. The price is worth it.

taylorgeo

I like buying my cell phone cases first, too.

canklecat

A bit of a digression, but after I read some articles on the helmet.org site a couplafew years ago, I came away with the same impression I do of boxing and other impact sports: when it comes to concussions and long term cumulative brain injury, nobody knows why it seems to affect some people and not others.

I was an avid amateur boxer and, frankly, I wouldn't recommend it. Well, I wouldn't recommend professional boxing. Amateur isn't too bad. But I've seen enough fellows my age who went through the amateurs, then became world champions or top level pros, and suffering at least some problems from cumulative brain injury. But it's odd that others did not. Look at George Foreman, who remained seemingly normal in conversation, quick witted and humorous, despite taking a lot of head blows in his prolonged career. Roy Jones has been knocked out cold a few times but still seems okay (although I worry about him facing Mike Tyson). Others, like Meldrick Taylor, James Toney and Evander Holyfield, seemed to have suffered some of the slurring of speech common to boxers. My brother was knocked out cold a couple of times, but he never could take a punch despite being a better boxer than I was. It never seemed to have affected his sharp, lightning fast wit as a radio DJ later.

There doesn't seem to be any pattern to how head impact affects people, other than that it's a good idea to avoid head impacts. I was fortunate that neither of the injuries from being struck by cars seemed to have caused any long term brain injury. I wasn't unconscious and didn't seem to have any concussion symptoms. Pain from broken bones, yup. But even when my helmet smacked the road a couple of years ago after being hit, I didn't lose consciousness. That was a very ordinary low priced Bell. It did its job within the limits of what basically amounts to a styrofoam beer cooler on my head.

Having ignored that advice in my youth, I prefer to gamble on MIPS and similar helmets. Even if they don't add much protection over an ordinary helmet, I'd consider any gain worthwhile.

Incidentally, one of those articles on the helmet.org site speculates about the effectiveness of POC's SPIN system. I can't argue with their criticism of the rather primitive appearance of the POC Omne Air Spin, compared with the Bell Formula MIPS. But I'm not sure whether any tests include my bizarre scenario -- being struck from above by a falling railroad crossing arm. However it could be interesting to compare MIPS, SPIN, etc., in impact scenarios other than falling down (perhaps a low tree limb on a narrow path, etc.).

One factor in my helmet choices is to avoid helmets with rears that protrude too much, have fins, tails or dragon scale shapes, etc. I just have a theory that those shapes, while possibly enhancing aerodynamics, might work against the rider in the event of falling onto the back of the head. The Bell Formula MIPS has a bit less business and is nearly rounded, while the POC Omne Air Spin is very rounded in the back, no busy fins, etc., and the EPS foam is noticeably thicker back there. So I'm reasonably confident it'll do the job, despite the SPIN system seeming less impressively engineered than MIPS. And it's comfortable so I don't mind wearing it.

Kabuki12

A few years ago the asphalt decided it was my turn to be smacked. I hit hard enough to break my face in five places. I was wearing a cheapie Bell helmet from Target $25 , I think. The MRI showed no brain damage and I didn't have a concussion . The helmet worked, did its job, and I would not even test a bike out without one, MIPS or not. My wife went out and bought me a real expensive helmet with lights and turn signals called a Lumos. She saw it at the Apple store when we took my destroyed Apple Watch in for replacement . The Lumos helmet I got is the Kickstarter (prior to the MIPS version) and I have to say this thing is comfy and I have had motorists roll their windows down at stop lights and tell me how great the lights are, and that is during the day. I think the most important thing is that it has to be comfortable and that it fits correctly. The helmet should be "no shake" fit before straps are fastened. The new helmet has an adjustable dial at the back to get just the right fit and no fatigue after 45 miles or so. As far as MIPS goes , I think it some merit as stated above but mainly it has to be something you will wear and not cause any discomfort.