dieterpi

Can anyone give some pointers on road helmets to fit a vintage bike?

I have 2 mountainbike helmets, but using these to ride the vintage bike doesn't feel right . It looks (and feels) weird. When I look at road helmets, a lot of them don't look like they would match a vintage bike either. Any tips on modern helmets which do fit the ride?

To give even more context, Romain Bardet used a Ekoi Legende helmet in the Tour of 2018. (https://www.ekoi.com/en/configurateu...legende-4.html) Which looks like an old style helmet but with modern safety features. However the price tag is pros-only. Are there more budget friendly options of similar styles?

PilotFishBob 

A recent thread sort of covered this topic: https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...o-helmets.html I've never found anything else that really comes close to the Ekoi but, yeah, it's not cheap.

mstateglfr 

That ekoi site is cool- the interactive color customization is neat.

I cant say I've ever looked for a vintage looking helmet or tried to match my helmet style to the bike I am riding...its there strictly for safety and I cant see it so I dont care much about what it looks like.
That's why mine is modern and gray.
But this certainly is an interesting topic that I'll follow!


Good luck on the search.

mhespenheide 

Giro reverb.

Probably too modern for you, but I like the Giro foray as a regular helmet. It's not crazily shaped.

BikeWonder

Depends what you are riding for vintage. For example, if you're commuting or doing your coffee run, Thousand Helmets will give you a good run for your money. They look stylish and can look good with most vintage bikes.

joesch

wood is good!
Retrospec CM-1 Classic Commuter Bike/Skate/Multi-Sport Helmet with 10 Vents

They make a version in matte wood grain
I rode by a biker sporting such a helmet and my impression was wow, I want one of those.

Found on the 36@y site

Loose Chain

Was not vintage no helmet with a painter cap or a leather hair net?

uncle uncle

When I was doing triathlon events in the early/mid 1980's, nearly everyone wore a Bell V-1 Pro helmet (as those events MANDATED use of a helmet in the biking portions of the event). That's where I would start, for the correct look, for that period of bicycle, for a "racer" look. The V-1 Pro tried to mimic the leather "hair net" that came before it, as that was the styling cue for bicycling headgear of the cycling pro's of the time. I feel like that same "hair net" styling is still hinted at with lots of current bicycle helmets out there, but updated, for a better/cheaper/lighter/more breathable helmet. These design goals, mixed with a good helping of "trend setting" styling changes, to keep the new new, and to make the old stuff seem dated... drives the helmet market today. I have a Giro helmet, from just a few years back, that I feel at least encompasses the classic "hair net" styling of bike events gone by... but everyone's need to balance of vanity and safety is different.

HTupolev

Take refuge in audacity and go in the opposite direction. I ride vintage bikes while wearing a Bontrager Ballista helmet all the time.

thook

i found nutcase helmets to be a nice solution. i got one, a friend was inspired and got one, and i got my wife one...<<in hawaiian print! the easy one hand quick release throat strap is nice, too

jade408

I hade this one and it got stolen.

jade408

I have this one. It’s not vintage, but it is super practical. The collapsibility is awesome.

https://www.prioritybicycles.com/pro...folding-helmet

Salamandrine 

Best bet is a modern helmet in basic black. There really isn't a decent looking vintage style helmet, other than the various twee poorly ventilated ones as above. All of those are useless for road cycling unless you live in Alaska. If you look around you'll find some aren't too ridiculously overdesigned and can be stripped of stickers, etc. Obviously the Ekoi Legende is pretty nice, but I haven't seen something similar at a lower price, or at any price.

Vintage helmets sucked. I said it in the last thread and I'll say it again. Sucked. The only effective one was a bell biker, and those were heavy and poorly ventilated. Hairnets were around but used mostly for racing. A hairnet might prevent some abrasions; that's it. The typical Cinelli type were just to satisfy a rule. Kucharik made a thick and substantial leather helmet that probably had a bit more protection. Skid lids were pretty common. Decent ventilation. Poor to mediocre protection. Looked stupid. Brancale hardshells became available around 79 or 80. Lighter and decent protection, though not to modern standards. Poor ventilation and they looked east German. [/rant]

ThermionicScott 

That Ekoi helmet looks really cool, but $250, ouch!

dieterpi

Thanks for the link, I did a forum search but I didn't notice that topic.

I can image that mixing a sleek, modern helmet with a vintage ride works pretty well. I might consider something like that. (But the Bontrager Ballista is out of my price range )

That's a pretty cool looking helmet, thanks for the hint!

randyjawa 

I gave up on the helmet thing long ago. To get a vintage one seems silly, to me, as it will not be as comfortable nor will it offer protection equal to the modern ones of today..This is my vintage lid...

Repack Rider

Hockey or skateboard helmets were the only kind available during the "klunker" era. I just wore a baseball cap.