SlimAgainSoon

Where I ride, the heat and humidity, well, it's a killer.

I am now shopping for a new helmet, and keeping my head cool is a priority.

But ... I have no idea which helmets run hot and which have good ventilation -- they all claim to have monster vents. I am having a hard time separating the wheat from the chaff.

So ... any recommendations?

kayakdiver

Look for lighter colors... That's a good start.

MajorMantra

More $$$ = better venting really. Any of the top of the range helmets is going to be pretty good - go try some on to see what fits best.

BarracksSi

Between my two nicer/lighter/better-vented helmets, a Giro Pneumo and Specialized S-Works, I think the Giro was a little better at keeping my head cool. It's been a while since I've ridden with it, though. They're both better than a Giro Xen that I've got, and a lot nicer than either a Bell Metro or a ten-year-old Giro something-or-other taped-shell helmet.

The S-Works has its "Mouth Port" at the front which really does a good job of letting air blow right onto my forehead; other Specialized models have it, too. Still, its pads—actually one multi-fingered pad—touch more surface area on my scalp than the Giro's smaller, multiple pads. It seems like the rest of my head gets more airflow with the Pneumo.

That's just picking nits, though. They're both really good for ventilation (I gave the Pneumo to a neighbor who later said that he almost thought that the helmet had a hole broken through the front; he wasn't used to good venting ), so it still comes down to whichever helmet fits the best and is the most comfortable.

tuxbailey

My Giro Atmos has a lot of ventilation. In fact, the vents are so big that I can scratch my head easily, an added benefit over the $40 helmet I had before.

BikeNewEngland

Giro Atmos is one of the best, most ventilated-- pricey, but it sure looks good on my wife. My Giro Alchera fits well and has good ventilation, but I think it's out of production. Bell and Eleven 81 helmets have a lot to choose from at much lower prices. Check out this page with dozens of choices in styles and manufacturers.
Gordon Harris, bikenewengland.com

Hunt-man

Atmos. +1

edbikebabe

I have a Bell sweep with pretty good ventilation.

sqharaway

I have a Bell Volt and the ventilation is great. I know a guy who lives near LA (i.e., extremely hot in the summer) and he swears by his Giro Ionos. Of course the problem is these well-ventilated helmets come at outrageous prices. I recommend periodically checking coloradocyclist.com -- I got my Volt from them for $80 off. They have excellent sales with some frequency.

zerocool33

+1 for the Atmos, but I am always keeping my eyes open for other possibilities.

kleinboogie

Like everything in cycling you'll buy two. The first one and then the one that works. You already have the first one out of the way so odds are whatever you buy will be right.

X-LinkedRider

+1 A white, yellow, or Silver helmet will almost ALWAYS remain cooler in the sun than a black, blue, or red helmet despite the ventilation.

Other than that, Any Specialized, Giro, or Bell helmet that costs in the 80+ dollar range are usually well ventialted.

rm -rf

But the styrofoam is an excellent insulator. So I don't think the heat gets through, and most of the styrofoam doesn't touch your scalp anyway.

Big vents can let the sunlight through to your head. I have a black helmet, and a white headsweats shorty skullcap. It keeps the sun off my thinning hair, and soaks up sweat and evaporates it before it drips. It works great in the humid Ohio summers.

My Bell Ghisallo helmet has huge front to back vents. There's more openings than helmet, and lots of airflow, with wide channels inside running front to back.

blacksquid

My Catlike Whisper was the coolest helmet I've ever owned. Unfortunately, I slid on some black ice this past winter and smacked my head, inside the helmet, on the pavement. Retired the Whisper and bought a Volt. The Volt is cool but very noisy!

VoodooChi|d

+1 for the Atmos. It isn't cheap but deals can be had. I got it from Performance for ~$70 a month ago. In Texas, the airflow is a godsend.

vsopking

I use a Giro Monza - nice relatively cheap - but maybe there are helmets that are cool off better - never thought about it. Fit is one - but with summer ahead come to think of it - the more expensive the cooler?

richardmasoner

<OB_HELMET_TROLL>

Ditch the helmet! That styrofoam insulation will heat your brainpan enough to make it swell and explode!

</OB_HELMET_TROLL>


Seriously, though...


European helmets are thinner & lighter than helmets certified for the USA market, so that's part of the reason your Whisper is cooler.

I'm not sure about lighter color = cooler : I get a new helmet almost every year, and subjectively I've never noticed any difference between darker and lighter colors. It might be an interesting school science fair project to get multiple identical model helmets of different colors in the sun enclosing a size three soccer ball, and then measure temperatures inside the helmets after a couple of hours in the sun.

Bonus points if the soccer ball explodes. (Hmmm, I see a Youtube video in somebody's future...)

Richard

Dheorl

I've always thought the catlike ones look pretty well ventilated but never tried one, might be way off.

chipcom 

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SlimAgainSoon

Thanks for all the comments. Very helpful.

I'm trying to get something for $100 or less.

$70 Atmos ... that'd be good.

Orbital57

The Catlike Vacuum would be a cheaper option that gets good reviews for being cool in the couple of places I've looked. Otherwise as everyone has said, more $$$ less helmet = cooler.

rmhaas

If your looking for a cool looking helmet with lots of ventilation look in to the Catlike Whisper plus Helmet.

https://www.roadcyclinguk.com/news/im...whisper-hi.jpg

HigherGround

I've been very happy with the Bell Ghisallo and Bell Sweep. The Ghisallo has huge vents, and a little bit more padding which I think helps to manage the sweat a tiny bit better. The Sweep is a little lighter though. Either one is an excellent helmet, in my opinion. I have not tried the Giro Atmos, which also seems to be pretty popular. I imagine that Ghisallo would be the least expensive model of the three mentioned.

ptle

I thought they don't have those in the US

v70cat

I like the Giro ProLight, it might not have the most vents but since it is light you don't notice it as much as others

https://www.giro.com/en-us/products/c...t/#/red-black/

I think you need to try on the helmet.