mprelaw

The most important thing that he'll learn is to stay the hell out of that loony bin.

Steve Sawyer

Most certainly!! I get these hilarious brown stripes on my head in the summer!

Steve Sawyer

Yah - I was there earlier looking for info on helmets before posting this question!!

TomD77

It's about ventilation for me. For whatever reason, up to some price point, there seems to be a direct relationship between price and % of the helmet surface area that is open to air flow. It gets HOT here in Florida.

All bicycle helmets are ridiculously non protective compared to motorcycle helmets and offer no protection to brain stem injuries that are so prevalent.

Daspydyr 

I read in a Bell Helmet report that the safest helmets are rounded on the back side. Most Bell helmets do have 1-3 points on the back for that aerodynamic effect. But in a sliding accident, the arrowheads can catch on things and twist your neck. Rounded on the back is safest.

lhbernhardt

Not sure about the cheap helmets, but I use the top of the line Bells (Volt, Sweep, Ghizallo). All of them let you slip your Oakleys, when you're not wearing them, into the vents along the front sides, so that they will not fall out, even over hard bumps. Sort of a sunglass holder for Oakleys. You put them in upside-down so that the lenses don't get in the way (unless you actually want them as sort of a shield, like in the rain). Really beats trying to hold them any other way, like in your pockets, or hanging from the zipper of your jersey.

Must be a conspiracy between the two companies (three, if you include Gyro, that lets you do the same thing), but it works for me, and for all the pro's you see that hold their Oakleys on their helmets.

And if you're concerned about the cost of the top helmets, just wait until the end of the year, and buy the current year helmets when the mail order places blow them out. I've never paid more than $100 for any of my Bell Volts.

Luis

Daspydyr 

We have a "Chocolate Chase" twice a year in Las Vegas. Its a 50 mile, all day ride. Probably 10 stops for everything from a Brownie (a little Barvarian Baker in Old Henderson, best brownie I have ever had) to cookies, donuts and milkshakes. I probably gained 2 pounds riding 50 miles.

droy45

+1 most helmets are non protective indeed. I switched to the cycle/skate/ski type or messenger type which offer way more comfort and protection.

Bikey Mikey

Yep, in the TDC:Hampton Roads and the Cap2Cap ride I'll be doing Centuries in, the rule is "No helmet, No ride."

But, the more pricey helmets generally have better venting, aerodynamics, and even better padding.

TromboneAl

We get the cheapest "approved" helmets at Walmart, and have been happy with them. Schwinn or Bell.

The temp here rarely gets above 60 degrees, so ventilation is not an issue.

TromboneAl

That's pretty interesting. So, you're talking about something like this:



Any feeling for how much safer these are?

Mobile 155

All the reasons have been mentioned. Weight, vents, fashion oh and desire. Face it the Specialized S-works Prevail isn't any stronger than the Propero but it is the S-works. There are blue jeans and there are Levi 501s. But people that want 501s are not interested in wranglers even if they do have a zipper. For me I have a $60.00 Giant helmet that I have had for years. It is about ready to be replaced. I had a Propero that was safely on my head as I was launched into the back window of a car almost a year ago. The helmet looked fine even after punching a bowling ball sized hole in said back window. However from everything I have read helmets are good for one crash that happens to save your head. When looking for a replacement I looked for something light and with lots of ventilation. I also wanted one that didn't have a heavy brim that would block my vision if I happened to be in the drops, not that I am all that comfortable being in the drops unless I am in a head wind. I tried a lot of helmets till I came across a LG X-light that was supposed to weigh 190 grams and had plenty of vents. I got the Medium rather than the large because I like the helmet to fit tight on my head even with my heavest headsweats. It was marked down as a closeout so I saved 50 bucks. I couldn't be happier unless it cost even less than I paid for it. https://www.performancebike.com/bikes...47&cagpspn=pla

Mr. Beanz

Sorry, can't answer, still got enough gair to know the answer, thank goodness.

climberguy

It's not terribly complicated. Spending more for a helmet (up to a point) generally means better fit, comfort (including ventilation), impact resistance and overall construction quality, including quality of the materials used.

Dudelsack 

Now that's what I'm talking about.

Shamrock

I have 2 helmets both are grey.one is for funerals the other is for weddings.I bought a park bike stand off of a cyclist.He had 3 concussions the doc told him after the 2nd bikes are toast for you. .He still rides but his helmet is 200 bucks. sorry don't know the manufacturer

Bikey Mikey

Well, I started riding with a $26 Bell from Dick's and moved into a Specialized Echelon ($50 or $60--don't recall), but I can tell a WORLD of difference in weight, comfort, fit, cooling, and even sweat management. With the old Bell sweat would drip into my eyes and I had to wear a Headsweats headband to manage it. I still sweat with the Echelon, but I don't wear a headband and sweat does NOT get into my eyes. I understand the Prospero II($100 or so) is better with the venting and less wind noise than the Echelon.

Oh btw, Consumer's Reports did an article about helmets and rated the Echelon tops in crash tests--even against some $200 helmets.

cplager

According to https://www.helmets.org/, these have two advantages:

(1) they are smoother and less likely to get stuck on the pavement, adding additional torque to your neck, and

(2) they have more coverage at the back of your head.

You can get more vented version. If you prefer the helmet you have, wear that one instead.

Cheers,
Charles

Burton

All bicycle helmets have to meet the same minimum safety standards. After that you pay for comfort, styling (really!), aerodynamics, durability, ventilation and in some cases - special features like visors.

Boudicca

As others have said, it's all about the holes. The more you pay, the less helmet you get, and the bigger the ventilation holes. On any ride over about 5 miles, my head gets too hot in a helmet without adequate venting, although I do have a nice round helmet for about-town rides on the Bixi bikes.

Garfield Cat

The new thing from Catlike is the Mixino. I tried one on in Las Vegas. Much better (improved) than the Whisper Plus

https://www.catlike.es/en/products/he...o/r045-matt-4/

mprelaw

Yup, and they rated the skateboard-style Nutcase the worst.

wphamilton

Me too, the cheapest Schwinn at Walmart I've used for about 3 years, two crashes and still using. It didn't seem all that debilitating during the record string of 100+ days last summer, nor particularly heavy.

mprelaw

If your helmet was impacted in either of those crashes, it might be a bad idea to trust it for crash #3. Especially since you can replace it for $20.

Terex

This. It's better info than anecdotal comments that you get here. It's an easy way to keep up with technology. I recently purchased a POC Trabec MIPS, incorporating slip plane technology, and the surficial smoothness and additional rear of head coverage, described above. A couple of years ago I had two, fairly severe, low speed crashes and concussions - and two cracked helmets. Maybe they did their jobs, or maybe I could have benefitted from better technology. In the end, it's your head. Use it wisely.