jadmt

I am a sweater. ie 48F out within 2 miles sweat is running in my eyes.....I have a budget of say $150 give or take, who makes the coolest (figuratively speaking) helmet? i know some will chime in and say nobody can pick a helmet for you but I want to know people's experience on what has been a cool helmet for them. for the record I have a normal size head

Mojo31

I like my Lazer G1s in the heat.

freeranger

Haven't tried enough helmets for a recommendation. But-have you tried a headsweat or a cooling towel worn under the helmet to absorb, or to wet with cold water to help keep your noggin cooler?

Eric F 

I recently picked up a Limar Air Pro for $99 off eBay (new). I’m pretty impressed with the air flow, and it seems to reduce the sweat dripping in my eyes better than my Scott Centric.

Ubie

I would say *not* anything that uses Wavecel instead of MIPS. Protects your head, sure, but ventilation is definitely lacking. I have found wearing a bump or a cycling cap helps a ton though. I also shave my head, so don't have hair to absorb any sweat either

seypat

I don't know about which helmet to buy, but get yourself one of these. Most BFers swear by them.

https://www.amazon.com/Halo-Headband...1026099&sr=8-4

BTinNYC 

I'm one of them.

Camilo

consider a light, wicking cycling skull cap. I wear one all the time no matter how hot. i think it helps with sweat, and I don't think they increase heat on the head, maybe the opposite. All the various ones I've bought over the years have a sweat band over the forehead, plus the wicking material helps evaporate the sweat rather than drip down.

Jumpski

I live in a tropical climate, and switched to Pok ventral air after wearing Specialized helmets for years. I couldn’t be happier.

jadmt

I ride when it is in the low 40's and use a skull cap to keep my ears warm but even in the 40's it becomes drenched and just drips in my face. Maybe I need to try a different brand the one I have is a pearl izumi.

urbanknight

Heads sweat even without a helmet at all, so the headband/skull cap suggestions are right on. I still love a well ventilated helmet, but none of them keep sweat out of my eyes without the skull cap on. Also, everything feels well ventilated to me nowadays since I first started riding with one of these (that logo at the front is flipped up for "extra ventilation".

Chuy1530

Yeah I got the Halo headbands and they’re great for sweat management. Don’t really do much in terms of cooling that I noticed though.

jadmt

I am so old I remember when those were modern lol.. true story my buddy and I were pretty serious racers and he got one and goaded me into getting one. I rarely wore it and sure as **** I get taken out by a car head on (car turned the wrong way into my lane of traffic drunk driver) and as I was going through her windshield I was thinking dang I am not wearing that stupid helmet, literally the last time I rode without one.

cyclezen

Also been a heavy perspirer,,, wet head,,, drippy noser,,,
Helmets with a front vent over the forehead give me a little more cooling, a headband helps with channeling the sweat.
Some of the Specialized helmets had a large forehead vent... not sure on latest models. Fit me well
Other brand which fits me are Bell (NOT GIRO !!!! give me headaches).
Bought a Bell Stratus a few months ago, a lot of large vents. Nice, close fit, without a lot of 'extra' stuff.
Have not ridden much, but seems it could be the best ventilating of my current helmet stock (I have 5, various).
on sale, I pd less than $100...
I have one of the newer 'channel' designs, fine in cooler weather, not so much when it's hot...
Ride On
Yuri

PeteHski

+1. Very good ventilation, very light, scores highly in independent crash tests, low profile doesn’t look like a mushroom.

mattcalifornia

My old Giro Atmos had really good venting. I think the comparable new version is the Aries. I have a Sweet Protection Falconer now (yes, it's obscure) that doesn't look like it would be that well ventilated, but the design works really well and keeps me pretty cool -- still plenty of sweating though.

But mostly, stay away from all Smith helmets. They use this KOROYD technology for crash protection that is terrible for airflow. I love my Smith ski helmet, but I quickly returned the bike helmet I ordered. I could tell right away just wearing it in the house in front of a fan that it was going to be a hot helmet.

I don't think any helmet will solve your sweating problem -- but some are definitely particularly bad.

genejockey 

For me, it's not just the vents. It's also the retention system. I bought a Giro Aether, which has lots of vents. Fits great, lots of adjustment. BUT the retention system includes a padded band across the forehead. On a normal ride, it's great for about 10 miles. Then the pad is completely saturated with sweat, and somehow, the design funnels all the sweat right into my left eye, and nothing I can do stops that. I tried a Gut'r headband, which kind of worked if I got the angle JUST right, but not on hot, sweaty days. Still funneled the sweat right into my eye.

Now I have a Kask Valegro, which lacks that padded headband. It's pretty good, though after about 20 miles it gets saturated. So I've added a Halo skullcap, and that seems to work, especially if I stop every 10 miles or so and push the helmet against my forehead in such a way that it squeezes the sweat out of the pads.

It's a never ending battle. I read somewhere that when you get older, you don't sweat as much. Cripes! I'm already 65! How old do I have to get before I no longer sweat like crazy?

ARPRINCE

I used to wear that sweatband and works as advertised but I now always wear this one (skull cap). Captures all the sweat from the hair and wicks fast and micro-mesh is great for cooling. And if you are bald, you don't get the helmet sunburn on your head.

zandoval 

I use a motorcycle helmet skull cap. It absorbs sweat and also protects my neck from the sun. I also don't have to wash the inside of my bike helmet as much.

If you want more ventilation then try a mesh liner. They fit into the helmet and provide an air gap for cooling. They do not however absorb sweat.



Amazon Mesh Helmet Liner 9 USD

thebankman

I remember helmets in the 90s having thicker padding that would soak up the sweat. You could take off the helmet and squeeze the sweat out of the pads with your fingertips. Gross but effective. Did those go away completely?

jadmt

I bought a lower priced Specialized Align II with a horizontal vent across the brow and went for a 50 mile ride this morning and so far so good.

Sy Reene

The unfortunate truth is that the more material is removed, and therefore the more ventilation holes cut thru the helmet, the more expensive it will be.

Pinelander

I sweat just thinking about sweating. The halo works good and I pair it with this cap...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0915S7XP3...ils&th=1&psc=1
I really like how it shades my eyes and it channels sweat well.

roadcrankr

Any thoroughly-vented helmet will ventilate fine.
And buy a two-pack (on Amazon) of the Halo headband. Carry the spare to swap midride.
You could freeze your helmet and headband overnight to buy you some extra cooling.
I do that with my shoes, because my feet get overheated after about thirty miles.

momoman

Last week I saw a video on Instagram where someone measured the temperature of white vs. black bike helmets and shoes. The white items were about 35 degrees cooler.

Here’s a Youtube video comparing white vs black for a motorcycle helmet but it shows the white being significantly cooler inside and out. I’m sure a black vs. white jersey will also have similar results.