Bianchi84

Hi, I'm posting this in C&V as I still wear my C&V Bell V1 Pro/Image . It has to be from the late 80's because John Tomac advertised it! Anyway, I feel some here might have had a similar helmet. It sits really high for that "mushroom" look which I don't want to replicate with my new helmet. My smallish (54cm) head size already makes the "old-style" helmets look huge... but they worked.
Can anyone suggest a more close-fitting, not too expensive helmet? Something that looks a little less bulky? I know aesthetics shouldn't be too important, but if I'm getting a new helmet anyway...
LBS near me seem to have $$$ or MTB helmets only and Box Stores seem to be out of everything so I was going to take my chances online. I saw CARNAC helmets in the U.K. (mostly out of stock) - this looked sort of along the right lines.
What did others switch to and are happy with? Thanks!

Mr. 66

I use the Giro Air Attack, I went all in and got the magnetically attached shield.
I have another Giro but it's not as trendy.

Bianchi84

Beautiful Helmet, but a little out of my price range! Thanks!

debade

$30 @ Costco. Has mips. Not stylish but I think it will do the job https://costcofan.com/costco-bike-helmet/

ridelikeaturtle

I have a Spiuk Rhombus and a Spiuk Zirion, both work well but the Zirion is slightly more comfortable. Spiuk seems good value for the price; I paid 34euro for the Rhombus.

If price is no object, I'd love a Catlike Mixino - but wow they are proud of them!

The Golden Boy 

I got a Bern MTB helmet. It doesn't match any of my bikes or anything that I wear- but I think it's a cool hat.

New Hat by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr

New Hat by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr

old's'cool

I suggest you wear a helmet.

polymorphself 

POC Omne Air SPIN here. Very light, minimal and comfortable, great reviews.

https://www.pocsports.com/products/omne-air-spin

veganbikes

My favored helmet is the Lazer Z1 (but I like pronouncing it all across the pond like and saying zed 1 but of course as we all know "zed's dead, baby, zed's dead") it is nice and light and super comfortable. Was not a cheap initial cost helmet but less than $4 a month for 60 months is not bad (the helmet is around $200 and 5 years is the general lifespan of a helmet) Plus Lazer was founded in 1919 so it has C&V cred. I hate big bulky helmets I like the feeling to be like Ned Flander's skin suit "nothing at all, nothing at all, nothing at all, STUPID sexy Flanders"

ZudeJammer

I like my Bell Falcon but I cannot find replacement pads for it. Maybe buy some extra pads when you buy this new helmet.

Realsteel95

I ride with a Giant Rivet helmet which doesn't seem to be too bulky. I like the way it looks because it is shaped like more C&V helmet and only has small vents. If you can one on sale I would highly recommend it.

Chombi1 

Yup,.......wearing any helmet without MIPS these days can end up you being called a reckless luddite....

tricky 

Wow, yeah, get a new lid! Newer standards (the federal CPSC standard was created in 1998) have come out since then. Helmet manufacturers claim that helmets degrade over time too.

As an owner of a large noggin, I have the same preference as you for a close fitting helmet, but comfort is also important. I used to budget only $40 for a helmet I drifted up into the $100 range but after realizing it's way easier to buy a fashionable helmet if you spend more, getting further along in my career, and also just being willing to splash out more on safety gear since I figure it's a good investment. I would pay more than that on a hospital visit.

canklecat

The POC Omne Air Spin mentioned by polymorphself is very good. I've used one for almost two years. Excellent ventilation, great summer helmet. Less mushroom-noggin looking than other POC roadie helmets (Ventral and Octal). If your head is between sizes, go for the smaller size. It's also less Lego-head looking than the Octal and Ventral. The outer shell is pretty similar in dimensions, but the vents look less squarish, and the rear vents protrude less yet still very effectively exhaust hot head heat.

The Omne Air Spin runs slightly larger than nominal. My head is right on the margin between medium and large and the Omne Air Spin runs slightly large for me, which is perfect in winter when I wear a knit cap. But in summer I have to crank the sizing harness way down.

SPIN is POC's alternative to MIPS and seems to work as well but it much simpler and less cluttered, which enhances ventilation. SPIN is just a better harness that fits lower on the skull for greater security, and the most comfy padding strips I've found on any helmet -- gel pads coated with a slippery and soft velvety kind of material, easily detached for washing and replaceable.

Most POC helmet straps take some getting used to. The "Y" splitter for the strap under the ear is pretty much fixed. You can move the plastic splitter forward or backward a bit, but that's all. It can't be raised or lowered. I'm guessing POC wanted to avoid cyclists shoving the splitters down under their jaws where the integrity of the fit was compromised. I didn't like that feature at first, but after adjusting the splitter to suit my ear lobes, I never noticed it again.

My only regret about the POC Omne Air Spin? I didn't buy a second in medium when the price plummeted to around $60 in late 2019-early 2020. After the pandemic impacted manufacturing and distribution the prices shot back up to MSRP and stayed there. Still worth it at full price.

Bell's mid-range roadie helmets are outstanding values. I've worn the Bell Formula MIPS for almost three years now and can't find a serious gripe about it. The medium fits me perfectly, the profile is smaller and closer to the head than the POCs. The MIPS system is comfortable and really works to deflect blows (don't ask how I know this, it's a long stupid story involving getting bonked on the head by a railroad crossing arm -- no harm to helmet or skull).

The Bell roadie helmets from the Formula MIPS on up feature a nifty sweat channel that diverts sweat so it drips off the front of the helmet rather than down my forehead into my eyes. In actual practice I almost always wear a bandanna which effectively serves the same purpose -- sweat evaporates before it drips past my forehead. But on the occasions when I've worn the helmet without any head covering the sweat channel really works. The only oddity is sometimes I think it's raining because the breeze from riding blows fat drops of sweat back onto my lower face, neck and chest. But not into my eyes, even when I'm not wearing sunglasses.

And the price is hard to beat. I can't see the point of paying for Bell's upper tier Z20 and Stratus, which I also checked at the store. The Formula MIPS has all the same basic features, doesn't weigh much more... it's just a great value. The MSRP has gone up from around $65 when I bought it to $95 and it's still a good value. And Bells are discounted more often than POCs.