Paradox of Choice - Helmets!

[Joel]

So I have this cheap Bell Road helmet. Must have about 6 or 7 years on it, so it's time to replace it.

Probably cost about $75 USD back then.

I go on a couple of websites to look at road helmets - and OMG! There are so many choices, styles and "features" that after a couple of hours it's all just goobly-gook.

Wish I could just buy a 'Bell Biker' like back in the day.

Rant over...

[Mark McM]

https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicycle-helmet-ratings.html

[Joel]

Mark, Many thanks!!!

[bikinchris]

So I have this cheap Bell Road helmet. Must have about 6 or 7 years on it, so it's time to replace it.

Probably cost about $75 USD back then.

I go on a couple of websites to look at road helmets - and OMG! There are so many choices, styles and "features" that after a couple of hours it's all just goobly-gook.

Wish I could just buy a 'Bell Biker' like back in the day.

Rant over...

Don't forget that every helmet certified today offers equal protection. However, MIPS proponents will remind you that the air helmets can help protect your brain from impacts where the head might otherwise get violently turned.
I like my old UVEX helmet with the screens in the holes up front to keep insects like bees and wasps from flying into your helmet,

[FlashUNC]

Fit is the most important thing. Just find something your melon agrees with.

[cludowici]

https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicycle-helmet-ratings.html

Came here to post this

[Joel]

"My melon" agrees well with the Bell two helmets that have split in half after being hit by cars!

Yeah, fit is most important. It's the thing I tell every new cyclist.

Yet, I don't know why - buying a new one is just WAY overthink!

Seriously, appreciate the links.

[9tubes]

So I have this cheap Bell Road helmet. Must have about 6 or 7 years on it, so it's time to replace it.

Probably cost about $75 USD back then.

I go on a couple of websites to look at road helmets - and OMG! There are so many choices, styles and "features" that after a couple of hours it's all just goobly-gook.

Wish I could just buy a 'Bell Biker' like back in the day.

Rant over...


$75 was a very inexpensive helmet even then. Years ago the mfg realized they could sell a little styrofoam and plastic for $200 and the market evolved into a dozen manufacturers each selling 20 models.

[pdmtong]

pick a price point you are ok with it and find the one that fits best.

Aside from MIPS, typically as price goes up you are paying for decreased weight and improved airflow. I used to think the former was not a big deal and the latter just marketing BUT I can tell you I do like a lighter helmet (Giro Aeon) and I can tell the difference in flow across the handful of higher end Giro helmets I've used the past decade. That said, of course you get used to whatever you get, and those deltas fade away.

I have a synthe mips...the more round fit isn't as good on me as the Aeon.

[Mark McM]

Don't forget that every helmet certified today offers equal protection.

That's a bit of a myth. Some helmets may just barely meet the test standards requirements, and others may go well beyond them - at least according to independent testing. For example, Consumer Reports has tested to see how far helmets go past the minimum requirements. Interestingly, the ones that go well beyond the minimum requirements tend to be lower priced.

(Also keep in mind that there are several different standards in use, and some helmets are certified to several different standards - for example, there are some helmets that certified for both cycling and the also to the higher standards for skateboarding.)

Bicycle helmet standards have been kind of a joke for the past few decades, and only recently has any serious work been done on making them more protective.

[Tony T]

I also need to get a new helmet soon.
My Giro Aeon is great. So light and cool I don’t even realize it’s on.
I tried their MIPS awhile back, but didn’t fit right — too tight on the sides.

[mpken]

There are definitely too many choices. You can still find something that fits for $75. The sky is the limit as far as pricing goes. I've finally had to replace my Giro Boreas after getting cut off by a car and going down. Fortunately the helmet did it's job and I can walk away to ride another day.

[wc1934]

I agree with Mark McM - not all helmets offer equal protection.
I thought I loved my Kask - But, I went down at 5mph and was concussed. I think it should have offered better protection. I now have a Lazer Z1 with MIPS and like the way it tightens entirely around my head. Hopefully I will never test its functionality.

[cmbicycles]

There are definitely too many choices. You can still find something that fits for $75. The sky is the limit as far as pricing goes. I've finally had to replace my Giro Boreas after getting cut off by a car and going down. Fortunately the helmet did it's job and I can walk away to ride another day.Wow, the Boreas hasnt been made for 15 + years. I still have one tucked away as a "better than nothing" loaner... just came across a new replacement cinch mechanism for it the other day too. It doesnt fit my head anymore, so I guess my ego is more inflated or something.

[fa63]

Check out the Specialized Align II MIPS or Echelon II MIPS. They are both under $100, and seem well thought-out. A riding buddy wears the Echelon II and really likes it. Plus it did very well in the Virginia Tech test.

[reuben]

How much is your brain/life worth?

I view an expensive helmet ($200-300 USD) as an incredibly inexpensive insurance policy.

[mpken]

Wow, the Boreas hasnt been made for 15 + years. I still have one tucked away as a "better than nothing" loaner... just came across a new replacement cinch mechanism for it the other day too. It doesnt fit my head anymore, so I guess my ego is more inflated or something.

Haha. Good catch on the age of the helmet. The label shows manufactured in 1998. I bought the Margarita Green Boreas in '99 as a end of season special and stopped riding MTBs not soon after. I started riding road three years ago and used the Boreas up to until I was cut off at the start of lock down in March. Even with very few cars on the road, it only takes one bad driver to ruin your ride. Now I keep it on the shelf to remind me to take extra precautions when riding.

I feel modern helmets are a bit lighter and have better venting. It is definitely worth spending $125+ for brain protection in urban areas.

[Mark McM]

How much is your brain/life worth?

I view an expensive helmet ($200-300 USD) as an incredibly inexpensive insurance policy.

This is a logical fallacy - there's little reason to think there is a relationship between helmet price and protectiveness. In fact, in some independent tests, the more expensive helmets provided a less degree of protection than the less expensive helmets. This shouldn't come as a surprise: More expensive helmets typically are designed to be as light as possible, and have as much ventilation as possible (more and bigger holes), while still meeting impact standards, so it is possible that they only just meet the standard. In contrast, designers probably spend less resources designing less expensive helmets, so it is possible that they design in extra factors of safety (weight and ventilation be damned) so that they don't go through many design iterations to meet the standards.

[Mark McM]

I agree with Mark McM - not all helmets offer equal protection.
I thought I loved my Kask - But, I went down at 5mph and was concussed. I think it should have offered better protection. I now have a Lazer Z1 with MIPS and like the way it tightens entirely around my head. Hopefully I will never test its functionality.

Wait, you were moving? Believe it or not, current helmet standards don't take into account the cyclist actually moving forward. Helmet tests are a simple drop test, in which a head form is strapped into the helmet, and then dropped straight down a prescribed distance (typically 1.5 - 2 m) under the force of gravity alone, onto anvils of different shapes to simulate roads and curbs. Essentially these tests simulate the situation that would happen if a stationary person's head fell off their shoulders and hit the road.

Also the the helmet standards only measure linear deceleration (the type that cause skull fracture), and not rotational accelerations (which are more likely to cause concussions). However, the Virgina Tech tests do measure rotational acceleration, and are intended to measure a helmets protectiveness against concussion.

[reuben]

This is a logical fallacy - there's little reason to think there is a relationship between helmet price and protectiveness. In fact, in some independent tests, the more expensive helmets provided a less degree of protection than the less expensive helmets. This shouldn't come as a surprise: More expensive helmets typically are designed to be as light as possible, and have as much ventilation as possible (more and bigger holes), while still meeting impact standards, so it is possible that they only just meet the standard. In contrast, designers probably spend less resources designing less expensive helmets, so it is possible that they design in extra factors of safety (weight and ventilation be damned) so that they don't go through many design iterations to meet the standards.

Not at all. I never said that all expensive helmets offered greater protection. I simply stated that I wouldn't skimp on the insurance premium.

[OtayBW]

This is a logical fallacy - there's little reason to think there is a relationship between helmet price and protectiveness. In fact, in some independent tests, the more expensive helmets provided a less degree of protection than the less expensive helmets. This shouldn't come as a surprise: More expensive helmets typically are designed to be as light as possible, and have as much ventilation as possible (more and bigger holes), while still meeting impact standards, so it is possible that they only just meet the standard. In contrast, designers probably spend less resources designing less expensive helmets, so it is possible that they design in extra factors of safety (weight and ventilation be damned) so that they don't go through many design iterations to meet the standards.
I'll take his comment in the spirit in which I think it was intended: simply that spending ~$200-$300 is a good investment for your well-being. I did not infer any relationship between cost of the helmet and effectiveness....

[Mark McM]

I'll take his comment in the spirit in which I think it was intended: simply that spending ~$200-$300 is a good investment for your well-being. I did not infer any relationship between cost of the helmet and effectiveness....

Well, a helmet is certainly worth investing in, but a $200-$300 helmet may be an inefficient insurance investement, if you can get the same degree of protection in a $25 helmet. I've heard shop salespeople imply (without directly saying) that more expensive helmets are more protective, but there's no evidence that they truly are.

[OtayBW]

Well, a helmet is certainly worth investing in, but a $200-$300 helmet may be an inefficient insurance investement, if you can get the same degree of protection in a $25 helmet. I've heard shop salespeople imply (without directly saying) that more expensive helmets are more protective, but there's no evidence that they truly are.Okeedoke - I'll pass on the $25 helmet for me, but best of luck if you find one that works for you. [emoji849]

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[markie]

I just started cycling again after 5 years off. I got a new helmet, a poc octal. Well the best helmet is the one you wear... The octal is so much better than my old giro. It is so light, the ventilation feels more like not wearing a helmet at all. But, the biggest difference is the straps and hardware are much flatter and make much less wind noise than my old helmets.

[grumpus]

Seconding Mark's position on this one. The Virginia Tech ratings are not perfect, but I do think they're the best we've got. Seems like some in this thread are not understanding Mark's position here. I don't see him advocating a $25 helmet here, nor stating that your head is not worth $200-$300, as some are suggesting. The point is, based on the VT results, for example, the Lazer Cyclone MIPS at $75 is going to give you half as many concussions in the same number of falls as the Kali Tava at $240. Clearly it's a fools errand to purposefully spend more money just because "your head's worth it."