Do you love your helmet? Recommend it here!

[Susie Derkins]

I had a bad crash on Saturday, and broke my helmet in 4 places. Before I can get back to riding, I need to replace it. It was a very basic Bell Vela, $35-40, and I'm wondering if it's worth spending a little more to get something nicer this time around. I mostly do endurance rides and triathlons (but don't want an aero helmet). Anyone have any particular recommendations?

I will have plenty of time to shop, while I heal and my bike is repaired.

[ScaldedCat]

I like my Trek Sonic, it's the most comfortable helmet I've had, I can forget I'm wearing it. Great price too and looks more expensive than it is I think.

[TsPoet]

IMH and simplistic O - there are 2 head shapes. I think your question needs to add the basic information - do you have a round head or an oval head? I have an oval head - bell helmets are torture devices. Giro are no better.
Lazer helmets rock.
I, too, am looking for a new helmet - one for an oval head, and with a flat back to it (a city style helmet). In the city style, all I can find are helmets for round heads.

[Norse]

I have a small head and I like Specialized. Some of the higher end brands just don't fit me.

[Biciclista]

i have a Bell Citi. Inexpensive, nice bright colors, it's the second one I've bought, they fit me very well.

[CAL]

love my helmet. It's light weight and helps keep me cool (well, as cool as you can be for a Texas summer). It's a Giro Atmos.

[Desert Tortoise]

I use a basic Trek helmet that has a nice adjustable band that breaks easily. Not buying that again.

SD, sorry I don't have any helmet to recommend but I wish you a speedy recovery and your bike repairs go well. Hope your injuries are not serious.

dt

[indysteel]

I don't know that anyone's specific recommendations are worth much of anything. My advice is to go to your LBS (or several LBS) and try them on. When you find one that fits that's in a price point that doesn't make you cringe and a color you like, buy it. Fit is everything--and that's pretty individual--and price is more a reflection of the number of vents than anything else. YMMV.

I have a Bell head for what it's worth but can't for the life of me tell you what model I have. Some Bells fit me better than others though, so it was worth trying a bunch on. The one and only helmet I bought online sight unseen (a Giro) never really fit. Lesson learned.

[smilingcat]

Get a helmet that fits your head without any pressure points.

The more expensive the helmet is "less you get" WHAT??? You ask.

Well the more expensive ones have more air channels to cool your head. It has less material to protect your head but has to do the same job as a helmet using more material. This is a very difficult thing to do. The less material they use, more time they have to spend designing and testing and more expensive to manufacture than the cheaper ones.

The more expensive ones do not protect your head anymore than a $30-$40 helmet.

Hope this helps. Just make sure it fits and you like it.

[Sardine]

I hope that you recover quickly and can get back on a bike soon. I don't have a recommendation but perhaps this will provide a bit of amusement while you heal: http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/cycling-accessories/is-this-the-future-of-bicycle-helmets/ Is cardboard the future of cycle helmets?

[Hi Ho Silver]

+1 for what Indysteel and Smilingcat said ...individual recommendations don't matter much, but fit does and that will be unique to your head. Aside from that, when choosing, more $$ generally means lighter and better ventilated.

[Nick]

I love my Fox Striker (for mountain biking): http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/fox-striker-helmet-first-look-28422/. I have the one in white, red and black that is being reviewed. It's comfortable, light and strong.

[westtexas]

I love my Kask Evo. Best helmet I've had yet. Lightweight, cool and incredibly adjustable and comfortable (and room for a pony tail to poke out!). I know you can get them online from Kask's web site or from realcyclist.

[macski]

I love my Giro Atmos helmet - fits beautifully, is really light and well ventilated. But I think I have a Giro compatible head - my downhill skiing helmet is a Giro too.

Take notice of the advice to try on different helmets - some fit much better than others.

[shootingstar]

I tend to want to only want to spend around $100.00 or alot less on a helmet.

So it takes time for me to find one I like and right fit.

I have 2 helmets, 1 of them I don't care but bought out of sheer desperation when a helmet cracked ..from age. It's red, boring design.

The other I do like. Just a Giro with lime green and white design markings. It looks better on me. :p

I have an oval head and alas cannot fit any Nutcase/round helmet.

[Zippinalong]

My partner and I have a Louis Garneau Exo-Nerv Road Helmet. Saved her head when she crashed 2 weeks ago. Got it at Performance Bike for 69.99.
Like others state here, it's a very personal decision. It has to fit and be comfortable or you won't wear it.
Get better!

[CyborgQueen]

I had Giro Skylar for years, until it bothered me that it's too hot (not well ventilated). Got Giro Atmos. I really like it a lot, but I stupidly got one size too big. It's up for sale if you want it! :-)

That's all I've bought. I've tried Bell, Specialized - but because of my cochlear implant placement, it puts too much pressure there.

[bluebug32]

I have the Lazer 02 and love it. It's super easy to adjust to fit my head just right and is fairly cool as well.

[roguedog]

+1 for Lazer.

Got the Helium and am loving it. I've got a small head and it's hard to find helmets that fit even in the small. This is the most comfortable helmet I've had.

[Susie Derkins]

Thanks for the suggestions. I am well aware that a more expensive helmet won't offer any better protection (I couldn't have asked for more than the Bell gave me anyway) but I figured as long as I was replacing it, I might as well look into what other advantages some of the more expensive helmets might offer. My LBS has Giro and Specialized, so I will probably start there.

[MojoGrrl]

Anybody have a Catlike helmet? My boyfriend wants to get us some and I was wondering what people thought. (I know they're ungodly expensive, but if he wants to buy me a $300 helmet, I'm not going to complain.)

[azfiddle]

I got a Bell Sweep helmet last year, trying to get better ventilation for the hot weather in Tucson. I've been happy with it so far- it's definitely cooler than my economy Bell helmet was. It is kind of pricey, but I found one on clearance on the Performance web site so that made it more affordable.

[Becky]

I just picked up a Louis Garneau X-Lite helmet. It's so light and comfortable! I have a Giro-shaped head, and it makes my Atmos feel positively uncomfortable.

[Miranda]

I hope you come back to read this post for checking into a crash replacement discount, potentially.

I crashed my Giro Pneumo helmet and when I called about something related to the intergrity of the helmet and how I had it strapped etc. the Giro rep told me they offered a 25% crash replacement discount when ordered direct through them. Once I also had a retention strap break and they replaced it for free and free shipping. She didn't even have me show proof of purchase, just some numbers out of the label.

My helmet now is a Giro Atmos. My mtb helmet is a Giro Havoc. Both are very light weight and well vented. I have disk disease in my spine and neck, so the least weight on my head the better. Plus tho my hair is baby fine, it's long. I sweat like a pig lol. More heat venting the better.

It probably doesn't fit my head as well as it could. I never realized some brands were more more oval vs round. But hey you never know what you'll learn here on TE lol.;)

Btw, hope you have a speedy recovery and safety upcoming!

Good Luck.:cool:

[RubyTuesday]

I have a very small head (have a hard time with the length of sunglass arms because I am a pin head. So far the most comfortable helmet I have tried (tried Bell and Garneau) is a $40.00 Specialized helmet. It isn't the most stylish thing I have ever seen, what helmet is, but it fits my head very well and is pretty cool. Now if someone could just invent a helmet that doesn't give you helmet hair. I have medium length hair and no matter how I pull it back, I get a lovely crease in the back of my hair that won't come out till I was and dry it. Stupid hair.

[tzvia]

Generally, as the price goes up, the weight goes down, it may be easier to adjust, and it should ventilate/cool better. It may be a trick to find one that fits your head and budget well. I always go for better cooling, being in So Cal where cold means it is 70 degrees outside.

So for mountain biking I chose the Specialized Vice as it has awesome venting. It is CPSC, SNELL B90A, CE and AS/NZS certified (not all helmets are as SNELL is a harder cert to pass) and covers more down the sides, front and back than most helmets. Plus it fit me like a glove and it didn't hurt that the color matched my mountain bike. When I crash it I will buy another. It feels like it can withstand anything, a real solid helmet.

For commuting I just bought a Giro Saros. The fit is not quite as nice as the Specialized, but it feels ok, has good enough venting plus is lighter weight. I had been using the Spec Vice, but forgot it on a drive to the trailhead a few weekends ago as it was hanging off the commuter down in the garage (GRRRR). So I decided to buy a helmet just for the commuter. So far I like it. I chose a nice light white color and will be putting some reflective tape on it.

For road riding, I have a L.A.S Istrion. It is the bomb. No it aint cheap, but it is light, has great venting and adjustability and fits my head very well. The bug screen inside it is a big plus; I've had to take the helmet off and coax a bee out of it a few times so it has been useful to me.

Oh, I have another helmet, the Giro Stylus. Horrible. It does not vent well, but that's not its main fault. The straps are. Where the front straps mount to the inside of the helmet causes them to twist sideways and not lay flat against the side of my head. And they rest right on the little front bump of my ears, the edges rubbing them as I ride. Sucky. So it sits on a shelf as an emergency spare.

[nscrbug]

I realize that I'm jumping into this thread a bit late, but I wanted to chime in with my thoughts on my new Lazer O2 helmet that I just picked up today! I never knew how comfortable a helmet could be, until I tried on the Lazer. I put it on my head and it literally felt like it was "molded" to the shape of my head perfectly. It just disappears on my head. I tried it on with a variety of my own head coverings to make sure it would accommodate them all. The adjuster knob (which is on the top of the helmet and is super easy to reach) is simply an ingenious design. I actually put the helmet on and was walking around the house with it for awhile and all but forgot that it was on my head. Granted, I have yet to do a ride with it...but that test will come tomorrow morning, and I can hardly wait! I will finally get to do a ride where I don't experience a massive headache midway through because of an ill-fitting (I was wearing a Giro Prolight) helmet. Obviously, I do NOT have a Giro-shaped head.

Got my DH to try on a few helmets today too (he's in need of a new one badly) and he discovered that he has a Bell-shaped head. He really liked the Sweep, so now I know what to get him for X-mas. :D

Linda

[marni]

love my helmet. It's light weight and helps keep me cool (well, as cool as you can be for a Texas summer). It's a Giro Atmos.

what she said, from another Texas rider who also loves her Giro Atmos.

marni