General: What helmet do you wear?

Recently lost a friend in a late night bike/ drunk driving accident. As far as I know she was not wearing a helmet and had no lights on her bike. I am not interested in discussing the value of wearing or not wearing a helmet, so go somewhere else to talk about that. I've promised myself and the people I love that wearing a helmet will now be a permanent part of my life.

However, most helmets look stupid, and I will be the first to attest to my own vanity. Is their any room for function and style ? What do you wear and why?

Sorry to hear my friend!!!

I wear a Louis Garneau Titan Carbon, I really like the helmet, it looks good fairly lightweight at 295g's, it fits really good(although I havent tried many other helmets out yet), and the best of all I only paid $30 shipped, got it off ebay, I will attach a photo to see.

I've heard that wearing older helmets is dangerous (similar to using old car seats). But my helmet is a 2002-ish Giro Exodus.
I've been meaning to get a new one as the pads are pretty much gone. As for why, it was the first Exodus which came up for sale on eBay when my old one broke a strap.


Not my image, but mine is this colorway.

Posted By: das_pyratei have a pro tec skateboarding helmet porque i'm poor :(

AT least its a helmet!!!

I wear a bell ghisallo road helmet and bell variant mtb helmet. I like them both. They dont make me look cool but they are probably less ugly than average. No matter what you are wearing, most people in cars think you are a dork for riding a bike. If you are going to be a dork you might as well be a safe dork.

I used to have an s-works helmet but I broke it in a crash. I got my bell rung but I wasn't injured.

First, for Be_aR: My deepest sympathies to you for the loss of your friend, and to her family. I think all cyclists feel the loss of one of their own; in the pit of our stomachs, we know that it could happen to any of us. But as long as you remember her, she will still remain.

Second, helmet tech: There are several US helmet safety standards. The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute is a do-gooder organization based in Washington, DC that tracks helmet standards, technical developments and relevant laws. They review new helmets each year, and provide commonsense explanations for how to judge the usefulness of a helmet.

Basically, all helmets sold in the US are supposed to meet the CPSC standard (Consumer Product Safety Commission). There should be a label inside the helmet saying it meets the standard; if there's no label, don't buy it.

There is a tougher standard: The Snell B-95 standard. A lot of helmets meet both standards, and should be labelled accordingly.

There are a few general principles for helmets; the big one is that the shiny plastic isn't what keeps your head safe. What keeps your head safe is the foam inside the helmet, which compresses on impact to cushion your skull against impact; the shiny plastic just keeps the foam in place, and looks pretty. Logically, the more foam is inside the helmet, the safer your skull+brain will be. Skateboard helmets like the Pro-Tec are safer than bike helmets, because they have fewer and smaller air vents - so there's more foam up against your head.

The rating system for bike helmets requires the helmet to protect the head for one crash only; once you've crashed in a bike helmet, you're supposed to throw it away - no matter what it looks like, or how much you paid for it. After all, if the foam has been compressed and is now stiffened, in the next crash you'll bounce your brain off the now-hardened foam...bad for you.

What's the continued use of your brain worth to you?

Skateboard helmets, OTOH, are rated for multiple crashes, because...well, think of what happens when you ride a skateboard. Skateboaders fall down a lot.

Skateboard helmets are inexpensive, which is nice; even high-grade models like the Pro-Tec Classic are readily available for under $30. So what's the downside of these helmets? Why would anyone in their right mind pay over $100 for fancy helmets, when a more protective helmet is available for $30?

The big issue is that skateboard helmets are steamy HOT. There's little ventilation on them - good for protection, bad for radiating heat. I have a Pro-Tec Ace Freeestyle SXP, which I still use as a city helmet (and at night, because I have a headlamp that straps to it pretty well). I rode it exclusively for a few years, until I started doing a lot of road riding; I found that I'd get really overheated in that helmet.

Snazzier bike helmets are only good for one crash, but they have a lot more ventilation. I use a Giro Pneumo for road stuff to keep from croaking of heat prostration. Giro has apparently just discontinued the Pneumo, which was their high-end road helmet until about three years ago. That's a shame for me, because the models that replaced it at the high end of Giro's road line (first the Atmos, then the Ionos) don't fit right on my head.

It's absolutely essential that the helmet fit correctly. Go to your LBS and try out a bunch of helmets; you'll find that different models by the same manufacturer don't fit the same. For the most part, all models made by prominent manufacturers such as Bell, Giro, Louis Garceau, Cratoni or Rudy Project will keep you equally safe; the price difference within a manufacturer's range reflect design and weight, not safety. If a $40 Giro helmet fits you better than a $100 helmet, get the $40 helmet.

I strongly recommend reading up at the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute's website to prep you for helmet shopping. They're very straightforward folks, with sensible ideas about how helmets should work.

i was in a bind and could only afford the $50 Specialized Echelon after an accident (more important to get the bike up and running than having a dope helmet) BUT I fucking love this thing. It's light enough, plenty of airflow and looks nearly identical to the S-Works thats nearly $200 more: http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=40384&menuItemId=0&eid=0

+1 on the Giro Pneumo. Liked 'em so much I bought three and have been working my way through my supply. "Old" is only an issue if you've knocked them around, I think (or hope). So far so good!

+1 to protec ace not the most aero but hey if im going somewhere with a lot of traffic i have faith it will take the blow instead of my skull

I've cracked two (!) Trek Sonics in the last year. They replaced them with well-wishes both times. I can't recommend them highly enough.

Plus, the helmet's comfortable and looks OK.

Looks, of course, have a lot to do with your head. Try some on and see what you can determine. Trek's been absolutely fantastic, though. Stellar customer service.

(Helmets, by the way, compress and crack on impact — it's what they're supposed to do. If you crash and you've got scuffs on your helmet, even if you don't see any cracks, ask the manufacturer for a replacement.)

Bern Unlimited - Watts

They look hot (temp not fashion) as a mofo. I have never seen anyone wear one in California.

I think bern is going a little to far with built in earmuffs. That helmet seems too hot even for cold weather. Also it looks like an english horsebackriding helmet. I could take my bell faction and line it with a fleece blanket. but then again, it looks like these helmets are made for more extreme (winter) sports than cycling of all sorts.

I have some mid range giro helmet back in chicago which has worked ok, but went with the least expensive bell faction for now because even though there is less ventilation, I didnt feel very protected by the giro even if it was on tight. I may have had the wrong size but thats how the LBS sold it to me. I just feel like when you flip over a car or get spun out of control or something like that, the helmet is gonna be dancing on your head. This skateboard helmet makes me head twice as big but I feel much more protected. i think it is an amazing inexpensive option.

Have you ridden with a bern to know that its too hot? I have not had a problem with mine and I have dreads. The fact that you can snap on ear warmers in the winter is great and its a multi sport helmet. Not seeing too many negatives here.

Posted By: lickedwickedAre there different helments for different styles of riding?

Posted By: lickedwickedI know most mountain bike helmets have this visor to block out the sun. Time trials have this warped holeless aerodynamic one.

There's your answer

I need a new helmet. I'm thinking Echelon. I feel like I need to get away from Giro. Their pads just don't hold together after seven years.

Helmet buddies?

Nice. Hey, so you're not interested in that stuff, right? I'm going to throw them on eBay at some point soon.

No worries, I just wanted to make sure we had an understanding. Honestly I would just give you the stuff under normal circumstances, but money is tight and I need to sell what I can. Anyway, take pictures!!

The Specialized Echelon seems the popular pick for low cost/high value.

I got one of my motorcycle friends to give me an old Arthur Fulmer helmet. Are old school motorcycle helmets from the 60's/70's a little too ridiculous? It kind of looks like I'm wearing my Bern Baker. I feel safer for some reason.

BTW. Bern helmets get a little hot here in San Diego.

bern watts. i cant wear helmets if im not comfortable with how they look- its simple, looks great and does the job