fauxtoes

I got a helmet from the sports authority for about $15- if helmets have to conform to a safety standard, and it fits well (and is comfortable, well ventilated...), why would anyone spend over $100 on a helmet? Is there any other advantage besides the poseur element?

PedalStrike

Style and cooling.

Boudicca

The more you pay the less you get (or the more holes you get) and the cooler you feel. This is obviously much more useful in the summer than in the winter when a $15 helmet might be just fine. I upgraded a couple of years ago to a helmet with really huge ventilation holes and it's been worth every cent.

STEVO820

for lightness and aerodynamics. i had a cheap bell helmet for about a week it started falling apart on me so i upgraded to a giro and like it alot. i want to get another one now also the lone star! dont mess with texas

_Steve

johnny99

Cheapo helmets usually come in only one size and often do not fit well if your head is large or small. If you can get it to fit, it might work well for you.

More expensive helmets usually come in 3 or 4 sizes and have better support and adjustment systems so they are more comfortable when you're riding and more likely to stay on your head in a crash.

forum*rider

plus, you get the poser points.

blipzandstripz

I'm not trying to play the moralist, but even the most expensive helmet is pretty cheap compared to surgery and therapy.

I know it sounds preachy, but you get what you pay for and NOBODY goes out on a ride thinking that today is going to be the day they get doored. When it happens it's going to be so quick you barely see it coming and there's going to be no way out, and when it happens to me (i've been in minor ones, lucky so far...) I want to be wearing the best lid my money can buy.

ed073

the manufacturers will tell you it's becoz R&D is costly.

forum*rider

I know that. I wear a pretty expensive(IMO) helmet myself. Specialized M1 is what I'm using right now, for road biking anyway.

I was just saying that expensive helmets also get you bling points. Yes, must have more carbon...

operator

That's bull, next.

Sprocket Man

There is a big spread in helmet prices because manufacturers and retailers are aware that different market segments have different price thresholds. Some people out there are willing to pay over $100 bucks for a fancy helmet, so Giro, Bell, Specialized etc. provide those people with what they want. And there are those that won't spend over $30 for a helmet so manufacturers have something for them too. Essentially, a cheap helmet will protect your head just as well as an expensive helmet if they both fit right.

ed073

he he!!!

lol.......

Stubacca

Weight, ventilation, and fit mechanism. I spend what I need to spend for the most comfortable helmet I can find. Cheaper might protect as well, but I'll pay a few more bucks for comfort if I need to.

nitropowered

cause a Giro Atmos looks cool and you get the "Thats an Atmos right" at group rides

hi565

BLING BLING

womble

Sprocketman's got it bang on. It's mostly down to market segmentation and manufacturers having largely identical products that will nonetheless appeal to different price brackets. There's probably a small amount of additional manufacturing complexity making a helmet with lots of ventillation holes, but not a whole bunch. It's not like the strap systems are terribly complex or expensive to make either (no matter how fancy they are, the R&D amortization and manufacturing costs couldn't come to more than $5 per helmet for the harness).

I've tried helmets ranging from $10 to $120. Above the $25 mark, they all exhibit a similar level of comfort for me (I don't sweat much though so extra ventilation isn't a big deal).

pinky

If you want an idea of how cheap they are to produce, the prodeal price of a Bell Sweep is $35...compare that to retail

Thylacine

Your Atmos costs 150 bucks because that's how much it costs to pay Lance to ride with it. Welcome to the modern world of value-adding-through-marketing....where the goodies cost 15 bucks, and through the magic of marketing retails for 150.

Actually, you know, I really hate people who whinge about price. I mean, to work out the value of something, you just have to use the old noggin *waves hands*, do some homework, do the sums and hey presto - you can tell if something is 'worth it' or not....to you.

There's probably a 'sweet spot' with every line of consumer product where cost-value merge; above which 'improvement' becomes expedentially more expensive and prohibitive.

Sure, you could buy that 'sweet spot' product at every turn, but farrrrk, what a boring way to live a life.

AEsco48

The Specialized Decibel has a CF mini sub structures that allow it to be really strong and have lots of venting

stealthbiker

I find it ironic that Bell used to have (early '80's) a promotion that read - "If you have a $10 head, wear a $10 helmet" Now you can buy a Bell for much less than $10 (inflation adjusted). Mmmmm What are they saying about us?

80vette

The only diff I see between low and high end priced helments is cooling vents and weight. I live in FL and it is already 90+ degrees .... cooling makes a diff.

jennings780

I have a $15 bell that I use in the winter because it doesn't ventilate well so its warm. I have a $45 specialized that has a lot more holes and air channels when its warm.

RiPHRaPH

you can't put a price on comfort. bell alchera for me. not expensive, but comfortable. $44 from $88 @ performance.

plus, i consider $50 cheap insurance to protect my brain. i just cracked a bell alchera in two over the left temple. saved my life. just replaced it with the same model.

my58vw

Honestly I wear what ever our team sponsors will pay for (or part of). This year it is a green and white bell custom helmet, next year if it a giro then so be it.

Unless someone bought it for me I would never wear anything over my current giro @100 dollars. One crash and your 100 dollars goes bye bye!

jstream

I haven't looked at helmets for a few years, but I suspect some of the difference is in the safety standards that a given helmet conforms to. Not all helmets have to conform to all standards. For instance, in the motorcycle world, you can get a cheap helmet that conforms to the DOT standard, but can't stand up to a pebble thrown up from a car or bike in front of you, or a pricey helmet to a snell standard that will save your life. Perhaps bike helmets have the same kind of structure (standards wise)?