rkokish

My comfortable but poorly ventilated helmet is over 5 years old and the industry says replace. Any science based comments on that? (As opposed to personal belief based assertions that it's all hype.)

And if I do replace, any suggestions for one for a hundred or less that has BIG vents?

bobones

The Specialized Echelon is a decent helmet for the price: it's reasonably light, comfortable and well ventilated. It has brow vents which help wick sweat before it gets to your eyes. All Specialized helmets are also Snell certified, which is a higher test standard than the mandatory ones. If you want to pay more, the Specialized S3, Propero II and S-Works are better. See the Specialized website for more details.

BarracksSi

No. That's why you stop wearing the helmet before you go to your office.

John_V 

I replaced my Specialized helmet with a Giro Indicator about a month or so ago. The Giro is more of an MTB helmet than a road helmet but it was only $40.00 and surprisingly, it ventilates much better than the Specialized ($90.00) helmet that it replaced. It's also a few grams lighter, but I really don't care about that. It meets the same safety standards as the other helmets do, so for the price, it's a great deal. If you are type of person that has to have a road helmet because you are on a road bike, try looking at some of the Giro/Bell road helmets. From some of the articles I have read, they seem to ventilate somewhat better than most other helmets.

dwatson

I normally replace my helmet every 2 years. I would rather safe than sorry.
Check these out, https://www.mikesbike.com/pages/helmet.html I order the 2011 Specialized PROPERO Helmet from them. You have to call to order, but had great service and fast shipping.

adclark

The Trek Sonic was less than $100 when I bought it and has a nice amount of venting.

Beau210

I used to have a cheap Bell model and quickly got frustrated with how much sweat ran into my eyes and how hot my head got. I bought the Orbea Odin a few months ago and I will never go back. Huge vents, looks great, comfortable as hell, and looks good. It made a big difference in the enjoyment of my ride. However it did set me back $200 so I guess depending on how much you wanna spend it may be worth it to you.

urbanknight

I know a cycling engineer who believes in the 5 year breakdown of helmet material, but it could just be his justification to buy a new helmet every 5 years.

I second the Specialized Echelon. The Bell Alchera is also a great bang for the buck. Not the best ventilated of all helmets, but better than any other helmet around $50 that I've seen. Also, if you can stretch your budget a bit, The LG Quartz is very well ventilated and often goes on sale for $115 to $125.

topflightpro

Competitive Cyclist has been putting the Giro ProLight and Ionos on sale lately for $100 and $120 respectively. Venting on the Ionos is pretty good.