Originally Posted by grayEZrider

For the fifty years of both biking and motorcycling I've survived more crashes than I can remember (possible loss of memory due to crashes?? LOL) by remembering the simple rule:
If you've got a $5 head buy a $5 helmet. That said, anything past the basic protection should cover as much as you're comfortable with based on ventilation needs (do you ride in really cold weather?) Giro makes a couple of MIPS models for less than $50 and I like them for all-round temp use, although they aren't a "racy" style.