Originally Posted by
zymphad
That would be the next step. Bell Stratus seems nice. But certainly open to others. Just curious for those who spent $400 on their boutique helmet, what is so special. They aren't particularly light and as poster above noticed, not the best ventilated. Seems to be vanity so far.
I had a $50 Bell Volt for the first 2-3 years I got into road bikes. No issues with it, never felt especially hot, really didn't think about it any more/less than the Giro Atmos I have now which was more than twice as expensive as the Bell when I purchased it a couple years ago. Really, I just wanted a black helmet rather than white.
I tend to agree that aesthetics/vanity play the largest role in helmet choice. It did for me. If you really think a Ballista or Air Attack looks cool and have extra $$$, why not? 99.9% of the people who buy them don't ever "need" the aero advantage they offer.
The MIPS thing is open to debate, but they do sell MIPS helmets for under $100.