Several friends (mostly hardcore roadies, and one casual rider) have the POC Octal and Ventral, and one has a POC mountain bike helmet. No problems or complaints. I've had the Omne Air Spin for a year, no problems other than my own for buying a size slightly too large. I'd buy another Omne Air Spin because it's so comfortable in hot weather, but I'd get the medium.

They are kinda bulbous or mushroom-head looking, so be sure the style suits you. The EPS foam is thicker than most other helmets, and the polycarbonate shell may be a bit thicker too, so they run a little heavier than some helmets. But most folks love the ventilation.

I'm considering an Abus, which also fits lower on the skull, especially the sides and rear, but more tapered so it appears less bulbous.

After seeing a pretty horrific crash at 20+ mph last year I won't ride without a helmet now. The guy's front tire nicked a raised ledge of pavement in the middle of what appeared to be a smooth road, smacked the right side of his head hard, then slid several feet and hit head first into a curb.

I know some folks think they have fast enough reflexes or can roll with the fall or some such thing, but... nah. Most of us fall like a sack of potatoes and smack our heads on the pavement. We aren't highly trained, zero body fat pros, and even those guys don't duck, cover, roll and pop up like ninjas when they crash. When I was hit by a car a couple of years ago it was fairly slow speed (driver ignored the yellow yield light and turned left into me while I had the green), maybe 10-15 mph, and as I fell I remember consciously trying to roll with the fall and keep my head up. Nope. The side of my helmet smacked the pavement and my shoulder was broken and dislocated. All my boxing and martial arts judo, karate and wrestling training years ago meant zippo when it came to a 60 year old man vs car and pavement.