I am wondering if, when Saul Raisin went down in that high speed wreck and was in an induced coma, with his parents at his bedside hoping, praying....then transporting him home to hopefully recover, praying that he would have enough brain function to live a hopefully normal life...now I am reading about his making a comeback to the pro peloton...

Would we be reading that if he was wearing a $30 sport helmet?

Sheesh...

Look at it another way....the more expensive helmet (the structure on the OUTSIDE of the helmet and the back is nothing close to what it is on the $30 or even $50 helmet) is like the one worn by the Indy car driver...the $50ish helmet like the one worn by someone on a motorcycle. The less expensive helmet will protect you, but not as much, especially if you go down at a higher speed. A motorcycle helmet, while very good would not do so well at 200+mph...

Recreational riders...you can go cheaper. But with all that unprotected polystyrene at the back of the helmet, no way if I am riding at 20-25mph on average. Or racing. I want the polystyrene to crush, not smash. The additional strength of the outside of the helmet assists, in higher speed accidents, to prevent the inside of the helmet to break apart, and only crush. And that's a big reason why Raisin might make a comeback to pro cycling.

Look at the less expensive helmets and look how the top plastic layer is laid on top, versus a Sweep, Atmos, Ghisallo, or Pneumo. Then compare how the sides and back of the helmet are put together.