The first helmet I bought back in '87 was a Bell V1 Pro. I used it till it got replaced about 5 years ago with a descent Schwinn from Target (actualy molded in place, the later onces are not nearly as nice). The Schwinn certainly vents a bunch better. I am now looking for a newer helmet that gets me even more venting as my head gets plenty hot. As far as actual protection. Consumer Reports found that two Bell hemets (I think one wa around $40 the other $65) did the best job and that the most expensive ones though they passed the tests provided marginally less protection.

For more information regarding bike helmets see: http://www.helmets.org/

Happy riding,
André