Originally Posted by
closetbiker
but they still meet the standards don't they?
There are more than just basic standards to look at when buying a helmet. I like mine to have an on the fly adjustable fit, good ventilation, and a good chin strap, and I'll pay more than $5 for those features as I use my helmet almost every day. The below is from the website you linked to.
And that is about as close as we can come for a very basic helmet. If you add things like rear stabilizers, better strap fittings that don't slip, reflective trim, sexy graphics or visors, the cost goes up. Those sell at Wal-Mart for about $25, indicating that the store gets a bigger markup when you get out of the basic helmets. If you want to mold the EPS in the shell to allow opening up larger vents, the shell has to be more expensive polycarbonate, since PET will melt in the mold, and those retail for $25 to $35 and up. If you have to add internal reinforcing in the foam to open up extreme vents, that adds a lot more in design, testing and manufacturing cost
http://bhsi.org/helmcost.htm