Originally Posted by supcom
While there is nothing wrong with white or silver helmets, the color of the shell has no affect on the temperature within. The foam acts as a very effective insulator (hence the vent holes!) and effectively prevents any additional heat absorbed by darker colored shells to reach your head.
Well, maybe I will do a test. I have a navy blue helmet laying around somewhere. I could set it and a white helmet side by side in the sun, and measure the interior temperatures. One possible flaw in the "test" would be that, without my head inside the helmet, air actually might circulate through the air vents.
Of course, if the navy blue helmet melts, I will have to sue someone...it's the American thing to do.