Need a Helmet Recommendation Non Mushroom Please
 

I'd like a good looking helmet that is firm fitting and doesn't look goofy. Obviously light and good ventilation would be great. Is $150 or less possible? MIPS would be preferable I guess. I got a Giro Aegilis but quite frankly, it doesn't feel much lighter or look much diff than my 2011 specialized helmet. So I'm sending it back. I feel like I really should get a new helmet to replace the 13 year old one that I got used.

So any suggestions?

My head loves the Lazer helmets. I have a Z1 that is going to be replaced soon (though it has been replaced but with a temporary helmet till I can get a new one)

I did have a Giro Synthe back in the day but I got a size M and should have gotten the L but they day I tried it on and the subsequent days the M fit fine but I realized I was going to want stuff for winter and that was just a little bit too small.

You needed to replace that old helmet 13 years ago. Please don't buy used helmets you have no idea what happened in that helmet and may never know and the seller probably won't give you the truth or the full truth. They could have crashed or could be a heavy sweater or both or it was stored poorly so many different factors and reasons to never buy a used helmet. It is safety equipment and beyond some really expensive testing that isn't worth it you will never know what happened and if you need to use your helmet and it was previously compromised it could be a bad day. Luckily it sounds like you haven't needed to use it at all and was just a fun head decoration which is what we all hope for in our helmets. Crashing sucks.

I agree. I am yoo old to be that reckless.

I just ordered the Giro Syntax and Giro Aether so I'll have three to compare. I'll order a Lazer on your recommendation. What is it about Lazer that you like so much? The fit? Weight? Ventilation?

Which Lazer Z1?

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...de19578ca4.png

I never worried about how I looked while wearing a cycling helmet. If I did, my original Bell Biker would never have made the cut. It was so large that I didn't have to worry about sunscreen for my face and as a bonus, it was useful whenever I passed a place that offered all you can eat salad bars
Have been wearing a cycling helmet since my son was born in 1976

Don't just order helmets try them on and then buy them in the store.

In terms of Lazer none of those. I have no idea if actual Lazer or not and I would doubt they are authorized dealers and I would also doubt if the helmet was new undamaged. Given what you describe they could easily send someone a helmet they crash it and put it back in the box a week later and the Billionaires take it right back and re-sell it with no fox given.

Buy a helmet from an authorized retailer because if you do crash they have a Crash Replacement Program.

This is the new version of the helmet:
https://lazersport.us/products/z1kineticore
I have an older version. It was very very lightweight and comfortable and felt well ventilated. It was an easy helmet to wear and well worth the amount it cost even though it is high (though it looks like it came down slightly) There were plenty of times I had to put my hand on my helmet to verify I was wearing it because I just forgot I had it on it was so comfortable.

That's easy nutcase helmets :thumb:

Man, those brains squished on the road sure look stupid!

So not this:

You seem like the kind of guy who would buy one of those. Glad you like them! Do you have the one with the flowers on them?

Oh lord they sell those stupid 3 wheel "scooters'. Kids are so over protected these days. We can't have little Jimmy or Petunia having to learn balance now, can we, they might fall and oh no they will learn from it! We need to bubble wrap them twice.

Sorry I hadn't been to the Nutcase site in a while and got "triggered" as the kids say. The first time I saw one of those three wheeled nightmares I lost it. I had a two wheel scooter and survived just fine. I probably fell and probably scraped my knees up hell I tied a red wagon to the back of my BMX bike and had to be the first passenger and crashed and chipped a tooth but I am still alive with 97.65% of my braincells left. Granted I did wear a helmet. I did like some of the nutcase designs though but I don't love that style of helmet.

Yep OP pitched that one slow and down the middle! :roflmao:

Helmets
 

I have a Bell bicycle helmet I bought at Academy Sports a few years ago. I needed a helmet and it was fairly cheap.
It was 87* here today and there isn’t much airflow with this helmet. It is ventilated.
What are some reasonably priced helmets with good ventilation, or are they all about the same?
I did a very quick search and saw a Specialized Chamonix 2 for about $35. I have no idea if it’s good or not but it has large vents.

You just have to ride faster!

I use a Specialized Align and I've never felt overly warm even on 90* days. It's a comfortable, affordable helmet, and it's got MIPS which I'm still out of the loop enough to assume is the height of safety features.

It's only partly about how big the air vents are. Good design counts for just as much. Continue your research and talk to people who've worn them. (I wish I could point you to a website that shows such research. Maybe another poster can.)

I recommend going to bike shops and trying on different helmets and talking to the shop staff.

Buy the helmet that fits and works for you, no matter the cost. The added enjoyment you gain on the bicycle will more than make up for the money.

Giro and Bell do have some models that have decent airflow and for inexpensive helmets they have some highly rated in the crash tests. And it was a Giro interceptor that saved me in my one and only trip to the ER.

Everyone else is about the same with some that don't have much ventilation and many that do have a lot of ventilation. You just have to look and imagine how the air flows through them. Poc might be the one that impressed me as not having a lot of ventilation for such well speaking reviews. But perhaps the shop I was at only had those that didn't have much ventilation. I don't think I've ever looked on Poc's site.

The one I have doesn’t have large openings.

But they have 19 different road bike/gravel helmets on their site. Of which 3 or 4 look pretty decent for airflow. And they don't show them on the first page. Though those were pricier and you might can do better with others, even Specialized.

I'm usually up in the $250 to $350 dollar price range since my crash. But still, like I said, Giro and Bell have some high scoring helmets for crash protection that are below $100. Or were.

My big gripe on Bell is the emblem on the front will make me feel like Teal'c from Stargate SG-1.

I just looked at mine. It’s a Bell Passage.
The foam seems like it prevents air flowing through it but maybe they all do.

Up until recently my experience was that there wasn't much difference between helmets in terms of ventilation. Then I found the Kask Protone Icon. Noticeably cooler. Huge vents all over. It is so much better than my previous helmets that I find I need something on my head in cooler weather to keep from getting chilled. Looking forward to a much more comfortable summer riding season. Unfortunatley it is not an inexpensive helmet.

As others have said, it's best to try helmets on. There are different shaped helmets for different shaped heads. As an example, every bontrager helmet I've tried on was horribly uncomfortable. It's not that they are bad, they are just not shaped for my noggin.

And if you don't mind odd colors, you can often find super discounts on helmets that didn't sell.

From reading I really want a helmet with MIPS.

Cannot be emphasized enough. Unless you are buying a brand that you know fits YOUR head shape well, it’s best to try out different helmets. If I only had a dollar for every poor fitting helmet I’ve seen people wearing….And don’t get me started on the number of people I have seen wearing them backwards. IMO, it’s not worth the effort cheaping out by buying on the Internets fit untried.

It sounds like SCUBA dive masks. You pick one that fits.

I have a POC MTB helmet with small holes. It is surprisingly comfortable in hot weather.

Edit: Yup, like scuba masks or for me, swim goggles.

And I'm the example for that. The Bontrager helmets with the wave cell back in 2020 fit my head the best of any I tried on. I just didn't believe that I'd get decent ventilation with it so I passed it up for a S-works Prevail II which didn't fit quite as well, but seems to have excellent air flow. But I think S-works has another out that is even better now for airflow. But can't remember the name.

Though it might be that if the OP is lacking hair on top like me, then a dew rag of some sort under the helmet will also help to soak up sweat to make more evaporative cooling in the breeze. Not sure if that works as well for those blessed with a full head of hair. I do feel hotter on the head when I forget mine. Currently still using Sweat-Vac.