Up until now I've never used a helmet (I know, I know). I finally upgraded from a cruiser bike to an actual bike and thus find myself more on the roads and moving a lot faster, and I definitely feel the need for a helmet.

Right now I'm looking at the Bern Allston and Sutton MIPS, was wondering if anyone uses these helmets or have any other recommendations for a nice-looking, safe, lightweight helmet that's comfortable for long rides (up to 8hrs on my trekking days).


Thanks <33

Helmets can and will protect you from impact of less than 20 mph falling from a height of less than a meter.

Any impact with higher speed or from a greater height and the helmet, no matter how expensive, won't make any difference.

Doesn't mean you shouldn't wear a helmet, just don't let the fact you have one make you take any risks you wouldn't take if you were bare headed.

There is some data saying that drivers give helmetless riders more space and slow down more passing you.

So, you helmet choice comes down to fit, comfort, ventilation and styling, in that order (my opinion only)

The Bern helmets are stylish and comfortable but not terribly well ventilated.

Catlike helmets are extremely well ventilated bu extremely ugly (again, my opinion only).

The helmet that you wear because it's comfortable and you think it makes you look good is the helmet to get.

Just don't expect that if you are clocked by a car going 40 or ride off a cliff edge that any helmet made is going to help even a little.

Having said that, all three of my crashes in the past 10 years or so have been exactly what helmets are known to be good at, low speed and no cars involved, and I am quite certain my helmets have saved me at the very least hospital admission and CT scanning... I was able to get up and walk away all three times thanks to the helmets. Had impressive road rash, of course, and in two of the impacts the helmets were visibly damaged.

I believe all helmets sold in the US comply with the same standards, so they are of equal safety. Fit and comfort vary by individual, so your best bet is to try them on in the store to make your choice. Buy from the store where you try them on. It is not nice to try them in the store and then order your choice online.

All helmets sold in the US have to comply with decades-old CPSC standards but there are higher standards out there (European I think) which not all the helmets comply with.

I wanted to try them on first but the nearby LBS have very limited selections and nothing that I particularly care for. The next time I'd have the time to go into the city where the selection is practically unlimited wont be for two weeks, so was hoping to buy a helmet and have it here in 2 days. I /guess/ I could order one now and return it after trying some on at the other shops.

Still though, any recommendations? What do you guys use?

Also, some new helmets use the MIPS technology (or similar) which can reduce concussion from the helmet being spun around; common in bike crashes but not addressed at all by CPSC.

Originally Posted by noglider
I believe all helmets sold in the US comply with the same standards, so they are of equal safety. Fit and comfort vary by individual, so your best bet is to try them on in the store to make your choice. Buy from the store where you try them on. It is not nice to try them in the store and then order your choice online.

To say "all the helmets sold in the US comply to the same standards, so they are of equal safety" does not take MIPS into account. The helmets sold here will all protect you to the CPSC level, but those that do not incorporate MIPS may well leave you with a concussion that could have been avoided with MIPS. (I escaped one such concussion with a standard CPSC helmet before I learned of MIPS. My chinstrap was loose. The helmet spun, nearly taking my ear off. When I learned of the MIPS foam helmets designed to do that same slip, I was sold.)

Ben

I have a Bern Brentwood - this exactly color combo in fact - probably loud enough colors to scorch somebody's eyeballs in the daytime, which is fine as long motorists notice me as a result:
Bern Brentwood - Men - Bike Helmets Unlimited

I tried other Bern models but the fit on some of them were too narrow to be comfortable. You'll definitely want to try Berns in a shop before buying. Most racing style helmets seem to fit my head just fine, btw, with the usual adjustments (chin strap and dial).

I was actually looking at some Nutcase helmets first, before the bike shop guy steered me to the Bern, as he felt they offered slightly better ventilation, which I came to appreciate when I cycled on 90 degree days! I also like the flexibility of being able to swap in a cold-weather liner, complete with ear covers, for the colder seasons.

Seems like few urban-style helmets have dial adjusters like the racing style - Bern helmets are among the few.

BTW, I learned and attempted to learn how to ride a bike on some hot days (comparable to the 90 degree day on which I rode 23 miles up and down Mt. Vernon Trail) wearing racing style helmets - they don't stop you from sweating or otherwise feeling some misery from the heat.

For me, the more ventilation the better. My current helmets are the Specialized Prevail and the Giro Atmos. I can recommend them both.

I stand corrected and am grateful for that.

So if I were to fall to the ground from a seated position while moving 4mph and my head hits the ground, a helmet makes no difference since I sit more than a meter from the ground?

Sorry, I don't buy it.

Yeah, it's BS.

Giro and Bell both have an extensive set of MIPS helmets at decent prices. The Bern and Sutton both will have horrible ventilation for hot riding, something like the Feature or Savant will be better. Personally, I have a Bell Super 2 MIPS, excellent fit, good ventilation (actually better than my prior road helmets), but it is a very bulky helmet. The Event or Stoker are probably a little lower profile.

With the scenario you describe, I'm sure it would still help.

The point of the statement is simply to raise awareness that at high speeds, 25-30 mph, there is no helmet that will prevent serious head injury.

I didn't notice much of a difference in hot weather riding between my Bern (different models have different numbers of vents, different vent placement, etc.) and the racing style helmets like the Giro or Feature.

When it's 90 degrees and humid you're going to sweat no matter what helmet you wear.

Really? My Specialized S-Works did. Crashed going 32mph in a sprint (yes, I'm more of a kilo guy). Bike destroyed, kit destroyed, helmet destroyed. But I walked away and can still recite the alphabet.

You should try a Catlike... the big and numerous ventilation tubes can be so noisy at speed that it sounds to you like you are wearing a hair dryer!

Truly glad to hear that, and would not dispute that wearing a helmet helped you immensely.

I'm just trying to not encourage people to think that wearing a helmet will guarantee they will be able to recite the alphabet after a crash like that, not to claim that it would never happen.

I understand your warning but I'm aware that a helmet isn't a one-all be-all safety device. If it was I'd wear a helmet all day everyday. It also definitely wont make me ride any "sloppier" due to me feeling indestructible or what not - not going to risk the damage to this expensive brain (college tuition, am I right?) nor will I risk damage to my expensive bike haha.

I probably would have liked this Catlike model if that commuter bike shop that sold me my helmet carried it - or at least it would have increased my shopping time, trying to decide between it and the Bern Brentwood:

https://www.catlike.es/us/en/helmets/city/360-/

I prefer the urban/city style helmet to the racer style helmet. I'm haven't gone faster than 14mph on my bike - I don't think i go fast enough to benefit from the extra ventilation of racing helmets. So at my less-than-high velocity cycling speed there's no difference between my Bern or that Catlike 360 and a racing helmet.

Better ventilation matters MORE the slower you go. Otherwise you aren't going to get much or any airflow through there.

Since I'm slow, I'm good then.

You should not be making statements that are your beliefs, rather than based on facts and data.

I do agree that the faster you are going, the risks are greater. Just like in a car. The stronger impact has the potential to do more damage.

True. I crashed at 35 mph (unexpected complete fork failure, suffered major head injury, lived, recovered and am here 35 years later. That was the original Bell Biker. No helmet. If I was "lucky" I might had gotten to live as a vegetable.

Ben

Sorry, my intention was not to cite facts without reference, but I am new to the forums and was not sure if external site links were allowed.

Here is the reference site for what I stated, though upon review I obviously "misremembered" the numbers, it is the average bicycle crash that is from a height of 1 meter at 10 mph, the actual standards tested to are 14 mph and 2 meter drops, 1.5 meters in Europe, according to the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute site:

Bicycle Helmets: What are their limits?

I'm also fortunate enough to live close enough to Aaron Goss' bike shop to have had him work on my bikes, and I admit his thought on helmets and helmet laws strongly influence my views:

Bicycle Helmets