Commuter Helmets
 

What do you look in a helmet for commuter biking?

Something easy to adjust, that fits well, and is comfortable to wear in all seasons.

Something that will hold front/rear to-be-seen lights. These are more visible to vehicles than most bike mounted lights, since vehicles can block the view of the bike while the rider's head is still visible.

I have front/rear to-be-seen lights on my Bell Solar. I've been considering an old style multi-sport helmet with fewer vents for cold weather and rain, but want to be sure it'll support attachments for lights.

That's about it. I'd just add that more vents are better for warm weather. Oh, and I have had poor luck buying without trying them on.

The same I look for in a helmet for all other kinds of riding I do...something fairly light, well ventilated, easily adjustable and won't break the bank. Then again, I only have the 1 helmet and haven't helmet shopped in 3 or 4 years.

I don't look for anything commuting-specific in a helmet. Right now I'm using a Specialized S3. It's basically the same helmet as the S-Works from a few years ago, but much cheaper. Light, well ventilated, easy to adjust, not crazy expensive. It hits all the right buttons for me.

Functional yet fun. Practical. I had settled on a ww1 coal scuttle helmet with a spike on top until i had attracted unwanted attention and neck pain...

i agree with [MENTION=90453]tjspiel[/MENTION] "Something easy to adjust, that fits well, and is comfortable to wear in all seasons." I have two helmets. one is my winter helmet (six six 1 dirt lid and one is a regular Bell ALchero) one.
I would like to mount a light on one of them but I am not sure which one. afraid to clog limited holes of dirt lid and don't really have a good fit on the Bell. I love the adjustability of the Bell. I miss that quick dial to tighten things down if need be.

I'm not picky about helmets. I'll wear whatever is comfortable and reasonably priced.

I bought myself a ski helmet this winter for warmth. It was $90, which, for me, is a lot for a helmet. I find it was quite worthwhile, as it made a huge difference to my comfort in cold weather.

For cold, I'll usually wear a hat or balaclava or something underneath. I like having the vents because I use a helmet mounted light in the darker/colder months.

Vents, vents, vents! And a way to mount lights and a camera, which usually ends up being a vent.

The more ventilation, the merrier my summer commute. Also, a visor for my Take-a-look mirror to cling to and good mount points for my helmet lights.

1. Comfortable on my head
2. The more airflow the better
3. If I'm planning on riding when there's rain, I prefer Specialized Helmets, because they have a big port in the front of the helmet. I can wear a rain cover on the helmet but tuck the front into the port and keep the back up a bit, which leaves a lot more air flowing over my head while riding. My head gets a little wet that way, but when it's kinda warm it gets way less wet than the other two options - no helmet cover is obviously very wet, but a helmet cover with no airflow also gets my head soaked from sweat.

#3 is not important if you're not planning on riding in the rain though.

+1

They are light, fit well and are well ventilated. I use an S-Works Prevail. Great in summer....cooler than without it. Showers Pass helmet cover below 60 degrees and easy to adjust for ear warmers, skull cap or combo for colder temps.

Yeah, they're great helmets!...though I would add "if they fit your head shape". That's the #1 priority for comfort.

Mine is a hand-me-down from my dad. he added a light on the back, but I'm thinking it doesn't quite fit me right, even when I adjust the crank dealy in the back.

I'm thinking of picking up another one I can modify a bit. I have a history of melanoma, so I have to stay OUT of the sun. This is very difficult when you commute by bike. I have a face shield I wear, but I want to remove it from the headband and attach it to my helmet so I only have to wear one piece of headgear.

I want to get it so that I can flip it up when I come home at night, and flip it down for my afternoon commute to work.

Another way to make helmets far warmer. Get a cover. Segoi makes a good one. Great in hard rains as well as cold.

Ben

For really cold weather, snowboard helmets keep the head very warm. Unfortunately we don't have a lot of weather that cold, and, while in theory non-vented helmets would be great for the rain, they aren't practical for warm weather.

Lately I've been using an older Bell Surge TF19x.

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It comes with two small rear flashing lights. They use tiny button batteries that last a few weeks. I'll use one side for a while, or both, then replace the battery, and wear down the other side. The lights are pretty low profile. The helmet suspension parts are all elastic (no adjustment), with the typical over ears strap.

I've added the headlamp recently. It chews through the rechargeable AAA batteries pretty quickly.

Maybe I should consider a super-expensive helmet sometime, but this works well for me now.

Oh, I thought the visor got in the way of the top of my forward vision view, so it came off.

That would interfere with my helmet light. It doesn't get overly cold in SC. But if someone is looking for a way and doesn't have a helmet mounted light, that is a great way to stay a bit warmer. For me, my ears and nose are goi bf to be cold, so I'm wearing a hat or balaclava anyhow

One fitted with the EVT safe zone mirror EVT | Safe Zone Mirror and a Light if you want.

Wont be able to fit a rain cover on the helmet though.

MIPS compliant.

I've never been fussed one way or the other on venting. I will ride a helmet with almost no vents when it's 100*F out, or one with vents all open when it's -10*F.

I just ordered a new helmet, a Lazer Blade, that has the option for a hard snap-on cover that makes it water proof and (I'm told) much warmer. Also makes it more aero, although that's not a huge consideration here.