I received my new Bell Metro with the full accessory kit today from the Discovery Channel Store.

I love the helmet. It fits me better than any bicycle helmet I have ever had, and feels solid. I like the subdued look too (titanium color). The winter kit works very well and is very warm.

The mirror is useless.. it vibrates, it's too small, and the optical quality is really bad. I normally use a Take-A-Look eyeglass mounted mirror, and there is no comparison in quality. The mirror needs a serious redesign, and I won't be using it.

The rain cover... terrible. My helmet is a size large, and so is the rain cover. But one of the snaps in the front simply will not snap to the helmet, and one of the ones in the rear pulled out of the fabric the very first time I tried (and failed) to mount it. I will likely use my J&G Cyclewear waterproof / breathable yellow cover instead.

Although I love the helmet, I really feel ripped off by the rain cover and mirror.

My advice would be to buy the Bell Citi instead. I would have, but the Citi is a universal size and won't universal up big enough to fit my fat head. The large Metro fits great.

Oh, it also came with a Blackburn Mars 3.0 blinky, which seems like a decent blinky. One cool thing about it, it has amber LEDs on the sides.

I run the same helmet. The mirror takes some dickering to get right, but alas, is flawed. The cover seems fussy in that they use plastic snaps which require a precise hand to mount. The Mars blinkie was a nice touch. I added it to my left seatstay and use the Perfomance super-blinkie up top instead. Great product, though. WTH they don't have any reflective bits or a Hi-Viz rain cover are beyond me, though. It IS a city/commuter helmet.

Bell Metro here also...

I have no complaints.

Everything fits well. XL

GREAT WINTER HELMET

I use a metro for bad weather (doesn't vent as well as regular road helmet, so if it's hot I use a different helmet) it is great. The insert that pluggs the vent holes is excelent in winter. The rain cover works great but is a giant pain to install (very tight and the snaps stink). The mirror is a joke (tossed it after one ride) and so are the ear muffs (head band or scull cap are better). All in all, I like the helmet a lot for certain situations.

I was hunting around for a Metro a few weeks ago and only REI had it locally. When I got over there I was disappointed at the high price without any of the additional add-ons. I would have tried a Citi because I like the shape and simple styling but they didn't carry that model. There was another mid-range Bell on sale for half the price of the Metro, so that's what I got. I can't imagine that the Metro is any safer and the add-ons seemed gimmicky to me. I hope they continue to produce a range of similarly low-key commuter helmets without the extra stuff.

That's funny... when I visited a local REI, they had the Citi but not the Metro.

I have a Giro high-end road helmet too that is pretty much more vents than helmet, so I will wear that one on really hot days. But for the next few months, the Metro will be my daily headgear.

I also have the Metro and it the best of the bunch but it is amazing how much room there is for improvement with it- (e.g. low visibility colours for commuting- what genius though of that?)

is there no helmet manufacturing company that can get their act together and produce something really good??? please there must be some helmet manufacturers out there reading this.

I wonder about spray painting it with ANSI lime or ANSI orange spray paint?

The sales guy said "we've got it in titanium or black." I like the titanium/grey color, but black!?! Why market a black commuter helmet. I agree with you guys, paint it hunting orange or hi-vis green with reflective strips.

A few minutes later, I overheard a couple looking at a vest say "who would buy something with that obnoxious neon green color?" Looks like safety to me, I said.

Commuters have different priorities than Lance wannabes.

Does the phrase "Lance Wannabe" refer to someone who wants to retire a millionare in their thirties and marry a hot rock babe? If so, I think I'm one.

I got the Citi and love it. I already had a mirror and good headwear, so I didn't nead the cover or the cold weather cap. The only thing I would like is a place to put a blinkie on the helmet. Sometimes, I hang a Cateye dangling blinkie from the rear strap.

Generally, I think most commuters are better off picking the accessories that work best for them, which may or may not be the ones specifically designed to fit the Metro.

I couldn't agree more.

I have the yellow Citi. Like others have mentioned, the visibility angle had a lot to do with the selection of the color. But I also like the simple rounded styling the commuter helmets offer.

Now I get it. I have been waiting for the 06 metro, fully-loaded, to come into the stores. My local bike store told me that production was delayed because they were not happy with the flip mirror. I called Bell and the customer service person told me it would be out sometime after January 1, 06. Hopefully, the flip mirror design will be an improvement from before. The fully loaded model will only be in titanium. The helmet is supposed to be the same design, only about an ounce lighter. Don't know about any differences in the rain shield.

Bell customer service never responded to my message about my dissatisfaction with the accessories. If I'd known then what I know now I would have just bought the basic helmet with none of the crappy accessories.

You dissing my giro pneumo and E2???

Nope, and I don't understand why you'd think I am.

Cause I'm a commuter and I'm not a lance wannabe.
But as you can see from my name brand helmets, I am not poor.
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/33490

slvoid,
I don't see how "lance wannabe" could be seen as a dis. "hitler wannabe" or "stalin wannabe" now thats' a dis, but lance seems like a pretty decent chap, so where's the dis?

:roflmao:

I got the 06 Metro but without the extra crap.
And i got it in the flat back. But i will add some refective strips to it. The best of both worlds.

It takes a special kind of bike commuter to wear neon green helmets coated in reflective tape, blinking lights and mirrors. Having only gaudy multi-coloured bike cloting will turn too many people off from the idea of riding a bicycle to work. I don't care about safety.

Are you going to have that engraved on your headstone?

I gave away my Pnuemo to the GF's 14 yr old in favor of a Bell Citi. But then again, I ain't as pretty as you. :p