https://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqP...jsp?spid=33631
$210

You're thinking of the decibel, which is 160. I like the s-works better, it's MUCH better vented in the front than the decibel.

In fact, it's the only thing that makes it worth the price for me. Everything I've had, from the pneumo to the sweep to the atmos, has been exactly like.. well pretty much the pneumo, I don't think the atmos and sweep have significantly improved over the pneumo in weight and venting, even the decibel isn't worth the price increase. Hands down the venting at the forehead is really a life saver when you're hammering away and all of a sudden gobs of sweat/salt/sunblock start dripping into your eyes.

.. it, i'm just gonna get a darth vader mask with a helmet cam to make a point to the people denouncing me for wanting a cool helmet

Who's denouncing you?

When I bought my bike back in Feb, some extras came with it. A Topeak Explorer rear rack, Topeak basket for the rack, small blinkie taillight & headlight, a near-new great working RavX floor pump w/built-in gauge & dual head- and a Giro Encinal helmet, that seems to fit me just fine. It's even blue & black, colormatches the bike well,if you care about that sort of thing(I don't ). But: *BOY*, does it look dorky! Like most bike helmets these days, it has that Woody Woodpecker/Pteranodon rear crest on it.

Looking around on the internet, I discovered that the Giro Encinal, was *not* a ~$10 WalMart cheapie as I first guessed, but a (probably pretty decent) helmet that sold for ~$40-$50, maybe even more at a bike shop. But *Wow*, it still looks dorky- as does every other bike helmet I've seen so far.

The closest things I've seen to not-completely-dorky-looking are those that look similar to a regular hard hat, say something like the Bell Citi. But even those look kinda dorky. Still, if I was gonna buy another bike helmet, a new 2008 model Bell Citi('08 to get the rear blinkie-light mounting strap) in dorky-looking bright "Safety Yellow", would probably be it. I used to wear a hard-hat years ago, & lots of people around here still wear hard hats- and yellow is a fairly popular color for 'em.

But you want a cool looking bike helmet? Well, I wish you luck!

these will always be my favorites:



also, on the topic of skate helmets: (via helmets.org)
Question: Is a Skateboard helmet ok for bicycle riding?

Answer: Maybe. If it is certified to the CPSC bicycle helmet standard it is probably fine. Most of the skateboard helmets do have good coverage in the rear. And most of them are very round and smooth, an ideal shape to make sure the helmet will not snag on anything during your crash. The typical skate helmet has fewer vents than bike helmets do, so they may be hotter in summer. And the liners in skate helmets tend to be on the thin side, so they usually do not provide extra protection beyond what is necessary to meet the impact standard.
The real problem for bicycle use is that there are other skate-style helmets not labeled for bicycling, and there is no legal requirement for those to meet any standard at all. Some may meet the much less severe ASTM standard for skateboard use. The difference is a drop height in the lab test of one meter for skateboard and two meters for bicycle. The skateboard standard tests with more than one impact in the same spot, unlike the bike standard. Some of them meet only a European whitewater standard, which seems a long way from skateboarding but lets them put a label in the helmet saying it meets something, and consumers don't know the difference. The ones we have seen used only the number for the standard, so you have no idea what it represents unless you have some numbers memorized.
Beginning in 2002 when we checked local discount retailers we found that all of their "skate" helmets were in fact bike helmets in the skate shape, certified to the CPSC bicycle helmet standard. Few were also certified to the ASTM F1492 skateboard standard. For better or worse, the manufacturers are testing the thesis that a helmet designed for a single impact can work for multi-impact skateboarding.
In late 2003, several manufacturers introduced helmets that they actually certified to both the CPSC bicycle helmet standard and the ASTM F-1492 skateboard standard. In this case, the helmet meets the performance requirements for either sport. That's ideal. We have a list of the ones we have found.
In short, check the stickers inside the helmet. If it does not have one saying it meets the CPSC bicycle helmet standard, it is not designed for the type of impacts you will encounter in bicycle riding. If it does not have one saying it meets the ASTM F-1492 standard, there is no guarantee that it can take the multiple impacts from skateboarding or radical skating on halfpipes and other places where falls are frequent.
And note that there is no US law that says a helmet being sold for skateboarding or roller skating has to meet any standard whatsoever. The manufacturers are mostly afraid of lawsuits if they don't meet a skateboard standard, but in fact they can sell anything at all as a skate helmet as long as they don't claim it is for bicycling. So look for the ASTM F1492 sticker inside the helmet if it is a "skate" helmet in addition to any CPSC sticker it may have.
You can also check our page on manufacturers with dual-certified skate helmets advertised as meeting the CPSC standard. And see our page on helmets for the current season for more.
Note that inline skating helmets (as opposed to skateboard or trick skating) are bicycle helmets. For example the ASTM standard is for helmets for bicycling or inline skating. You do not need a separate helmet for inline skating. It should have a CPSC bicycle helmet standard sticker inside. The comments above apply to skateboarding, or to trick skating where falls are constant.

IF you are going to get a Pro-Tec, make sure it is a SXP model. Those are the only models that are CPSC and ASTFM 1492 certified.

maybe this ...

https://https://www.casco-helme.de/en/default01.htm

Those catlike helmets creep me the hell out.

Looking cool is all about attitude. If you are cool, what ever you wear looks cool.

So just chill.

I put about 100+ miles on my bike a week. I wanted to buy something that was nice and I new would last. Also hoping that it would not go out of style too soon. I bought this at the LBS and it was last years model. It was orginally priced at $200 but it was 50% 0ff. It was just over $100 out the door.

GIRO Atmos


Heres a picture.. not mine but you get the idea

Bernunlimited.com


very cool helmets but probably not temp wise
they look the coolest if that matters

I rock the Specialized Air Force 3 (https://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqP...jsp?spid=33247). It doesn't look too dorky except for the absurd ridge on the back that someone already mentioned. I leave my helmet on to run into the bank/ get food/ get groceries. I hear people whispering about it, but that's fine with me!

What numbers are the standard?

Every ProTec skate/bike helmet I've clicked on says: "Certified to: CPSC 1203 / ASTM 1447 / CE 1078"
Every Bell skate/bike helmet I've clicked on says: "CPSC Bicycle Safety Standard Certified, ASTM 1492 skate certified"

<totally kidding!>Are you sure they aren't just whispering about you in general? (Paranoia strikes deep....)

+1

I was wondering what folks thought of those. I am a little afraid of the TX heat. Maybe a bright yellow one!

If you're older than 17, I disagree.

But once you're twice 17 you're free to pursue fashion again, right?

Maybe for you.

I think he said majority of commuters world-wide. There are probably more folks in Amsterdam alone commuting without a helmet than the total of all commuters in BF.

PS I don't wear a helmet on my commute...and I been commuting on a bike for over 30 years.

You'll look very cool when you have a shaved head and Frankenstein sutures.
While a helmet probably won't save your life, it might prevent nasty injuries that could disfigure you.

Ooooohhhhhhhhhhhh, you've done it now. You're about to be banished back to the road forum.

I wonder all the time why I continue to wear mine, when I believe any safety they may provide is statistically insignificant.

I just started wearing a helmet after years of riding bmx and about a year resurgence of road biking and commuting.

I got a bell influx. Fits great, looks good enough, very light, and only $55 at Jenson. I decided I wanted a helmet after I saw another rider smash a driver side window with their head. It would have been an extremely gory scene if not for her helmet. It's unfortunate that it took that bit of motivation to convince me that safety trumps fashion, but at least I got it. I can understand the desire for decent-looking equipment, and I agonize over the looks of my bike sometimes, but my advice is to find one that looks good enough, put it on your head, and forget about it. It's not like you can see it anyway.

Your elbows and knees will look the same after your next - soon to happen any day now - wreck, since you're too foolish to ride without knee and elbow pads...

And your nose when the asphalt grinds it off, and your unarmored butt cheek...

There is no such thing as a cool helmet.
thread over.