What helmet do you guys recommend for regular commuting. I'd like to buy something online instead of walking into the LBS and trying them on. (my LBS has crappy people and high prices)

Try the Bell Citi, Metro or Slant...they all receive the highest ratings from Consumer Reports and are fairly inexpensive. Unless you have an abnormally sized noggin, with the Citi and Slant you should have no problems getting a proper fit, but you may need to try on a Metro to get the proper size.

I can't imagine buying a helmet online without being able to try one on. For what it's worth, if you know what a helmet should feel like when it's fit properly, you can buy one in a department store or big-box sporting goods store that stocks them but doesn't have bike people on staff.

My first helmet was a Raleigh Citi commuter helmet, and I bought it at Canadian Tire. It's nice and light, has good ventilation, and has one of those dial-up straps that lets you custom-fit it to your head. The problem was that it only has a very thin flexible plastic 'shell' over the foam, and it got dented easily just by being carried around and stored. I was afraid the shell wasn't protecting the foam from everyday usage, and that the foam might already be damaged.

I replaced it with a Mace C4 II which is a skater-style hardshell helmet. Less ventilation, a bit heavy, but ultimately better protection (fewer holes means fewer potential snag points, and also more foam to absorb impact, and the hard shell means less chance of denting or cracking the foam just by putting the helmet in my backpack with other stuff).

If you must buy it online, measure the part of your head that the helmet goes around, and buy the smallest one that includes your size. Sizes are usually given in a range of centimetres of head circumference. Also buy a set of extra padding in case the padding that comes with the helmet isn't enough to make it fit snugly.

I bought one of these for $5+tax at my LBS.

https://www.amazon.com/Arius-Argo-V-1.../dp/B0019F53IO

+1 on the Bell Citi.

It comes in a bunch of colors





I got safety orange for its great visibility. It really does stand out -- even more than the yellow or white/lime green colors -- when there's lots of background.

The Citi has two features I like -- the first is a strap in the back to which you can clip on a blinkie for night riding. (The helmet in the photo says "metro" but actually it's the Citi with the strap on the back.)




The second is that Bell makes a mirror that clips onto the visor (actually, it's made for the Bell Metro, the Citi's predecessor, but the Metro has the same visor.

Hooray!!! Helmets that look "normal" and not like a "swoopy" head!

I have a Metro, and love it. But "normal"? Not sure any helmet will count as looking normal. It may be the ultimate in dorkiness.

jim

+1 for the Citi/Metro. If you can find a Metro, I'd say to go for that one because (as far as I remember) it comes in more sizes. I got a Metro (called the Metropolitan on the box) with the bundled accessory kit, which included the visor mirror, Mars taillight, and a snap-on rain cover. If I had to own only one helmet, it would be this one.

+1 for trying one on if possible. That's how I learned that a helmet with a pad right down the center will irritate the bump on the top of my head.

I go for one that has lots of airflow. If it costs $25 more than another helmet and it keeps me a bit cooler on the hottest days, it's worth it to me. I almost always can avoid showering at work by riding in at an easy pace, and a well vented helmet really helps. I've saved up the spare pads from all the helmets my kids and i have owned so you can usually make it fit.

Citi/Metro

https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...n%20Sale%2E%2E

What you should do is at least go in there and try them on. If you don't like the prices you can either talk it down or go online. But nothing is as important as actually trying it on and making sure it fits.

I would rather ride without a helmet than rock a citi\metro but that is my opinion.
Go try a few out and decide for yourself.
My current helmet is a bell furio. After I pick up a bell sweep it will be relegated entirely to commute duty.

At least the Metro doesn't look like your brains are getting "blown" away out the back of your head!

It looks more like someone took a bowl, cut a couple vents in it, and stuck a visor on it. yay

I just bought a Bell Slant on the recommendations of CR and the people on the forum....supposed to be pretty good and the price at Nashbar sweetened the deal ($35).

And thus functionality triumphs over style. The idea with the Citi is that it doesn't have sharp bits all over it that can catch and wrench your neck during a fall or just get ripped off your head. 'Traditional' helmets look aero, but they don't really make you ride any faster.

And if looks are important to you, perhaps you should keep in mind that to any non-cyclist, we all look like a bunch of dorks anyway

Edit:

From https://www.helmets.org/hurtmemo.htm

+1
I crashed last month and had to get another helmet. Got a metro from Nashbar for $38. My first one cost me $60

What about Specialized's helmets (2D, Propero, etc)? I was thinking about this in the last couple days, and while I agree that my Giro Pneumo's pointy rear isn't the best (while still not as busily pointy as, say, a Bell Sweep R), it looks like Specialized's doing a round-flattened shape at the back.

But anyway, I'm tired of speculating. While this video is a look at stationary helmet testing, I'd like to see what happens during a fall at speed, which is when the helmet would be catching on the ground and wrenching the rider's neck.

One highly informal test that I came up with was to put on a helmet and stand with my back against a wall or door jamb. I'd tilt my head back so that the helmet touched the wall, then noticed whether it was stable or if it wanted to rock to one side or the other.

A helmet has nothing to do with riding faster. That would be my legs job.
Traditional road cycling helmets look better and ventilate quite well. Has anyone actually met someone whose helmet snagged on anything during a crash? The functionality angle is debatable at best. IMHO

Anyhow, I was a dork before becoming a road cyclist. I am a dork afterwards. However, a citi is beyond my acceptable level of dorkiness.

Another BF member did, actually. Have fun searching for the thread, though -- this was at least half a year ago, if not more.

Perhaps they have a point. However, I have landed on the back of a road helmet and suffered no ill effects besides a dent in said helmet.

The story was that the guy's friend fell, then was sliding for a bit on his back when the point of his helmet caught on something and yanked his head around.

Get the one that fits and feels the best. Every helmet from the $10 xmart to the $150 lbs model meets the same safety standards. Price differences will occur based on weight, vents and fitting systems. I ride a Bell because it felt better to me than the Giro, which were my two lbs options. To me, Bell was rounder while Giro felt more ovalled. That said, some prefer the Giro. Find what you want at an lbs or other store and then buy it on line if money is an issue.

Check out the giro indicator..Its very good value for the money....and has got some great reviews !check out what bike radar has to say about it.!peace!