Read it more carefully. Only one helmet was recalled, the Trek Anthem (in men's and women's sizes).

I also picked up the 05 special colored Atmos for aroud $120. Great helmet, but I really just went for the deal. Normally priced at $189 I just couldn't resist.

I think eventually, people come around to this point .. or work actively to not succumb (these are the guys who refuse to wear new duds .. or wash their existing ones too often).

Anyway, on the subject of helmets, I too "splurged" on a Giro Atmos. On my inaugural ride with it, I actually got a compliment on the helmet! And this from a guy driving around town with his son/grandson in the back seat. I had never had that happen, at least not for a helmet.

So, I just bought a new one to match my other bike :) I couldn't agree any more about the fashion thing. I worry just as much about matching my outfits as I do about the ride.

I am wondering if, when Saul Raisin went down in that high speed wreck and was in an induced coma, with his parents at his bedside hoping, praying....then transporting him home to hopefully recover, praying that he would have enough brain function to live a hopefully normal life...now I am reading about his making a comeback to the pro peloton...

Would we be reading that if he was wearing a $30 sport helmet?

Sheesh...

Look at it another way....the more expensive helmet (the structure on the OUTSIDE of the helmet and the back is nothing close to what it is on the $30 or even $50 helmet) is like the one worn by the Indy car driver...the $50ish helmet like the one worn by someone on a motorcycle. The less expensive helmet will protect you, but not as much, especially if you go down at a higher speed. A motorcycle helmet, while very good would not do so well at 200+mph...

Recreational riders...you can go cheaper. But with all that unprotected polystyrene at the back of the helmet, no way if I am riding at 20-25mph on average. Or racing. I want the polystyrene to crush, not smash. The additional strength of the outside of the helmet assists, in higher speed accidents, to prevent the inside of the helmet to break apart, and only crush. And that's a big reason why Raisin might make a comeback to pro cycling.

Look at the less expensive helmets and look how the top plastic layer is laid on top, versus a Sweep, Atmos, Ghisallo, or Pneumo. Then compare how the sides and back of the helmet are put together.

Not as much protection is not necessarily true. In Oz, they all must meet the same standard. In fact, the cheaper (not cheapest) ones usually outperform the more expensive ones because there is more surface area to distribute the loads on the skull and there is more material to absorb the force.

Either way, no the expensive helmets are not $100 - 200 better than the cheaper ones imo. Buy your Mrs $200 worth of flowers over the life of your cheaper lid and see which one makes you happier...

Call me naive, but I still think there must be SOME relationship between manufacturing cost and retail price.

you are naive ;)

Those ugly round helmets with no vents are better than your 40 vents giro atmos for exactly that reason - they have no vents and there are no snag points (the aer0 part) on the helmet.

Wishful thinking. You'd expect that Giro or whoever would market that $200 $HELMET is actually 50 times better than $CHEAP_HELMET (that is also CSPC certified in) in construction, safety blah, blah.. They don't, why? Because they aren't.

For keeping you safe, I don't think there's much of a difference. What you're paying for, as has been mentioned countless times at this point, is perceived style and the possibility of added comfort (less weight, more vents...) Of course, the more expensive helmet does not always mean greater style or comfort for any given individual. Some may find that the cheaper helmets are more comfortable and more stylish. I think they're wrong, but they're out there I'm sure ;)

That said, I have one of the lower end giro helmets... encinal I think it's called. I think it might actually be a mtb helmet, I'm not sure. I only saw them at the lbs that one time, and I picked it up... Far better, IMO, than the walmart schwinn helmet I had previous to that, in terms of style and comfort, but they served the same purpose as far as I'm concerned. I've been happy with my helmet thus far, although I am considering getting a 'more roadie' type helmet... possibly a bell sweep r, or something like that. Purely aesthetic purposes; I like the way they look.

Watching the TDF in recent weeks has gotten me thinking about this even more, as I think most of the pro's helmets look slick... Which brings me to something that caught my attention last night. On OLN, there was a brief interview with Levi Leipheimer. The very first thing I noticed was that his helmet looked GARGANTUAN! I couldn't tell what helmet it was, but it looked rediculously big. Does the Gerolsteiner team just use larger than normal helmets, or does Levi have a particularly small noggin?

This thinking is what gets a lot of people in my industry in trouble. Find a need, find a pricepoint, draw a picture of what you want, list features.

Then figure out how to source/make it. You win if there is money at the bottom line after it is all over. Think what you want, but there are more winners using this method than losers....


...battles with my engineering brain all day, but keep in mind we're talking about people's spending habits...therefore this is an illogical discussion by nature.

In the past, more expensive helmets looked better, had better ventilation, and had better strap systems.

I think the ventilation and strap systems on the cheapies has greatly improved. Their style has, too, but they still look "cheaper" than the high-$$$ models.

I can't see why a more expensive helm is safer. The outer shells on the top-dollar models don't seem significantly stronger or more rigid, and the styrofoam seems the same.

I just got a Giro Atmos "Special Color" on deep discount and took it on its first ride this morning. The main reason why I bought it was that the "cheapie" helmet I have been using (Trek Vapor with visor removed) didn't offer enough ventilation when putting out a serious effort. I have to say that the difference was quite noticable. The cooling was MUCH better with the Atmos. With the kind of effort I was putting out today I would have had rivers of sweat running into my eyes if I was wearing my old helmet, even while wearing a good headband. Today I had no problems with sweat getting in my eyes.

I think that I have figured out why there is such a good deal on this particular model. It is a 2005 model and on the sticker with the model number is "USPS". I then checked out some photos from the 2004 Tour and sure enough the US Postal Team was wearing Giro Atmos lids in exactly the same color scheme. I'm guessing that they made a bunch of Postie helmets for 2005 by mistake.

Strap systems on mid-range helmets have improved over the years. However, the one-size-fits-all system on low-end helmets is a big step backwards.

Supposedly, the high end helmets have reinforcing systems molded into the foam. That allows them to have bigger vents without decreasing strength. You can read the advertising to see which helmets claim to have this feature. I do not know how well it works in practice.

Not to underestimate the importance of cyclists but most of the members of congress don't get this. Listen to the debate as they try and get the measly minimum wage raised from $5.15/hr. You'll hear this same flawed logic over and over and over.

Terrible example, I'm sorry to say. As an auto racer myself, I looked deep into the differences between motorcycle helmets and auto racing helmets (my organization allowed either). They both had to pass the same impact tests, but the auto ones were required to have more visibility (because of the limited head movement) and withstand a flame (duh). Some helmets Bell and Simpson offered came in both models, the only difference being a Nomex liner for flame resistance.

In the same manner, there are $30 helmets that meet the same SNELL standards that the pro models do, and all the racers I have talked to believe that the price difference was in the vent design to keep their head cooler. Even better, they recognized the possibility that a helmet with less vents might protect better (not always true, btw) but that they still wouldn't buy it because they want to keep cool. That brings us back to marketing and fashion, the more expensive helmets are made to match racer preferences, and they prefer to not have a helmet on at all (in general).

None at all for bike parts, especially saddles and helmets.

I know it costs Garneau $7 to make a helmet, slightly more for their best helmets that sell for $150.
~30% of a helmet price goes to product liability insurance, someone has to feed all those hungry US lawyers.

I have no idea why some saddles cost $200, or why people tolerate this.

All helmets are made of the same stuff, EPS foam, a higher density than coffee cups.

But I can tell you from experience that more expensive is not better, my Bell Sweep lasted 11 months before the padding disintegrated, and Bell wants $10 for two tiny foam pads.

could be worse:
CAtlike:
http://log.komma.net/archives/klingon.jpg

Klingon:

http://www.nyvelocity.com/slideshow/440/catlike.jpg

When I started racing crits, I realized that the liklihood of my crashing rose considerably. Also it seems that with most crit crashes you tend to land on your head/face. I quickly decided it was time to get a quality helmet, so I went with the Snell-rated Decibel.

170 bones is a lot for a helmet, but a sponsorship deal with Specialized made it reasonable. As a side note, the comfort and cooling is -way- better than the $25 Trek helmet I was using before.

Giro Atmos will cool your head beyond expectation. Surely surprised me thought i wasn't wearing one!
Have to admit though that a brush-like haircut i've had recently made one hell of a difference in chillin' things out

Very true (see my post a few up for my first ride experience with it). The downside is now that I have tasted the good life, there is no going back. It is like drinking really good champagne. Once you do that there is no going back to grocery store varieties.

Actually auto racing (SA rated) helmets have smaller opening that motorcycle (M rated) helmets. Motorcycles need more visibility (looking up and down as well as left and right) and road racing needs smaller opening for things to penetrate into. Generally in Auto and motorcycle world the more expensive helmets just have more expensive components that make the helmet lighter or look cooler.

However I think the best helmet would be the best fitting helmet. If the helmet doesn't fit it isn't going to help you one bit. As for materials in bike helmets I am not as well versed but isn't the new Giro that is coming out made with carbon fiber and such.

So what does better mean

Does better = lighter
Does better = fit
Does better = better impact protection
Does better = more vents
Does better = super cool graphics.

Better can be applied to lots of things.

You're right, I just looked at the SNELL website and it shows more vision for the M helmets. I had that backwards. It still remains that some helmets are manufactured with a vision that meets both specs, and then the remaining difference is the fire resistant qualities. And yeah, there are $1000 car helmets with hose attachments and the like. I raced my daily driver, and had no reason to hook such a system up to my 4 door family car :D

+1

Tim

I have a Giro Pnuemo that I got for around $100, and a Bell Citi that cost around $30. The cheaper Bell is rated as one of the best helmets and I don't notice much of a weight difference between the two. The Giro has a bit better air flow, which is a double-edged sword - cooler in the summer, requires a cover in colder weather. On those occassions where I am required or opt to wear a helmet, I prefer the Bell.

I've got a Giro Atlas (not Atmos), it's the only helmet I've ever found to be comfortable for more than an hour at a time. Made especially for enormous heads.

Although, there's not a lot of brain up there, so I'm betting the bone is enough to keep me safe even without a helmet :thumbsup: