"Cool" (literally) Helmets
 

It seems that most helmets these days all have a bunch of ventilation holes. Are there any particular helmets known to be exceptionally cool (well ventilated) in hot/humid weather?

Thanks.

dave

I was looking for similar helmet and ended up with Bell Gage Helmet (2013 version).
It is also one of the lightest helmets as well.

The S works prevail helmet does very well in venting

I am more comfortable with mine than when I don't use it---cooler and, it seems, better air flow if that's possible. These past few weeks have been a true test and the Prevail did great.

That scoop on the front of the Prevail looks like it would be particularly cooling for me, as I tend really feel the heat buildup on my forehead, and with internal channeling as I'm sure the Prevail has, it's probably got jet speed air flowing in and across the top of the head.

Damn...I may need to get one of those!

The coolest helmet I've had is an Uvex Boss Race, but I can't explain why; it looks like most race type helmets, and doesn't seem to have any notable features. It's sub 230gm, I believe, in the M size, which may be a factor. I dunno.

I'd never thought about it. I just weighed. My Prevail is 245g, in medium.

The giro indicator in medium work well in cooling 297 grams. About 16 venting holes.

Bell Gage works great for me in the hot weather now and so light I barely notice it.

+1 on the Prevail. I love mine.

Giro Prolight.

Catlike Whisper Light is good choice for kool and cool.

Remember that "cooling" is limited to how much moisture the air can absorb. You can be bareheaded but if you are sweating more than the air can absorb then you'll have sweat running down your head. It's physics and no helmet will alter the air's ability to absorb moisture.

I have the Gage, the Volt, S-Works, the one below the S-Works, used the Atmos, and all of them had sweat dripping down my face while racing (22-27 mph avg) or on training rides (15-18 mph avg).

Any of the models above seemed reasonable in terms of ventilation. I had some helmets before (no longer made/sold) that were terrible, they really did limit air flow so much that it felt like I had a blanket on my head.

Also air velocity and flow directed on a surface will impact cooling. Expanding air will cool also, though it's not clear that a helmet could utilize that.

My coolest helmet is one where I cut out chunks of styrofoam to make bigger vents ...

FWIW, REI has a 25% off sale on all Giro and Bell helmets going right now. What carpediemracing mentioned is super relevant; depending on the environment and rider, there isn't going to be a clear winner.

I just switched to an air attack (still on the fence about appearance) from a giro savant. The savant is a traditional million holes design and has been fine, but the air attack is at least as cool with pretty much no sensation of air flowing through the helmet...which is kind of strange. More than that the air attack pretty much disappears on my head, which is fantastic.

You do know why that Styrofoam is there right?...or used to be there.

The answer to that is likely more snark than we really want here.

Regardless, the fact remains that aside from some redirection of the air flow, the only way that a helmet can be cooler than another is by blocking less air. The only way to do that is cut out some of the styrofoam. Don't hate on mine just because I did it myself instead of paying 10 times as much for something some graphic design artist came up with :p

I am a heavy sweater. Orbea Odin is the best ventiated helmet I have ever worn. Don't know if they are still available.

Might as well throw it away and not use one. Styrofoam is there for a reason.

There's always the Hövding helmet. Your head couldn't get much "cooler", as the Hövding is basically an airbag worn around your neck. I suspect it makes you sweat in the neck area though.

--J

You know this how?

Alright guys, you both made your points, let it go. It matters little who's right and who's wrong.

ok. :o

OK, I was jonesing for a new helmet in the spring... I have a atmos right now, previously had a Boreas and they fit well. I tried on some specialized helmets and they seem to fit just as well for whatever shape head I have but the Bell helmets were immediately wrong on my head. Rudy project, same story, Kask, also wrong.

How is it that you were using helmets that seem to fit so differently? It seems like people either have a Giro head or a Bell head. Maybe you're a tweener. :D

Good question and a good point.

My last two helmets were/are the Bells, from the shop I try to patronize the most. They fit me the best. I didn't give Bell a chance for something like 20 years because of a horrible experience with their Bell Pump something or another, one of the worst helmets I ever wore. It's the one I was thinking of when I said the bit about air moving around. I had sweat dripping into my eyes in a few minutes because it had basically zero ventilation for the first few inches of the helmet. I'd gotten the helmet for free, I tried it on a loop-type group ride (2 mile loop, sprint every lap, 50-100 riders) and after two loops I stopped to put my regular helmet back on. Anyway that turned me off from Bell until about 2012? when a rider I respect told me that I should try a Bell helmet 100%, he loved them. I tried one in the shop, bought it, it was fine (the Volt).

Prior to that the shop that I patronized sold Specialized so I had a couple of those (Sworks was a gift from the wife, the Prevail? I think was a spare). I borrowed the Atmos for a race, summer race, hot, no difference from the Specialized I was using at the time. Prior to that I used primarily Giros - I have a stack of Giros that sacrificed themselves saving me, I've kept all the helmets that saved me. When I went to Giro there were few other choices on the market so I stayed with them for a long time.

Snark aside for many years this was standard in the pro peloton (think of the years that helmets weren't required on the last climb or didn't have to be protective for time trial events). I saw some of those helmets first hand - it was really scary. Fine, the flexy shell that passed for TT helmets was flimsy (think of a shell made with the clear plastic display stuff that's such a pain to cut open) but at least you knew they weren't supposed to do anything. The legit helmets that were scooped out… they were almost as flimsy but gave the impression of protection from the outside.