Helmets anyone?
 

i was hoping someone could recommend me a decent looking helmet, im going to use it for commuting, general jackassery, and a big touring ride i'm going to be doing this summer

so comfort, a visor, and looks are all important to me

so is price

anyone?

What price were you thinking?

sub 80$

I think fit is too important and you'd be better trying some at a bike shop.

Bell metro is nice and simple looking, plus it has a little slot in the back to hold a light.

I have a ****ing huge head. Most brands extra large size does not fit me :( I ended up buying a Giro for $25 that fits well but looks absolutely ******** on me. My head is so big for my body, plus the extra size of the helmet= me looking dumb. Everyone join me in buying the most ridiculous looking helmet you can find so that us with big heads can not feel ashamed! WOOT!

Limar helmets are pretty slim looking.

I don't wear them for touring, I get passed by joggers. The metro is a good looking modern helmet that is shaped for the kind of riding we do. I think if I didn't have an old Bell I would probably look for something with a hard shell like a Black Diamond climbing helmet, or a novelty carbon helmet.

Oxymoron. I wear a helmet most of the time but I know it looks ***** and I have never seen a good looking helmet despite looking long and hard. Personally opinion I guess but I reckon if you wear a helmet you have to suck up the fact that you look like a bit of a prick.

I would go to your LBS'es and try as many as possible.
buy the one that fits you best.
Like TheBrick said: everybody (even TdF-riders ;-) ) looks, mmmhhh, how to say this.. not their best with a helmet.
But that's NOT why you wear one.

+1 on fit being the biggest deciding factor. It greatly effects comfort and safety.

Those with big heads should try the Bell Triton.

Oh yeah I'll add my name to the list of fit is the most important thing, as with most things really. I think I read somewhere Bell are good for large heads in general?

What I've heard is Bell is for round heads while Giro is for ovals. I thought my head was more oval until I tried some helmets. The Bell had a better fit (Bell Venture, ~35$). I think the Metro is just as ugly as other helmets.

I wanted a helmet that went down the back of my head a little. I have a big melon, and my previous helmet perched on top like a mushroom cap. I went to my local shop and tried them all on. I settled on a Giro Xen.

It has a visor, but I find on my road bike when I'm in the drops it blocks my vision. Luckily it's removable. I take it off on my road bike, and put it on when I ride my mountain bike.

Helmet rule. Purchase a helmet that costs at least what you think your heads estimated value is.
If you think your heads value is $80 or less then a sub $80 helmet will be fine. My heads value is at least $750,000 cause thats what my health insurance spent to remove a brain tumor. I purchase nice helmets but can't fine any that cost anywhere near the value of my head so I consider all of them to be cheap no matter what they cost.

I like catlike helmets, had one when i lived in europe... dunno if they are available in the US though.

not to hijack, but what sort of brain tumor did you have? I work on models of glioblastoma multiforme... I am dong MRI on one right now...

The Bell Citi. Looks virtually identical to the Metro, and the 08 models have the rear blinkie strip. You have your choice of colors from subdued matte's to Hi-vis orange or yellow. Most comfortable helmet I've ever gotten and it doesn't have that pointy "racer" look.
http://www.bellbikehelmets.com/produ....asp?prodID=10

i have a citi, and i hate it, its hot and uncomfortable

i think i need to suck it up and go try some on in store and just buy one in person :|

and correct me if im wrong, but the more expensive the helmet, the less material, the less weight, less protection, and while all helmets must meet federal or w/e governing body standards, i would almost expect a cheaper bulky helmet to serve me better in an accident

eh?

Look at Bell. The Variant is a visored model and a pretty good fit. MSRP is $100 but I got one for half that at Dick's.

I like my Bell Delirium:
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/....cfm?SKU=21137

In addition to fit, pay attention to how easy it is to adjust in the back. In colder weather, I may have alternating days where I do or don't wear a fleece skullcap under my helmet. I love how easy my Bell is to adjust tighter or looser depending on what's on my head each day.

Independent testing has confirmed that almost all helmets do very well in a crash. More expensive helmets fared not better than cheap ones, but they did make their riders look a lot cooler while getting hit by a car. Your head is an investment that is worth putting some money into and looking decent can be important to some people. Do not buy a helmet based on price point but on fit. If an expensive helmet looks cool and cost a lot but fits poorly, it can fly off your head in an accident and generally not protect you nearly as well as a cheap good fitting helmet. Make sure you buy from a well know brand so that they meet all the crash standards!

Ependymoma ; Left hemisphere next to the optic nerve. My doctor did a wonderful job. I have a few disability's but since the surgery put me into retirement I don't need to worry about math and the spell check in Firefox is wonderful. My optic nerve was bruised so I had visual abnormality's for a couple of months. My vision is normal now and I got my drivers license back one year after the surgery. I got into cycling 6 months after the surgery due to the loss of my drivers license.
I continue to ride bicycles because I enjoy it so much.

Its good to hear a success story... Being in the field can get quite depressing at times, and I have had a number of friends succumb. All the best!

ROBOTA by Garneau has large air vents. It is light and very comfortable for under $80.

15+ years ago Bell had a clever ad - pic of a cute pre-adolescent kid, caption something along the lines of "Does your child have $80.00 tennis shoes and a $30.00 helmet?"

Specialized makes an excellent helmet. The fitting in the less expensive helmets is obviously not as dialed as the S-Works or Decibel line.

I'm sure fit is important, though apparently it's just a mater of moving a few velcro pads around and you are good to go.

Whenever I hear talk about what bike helmet you should wear so you survive being hit by a car, I get a feeling of extreme wishful thinking. Of all the helmets I own or have owned, from hockey, to climbing, white water, motor cycles, or an early Bell, the ones that stand out as extreme pieces of useless crap are all modern bike helmets. Since when did getting hit by a car while wizing along at 20 miles an hour merit a helmet that doesn't even measure up to what you need for a freeskate.

It's important to start out with a fear list. If you are mostly concerned with what might happen when you fall over resetting the kick stand, buy a Bell. If nastier images come to mind get a serious helmet. I'm guessing that being hit by a car in a petentially fatal way is worse that the average downhill fall on an MTB, they wear some fairly serious helmets even for that.