[Haylee]

I'm assuming they are all similar. Wondering if there are some that're better than others, don't wanna cramp my style too much

 

[Gandalfe]

Well, I'm guessing it depends. If you just ride the bike on short commutes, in town, maybe cheap is best. If you're gonna wear them for a longer ride think safety first and then comfort. Here is the last Consumers' Guide recommendation for the Top 6 Bicycle Helmets. The Bell Citi looks good to me.

Don't forget to read the What to Look For section:

Each year, more than 500,000 bicyclists -- many with head injuries -- are admitted to hospitals, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Bicycle helmets are designed to prevent or minimize this type of injury. Since 1999, all bicycle helmets made or sold in the U.S. must comply with CPSC safety standards, which require helmets to provide protection against an 11 mph impact on simulated rocks and curbs and a 14 mph impact on a flat surface, according to the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute (BHSI).

If safety is your only priority, an inexpensive bike helmet will probably suit your needs just fine. More expensive helmets earn their price tag because they are lighter and have more ventilation, which appeals to serious cyclists who ride for hours. Although there's a lot of overlap, helmets are often categorized in the following ways:

Read more...

 

[Weav]

Haylee, what kind of riding do you do? You can get away with different types of helmets depending on what you are riding (road bike, mountain biking, city biking, commuting). I can make some recommendations if you are looking for a road bike helmet but other than that someone else would have to chime in.

 

[Industry_Hack]

I'd say that it really depends on your definition of "best". Would that be the one that offers the most adjustments for a good fit, or the most protection, or is the lightest, or has the most ventilation? Or maybe it just matches your kit. If you're on a budget, it might be the one that is most affordable.

 

[Weav]

Yes there are some that are better than others. From a safety standpoint there isn't much difference, it's mostly marginal. But you can get things like better ventilation, better graphics, better straps, better fastening mechanisms.

 

[froze]

The best helmet is one that fits both front to rear AND side to side. If it fits loose enough that you can (after adjusting) knock the helmet with your hand nearly half off your head it's not the helmet for you, it should barely move. I have an odd shaped long narrow head to go along with my odd brain, but I digest, anywho recently I tried all the helmets in all the LBS's in my town and could find none that fit right; then I heard that Lazer helmets fit odd heads so I ordered one just to see if it would fit my and luck be on my side it did. Helmet makers use to make more helmets that fit my kind of head or at least provided a variety of thickness of padding so you could make it fit, but they no longer do that, not sure why, maybe to save 10 cents in padding?

 

[Weav]

Hey I have heard good things about the fit of Lazer's and am going to order one. Which one did you end up getting? Their fit retention system is pretty unique.

 

[froze]

I got the Lazer Magma Timeless (matte white). It's no longer in production, I got a close out sale for $36 at Niagara Cycles where it had retailed for $90.

Edit: I found it on sale, probably the last few since this was the only place I could find it and it's still at Niagara. I tried to paste the address but that failed. Go to Amazon and search in Sports and Outdoors and then search for Lazer Magnum Timeless helmet.

Also read my review of the helmet on the Amazon site.

finally got a direct site to Nigara with the listing: http://www.niagaracycle.com/product_info.php?products_id=409419

 

[rola643]

Weav those look interesting, next time I'm due I might have to look at one of these: Helium White Silver

 

[Last_Place_Pete]

On the topic of Lazer helmets, and helmets in general... Do "urban" helmets offer more protection than "road" helmets, or just different styling? I'm going to be commuting by bike (about 7mi/rt) on roads where traffic can get a bit on the heavy side from time to time. If I'm going to be wearing a heavier helmet, I'd rather it protect my melon more than just look pretty..

 

[Eagle]

I have a Specialized helmet, was a good price and fits nice.
Also have an old Pro-tec that is basicly a piece of plastic with a few pads stuck in it haha.
but generally my helmet of choice is a baseball hat.

 

[Weav]

All road bike helmets need to meet minimum CPSE safety ratings so there really isn't that much difference in safety among helmets. Where you get into price increases is for stuff like lightweight materials or increased ventilation.

 

[SprocketGirl]

i have a Catlike Whisper Plus in white... road bike
not going to lie i purchased it because no one else around here had one. it is nice to be unique. love the venting and comfort but do you really need a $200 helmet? not at all but i like it and get everyone asks what brand it is and wants one usually until they discover the price. friends and family give me crap about its price all the time.

a protec classic in red..... mountain bike

 

[Last_Place_Pete]

Pro-Tec's are a damn good lid. :thumbsup: My old Classic saved me in a clash between noggin and tree after a poorly planned (and even more poorly executed) snowboard maneuver.

 

[Industry_Hack]

I had a while ProTec, because I like their logo. I think I replaced it with the same after a few years.

 

[SprocketGirl]

wanted to show off my cool helmet...

 

[Weav]

I too would have a catlike if it would cost less. I'm all about ventilation and this looks like the best I've seen. Also the new high end Specialized helmet seems like it would be great too with their forehead vent system they have.

 

[Last_Place_Pete]

Nice lid. I dig it

 

[Eagle]

They are nice helmets, but I like the sticker more haha

 

[froze]

On the topic of Lazer helmets, and helmets in general... Do "urban" helmets offer more protection than "road" helmets, or just different styling? I'm going to be commuting by bike (about 7mi/rt) on roads where traffic can get a bit on the heavy side from time to time. If I'm going to be wearing a heavier helmet, I'd rather it protect my melon more than just look pretty..

An urban helmets tend to be hotter due to less and smaller ventilation holes, so your head will become very hot. However, I think MTB helmets are safer then road bike helmets due to the MTB helmets have a bit more coverage along the back of neck and they are designed to crash because MTB'ers crash more due to the nature of the sport. BMX helmets are designed even better because of the constant crashing those guys do, but ventilation is a problem again. I like the MTBing helmets the best, and modern designs have increased their ventilation to nearly the point of a road helmet.

Grant Pederson of Rivendell says to buy the cheapest helmet you can because they all have to meet the same federal crash requirement, I don't fully buy into that. The better helmets have a tad more safety features that will protect your head better then the federal requirements. My Lazer has a "roll cage" in the front half of the helmet to maintain the helmets shape to protect the head better then just the minimal federal requirement allows for. And other well designed...and more expensive helmets do the same like the top of the line Specialized helmet. But some expensive helmets like the Trek that cost around $125 was rated poor, so price isn't everything, but the Trek has no "roll cage" technology, while a cheap $50 Bell helmet was rated very good. However these rating came from Consumer Reports and I no longer have any faith in anything they report, so hard telling if what they said has any merit.

MTB helmets come with a visor, most are very long and would have to be removed in order to see while on drop bars; I like the Lazer's visor, it's very short and I can see fine in the drops.

Also if you do both MTBing and Road riding, by buying a MTB helmet you only need to buy one helmet, just remove the visor when riding the road bike if you find it interfering with your vision.