“Rule of thumb: Use a helmet for three to five years, because after that, the Styrofoam will deteriorate,” says Five Boro Bike Club communications vice-president Alfredo Garcia. Helmets will lose their powers over time, mainly from sweat and sun. Everyone we spoke with agreed that MIPS could theoretically offer some degree of additional protection against brain injury and is unlikely to cause active harm. John Watson of cycling blog Radavist is evangelical about MIPS ( “I don’t see ever wanting to own a non-MIPS helmet - it’s your life you’re talking about”), as is Sawyer, whose store stocks only MIPS-equipped helmets. Swart is skeptical and pointed us to an inconclusive Snell report published in December. MIPS and copycat technologies like Bontrager’s WaveCel are not a CPSC requirement, and our experts were divided as to whether they actually work. The idea is that your helmet rotates, but your brain doesn’t. Developed by a team of Swedish scientists, MIPS is a thin web of yellow plastic attached to some helmet interiors that’s designed to move and flex upon impact. Most of our recommended helmets also feature anti-concussion technology such as MIPS. We think that if you’re purchasing a higher-end helmet with supposed state-of-the-art features, you might as well get one that’s been put through its paces by more than one lab - especially as there’s evidence that more bells and whistles might actually make some helmets less safe. For this list, though, we mainly considered helmets that have been subject to additional voluntary testing by independent authorities such as Virginia Tech, Consumer Reports, the Snell Foundation, and the American Society for Test & Material International. Safety: As long as a helmet carries a CPSC sticker (and all these do), comfortably fits your head, and matches your budget, it’s a smart purchase and could help save your life. We’ve taken note of which helmets suit particular styles of riding - and also found a few versatile commuter helmets that’ll work for a variety of riders. Intended use: Ben Sawyer, the head mechanic at CycleMania in Portland, Maine, says there are three categories of helmet: road biking (“generally lighter weight, with better ventilation and more aerodynamic design”), mountain biking (“typically with a front visor for protection and more coverage in the back”), and commuter biking (“designed for a little bit of everything”). “Once you put it on and buckle it, you should pretty much forget it’s there.”īelow, find the best helmets for different kinds of riders according to a range of experienced cycling experts - including a budget pick that should work for both road racers and casual commuters, helmets for large and small heads, and a collapsible helmet approved by the Citi Bike crowd.īest overall | Best for commuters | Best (sportier) for commuters | Best for road-biking | Best for mountain-biking | Best for hot heads | Best collapsible | Best with light | Best with universal sizing | Best budget MIPS | Best helmet cover A well-fitted helmet should feel comfortable and relatively weightless. The fit should be snug enough that you’re significantly loosening and tightening the rear adjustment dial (or equivalent mechanism) in order to take the helmet on and off. It should sit level on your head with the chin strap drawn so the helmet moves slightly downward as you open your mouth. And you’ll definitely want to make sure your new helmet fits properly. With that knowledge, you can pretty much just pick a helmet according to your personal riding habits and how much you’re willing to spend in the name of comfort and aesthetics.
“The protection offered by most helmets is pretty similar,” Randy Swart, the executive director of the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute, assures us. All bike helmets sold in the United States must meet the same strict Consumer Product Safety Commission standard.
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