Should you spend a lot on helmets?

[doffcocker]

Hi there.
I realise this has probably been covered numerous times before on other threads so apologies.
I'm just wondering how much everyone thinks its worth spending on a helmet, for say, somebody who cycles recreationally, average 10 miles a day, often through busy chaotic town/city roads.

Thanks.

[richardfm]

My first concern would be how comfortable the helmet is. Is it a good fit and it it light weight?
I'd try a few that I can say yes to these two, then compare prices.

[Jdsk]

Yes, fit is very important. And I like to try them on.

Looking at recent group tests and advice in this forum my next will probably cost £40 to £80.

Jonathan

[doffcocker]

This is my current helmet:

https://www.halfords.com/trending/stayc ... AAQAvD_BwE

I have no complaints whatsoever but then unlike everything else I've ever bought for my bike, (touch wood) it has never been called into action.

I really have no qualms at all paying for a very expensive one if one day it might make all the difference. I live in Bolton and the roads are notorious for dangerous driving and poor arrangement and with accidents getting more and more frequent I'm determined to at least get the simple stuff right.

[richardfm]

This is my current helmet:

https://www.halfords.com/trending/stayc ... AAQAvD_BwE

I have no complaints whatsoever but then unlike everything else I've ever bought for my bike, (touch wood) it has never been called into action.

I really have no qualms at all paying for a very expensive one if one day it might make all the difference. I live in Bolton and the roads are notorious for dangerous driving and poor arrangement and with accidents getting more and more frequent I'm determined to at least get the simple stuff right.

I'm not sure that expensive one will make any difference to its effectiveness in the event of an accident. Isn't just more likely to be lightweight and comfortable?

[simonineaston]

Given the wide range of discussion this news story could have inspired, I'm kind of puzzled why it's morphed into yet another speculative helmet paean...
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radi ... d-with-car
I'm not doubting for a mo' that a properly fitting helmet in good condition may have helped protect his head from damage, however given the many other possible topics his accident could have prompted - cycling infrastructure, close-passes, attitiude of drivers, availability of ambulance staff, response times, current pay disputes etc. etc. - all fairly topical, I wondered why the writer settled for an old and rather tired chestnut.

[rjb]

It's surprising how comfortable and ease of adjustment budget offerings are now. And they all comply with the same safety standards. My last helmet came from Lidls and cost £10 with a crap rear light built in which I haven't replaced the batteries within.

[tim-b]

Should you spend a lot on helmets?

Not IMHO. A selection here from £9.99 (56% off) https://www.planetx.co.uk/c/q/helmets
Fit is most important and these work for me

[Nearholmer]

Very definitely something where it’s worth asking “what more will I get by paying more?”.

Assuming that all that you look at pass all current tests, you may then decide it’s worth paying a bit more for MIPS, or one of the other (wavecell??) technologies that may offer some more protection in some scenarios, or you may not, ditto a helmet the extends further down the back of the head, or a visor. All personal decisions.

Besides that, weight and comfort are massively important, and that implies thinking about how long you might wear the helmet each time, and the range of weather conditions that you might wear it in. Insufficient ventilation in warm weather is a real discomforter, for instance.

It’s not a simple matter to decide where the value sits in the value for money equation.

[pjclinch]

Another "pay for fit and thus comfort" response. I fit a cheap Lidl one fine and that's what I use for my 2 hours a week MTB coaching, my wife has got a fancier Kask one for her cyclo-cross and MTB racing as the Lidl offering was a less good match for her head.

For all the fuss about MIPS it's not certain it makes one any safer, but note that Snell certification is a higher spec than EN1078. I don't know who's building to Snell these days, Specialized certainly used to but I haven't checked lately.

Pete

[Audax67]

My winter helmet is a 30€-odd Chinesium effort with a brilliant magnetic visor (real one, not a sticky-out MTB peak) that keeps the wind out of my eyes and has thus saved me litres of snot. Visor holds perfectly well in place with a rain cover in between. Best winter headgear I ever had.

Drawback is that although there's an internal occipital cage it doesn't go all the way round so even though there's a bit of a cushion across the front there are also pressure points on the forehead, so a thickish skullcap or balaclava is necessary. Perfectly OK with that, though.

Summer helmet is a very comfortable 75€ Met MTB helmet with the sticky-out MTB peak removed because, being afflicted with kyphosis, it blocks a chunk of my visual field unless I heave my head right back and court Shermer's Neck.

[al_yrpal]

I guess any helmet that passes the tests will do. Mine was about a tenner in Aldi, to me its indistinguishable from helmets costing much more. They all seem to be polystyrene moulded into a very thin plastic shell. Guess the soundness of the polystyrene and the correct thicknesses is the key thing.

Al

[TrevA]

An expensive helmet will probably lighter, may have more vents so may be cooler to wear, and will probably be more aerodynamic, but will not necessarily be any more effective at protecting your head. I use a Specialized Echelon which costs about £80. My wife uses a cheaper Specialized helmet - the Align, which is only about £30. It has less vents than mine but is no less comfortable. I would say comfort is the number one consideration when buying a helmet, so it’s worth trying on different brands and different helmets within a brand.

[thirdcrank]

Another "pay for fit and thus comfort" response. I fit a cheap Lidl one fine and that's what I use for my 2 hours a week MTB coaching, my wife has got a fancier Kask one for her cyclo-cross and MTB racing as the Lidl offering was a less good match for her head.

For all the fuss about MIPS it's not certain it makes one any safer, but note that Snell certification is a higher spec than EN1078. I don't know who's building to Snell these days, Specialized certainly used to but I haven't checked lately.

Pete

I'd say this is pretty much it. My head is large by most standards but S/M in the drossall scale. I'm trying to remember back to when I started wearing one - late 1980s - and a Specialised was all that I could find that would fit any lbs around here. After a bit I had to replace it and one of the then dirt-cheap mail order clearance places - possibly Colin Lewis - had exactly the same model but in a lurid pattern at a clearance price. Perfect imo.

ie A helmet to satisfy the victim blamers, but comfy and cheap.

[softlips]

How much is your head worth? I have a Giro Aether which has MIPS. To be honest you don't know you're wearing it and its very cool in hot climates.