UKC

A bit of foam has cracked off the back of my cycle helmet...... God knows how. It's a 2013 Giro, can't remember model name but was about £130. Can't say I've been overly impressed with it anyway.... clasp fell off after 3 months.

In the market for a new one but will give Giro a miss this time.

Loads of choice but nothing is standing out.

Any ideas?

In reply to Indy:

Just bought a Kask Mojito from Wiggle for about £85. Light, comfy, adjustable.

In reply to Indy:

The one that fits best

In reply to Indy:

Depends how street cred or Aero you want to be, but I've had a Giro Savant for about 5 years, and they still sell for under £60.

Back in 2013, Cycling Weekly rated the model as 10/10.

In reply to Indy:

I'm thinking of changing my MET helmet. The main issue is that the padded strip on the forehead just disintegrates - I've already replaced it once and its completely come apart again. So I'm interested to hear whether other brands suffer similarly.

In reply to andy:

Showing @ £110 now but had some very good reviews...

In reply to Indy:

Has to be said I've been quite happy with my Giro (Athlon), because it seems to fit my head and is so light I frequently have to check I'm wearing it. But I did also have to replace the retainer a few years back (and have gone through several sets of pads, but given the amount of use and the amount of sweat....)

I suppose after 5 years it's time for a new one, so will be following this thread

In reply to Indy:

Nearly all my helmets have been Bell - they seem to suit my head shape best. Currently, I have an older Sweep R that should probably be binned and a Volt - I'll probably buy another Volt at some point.

Having said that, my current mountain biking one is a Giro Hex and very comfy.

In reply to Indy:

I had a Specialized Propero for about 6 years. It's a brilliant helmet - lightweight, comfy, cool and did its job admirably when I flung myself over the bars at Innerleithen and smashed it last year.

In reply to Indy:

Helmet's should be replaced every 3 years regardless of whether they've been dropped etc. Get new ones everyone.

In reply to Indy:

I have the black diamond vapor helmet and I love it, I would recommend this one!

In reply to Indy:

I find that at least 90% of all helmets don't fit my head. I must have spent 6 months trying on helmets before I got a new one. Went with a Lazer helmet in the end, I think it's the helium. Works really well for me, but I guess it really depends on the shape of your head.

In reply to Indy:

I wear a Specialized S-Works Avail ... similar price point, and generally there are better offers to be had. Very light, comfortable, etc. Definitely recommended.

In reply to Lion Bakes:


Isn't 5 years the industry norm?

In reply to Indy:

I had a KASK Mojito for a few years, but I get very hot, and the pads used to get soaking. I've now got a Met one - can't think of the name, but it's top of the pile and a daft price. Good ventilation and gel pads that don't get wet and aren't sweaty either. It also has glow in the dark bits and an LED that clips onto the adjuster at the back. THe light's quite good, but the glow in the dark bits? Well they've got to make them out of something!

Recommend either. THe Met one is better for holding sunglasses, and was bearable in Italy when the temperature hit 40 degrees C recently.

In reply to Indy:

Decathlon BTwin 700 is great value at £28
I've used one for 4 years

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/700-road-cycling-helmet-black-id_8304985.html

In reply to Lion Bakes:


Would that be according to the people who make the helmets by any chance??

In reply to Indy:

The best way to protect the helmet pads from deterioration caused by sweat is to wear a buff, which acts as an evaporator in summer, keeping you cool and an insulator in winter keeping you warm. It also prevents direct contact with your bare scalp when that pesky wasp flies in the front vent. Rinse out the buff in the shower after your ride and everything stays nice and fresh.

A styrofoam helmet doesn't need to be structurally strong to protect your head; the idea is simply that there's an inch or two of foam between your skull and the road so as to absorb shock. AFAIK age doesn't reduce the already limited structural strength of a cycling helmet and I can't see how age would affect the shock-absorbancy of the styrofoam so I will continue to ignore the industry accepted wisdom about replacing my helmet and keep it for as long as it doesn't look too shabby. I've witnessed a few bike crashes and each time the helmet has done the shock absorbing job, in one crash of my own to the extent that I saw stars briefly and the texture of the ground was imprinted in the outer shell. The helmet broke along the middle so of course I replaced it as it wouldn't sit on my head right.

In reply to Indy:
I've got an Etto i like a lot but Id get one that fitted , and then consider cost and style.

So whats the Logic for 3 years?

In reply to Indy:

The industry's attempt at building redundancy into an almost indestructible product, as any marine environmentalist knows.

In reply to Rigid Raider:

I'd hope the pads would last a while even without a buff (which I'd be bound to leave in a cafe). My Met Inferno is about 18 months old and the second set of pads are already disintegrated. I assume all pads aren't created equal, though.

In reply to andy:

I've had the Kask Mojito for several years now. It's grand. It was my first "premium" helmet and also the first that didn't annoy me, mostly - definitely worth paying more than one would for a cheapie.

I wish my climbing helmet fitted like the Kask... Honestly, climbing helmets suck.

In reply to GrahamD:


Just pull the Buff down over your neck while in the cafe. That way you won't forget it unless you leave your head and neck behind

In reply to wilkesley:

Or in my case, remove buff, wring out, hope it will dry a bit before you go back out.

In reply to Xharlie:

Yup, am coming to that same conclusion about Kask. They seems to have so pretty decent lids unfortunately not in the right size/model/colour for me to actually buy one. Mojito or Protone.

Giro seem to be everywhere and lots of salespeople seem to be pushing them very hard. Wonder what thats all about.

In reply to IMA:


That goes without saying but if its uncomfortable and falls apart after a short time then I'd prefer to get another brand that also fits.

In reply to Indy:

Got a Kask Protone.
Most cycle helmets feel like they're perched on the top of you're head but the Protone feels like you're actually wearing it if that makes sense.

In reply to Hat Dude:


Recently bought one too, seems a good helmet so far. It got 4 out 5 on road.cc also http://road.cc/content/review/197456-btwin-700-road-cycling-helmet and made me wonder if there is much point paying more - I've used mid priced Bells up to now (three over 15 years I guess) but only as that was what was available in the big supermarket chains where I used to live!

In reply to Indy:

Shops with bikes in the window.
Tee hee.

In reply to howifeel:

Errrrr....???

In reply to Lion Bakes:

That's old advice. Extensive research by Met (a company with a vested interest in getting people to change helmets) found that unless a helmet had suffered an impact or chemical contamination it did not deteriorate with age so did not require cyclical replacement, provided you know it's history.

In reply to blackmountainbiker:

Was told a while ago the biggest problem with helmets is that salty sweat will effect the inner foam over time. Sounds pretty reasonable.

In reply to TobyA:


Just taken a look and its interesting to note that road.cc recommends a weight under 300gr in its helmet FAQ yet the above one is 340gr. For basic use I guess its ok but on 100+ milers?

In reply to Indy: m Igor sound reasonable but isn't true, though your helhet will stink,

In reply to wbo:

What's your source?

In reply to Indy:

Could be, though the foam is pretty thin on most decent helmets I've seen. Key thing is, in general, old helmets are as safe as new - except maybe for design and fit improvements.

In reply to Indy:


I've ridden a good few 100+ mile rides including several Etape du Dales wearing mine and believe me that 40g was the least of my worries.

In reply to Hat Dude:


I always laugh at the money people throw at cycle gear to try and save some weight - generally if they perhaps looked at cutting down their own body weight then it would be cheaper and provide more of an impact on their performance

In reply to subtle:

In the case of a helmet, its more neck muscle stress. To be honest though, I can't imagine 100g making that much difference on the average sportive - its not like the head does a lot of moving about. When I had an old really clunky Raleigh helmet, I never noticed the weight that much - I only changed because it lost all its pads and the ventilation wasn't great.

In reply to Indy:
I rode 176 kms in it (I guess that's more than 100 miles) a few weeks ago as day 1 of a 2 day bikepack, and don't remember noticing it in anyway. It's a good helmet so far. I did start thinking I should have worn some 'proper' cycling shorts rather than some pretty basic undershorts from Aldi, but even they worked OK.