Roads, Dirt, and Mountains: The Best Cycling Helmets for Every Kind of Cyclist

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Originally Posted On: https://144university.com/best-cycling-helmets/

Over 2 billion people ride bikes regularly, according to the World Economic Forum. That’s a lot of cyclists! Biking is one of the fastest-growing modes of transportation worldwide.

For some, cycling is a challenge worthy of Olympic-level skill. For others, it’s a fun way to exercise outdoors.

Recently, economists have reported a “bicycle boom,” particularly among teens. Sales might be inspired by recent shows like Stranger Things, where the protagonists often bike around the town.

Yet, as more people start biking, safety precautions are more urgent. To prevent dangerous accidents, cyclists need a key piece of safety gear: bike helmets.

Unfortunately, people can find cycling helmets uncomfortable. This is because they don’t choose the right one. Different cyclists need different types of helmets.

The good news is, picking the right helmet is possible. With this guide, you’ll discover which of the seven types of cyclists you are. Then, you can learn the best cycling helmets to keep you safe, stylish, and under budget.

Ready to find a helmet you’ll want to wear every time you ride? Read on!

You can categorize cyclists into seven clear types. Each type has his or her mode of cycling, and each mode comes with different risks. Fortunately, these risks can be mitigated with a few precautions.

Different bikers also have different goals. While bike helmets are mostly protective, the best helmets help cyclists achieve their biking goals. Which cyclist are you?

Commuters ride bikes in urban locations. They’re more likely to ride electric bikes than other cyclists.

That’s because commuters have a practical reason for biking: to run errands or to get to work. Biking may even be part of their job if they work as a delivery person.

Commuters are usually trying to get where they’re going quickly. They might be trying to save money by not driving, so affordability can factor into many of their choices.

Traffic poses the most significant risk to commuters. They often prioritize comfort, as they might be biking for hours at a time, in all types of weather.

Recreational cyclists are just here to have fun. Some of them want to exercise. They often take advantage of scenic bike trails in parks or along historic routes.

Recreational cyclists deal with less traffic than commuters do. But, they deal with more natural hazards, like uneven paths or debris. Some recreational cyclists invest in their hobby, but top-tier gear isn’t paramount.

Road cyclists are signing up for races. More than any other biker, these cyclists need speed. Aerodynamic helmets are more important to them than they are to commuters.

Racing enthusiasts categorize road cyclists into types. Most fall into one of four archetypes:

• The sprinter
• The puncher
• The climber
• The all-rounder

Each type of road cyclist approaches racing with a different strategy. They may factor in what they know about their approach and body type into their choice of helmet.

Long-distance and triathlon cyclists overlap with road cyclists. But, their needs are different enough that they typically choose different helmets.

Triathalon cyclists want to maximize speed, so aerodynamic design is mandatory. They also need to protect their eyes at top speeds. They’re willing to spend more because there’s nothing casual about this sport.

Finally, triathlon cyclists need a helmet that’s comfortable while riding, running, and swimming. They ask a lot of their headgear!

Dirt bikes aren’t like any other bike. They’re motor vehicles. Designers develop dirt bikes for speed and stunts, not day-to-day transportation.

The fastest dirt bike moves at 123 miles per hour. Dirt bikers typically focus on honing their motocross and dirt jumping skills.

This sets them apart from most other bikers. It’s actually illegal to ride a dirt bike in many cities. Bike lanes aren’t suited for these bikes.

Dirt bikers are looking for maximum face protection. Accidents can be deadly because they make an impact at such a high speed. So, dirt bike helmets have special features that would be overkill for other cyclists.

Mountain bikers cycle on outdoor trails. Some ride for long distances. Others focus on shorter trips or aim to master BMX tricks.

Mountain bikers can be competitive. In those circumstances, speed becomes critical. So, aerodynamic design becomes a premium consideration.

Fit is also particularly critical for mountain bikers. They don’t want to risk the helmet coming slightly loose in the middle of a jump or flip.

Kids and adolescents might be the most unique category of cyclists. Their heads are shaped differently, and their brains are still developing. They’re also less skilled, so they can be prone to accidents.

As a result, they need to take extra precautions. Safety gear must be designed specifically for their heads.

And, a helmet needs to be comfortable and trendy enough that they’ll keep it on—even if peer pressure tells them helmets are “uncool.” Style points matter more to teens than they do to most adults.

Children and adolescents are also shorter than adults. This makes them harder for drivers to see, even in good light.

So, the best kids’ bike helmets are highly visible. This mitigates the risk of accidents when kids bike around the neighborhood.

Cycling activities are the obvious categories for cyclists. But what about gender?

In a bike shop, you might see men’s cycling helmets and women’s cycling helmets. It’s easy to think each of these helmets has important design distinctions. Maybe women’s heads are a slightly different shape?

But, the truth is, there is no difference between men’s bike helmets and women’s bike helmets. Popular brands say their gendered helmets are designed with the same molds. The main difference is the shell color.

Now, it is true that men tend to be bigger than women. But, when it comes to helmets, generalizations about size just aren’t useful.

Instead, each rider must measure his or her own head. That way, every individual can discover their own, precise size. The bike-positive city of Portland published an illustrated guide to fitting a helmet correctly.

The best way to fit a helmet is to measure the circumference of your head. Start at the center of your forehead. Then, match your head size, in centimeters, to the size on the helmet brand’s size chart.

Unfortunately, sizing is not standardized across brands. So, remember your head measurement, and you can see what size that lines up with for any given brand. If you’re in-between sizes, choose the next size down.

As with shoes and jeans, some helmet brands have women’s sizes and men’s sizes. But, unlike with jeans, men’s and women’s helmets are the same shape.

Companies may assign women a smaller size number for a given circumference, but they’re not manufacturing different helmets. The difference is pure marketing.

It’s based on the idea that women are flattered when they’re labeled “small.” It’s the same reason fashion brands label some dresses “size 0.” It’s irrelevant to helmet safety, so choose whichever gender of helmet you prefer.

Bike helmets come in a few different styles. Some are better suited than others for specific types of protection. Yet, all bike helmets have specific traits that make them high-quality or low-quality.

It’s wise to understand each trait, and why it matters. That way, you can make the best decision for yourself about what trade-offs you’re open to. And, some traits are more urgent, depending on how you’re biking.

You can examine any helmet with this checklist of nine traits. It’s worth keeping on hand if you’re helmet-shopping offline.

Safety is the most critical trait of any helmet. After all, most fatal bike accidents involve head injuries. At the same time, studies show that bike helmets reduce fatalities by 88% when serious accidents happen.

How can a consumer know whether a given helmet is effective? Most helmet manufacturers use the CPSC Test or the VT Star test to measure safety. Some use in-house tests.

The CPSC is the Consumer Product and Safety Commission. This authority sets the safety standards for many types of protective gear in the United States. The CPSC test is the standard safety measure for bike helmets.

This default test measures how well a helmet withstands impact. A helmet that passes this test will protect the wearer from impact injuries.

Some critics prefer other tests. The CPSC does not evaluate how well a helmet protects against rotational impact injuries and concussions. So, engineers developed other, more in-depth tests.

Engineers at Virginia Tech developed the VT STAR test. This test evaluates how well a helmet prevents concussions. Developers originally designed the test to rate football helmets.

As the test grew popular, engineers expanded it to rate bike helmets. Not all helmets are VT STAR tested. But, a high VT STAR rating is a solid safety indicator.

Helmet manufacturers run tests in-house to keep helmets up to their standards. Elite brands have a reputation for tests that are more rigorous than standard safety tests.

On sites like Popular Mechanics and IEEE forums, engineers debate the merits of different brands’ internal tests. That said, most brands that test in-house clear the bar set by mainstream tests. When they don’t, that’s a bad sign.

Helmets come in a range of shapes and sizes. Designers make choices to improve safety, speed, and comfort. Their approaches change depending on their respective strategies and priorities.

Bike helmet designers take different approaches to protection. They want to prevent injuries from direct and rotational impacts during bike accidents. For more on design options that increase safety, see the “Liners” sub-heading.

It’s challenging to design a helmet that is maximally aerodynamic, and also offers the cyclist’s face the best possible protection. Helmet designers generally trade-off one for the other.

You’ll find that helmets for triathlon cyclists, road cyclists, and mountain bikers are the most aerodynamic. None of these variants offer full-face protection.

In contrast, there are helmets with full-face, half-face, and moderate protective visors. These tend to be dirt bike helmets, BMX bike helmets, and mountain bike helmets respectively.

Commuter helmets are not the most aerodynamic. They’re also less likely to have visors or design elements that protect a rider’s face. But, commuter helmets do offer other safety features.

Bike helmets follow national trends when it comes to head shape. In general, you’ll find helmet designers use one of three head shapes for their typical mold.

Italian helmets have the most narrow shape. American helmets have an oval-shaped mold. And, finally, Asian helmets have the most rounded, or circular, helmet shape.

Other European designers tend to use the Italian or Americal shape as their default. But, as biking is internationally popular, most brands offer helmets with all three core shapes (round, narrow, or oval).

Hair ports are a design feature for long-haired users. They offer an outlet for a ponytail to extend beyond the back of the helmet. This offers a moderate boost to safety, and it prevents the unfashionable “helmet hair” look after a long ride.

Designers set EPS inside helmets to protect cyclists from injuries. EPS can be placed at different, protective pressure points.

The right pressure points make a helmet feel comfortably snug. They should not cause discomfort or headaches.

No matter what type of cyclist you are, you don’t want a heavy helmet. Some helmets are heavier because they have more durable, protective components. But, the lighter the helmet, the better it is for racing and long-distance cycling.

A helmet’s strap system is a critical part of its design. This is what holds the helmet securely on a cyclist’s head. The choice of design, materials, and release mechanism sets some strap systems apart from others.

Designers might call the chin strap design the helmet’s “ratchet system” or “retention system.” The system uses two y-shaped straps that hang at the sides of a wearer’s face. The straps connect below the wearer’s chin.

The chin straps have a tightening mechanism that makes the helmet snug. This tightening loop is, typically, a manual ratchet system. Rarely, a chin strap might include an automatic tightening mechanism.

A helmet with a “branched” y-shape design is, typically, more comfortable. The branched design lets the straps conform to the wearer’s face more precisely.

It may be safer, too, as a cyclist might pull the straps more tightly if the system feels like a precise, snug fit—rather than cutting uncomfortably.

The fastener is the component that attaches the straps. For most helmets, this is a plastic part called a side-release buckle. You need to thread the buckle properly to clasp it securely.

Some helmets have a magnetic, locking fastener. These are easier to open and snap tight, even with one hand. It’s less complex, so it’s easier to get a secure sit every time.

Certain helmet brands offer unique options, like Uvex’s push-button release. Buttons, buckles, and magnetic fasteners have replaced older designs. For example, D-ring fasteners used to be popular, but now they’re disfavored.

The helmet’s outer, plastic shell is the most visible aspect of its design. The shell varies from helmet to helmet.

Some shells are lighter or more durable than others. But, shells don’t make a significant difference in helmet safety. The liner is a far more critical design element.

Liners are the internal layer inside a bike helmet.

Liners have diverse qualities. Some are biodegradable. Others have “moisture-wicking” properties designed to minimize sweat during a long ride.

Conventional bike helmets use EPS to protect cyclists from injury. EPS stands for “Expanded Polystyrene.” This is a stable, soft-plastic foam. Designers place EPS foam strategically to protect the brain.

Designers have experimented with EPS throughout the years. EPS foams have a range of densities and thicknesses. It’s a crushable foam, which improves its ability to cushion the wearer’s head during an accident.

Recently, engineers implemented new protective liner designs. These designs incorporate new elements to existing EPS structures.

MIPS is one protective design technique. It’s an acronym for “multi-directional impact protection system.” Designers implement an internal slip-plane, which protects the head better than a static shape.

This low-friction layer adds protection on top of the typical protection granted by a helmet’s foam padding. It’s similar to a layer inside of the human skull, which effectively protects the brain in many circumstances.

Another design inspired by the human skull is SPIN. SPIN stands for “Shearing Pad Inside.” SPIN and MIPS use similar strategies to prevent rotational injury, although SPIN uses gelatinous pads while MIPS uses low-friction polycarbonate.

Both SPIN and MIPS helmets are safer than conventional bike helmets. Currently, no objective third parties have tested each design’s relative safety.

WaveCel is another safety-centered design choice. It’s only available in Bontrager helmets. Engineers created WaveCel technology to absorb the blunt forces of both rotational and linear impact.

WaveCel is a patented cushioning material made of discrete, collapsable cells. In an oblique impact test, WaveCel helmets reduced injury risk by 32% more than MIPS helmets. Researchers did not test other types of impacts.

Face protection typically comes down to a helmet’s visor. A helmet can offer full-face protection, half-face protection, or no visor at all. Most commuter helmets have no visor, and cyclists tend to wear protective glasses instead.

Visors vary in quality. You want one that has a tint that protects your eyes from UV rays without disrupting your vision. You also want a visor that does NOT shatter during a crash.

Vents are intentional gaps in a helmet’s design. They increase the helmet’s breathability. In general, a helmet with more vents is more comfortable.

The size of a helmet’s vents also impacts comfort. In this case, bigger is better. But, too many vents can weaken a helmet’s degree of impact protection.

The best helmets are vented enough to mitigate sweating and overheating. Yet, they’re still an effective barrier against impacts.

The other helmet traits mentioned are all present in the majority of helmets. Conversely, accessories are considered an “extra.” Accessories are nice-to-have features of a bike helmet.

Different accessories are important to different types of cyclists. Popular accessories are camera mounts, lights, Bluetooth-enabled speakers, and emergency crash sensors.

Lights vary from helmet to helmet. Some have adjustable brightness. Some are 100% LED and eco-friendly.

Bluetooth speakers are typically only an option for dirt-bike-style helmets. In contrast, camera mounts are a popular accessory on helmets across the spectrum.

The most expensive dirt bike helmet is thousands of dollars. But, typically, bike helmets range in price from as little as $20 to as much as $290. That’s still quite a spread.

The cost-conscious cyclist probably won’t want to spend over $100. Yet, it’s still important to save money without sacrificing safety. Other, less-critical qualities are free to take the boot, though.

Now you know what makes each type of cyclist unique. And, you’re aware of the key qualities that set helmets apart from one another. Finally, it’s time to bring it all together.

These are the 34 best bike helmets on the market today. Each type of cyclist has plenty to choose from—depending on which trait you value most. Let’s dive in.

The best helmets for commuters are built for urban life. They typically sacrifice some speed to maximize comfort and style.

In some cases, these helmets stand out because they’re inexpensive. Others have features commuters love when they navigate the city’s traffic.

The POC Omne Air Spin is incredibly lightweight. It also has enough vents to be truly breathable. This helmet’s chin straps have a branched y-shape design, which enables more precise tightening options.

All these traits make the POC Omne Air Spin one of the most comfortable helmets. And, for commuters, comfort is often a premium. This helmet is $149-$179, and it comes in thirteen color options.

The Bontrager Charge WaveCel is a fashionable helmet. It’s also the absolute safest helmet in this section. WaveCel is one of the best design strategies to prevent injury in an accident.

The Bontrager Charge WaveCel has a magnetic buckle that fits securely, instantly. It has 360° reflectors embedded for maximum visibility. And, it supports a headlight mount for long-term LED options.

This helmet typically costs around $150.

The Thousand Helmets’ brand Chapter MIPS is a slightly more affordable commuter option. It protects cyclists with innovative MIPS technology.

And, the Chapter MIPS includes features like its 30 lumens magnetic taillight, a nylon strap system with a magnetic fastener, and eight strategic cooling vents. It’s lighter than the Charge WaveCel, but heavier than the Omne Air Spin.

The Lazer Urbanize series is made with e-bike riders in mind. This helmet earned a 5-star safety rating from the VT STAR test, and it offers great protection in even high-impact accidents.

The Lazer Urbanize includes a half-face visor with a panoramic lens, which protects the wearer’s eyes from the front and the sides. It also incorporates a hair port, a magnetic fastener, and a rechargeable read LED light.

Casual, recreational cyclists aren’t trying to maximize safety or speed. Instead, they want reasonably safe helmets that don’t break the bank.

Casual cyclists may be more invested in style than others. So, they might be attracted to heritage bike helmets that stand out in a photo. These helmets are each great for recreational bikers on a budget.

The Giro Cormick MIPS helmet is a hybrid model with good ventilation. It brings together the best of commuter and road cycling styles. The design is lightweight, airy, and reduces wind.

It also maximizes safety with its MIPS interior and high-visibility color. Giro’s patented Roc Loc 5 system stabilizes the helmet over bumps and sharp turns. At $55-$75, it’s a great, affordable choice.

The Mokfire is one of the few helmets under $30 in this guide. It uses EPS foam treated with moisture-wicking compounds to keep riders’ heads cool. And, it has a rechargeable read LED light to improve visibility.

It’s a bare-bones design, for sure. But, safety-wise, it gets the job done.

The Specialized Echelon II is often rated one of the top five helmets under $100. It’s a triathlon-style helmet, designed for maximum aerodynamics.

It’s also incredibly safe. The Specialized Echelon II has a MIPS system and an ANGi crash sensor.

This feature calls 911, or an emergency number you choose, when it senses you’ve been in an accident. It can help emergency services find you if you lose consciousness.

You can adjust the fit of Specialized Echelon II to six micro-sizes, which improves comfort and protection. Its chin straps are split three-ways rather than two, which enables more comfortable adjustments.

Overall, it’s a safe, comfortable choice.

Road cyclists want speed and safety. These road bike helmets emphasize aerodynamic design and protective features. They’re also durable enough to use in many races in a row without the need for repair.

The Giro Aether MIPS has a unique, spherical design. It has the best ventilation of any road cycling helmet. Engineers designed it with the wind in mind.

It manages impact forces in a unique way, which keeps riders safe despite its lightweight materials. The EPS foam is stabilized with Giro’s Roc Loc 5 system. The shell is shatter-resistant.

The Giro Aether doesn’t have a visor. But, it makes up for that with eyewear-docking ports that seamlessly integrate the sunglasses of your choice. Overall, this is a cool, comfortable helmet.

The Specialized S-Works Prevail II is one of the safest helmets for road cyclists. It incorporates the ANGi crash sensor. This feature automatically calls for help from your smartphone when it senses you’ve been in an accident.

The S-Works Prevail II uses MIPS technology to prevent injury from rotational impact. It’s also lightweight, well-ventilated, and comfortable. It incorporates a brow pad that increases air circulation against the face, wicking away sweat.

These features make the helmet a safe, comfortable option for racers.

The Smith Optics Forefront is a high-performance eyewear helmet. It incorporates a half-visor that protects a cyclist’s eyes at top speeds.

The Optics Forefront protects the top, sides, and back of the head with MIPS and Koroyd design elements. Koroyd is a welded-tube system that initiates a controlled collapse on impact.

It’s used in child car seats as well as helmets. Koroyd is an open-cell foam that offers better protection than EPS.

The Optics Forefront enables fit adjustment with patented technology. As a result, it’s one of the best adult helmets for cyclists with smaller-than-average heads. Other features are anti-microbial straps and gear-mount capacity.

If you ask ten triathlon cyclists what the best helmet is, you’ll get twenty different answers. These three helmets have some standout features. But, most premium brands offer safe helmets suited to these unique competitions.

This smooth helmet is maximally aerodynamic. Olympians and international champions have worn it to compete. There is zero risk of wind resistance.

The POC Cerebel Raceday incorporates a magnetic, adjustable visor. It offers total eye protection. Its tint is tailored to reduce glare.

This is a moderate-weight helmet. It drops some comfort-adding features, like cooling vents, to eliminate drag. It’s on the high end of the price spectrum.

The Giro Vanquish is a solid triathlon helmet with half-visor eye protection. The eyeshield protects eyes from glare while maintaining true-to-life coloration.

Engineers incorporated ten vents into this helmet. They combined vents with an internal cooling system for maximum comfort on race day. The shell is reinforced polycarbonate.

Between the MIPS system, its cooling capacity, and its low weight, the Giro Vanquish is an excellent choice.

The Bell Z20 Aero is a (relatively) more affordable triathlon helmet. It has a drag-defying aerodynamic design. It incorporates ventilation that uses headwinds to its advantage to maximize cooling.

The Bell Z20 is an incredibly safe, moderate-weight triathlon helmet. But, it doesn’t offer any exceptional features.

The best mountain bike helmets suit riders on rough terrain. Mountain bikes encourage cyclists to lean forward in a “climbing” posture. The best of these helmets improve bikers’ speed while keeping them safe and cool-headed.

Mountain bike helmets’ design sits somewhere between a commuter helmet and a triathlon helmet. They’re more aerodynamic than the former, and they typically have more ventilation than the latter.

The Specialized Ambus is a premium mountain biking helmet. It’s an exceptionally lightweight, ventilated helmet that offers the wearer full coverage.

The Specialized Ambush incorporates MIPS SL, a new, ultra-light version of the impact-preventing design. It offers cyclists precise height-adjustment settings for an excellent fit.

It also comes with a mount for an ANGi sensor, which the cyclist can purchase separately. And, the Specialized Ambush’s chin strap system enables easy adjustment.

The Fox Racing Speedframe Pro is for professional mountain bikers. It’s an open-face, aerodynamic helmet built to last. This helmet’s durability is one of its premium qualities.

The Fox Racing Speedframe uses a MIPS safety system and a magnetic strap fastener. It also incorporates a washable liner. That and its ventilation set-up keep it relatively cool.

The Schwinn Thrasher is a popular helmet for hobbyist mountain bikers. It’s easily one of the best mountain bike helmets under $50.

It doesn’t have a lot of features. But, it uses EPS foam and passes CPSC safety standards. The foam is moisture-wicking, which improves comfort.

You can adjust the Schwinn Thrasher helmet into two different sizes. It has twenty vents. These improve comfort to some degree.

There’s a limit to how much precision you can get from an affordable helmet. But, for a mountain biker on a budget, the Schwinn Thrasher does its job.

Are you looking for a kids’ bike helmet? In that case, you need to consider a few different things. Size and shape matter more, for example.

Little kids have different proportions than adults. They need helmets designed specifically for them, and they need options for precision adjustment. Comfort is important, too, as kids are more likely to just dump uncomfortable geat.

But, kids will grow out of a given helmet in a year or so. So, don’t overspend on an item that inevitably has a limited shelf life. Durability is less critical.

The Joovy Noodle is a popular bike helmet for toddlers. It comes in sizes for kids aged 1 to 9. It offers expanded head protection with EPS.

The Joovy Noodle comes with an adjustable dial. Parents can easily adapt a helmet to their kid’s head size. It also comes in many colors.

The Joovy Noodle includes a visor to keep the sun out of a kid’s eyes. The brow vents have mesh to prevent bugs from flying into a child’s hair.

This helmet is fun, breezy, and comfortable. It includes wide vents for comfortable cool.

It also incorporates advanced safety design. The Lazer L’il Gekko utilized the MIPS safety system. This increases crash protection.

Parents can add on additional features, like an LED rear light. The L’il Gekko comes in four fun colors and patterns.

The Hornit Mini Lid is a commuter-style helmet for kids. It incorporates an easy, dial-adjust system to get a just-right fit. This also lets kids use the helmet for a bit longer as they grow.

It has a rear LED light and comfortable ventilation. It’s easy to use with skates as well as bikes. The main downside is, the Hornit Mini’s protection system isn’t as advanced and those on helmets with MIPS.

At 144 University, we love everything you can do outside. That’s why we’ve created a one-stop shop for reviews and comparisons of all outdoor gear.

If you appreciated this complete guide to bike helmets, you’re our kind of person! Why not check out a few of our other reviews? You might enjoy The Best Mountain Bike Shoes of 2021.

Or, maybe you love to travel. Your bike might be just one of many modes of transportation you use.

Packing up your bike for a bus trip can be a rewarding challenge. The right carrier can help. So, our experts composed 2021’s Best Bike Travel Cases.

No matter what you do in the great outdoors, 144 University can get you ready