What makes a £120 helmet better than a £60 helmet?

[Steve vRS]

I need a new helmet. Mine is 9 years old and when sweat runs down my face from the helmet, it stinks. In fact, my helmet is almost sentient.

So, I have had a look on Wiggle and the range is amazing! As they are all made to a EN standard, what makes an expensive helmet better than a moderately priced one?

What do you wear?

Steve

[Mr E]

Weight and cooling is usually the difference.

[littleandy0410]

Comfort, weight, ventilation, style. Not neccessarily in that order!

I used a Spesh Air Force XC MTB helmet for years, and treated myself to a S-Works Prevail recently, when Specialized had a deal on. I got a £169 helmet for £85.

It is definitely more comfortable, and ventilation is better which is great in the summer, but I might regret it in the winter! It weighs a lot less, and obviously makes me look like Cav too!

[Matt_N]

More expensive ones tend to be sized too, so you get small, medium, large etc. Whereas cheaper ones will be one size fits all with you having to fit pads to get the fit right. So you end up with a better fitting helmet.

[Steve vRS]

I'd look to spend up to £80. It is a road helmet. I like the look of this one:-

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/met-estro-road-helmet/

Views?

Ta

Steve

[Vocal Minority]

I have a Lazer O2. It is very little different from the boffo Giro I got when I started out. I bought it due to a massive discount and the fact if looked a little better...but not much.

Ultimately no helmet is always preferable (feel wise not neccessarily survival wise)

[Jimbo.]

Steve vRS said:

I need a new helmet. Mine is 9 years old and when sweat runs down my face from the helmet, it stinks. In fact, my helmet is almost sentient.

So, I have had a look on Wiggle and the range is amazing! As they are all made to a EN standard, what makes an expensive helmet better than a moderately priced one?

What do you wear?

Steve

Better venting.
Lighter.
More adjustability.
Some may meet more stringent standards from elsewhere (e.g. Specialized and SNELL).

I wear a Kask Vertigo 'cos it fits. Anything that doesn't is a waste of money

[Gizmoish]

Kask Mojito and Catlike Whisper are worth a look.

[American iv]

the main difference is in the design - cheap helmets are foam with a plastic outer, whereas the more expensive the outer is bonded directly to the foam (or something like that)

The more expensive helmets tend to be lighter, have better ventilation (more expensive materials able to offer same safety), look different.

You might want to look the helmet design too - I know I was very appreciative of my Spec Vice extending a little lower than normal at the back when I crashed and smashed it!

[BadgerBenji]

Wiggle is great if you are replacing a helemt, like for like, but you can't beat trying them on. I always buy from my lbs, really fancied a mavic last time I changed, tried one just wasn't comfortable, same story with the met, whereas the giro and specialized offerings were spot on, it's all about head shape.

[AyBee]

Steve vRS said:

I'd look to spend up to £80. It is a road helmet. I like the look of this one:-

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/met-estro-road-helmet/

Views?

Ta

Steve

I have this helmet to commute with (Kask Mojito for weekends) and it's decent enough. Only slight complaint, if it was one, is that the rear "clamp" doesn't go down far enough under my skull to grip better. Have you tried one on? Helmets are very subjective, Met are fine for me, as are Kask, but I don't get on with the shape of Giros at all.

[Steve vRS]

Thanks all. I think I will go and try some on rather than buying blind.

Steve

[SixtySpeedTwin]

my cynical mind says £20 of marketing and £40 of extra profit....

[SuperHangOn]

I bought a new Giro for £15 delivered off ebay and its perfectly ok. I can't see why I would spend any more.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/330944965125

[rhinochopig]

I've done the expensive and the ultra cheap in 20 years of cycling and the expensive ones really aren't worth the extra especially given that if you ride a lot your sweat will kill off a helmet in 12-18months. For me, fit is everything, and if you can achieve that for 40-50 quid as opposed to three times that, then you're wasting money that could be better spent on shiny new trinkets

[DrMekon]

I get neck pain from helmets on rides over 300km, and have usually used cycling caps for long stuff. Bike shop recommended a Kask Mojito as being very light and quite adjustable. I've used it on a 600km with no neck pain, so definitely an improvement for me.

Wrote it off recently when I was knocked off. Crash replacement was half price, which was less generous than I expected, TBH. I'd only had it about 3 months.

[Roman]

I was happy to pay a premium for my Casco Ares for two features:

i) Integral aluminium roll bar to protect from frontal impacts.

ii) Moulded-in carbon fibre sub structure to hold the helmet together in the event of an accident.

I wouldn't pay much of a premium for a generic simple poly-foam helmet without additional safety features like these.

[Thermonuclear]

I'm not sure if the cheaper brands do this, but I know the likes of Giro and Specialized offer free replacements in the event of a stack, so probably some of the money is to cover this too.

Personally, looking to get that new Specialized lid, but at £160 I think i'll have to save up my pocket money a bit...

[XG332]

Bought mine because it stood out to me.

[jamiebae]

I really wanted a Catlike Whisper but it just didn't fit the shape of my head properly so I ended up with a Kask K50. You really do need to try before you buy, my £30 Spesh lid is more comfy to me than £100 of Catlike and looking at them online will never tell you that.