If you do any kind of biking, helmets are important. To most of us, they may seem to be little more than an afterthought, but when it comes to protecting your head from a crash or accident, they should be anything but, and it’s worth investing in a high-quality bike helmet. You’re going to be wearing it a lot, too, so it should be comfortable and properly fitting. The vast majority of bike injuries and fatalities occur from falling or hitting your head, and a helmet offers the first – and most effective – line of protection from such injuries.The exact style of helmet you need will depend on a few things, but mainly, what you are using it for. The most common kinds of helmets are road, commuter and mountain bike helmets, though you may sometimes find some crossover or hybrids between the different types. But no matter what you’re looking for, we’ve rounded some of the best bike helmets of 2017.
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Giro Savant
Giro has been making bike helmets for a long time, and just about everybody is familiar with the name. The Savant is one of their most popular road bike helmets out right now, thanks to it’s sleek shape, comfort, Roc Loc 5 adjustment interface, and MIPS capability. Whether you’re road-cycling, commuting to work or hitting up some mild trails, this helmet provides all-around protection at an everyday price, while still letting you look like you’re partaking in the Tour De France.
Giro Sutton
Giro’s next offering is geared towards everyday urban commuters. The Sutton has the look of a classic urban skate helmet or bike helmet, but comes engineered with MIPS protection, better breathable vents and padding, and even a reinforced loop for locking your helmet to your bike when away (a handy feature if you’re worried about theft). There’s no fancy features or adjustment system, but it provides good all-around protection for everyday biking and commuting in the city.
Specialized Echelon II
The Echelon II is a supremely light, comfortable helmet from one of the most familiar names in cycling. It comes with Specialized’s Tri-Fix Straps, which help you get a perfectly tight, comfortable fit around your head with minimal adjusting – though you can further adjust it using the straps and adjuster knob. Furthermore, it’s aesthetic is still aggressive enough to look appropriate whether road cycling or mountain biking, and anything in between.
Bern Diablo
The Bern Diablo is a great multi-sport or urban commuter helmet, with that classic skater look. It’s cheaper and simpler than some of the other options on this list, but doesn’t skimp out on protection, with MIPS protection built in. Other than that, it’s just a classic bike helmet for zipping around town or heading to work.
Bell Annex
If you have a little more to spend and care about your safety, the Bell Annex is a great choice, equipped for all kinds of weather. In addition to it’s futuristic design and MIPS protection, the Annex has vents that can be opened or closed, as well as a visor to keep wind, rain and dust out of your eyes. You’ve got your choice of sizes, too, to make sure you find the most comfortable fit for your head.
Scott Stego
You’re into mountain biking and want something a little more hardy, and don’t mind spending a bit of coin? The Scott Stego is a heavy-duty yet light and comfortable mountain bike helmet, with integrated MIPS protection, and an adjustable chin strap with Scott’s MRAS II fit system. The visor is removable and there are adjustable cam dividers. Perfect for flying down technical trails and winding singletrack, and looks pretty sick too.
Smith Forefront
The award-winning Smith Forefront is more expensive than the Scott Stego, but is even heavier-duty. There’s a singler-layer mesh lining for comfort and breathability (Smith’s AEROCORE technology) and the 21 AirEvac vents make sure you won’t be sweating too much on that next mountain climb. It come with MIPS technology,and host of cool features such as integrated camera or light mount, a removable visor, and goggle retention strap. For hardcore mountain biking and the protection to go with it, this is a solid bet and worth the price tag.
Giro Switchblade
If you’re into downhill or enduro mountain biking, then you’re going to be looking for a full-face helmet. Enter the Giro Switchblade, a more-affordable but still totally functional and protective full-face helmet. It’s ATSM downhill certified, both with and without the removable chin bar. There is stainless steel hardware, with internal anchors, for a solid construction at all times. The Roc Loc Air DH System makes sure it is properly mounted and fits tightly at all times, and the integrated MIPS protection is always nice to have. This isn’t the highest-end of all downhill helmets but offers all the protection you could need for it’s price.
Giro Synthe
Yes, another Giro helmet, but they’ve got another great helmet in the Synthe. They call it they’re most aerodynamic helmet, and it certainly looks that way. If you’re willing to spend more on a helmet than the Savant or Echelon, than the Synthe is definitely worth the higher price tag. Not only is it aerodynamic and sleek, but is also ultra-breathable, and very light too, coming in at only 209g. There’s also a sunglass port for convenience and protection from the sun, as well.
Scott Cadence
What sets the Scott Cadence apart from other helmets? It’s another Aero helmet, like the Synthe, but just a little bit sleeker, and more adjustable; Scott’s Halo Fit System has three heights and circumferences to choose from, and it’s definitely one of the best fitting, most comfortable helmets out there. There is, of course, MIPS. The front has 5 large vents, and the back has 3 – this is a very cool, breathable helmet. it’s actually heavier than the Synthe, but you wouldn’t necessarily notice it thanks to the amount of air flying through your hair.
