lightweight bicycle helmet recommendation

Agusya

Im looking and there is so many I have no idea what to pick. I need something perfect during hot days so well-ventilated but most importantly something thats safe and my brain wont leak if ,god forbid, I ever have an accident. I can see brands like 

Exclusky

 ,Raleigh, Rockrider which costs about £20 that seems a bit cheap for something to actually work (?)  I can also see rankings and they recommend something for about £100. I wear glasses and also probably will need something tu put ponytail away. Please help 

bouicca21

I just take the advice of the nice man in the bike shop.  Mine is an Abus but not sure of the model.

Emmia

Agusya said:

Im looking and there is so many I have no idea what to pick. I need something perfect during hot days so well-ventilated but most importantly something thats safe and my brain wont leak if ,god forbid, I ever have an accident. I can see brands like 

Exclusky

 ,Raleigh, Rockrider which costs about £20 that seems a bit cheap for something to actually work (?)  I can also see rankings and they recommend something for about £100. I wear glasses and also probably will need something tu put ponytail away. Please help 

Whether it will work will depend on the circumstances in which you need it. Hopefully you never do.

Personally I'd go to the bike shop and try them on, to get something that fits, and is comfortable.

Brie

Rightly or wrongly I went for a jolly helmet that was actually intended for skateboarders.  Solid, no ventilation and a  covering that made it look like a bowl of jelly beans.  Quite pleased with it as I was using it for streets that were relatively traffic free for a slow peddle on my way to and from work.  Well pleased until a neighbour's child came by and said "oh my best friend has the same one!"  So intended for a 10 yo not someone in their 50s.  

Yorkie1

Make sure it has the CE safety mark (or whatever the UK equivalent is) - if you're buying from a bike shop you'll probably be OK there.

Make sure you have it adjusted so it fits well and sits horizontally across the head, rather than tipped back.

Beyond that, if you have BBC Sounds, there's a show called Sliced Bread. It looks at various consumer products. They did a session on bike helmets which might be interesting.

Ballard

I was never convinced that a light helmet with a bit of plastic would do much in the event of an accident but after a bad accident which wrote my bike off a couple of years ago I would never consider going out without one. The only memory I have is of my head being cushioned when I hit the floor. 

Anyway, this meant that I needed a new helmet. I spoke to the guy in the bike shop and he said that safety-wise there’s no real difference between the cheap and expensive models so I went for a cheap one. 

Nasqueron

Ballard said:

I was never convinced that a light helmet with a bit of plastic would do much in the event of an accident but after a bad accident which wrote my bike off a couple of years ago I would never consider going out without one. The only memory I have is of my head being cushioned when I hit the floor. 

Anyway, this meant that I needed a new helmet. I spoke to the guy in the bike shop and he said that safety-wise there’s no real difference between the cheap and expensive models so I went for a cheap one. 

The latter point is not exactly correct. In terms of protection, provided they have CE marks and aren't some dodgy Ali Express China Engineering nonsense, then yes they are much of a muchness. However budget helmets often lack the features of mid-upper range ones - these tend to be lighter, have more vents, look better, more aero etc, plus have additional safety - currently the gold standards for additional safety are MIPS or SPIN which a budget helmet may not have - you can get a MIPS one for about £45

MacPingu1986

Pretty much what Nasqueron says - the features of the expensive helmets are overwhelmingly the sorts of things that you might want if you're cranking out big miles on the bike each week - lightweight, ventilation, comfortable straps, aerodynamics, rather additional safety benefits. 

Stuff like MIPS/SPIN are *slightly* better in certain impact situations but the benefits really are very minor and important to remember that your risk of a head impact whilst cycling is very, very low - so I wouldn't get too focused on feeling you need a helmet with those additional features,


My advice would be just be to pick one you like, that's comfy and at a price you like from the bike shop.

goldfinches

I bought the one that fitted best from a local bike shop; one thing to do when you try them on is to give the chin strap a good yank when it's done up and see whether the clip gives way or not.

This page will probably help you, if you scroll down there are lots of very specific guides there.
And here is  cycling UK advice as well.

wongataa

Agusya said:

Im looking and there is so many I have no idea what to pick. I need something perfect during hot days so well-ventilated but most importantly something thats safe and my brain wont leak if ,god forbid, I ever have an accident. I can see brands like 

Exclusky

 ,Raleigh, Rockrider which costs about £20 that seems a bit cheap for something to actually work (?)  I can also see rankings and they recommend something for about £100. I wear glasses and also probably will need something tu put ponytail away. Please help 

First of all you need to find out which brands fit your head properly.  Different brands have different shaped helmets.  Different people have different shaped heads.  To find out what fits you properly you need to try on helmets.  As you will be trying on helmets you can see what works for your hair and glasses.  If you buy a helmet that doesn't fit properly it will be uncomfortable and you won't wear it.

daivid

wongataa said:

Agusya said:

Im looking and there is so many I have no idea what to pick. I need something perfect during hot days so well-ventilated but most importantly something thats safe and my brain wont leak if ,god forbid, I ever have an accident. I can see brands like 

Exclusky

 ,Raleigh, Rockrider which costs about £20 that seems a bit cheap for something to actually work (?)  I can also see rankings and they recommend something for about £100. I wear glasses and also probably will need something tu put ponytail away. Please help 

First of all you need to find out which brands fit your head properly.  Different brands have different shaped helmets.  Different people have different shaped heads.  To find out what fits you properly you need to try on helmets.  As you will be trying on helmets you can see what works for your hair and glasses.  If you buy a helmet that doesn't fit properly it will be uncomfortable and you won't wear it.

Even within the brand there can be significant variation. I have a Specialized helmet which fits great, two other models I tried were no good, creating pressure points. I do have a big head but all were theoretically the same size. Unless replacing exactly the same helmet I think trying on is essential, this could be done by sending back if no good but that will be a pain if you don’t find a fit right away. If you have an old helmet ask if there is a trade in, sometimes shops/brands offer money off if you hand in an old helmet.