Which cycle helmets provide the best protection? What science says
14.8.2024
Translation: machine translated
When buying a bike helmet, the question arises: is more expensive better? The answer is: usually, but not always. The US university Virginia Tech has intensively tested 238 bicycle helmets. Find out which ones offer the best protection at a good price here.
Buying a bike helmet is always a matter of trust. After all, you can only feel how well it really protects you in an emergency.
In order to take some of the uncertainty away from buyers, researchers at the US university Virginia Tech have been regularly testing bicycle helmets since 2011 together with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The results of the current report were recently published in the magazine "Outside Online"
The results showed that more expensive helmets are generally safer. However, there are also bicycle helmets in the mid-price segment that provide good protection against concussions and traumatic head injuries.
The full test results and details of the test methods can be found here.
The top performers in terms of safety
Now you probably want to know which helmets protect your head best in a fall. The researchers at Virginia Tech gave the Giro "Aries Spherical Mips" the highest ranking overall. However, it is certainly on the more expensive side.
The Bluegrass Jetro, which we don't currently have in our range, comes in second place and is the best-rated mountain bike helmet.
The Sweet Protection "Falconer 2Vi Mips", another helmet for the road, came in third place overall. Still a rather high price, but significantly cheaper than the Giro.
The "Tactic 4" from Specialized proved to be the absolute leader in terms of value for money. According to the tests at Virginia Tech University, it offers a high level of protection at a good price. It is ahead of some significantly more expensive helmets in the safety ranking.
The best full-face helmet according to the test is the Bluegrass "Vanguard Core Mips", which came in 30th place overall.
The "Urban Commuter" from Base Camp, which we don't stock in our shop, is at the bottom of the ranking in 238th place.
Are mountain bike helmets generally better?
Of the 235 helmets tested, 73 were mountain bike helmets. However, the assumption that mountain bike head protection is generally safer did not prove to be true. This is because the helmets with the best protection were primarily helmets for racing and road bikes - although this may also be due to the higher number of racing and road helmets tested.
The four full-face helmets tested were only in the middle segment in terms of protection against concussion. However, as other injuries such as jaw fractures can also occur when downhill biking, this ranking is certainly not the only relevant factor when assessing safety.
The reverse is also not true: racing bike helmets do not automatically protect you better against concussions. Some high-priced road bike helmets offer insufficient protection. The assumption of "Outside Online": With these helmets, the developers placed greater emphasis on aerodynamics and low weight.
Do Mips helmets offer better protection?
Mips, which stands for Multi Directional Impact Protection System, is a system that protects the head from static impact and rotational forces in the event of a side impact. Not every helmet with Mips automatically provides better protection, but the university's ranking shows that of the 30 highest-rated helmets, only two do not have Mips, but have similar systems such as Omnidirectional Suspension (ODS) or SPIN. The nine lowest-rated helmets, on the other hand, all do without mips.
So if you want to buy a new bike helmet, you would be well advised to choose one with mips. However, it shouldn't be your only criterion when choosing a helmet.
Header image: Shutterstock
Siri Schubert
Senior Editor
Siri.Schubert@digitecgalaxus.chResearch diver, outdoor guide and SUP instructor – I love being in, on and around water. Lakes, rivers and the ocean are my playgrounds. For a change of perspective, I look at the world from above while trail running or flying drones.
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