Remember that you are not only paying the helmet, but also the fancy web site, the Tour de France sponsoring, cool posters and… .
Oh, and don’t forget that all those holes are very expensive.
j.
I have not priced helmets recently, but at least a few years back, the above was fairly accurate for road bike helmets. In the US, helmets are mandatory in many communities for riders under age 18. This has created a much larger helmet market, and cheaper helmets that still meet industry standards.
So unless anything’s changed, in the US you can get a perfectly safe helmet (kids or adults) for around $20US. You can get a better-looking helmet for a little more ($25-40). Or you can get the latest-and-greatest designer/racer helmets for $100 & up. You get roughly the same amount of protection at all price levels, though comfort, fit and weight probably improve as you go up the scale. And, as Juergen says, you pay more for holes!
The most I’ve paid for a helmet in recent years is probably $35. I hope you can find something decent for less than the 50 (pound symbol not handy) you mentioned before. These helmets do start to get “yukky” after a while; dirty, scratched, dented, etc. so replacing them is not a bad idea.
i guy came into the bike shop i work at today and laid down $275 on a Giro CF helmet. but he is a full time racer and he needs to be as light as possible(at least thats what he told me.)
I don’t know why, but my computer posted the same thread twice, and two parallel discussions have started.
I’ve tried helmets in two or three shops over the last few weeks, and wasn’t happy with the fit or quality. I bought one on Saturday. I was reasonably satisfied with the fit and quality. Given that the cheaper ones didn’t suit, I had little choice but to pay the higher price.
The point being that helmets are overpriced for what they are. But I suppose so are shoes and shirts.
I have nothing further to say on this subject. Perhaps we could discuss religion?
My local bike shop reliably informed me that the better helmets come in more sizes, so you can get one that fits better, but it means smaller production runs and hence hire costs.
As for the size/number of vents - it’s easy to joke about, but it does have some benefit. It’s one of those things that is difficult to notice normally, but when I switched from a cheapo £10 helmet to a more expensive one (maybe £25, can’t remember) the extra airflow was noticeable, which is very nice for long rides on hot days. Sadly you can’t just jab extra holes through it, it needs more work on the design to make the helmet provide marvellous ventilation but still provide the protection.
Think of it this way - the helmet designer is probably a biker too. By buying expensive helmets, you’re helping someone to buy shiny new toys.
I just ordered a Giro Xen from Sierra Trading Post for US$80. It has MTB looks, back-of-head coverage like a skate helmet, and good ventilation–a must where I live, with 100+ deg F temps in the summer. I replace my helmet about every other year, and have generally bought high-end helmets from previous year models to save a little cash. I don’t stress over the cost much, figuring that not turning my brain to mush in case of accident AND keeping my head reasonable cool is worth a little extra cash.
I’ve been thinking about getting a helmet from S-One to replace my skateboarding helmet. They sell ones that have soft, multi-impact padding instead of hard polystyrene, and they just sound more comfortable than the helmet I now wear at the skatepark. Probably pretty hot, though, as are most skate-style helmets.
I can’t tell how high the production costs for expensive helmets really are, but for me personally the better comfort is worth the extra bucks.
The MET Stradivarious I wear cost just under 90 Euros. Before that I tried a cheaper one, and the difference is huge. With my old helmet I sometimes got a headache after some riding (brain overheating…), now that is gone. I also use the helmet on the bicycle, and the airflow through the helmet makes a huge difference.
The build quality also varies greatly. Better helmets usually use “in-molding”, i.e. the inner part is molded into the outer plastic shell. That makes the helmet more durable at a lower weight and allows for all the extra holes.
Of course wrecking your helmet in a light crash would really suck with this pricetag, but so far I never fell on my head. And if I do it is still better to write of an expensive helmet instead of not wearing one because of the discomfort.
I like riding with a skate helmet for unicycling and I use a more streamlined bike helmet for my road bike. I figure I don’t need the aerodynamic shape on the uni since I’m not doing any high speed Cokering. I bought an el cheapo skate helmet on sale for $10US and it worked just so so. Kind of a bad fit but it was the best I could find. Then I found a skate helmet that fit like a glove for $40US. It fits so much better that I’m glad I spent the money. What I’d like to find, perhaps on ebay, would be one of those old, leather bike helmets (anybody remember those?). I think it would provide enough cushion for that potential head bump on the tarmac and it would have the ‘old school’ look (like me:p ).