Check Out: 8 Mountain Bike Helmets Under $100

 It's also an absolute sweat box!

 Bell’s version of this helmet (they are both under the same corporate umbrella) also has MIPS, fits very well, and is often 49.99. Great helmet, breathes well, cleans well.

 Agree, Griro helmets are torturous-poorly ventilated with gigantic spongy linings that absorb tons of sweat

 Amazon will have a sale on certain colors occasionally knocking them down to $30!

 @schooledrider: sounds like you only tried their full face helmets, also here in EU Giro replace smashed helmet for like half of a price of new one

 I've had one for nearly a year and I really like it.

 @schooledrider: my Montaro is just about perfect

 I'd much rather have a sweaty head then have a huge a huge head injury, because i'm wearing a ping pong ball on my head.

 $39 Cdn: sixsixone.ca/collections/helmets/products/evo-am-patrol-helmet-cpsc-white-red

 Dude is getting more and more awkward after each photo.

 @deadtime: what is the name of that model?

 Dumping price - MIPS is sooo sofisticated system

 Stoker. They are on the 2nd version of the stoker, updated fit system, better materials, slightly lighter. I also just saw a MIPS Stoker for $40 when I googled it. My kid wears the new model, he also had the first model and complained about the heat, but I haven’t heard him complain about the heat in the new one, he loves it. I still use my 8 yr old Urge, never crashed, best ventilation for a bald guy bar none, but Bell has contributed to two places I ride, so I’ll support them when they have good product, this is my 4th helmet from Bell, first 2 were when my kids were young.

 @Rubberelli: Gordon.

 @bishopsmike: that's on sale though. This helmet list are full retail prices.

 @bok-CZ: I believe this is not right, anymore. A friend of mine crashed his helmet about two weeks after he bought it (last summer) and he had to buy a new one at full price...

 @Marty440: He contacted Giro for a crash replacement first, or did a shop just tell him he had to buy a new one?

 @Marty440: weird, Progress cycle should be still offering that crash replacement as far as I know

 It's nice to see some of the nicer higher end tech moving down to the sub $100 category. I personally think this is huge. You can still get some safety if you don't have a crap ton of money to spend.

 Is there any proof that a more expensive helmet will protect you more?

All my recent helmets have been $100-130, but that’s more of look/fit preference.

 I don't know that there is a lot of non-proprietary research that indicates that any helmet on the market has any technological features that actually improve the protection it gives you. So probably if you like how it looks, its comfortable, is secure on your head and covers your head well, pretty much any helmet will give you as much protection as you are going to get.

 @browntown40: yes there is, if 2 people pass the same test are they equally Intelligent...

 To some people $/£/€100 Is a really big piece of money. Try not to think of them as cheaper alternatives to more premium helmets, but rather, a just about achievable alternative to no helmet at all or some unproven £15 Halfords special. FWIW I think helmets in this price bracket are probably doin gv a whole load of collective good.

 @acrowe: Yes always nice to have 'third party' research. Can check out this link to a Virginia Tech study- vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2018/06/ictas-bikehelmetratings.html . Bummer is that the models change so much year to year these studies seem out of date as soon as they are initiated. They did give kudos to MIPS though. Didn't test a sweaty 'do rag' on the head that sometimes comes up with comments on MIPS.

 they're half shells, how is a halfshell gonna be over $100 or the best protection.

If it were full faces I would be worried, but $100 half shells leaves plenty of money for quality and performance.

 @acrowe: "pretty much any helmet will you give you as much protection as you are going to get"' was a smart thing to say up til 2013 or so. Now, it's dumb as hell. Some helmets provide truly promising (not proven!) protection from concussions, while some still don't even try. Of the helmets here, the Kali and Leatt are f'ing amazing values for what they offer, and I wouldn't consider any of the others.

 @acrowe: Actual link to VA tech study results- www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicycle-helmet-ratings.html

 @acrowe: that makes way too much sense.

 @browntown40: Not necessarily... in regards to more money more protection. I've seen very expensive helmets split in half.

At some point the more money is just fluff... because margins. More money less sales... same margins... more money. So what you end up getting are usually better finishes, buckles, strap colors and stitches, etc. Things like that. Often times the safety ends of it are very similar between the two ranges.

 Pink Bike Commentariat: Hey! Review some more affordable products! We are not all a bunch of dentists!

Also Pink Bike Commentariat: I would use that cheap stuff!

 @TheR: Right. LOL!

 All helmets are designed to merely pass the test by minimizing the acceleration that the headform experiences. More expensive helmets sometimes feature higher density foams and lower skull surface area contact to improve venting and reduce weight, both factors which can increase the incidence of skull fractures. And not as much of a problem for "enduro style" helmets, but expensive road helmets will often be at the limit of minimal coverage to save on weight.

 @racerfacer: This^ More money equals less weight but not usually any safer. When it comes to moto helmets I actually heard someone suggest that the plastic ones might in fact be safer because of the fact that they will split on a hard enough impact and disperse some of the force. Carbon lids wont but are lighter.

 The argument that the price of a helmet shouldn't matter since it protects your head, is just buying into the fallacy that higher price = higher quality. I'm not saying to go buy a $20 helmet from your local supermarket, but expecting to pay over $100 for what is fundamentally just a bit of styrofoam that passed a couple safety certifications is pretty ridiculous.

 @friendlyfoe: maybe if hitting your head againts the berm, but a helmet that splits ain't good business if a dirt bike lands on your head.

 @Phillyenduro: bingo! I can't believe how people believe in mips so bad

 @ismasan: impact and rotational impact are completely different...

 @onemanarmy: what do you mean?

 The idea the cheap helmets protect as well, or better, than expensive helmets is only partly true. It's true when it comes to the helmet's ability to protect your *skull* in a *big* impact. That kind of impact is relatively rare in mountain biking. But--and this is the important part--it's *not* true when it comes to protecting your *brain* from a less huge impact. Price is not a good predictor of whether a helmet is more likely to prevent a (rare) skull fracture, but until very recently if you wanted a helmet that was more likely to prevent a (more common) concussion, then you had shell out. That's begun to change in the last year or so, thanks to helmets like the Maya 2 and the DBX 2. Those helmets bring legit concussion-reducing tech to the realm of sub $100 helmets. That's a big deal. Saying there's no safety difference between those 2 thoroughly modern helmets and a dinosaur like the A1, which comes in cool colors but does literally nothing to try to reduce concussion risk, is not smart.

 @browntown40: how would there be proof of that? There is no magic expensive material to make them from which will always protect you. It's like buying clothes: the more stylish, the more expensive. But things like Mips were like $40 more when it came out. Clearly not any longer.

 @racerfacer: FOAM DENSITY....YES!
nobody ever talks about FOAM DENSITY.

All these helmets pass the same HIGH-G impact we all know that.

I want a helmet to start to crush INSTANTLY!!!!
The first 15 milliseconds is the most important part of impact absorption.
Any of these soft get materials like kali's LDL is going to dissipate energy WAY faster then anything hard.

Then you break into multiple density foam.

 @Rubberelli: Yeah it was a borderline rhetorical question. My stance on it is that expense by itself doesnt correlate to a "safer" helmet. With a more expensive helmet, typically you get a more stylish and in some/most cases a more comfortable helmet.

But when it comes down to a real world impact - its a crap shoot. I dont believe helmet company's do a myriad of test on different materials. Did the helmet hit a sharp rock or an big roand oak tree? I mean the conditions are endless in the real world - but when it comes to testing (something im not too educated on) I can only imagine there arent many varieties. They probably rely on FEA models, but even that is a bit limited.

In the end my motto is get a helmet that is the more comfortable, you like the styling and wear it properly. If it has mips - great. If it doesnt - not a deal breaker.

 @onemanarmy: Splitting in half is a feature, not a problem. The basic idea behind an EPS foam helmet is that it breaks so your head doesn't, after which they should be thrown in the trash and replaced.

 @jmd07aa: Second half of your post is true. The first half is horse shit.

It's pretty common for EPS to crack and split in areas during impacts. That is sometimes part of the breaking down and dispersion process of the helmet. EPS is meant to spread the g's across a great surface. It decreases impact speeds in ms by roughly 80-85%. That's the first function. It deforms in order to slow those speeds so your brain doesn't slam into your skull. That's why folks are using multi-density foams now.

Companies actually add chemicals to the polystyrene to decrease the splitting. Why would they do this if it's a feature? They're even going as far as reinforcing the stuff with carbon fiber.

Obviously having the helmet expose before your head does is nice but efficiently dispersing the energy without exploding would be the feature.

 I'm torn between the LEM and the Bontrager. Both of them seem narrower than the typical mushroom. I'm leaning towards the LEM for the ventilation. Any opinions on these two?

 @Xyrium: If you can try both of them on - that would be ideal. I just retired my Bontrager helmet, fit was nice for me.

 And the Where's Waldo award goes to...

 Bell's not in there either. The Spark with MIPS is $70. Nomad with MIPS is $50... etc.

 The 1st picture in the article was the last one we took.

The 661 was shipped in the wrong size, so it wasn't fair to include it.

@onemanarmy the Bell is a promising option, but we weren't able to get one in time for this feature.

 @sarahmoore: Not surprised. LOL. The Nomads' not out yet.

You can never include EVERYONE in these types of tests. That was kinda my point anyways.

 Plus the kali has got a lifetime crash replacement- kaliprotectives.com/register

 The retention system is exactly the same as the Fox Flux mk1 and some Decathlon road helmets. I think they must be made in the same factory.

 Kali's tech is legit. Brad Waldron is smart as hell and the dude is all about pushing technology to save people's lives and brains. He's always more than willing to discuss the science. Big fan of Kali.

 I learned a lot about the safety testing landscape (and it's shortcomings) from Kali's product videos. Obviously their position is that Kali are the best, but I think they offer a sound argument that just passing CPSC tests leaves a lot to be desired. Really like where LDL and the Leatt Turbine systems are headed.

 @cyclecuse: That's what I appreciate about those dudes. They believe they're doing it the best but it's not for the sake of money, margins or anything like that. They're doing it because they want to do the right stuff the right way. As soon as they discover something else that works better they'll have no problems saying... hey... this works better. They're constantly poking holes in their own stuff to improve it. Great company.

I appreciate what Bell/Giro are doing as well. They test all of their own stuff in-house and really are considering safety and head protection during all phases of helmet development.

 ANyone have a direct front or rear shot of the Kali? I'm trying to determine how narrow it might be (preferably). It's the only one in the collection that didn't get a back head shot.

 Abus has a huge collection of helmets. I've got their DJ type helmet and I love it. I've got a pretty big head with quite some hair and few helmets fit as easily as that one.

 The Movistar Road team has been rocking Abus helmets for a few years now.

 Crashed my first A1- tried 10 other helmets and none fitted good or at all.
Got the A1 Mips for 90€...it just wraps around your head so comfy yet secure... The Mips fits even tighter
Will also buy over and over again.

 Haha right!! I still argue the A1 is the comfiest helmet ever, I prefer it over the A2 as well.

 Yes and it reaches so far down that its really secure. Best helmet period. And with the right colour it doesnt look goofy etc.

 sounds like you want a Switchblade.

 The A1 is the best looking half shell helmet on the market and the pics of it here make it look awful. But it fits better than any helmet I've owned in the past and you forget about it on your head.

 I actually hate the low edge at the forehead. It just makes your sunglasses hit it all the the time when stuff gets exciting. Nobody is going to get wounded because of couple of mm at the forehead, but pretty much everyone benefits from rattle free ride. Also some people don't have a benefit of experimenting with a large number of helmet and sunglasses combinations. Actually the Kali Maya has a visor long enough to deflect and shade. At least the previous version has and this one doesn't look much different.

 @Archimonde: You point to it being a negative but dont state what sunglasses you use?

 @bizutch: Smith Pivlock (not for long, lenses are falling apart), 100% Speedcraft and Oakley Jawbreaker. The first one fits me the best, but the latter two have very low clearance with the helmets and sometimes rattle. Point being that there is a problem in the forehead area and would be a great thing if something was done by the industry.

 @Archimonde: I've ridden with most every variation of small to large Tifosi sunglass/riding glasses, Oakley & Smith & never had the problem you speak of. I have to wear shades or clear on all rides b/c of my contacts.

As an FYI, all the glasses you listed have straight, long earpieces that tend to extend into the shell of the helmet and/or bulge out and touch the sides or straps. That interface tends to be the largest problem for riders with glasses & helmets. If the glasses are cozy and/or snug & the helmet is sized correctly to your noggin, they can touch each other til the cows come home and you're not going to experience what you describe. Also...you described just about the largest sets of vertically extended frame/lens combos known.

 You can find anything online at a discount at some point. So these types of discussions are somewhat pointless.

This is equal playing field. Full retail assumption. Of course the finish of a $60 helmet is going to be lesser than a $110-120 helmet. Least, it should be.

A quality MIPS equipped helmet at a sub $60 retail is awesome for the industry. Long as it doesn't suck. Ha!

 So it wasn’t the same Kali.

 @COnovicerider: well its the exact same helmet except they added the green rubber protection deal in it.

 nothing Smith in helmets is at that price point retail

 @bizutch: Sh*t you're right. I was ass backwards here, thinking I paid less. My bad, thanks for the correction. Giro price is great for that.

 Check out the Giro Chronicle. It's $100, but comes in different sizes if the one size doesn't work for you.

 I do believe you're right! Swapped that out - thanks!

 Should include on of those things in greeting cards to play music, so just as you drop in, you can play "Everything is Awesome".

 @ReformedRoadie: Kraftwerk would work better. Fun fun fun cyclobahn. To me Abus helmets originated as products for hopeless commuters who can’t keep two wheels on the ground, damage car doors and hoods, spending few mornings a year in emergency room, but unlike Etto or Mango they actually made it. In the wake of absolute form mediocrity among most brands, Abus looks quite good. They had a helmet that looked like good old Giro Xen, but better.

 @WAKIdesigns: Etto...wow, that was back in the day of V-brakes and CNC'd, 3D violet anodized parts. I'm getting old.

 Add 40% to give some cushion to your estimate........but I am sure you know that if you do business in or with us US.