The only thing you'll want to keep in mind is that Wavecel does limit access through the helmet. It's a little less breezy, and you can't scratch your head without removing the helmet. One way to approach the idea of budget is to look for a helmet that's highly versatile. If you commute by bike during the week and then go for longer rides on the weekend, it can be difficult to find the right helmet for both situations. A lot of people solve the problem by having more than one helmet. Bontrager has another idea though. The shape is the same as the basic Omne Air MIPS but the Omne Ultra MIPS has a couple of new appendages. On the right side, there's a bungee cord with enough room for, I guess, tyre levers as shown in one of the POC marketing images. On the other side, you'll find a POC logo on a fabric patch attached to the helmet. There's no practical purpose to this and even swapping it your own patch won't be super easy. Whatever the reason, as I weighed all the helmets, the Limar Air Atlas + MIPS was the lightest I found. There are some caveats though. The Air Atlas uses a removable fairing at the rear of the helmet that Limar refers to as the UFO. The low weight is with that tail removed but removing it also reduces aero performance. In my testing I found no noticeable impact on cooling performance so I suspect most people will leave the insert in most of the time. That will put the actual weight at 279 grams. At the rear of the helmet is a charging port and on either side there is a power button for the integrated front and rear lights. The battery lasts a long time and you can decide if you'd prefer flashing or solid lighting. Beyond that, it's just a good helmet. It feels incredibly comfortable, even though it's definitely on the heavy side, and there is lots of coverage. That means it comes down farther but also that the peak at the front is a solid part of the crash structure and not just for show.

you choose to ride. Developed in line with POC's Whole Helmet Concept™, the Omne Air Resistance MIPS delivers The Omne Air Mips has a shallow fit but still wraps around the head to a decent degree. I chose a size medium, as my head measures 56cm circumference. The shallow fit gives the initial impression that the helmet is smaller than it is but when fully adjusted, this size was a good fit.

TSG Geo Urban Helmet

This system is somewhat common in gear designed for use where an avalanche is a consideration. In that situation, rescuers would walk overhead with a handheld detector hoping to find someone in the snow. Not all detectors are handheld though, in 2015 a helicopter mounted Recco detector came to market. The vertical adjustment requires an internal plastic ratchet to be rotated 90° and slid along a channel to change, which can’t be done while wearing the helmet. Even after several attempts, I found this function difficult to use as the plastic pieces are so small. It’s not an ideal system but this isn’t an adjustment you’re going to be making frequently. Instead of just ahead of the ears, the POC 360 system attaches to four points at the front of the helmet. Running along both sides of the helmet you will find a long connection between the rear cradle and the front. When you combine that with the rear attachments being so far forward, it causes the whole rear section of the cradle to float free of the helmet and envelope your head. Tighten up the rear dial and it tightens all the way around your head. It also means that POC helmets using it do a good job staying out of the way of the arms of your sunglasses. This leaves you free to decide on your helmet based on the type of riding you actually do. It has to be comfortable, but for some that will mean light and airy while others will prefer to aero optimise. Whatever makes sense to you, I've tried to include a standout item and maybe even two. There are options at different price points and features that cater to different types of riders. Sure, I'll admit to hopping on a rideshare bike from time to time without a helmet — but whenever I can, I strap on a bike helmet. I've been riding road bikes, gravel bikes and mountain bikes for multiple decades now, not to mention a few healthy years of bike commuting. Never once did I regret having a helmet on.

As with many of the POC helmets, the brand has taken a base helmet that's great and built variations for specific uses. In this case, the base helmet is the Ventral Air MIPS which is the lightweight climber's helmet in the POC lineup. Then, because of a somewhat obscure UCI rule, POC added a non-removable cover. The cover is super lightweight and barely there but it helps keep you a bit warmer and drier if you are going to be spending a lot of time in the rain. POC also changes the available colour options to enhance visibility and you will find an extra strip of reflective paint across the front and rear of the helmet. superior levels of comfort, fit and performance, and is fitted with the Mips Brain Protection System for enhanced The Omne Air also features the MIPS Integra system. This brings together POC’s ‘whole-helmet’ safety and design ethos with the fully integrated brain-protecting technology of MIPS. This holistic approach sees every detail of the helmet engineered to work in harmony with each other, giving you new levels of seamless safety, comfort, ventilation, fit and function.Unlike most of its rivals who deploy the popular MIPS technology, POC has created their very own protective system known as SPIN, a patent-pending rotational impact protection system that reduces the effects of an oblique fall by limiting the amount of force transmitted to the head and brain. Using an innovative and unique pad technology to keep you safe you’ll be protected from unexpected falls and install a new level of confidence as you ride. Easy Adjustment and Comfort

The POC Ventral MIPS has big open vents in the front of the helmet. It's almost more reminiscent of a climber's helmet until you compare it. You do lose some of the ability to evacuate heat through the central part of the helmet but it feels like a reasonable compromise. You also get a choice of a ton of colours and special pads to manage your glasses during the hottest climbs. Although there will always be government safety testing, Virginia Tech goes further. Certifications from agencies like the CPSC only state that a helmet meets a minimum requirement. They give no indication of how that performance ranks compared to the competition and impact testing only covers a specific type of impact. Virginia Tech has emerged as the only unbiased organisation to use a standardised and comparable test to rank helmet performance compared to other models. Virginia Tech is also a pioneer in the idea that off-centre impacts are different. Overall, the Rapha + Poc Omne Air Spin is a comfy, functional lid that also delivers on protection with the SPIN technology. Its slim profile fitted me snugly and makes it aesthetically pleasing too. You can get lighter MIPS/MIPS-alternative helmets at this price point and a little lower, but the Omne Air Spin is still pretty good value for money. However, if you often need to lower the spot where the two straps join together in other helmets, you might find this one doesn't have the right adjustability for you. Verdict In reality, the issue is not about MIPS. The bottom line is that no one is sure what it takes to reduce traumatic brain injuries as a result of head trauma. The first challenge the industry identified was keeping your skull intact when you hit a hard object. That is what the CPSC impact attenuation certification tests and everyone makes the grade at this point.Virginia Tech tests helmets from a wide variety of sports and has been doing so since 2011. No helmet brand is able to pay for better results and there is a standard testing protocol. If you do decide to keep an eye on the testing results of Virginia Tech, you'll need to understand what they mean. MIPS came to market because the brand believes that an impact at an angle has different requirements. You can read more details in our guide to MIPS but for the purpose of this article, it's worth understanding that there are different solutions to the same problem. Lazer has Kineticore, Bontrager and Trek have Wavecel, and even MIPS has a variety of different configurations. All the technologies do the same thing in different ways and there's no way to be sure that one is better. What does the Virginia Tech score mean? Completing the system of safety enhancements is MIPS Air Node. In practice, Air Node is as simple as a very specific padding design that "enables 10-15mm of relative movement between the energy-absorbing layer and the padding." Honestly, it doesn't look like it could possibly do that much but Virginia Tech has the Prevail 3 listed as the third best helmet the brand has tested. This is the style section. It's something that people think doesn't matter but ends up being one of the questions I get asked about the most. Style matters and it's important to trust your intuition.

Regardless of the reason for the missing rating, when it's missing it leaves a question. I've highlighted that question when appropriate and I've included the rating when I have it. You will have to decide what that means for you. How do I find the most comfortable road bike helmet? Chain reaction Cycles and CRC are trading names of Wiggle Ltd (In Administration) registered in the United Kingdom at 1000 Lakeside, Suite 310, Third Floor N E Wing, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO6 3EN, If all helmets pass the relevant certification protocols why do some brands have MIPS? MIPS stands for multi impact protection system and it is a brand name. Like Hoover or Velcro, MIPS has become synonymous with a type of system but it is a brand like any other. If a helmet has MIPS it's because money has changed hands. Any company that wants to make a highly ventilated helmet has to figure out how to get the material that keeps you safe out of the way. Giro uses transparent "bridges" in the Aries while Specialized takes a different approach by building an internal frame using woven aramid “cables.” The cables anchor into carbon fibre side panels and the whole system helps "distribute localised forces" in the event of an impact. The side effect is that the incredibly strong cables are thin and stay out of the way of airflow.The Omne Air Mips is made from a standard polycarbonate shell with an EPS – expanded polystyrene – liner with Mips Integra crash protection. There is no Virginia Tech rating for this helmet, though others from the brand scored 4 out of 5. What really makes the Omne Air MIPS work as a gravel bike helmet is that it has a casual style that lends itself to the more upright position you often find on a gravel bike. That also works for endurance road bikes as well and POC has some very cool colours available. Stylistically you should be able to match a lot of riding.