Bicycle Helmets for the 1996 Season
Summary: Our review of helmets for the 1996 season, researched at the Interbike trade show in California in
September, 1996.
Overview
Interbike was back to full size this year, after a period of dueling trade shows ended. Almost every
manufacturer and importer we know of participated in the show, and some new ones we had not met.
Awards
Our award for
Smart Helmet Idea of the Year goes to the new and currently unknown Taiwanese helmet
manufacturers who have introduced helmets certified to Snell B-95 made of PU (expanded polyurethane) foam at retail
prices even in bike stores that should generally be well below $20.
We had a tie for our award for
Dumb, Dumb, Dumb Helmet Idea of the Year. One award goes to Bell, for their new
"Evo Pro" throwback. It appears to us to be a marketing department design, and we recommend strongly that
consumers not buy it. The second Dumbo goes to a number of manufacturers of "super ventilated" helmets with the
oversize vents. If you have a specific problem for which you must have more ventilation than a standard helmet provides,
these could be your choice. But for most people, the huge vents mean that there is less foam in contact with your head in
a crash, and that means that all things being equal the foam that does contact your head has to be exerting more
concentrated force on your skull in the smaller areas where it hits. The U.S. standards do not test for that, and the
magnesium headforms we use are never fractured by point loading. For years we have been pushing at ASTM for tests similar
to the Australian standard to start getting at that problem. So oversized vents may mean less protection. You already
suspected that. We recommend steering clear of those helmets.
If you are buying a new helmet, be sure to check out the June issue of
Consumer Reports timed to hit the
newsstands on May 19th. CU provides actual comparative crash ratings, which you don't get anywhere else. But they may not
rate the helmet you are considering, so look for a Snell B-95 certified helmet first, than a Snell B-90 or ASTM certified
helmet second. And above all, find one that
fits you well if you want to get all the protection you are paying
for. For toddler helmets, check out PTI's Barbie model, which meets the very difficult new Canadian child helmet standard
and still meets the adult ASTM standard, a combination that signifies a superior helmet for hard impacts that still
delivers a "softer landing" for your child.
Helmets
Here is the lineup for 1997. Our list of helmet manufacturers has addresses and Internet URLs for
them.
Aria Sonics
Note: Sorry, they went out of business later in 1997.
Aria Sonics continues to produce some helmet models from Expanded PolyPropylene (EPP), a material which can make a helmet
just as protective as the Expanded PolyStyrene (EPS) used in almost all other U.S. helmets this year, and which has the
advantage of being multi-impact. It recovers after a crash and the helmet can still be used, confirmed by test lab
results which Aria Sonics has provided us. That makes it ideal for multi-impact sports such as aggressive skating, but
other manufacturers have been slow to pick up on EPP due to its technical characteristics, requirement for new molding
equipment and cost. At present the Aria Sonics EPP helmets are mostly sold to law enforcement agencies, due more to
marketing and police department graphics than the unique characteristics of the helmet's materials. Aria Sonics has also
added a cheaper line of imported helmets, and may be the price leader in the market if you need a tractor-trailer load of
helmets at less than $5 each.
Aria Sonics products are no longer available
Avenir
Avenir showed adult, youth and toddler models mostly in the $25 to $30 price range. All are listed as ASTM certified, and
one is said to be Snell B-95 certified. The youth and adult models have rear stabilizers and visors. White is the only
bright color. Their entry in the "most vents" sweepstakes is a 17 vent model, called appropriately enough the
Ventilator.
Bell
Bell is the biggest, with perhaps 70 per cent of the world market for bicycle helmets. The last Consumer Reports tests in
1993 showed that Bell has the ability to produce the best helmets on the market, even though the top-ranked one had
already been dropped from their line when the article appeared. So we have been disappointed with their subsequent top of
the line helmet innovations, which have had design features that seemed to us to come straight from the marketing
department and no advance in safety that we can document, since Bell has settled for ASTM certification on all their
models while companies like Giro have been certifying their best helmets to the Snell B-95 standard. We are thankful that
last year's "hard core technology" models are biting the dust, probably victims of high production costs and
limited market acceptance. We can only hope that the new Evo Pro model does the same. It features an exterior where
strips of plastic alternate with strips of uncovered EPS foam, a partial throwback of almost a decade to the days when
Bell and others produced helmets with no shell. We have often noted the importance of a smooth, hard, rounded shell to
minimize the sliding resistance of a helmet, a feature shown in lab tests to reduce peak accelerations in a crash and
reduce strap forces on the neck. But product differentiation requires that your helmet not look like all the others. We
hope this one dies soon! Bell's Image Pro, which ranked just below their best model in the Consumer Reports tests, is
still in production, joined by several other molded-in-the-shell models that might be good choices based on the
construction method. There are also less expensive models with two-piece construction, with a reinforcing ring. Rear
stabilizers appear on all adult Pro models, and there are visors included or available. Colors remained dull this year.
Toddler models have a new buckle with a shield to prevent pinching the neck, a simple innovation that responds to a
frequent parent complaint about the usual Fastex brand buckles. Bell did not show their discount store line of BSI
helmets, their price leaders. They did announce at about the time of the show that they will produce later in 1997 a new
helmet design in extra extra large size. We had asked a lot of manufacturers to do that, but only Bell stepped up to the
plate to take on this profitless task. We applaud Bell for that decision and don't like having to pour cold water on the
top helmet from a company that retains a long-standing commitment to community service.
Briko
This Italian company showed several aero-style models with deep vents in the lower rear section, distinguished by some
really bright colors, their own fit-adjustment system, and rear stabilizers. They showed an extreme aero model worn by
Tony Rominger, probably for marketing atmosphere since it was not certified to any standard and therefore can't be sold
here. Their downhill helmet looks BMX-style with a big chinbar, and their skating helmet is cut low in the back, with the
pro model sporting the same deep vents in the lower rear. The only standard indicated is CEN.
Byke Ryder
Byke Ryder showed reasonably priced toddler, youth and adult models, some in bright colors. They do not have rear
stabilizers or visor. All are ASTM certified.
Cratoni
This Italian company showed an extensive and expensive helmet line including a BMX/downhill model (the V1, an old Bell
designation) with fiberglass/kevlar shell and face protection, another downhill with a slimmer chinbar, an off-road
helmet (the B-95, sure to be confused with Snell's B-95 standard but not certified by Snell), a ZX-R areo-style road
helmet with very long vents on the sides, a Magnum road helmet with smaller vents, the Evolution road model, two child
helmets and their L.A. for inline skaters, with considerably more coverage in the rear. Cratoni has some unique features:
colors for one. They were almost the only line with wild, highly visible color schemes in every model. They have a rear
stabilizer with a convenient dial adjuster, and one model with vent screens to keep bees out. Their Evolution and kids
Fox models bring back an old idea from the popular Bailen helmet of the 70's: a single adjustable ring to fit the helmet
so that "one size fits all." We are not sure how stable it would be in a crash, but it might solve some fit
problems and would be useful for swapping helmets among family members. Cratoni advertises most of their helmets as ASTM
certified, except for one youth helmet and the Evolution with the adjustable band.
Edge
Edge has BMX helmets designed by Troy Lee with bolted on visors. Hopefully nobody actually uses the visors. They put
louvers in their vents and count each opening as a vent. They also advertise "more head coverage than any available
mountain biking helmet."
Garneau
Louis Garneau continues to impress us with the extent and quality of their line. The lower piece they bond onto their
helmets is made of polypropylene to permit venting, and on their better models they cover it with a lower coating of ABS
plastic as well. Their Bumper has 27 vents, and very little foam in contact with the head, so we would avoid it. The
Bondex CX has extended back coverage and might be optimal for inline skating, while the Titanium has an internal
reinforcing ring of trendy titanium. All adult LG models have rear stabilizers, and the more expensive ones have visors.
Adult colors are all dark, but there are a few bright child models. The Bugs model is a downhill racer that looks like
they grafted an exoskeleton to a normal helmet, complete with the trendy kevlar and carbon fiber reinforcing. All of
Garneau's line has ASTM certification now, and three ( are Australian-certified as well, indicating that at least they
have been tested for point loading. Several are Canadian CSA-certified, but the child helmet is not, so we have still not
seen any helmets meeting the new, stricter, CSA child helmet standard that should ensure softer landings for little
heads. Garneau's pricing tends to reflect the trendy designs.
Giro
Giro is now owned by Bell, but you wouldn't know it from the product lineup. Their upper niche helmets compete with
Bell's Pro line, and come off looking very good by comparison. Giro now has two models with extreme ventilation: last
year's Helios and a new Exodus RL. (See our comments on extreme vents above--don't buy one of these unless you need that
feature more than you need maximum crash performance.) Giro has other worthy models, including three with Snell B-95
certification (Express, Fat Hat and Ricochet). They all have extended rear coverage and mostly have rear stabilizers.
Many have visors. They have two models "designed exclusively for in-line skating." A few bright colors are
creeping back into the Giro line, hopefully a harbinger of more to come. Giro still occupies the high end of the market,
with some prices in the eye-watering range. They will not be producing their XXL helmets for super big heads this year,
but only because they destroyed the molds--Giro President Bill Hannemann thought enough of the idea to check.
GT
GT is a full-line bicycle and accessories company, and they have an extensive lineup of helmets. They modestly proclaim
their Machete to be "the best looking helmet ever developed." Some GT helmets have shell holes that do not
correspond to vents in the liner, looking perhaps cooler than they are, but touted by marketing as an improvement in
ventilation. (Nobody is testing vents now, so who knows.) GT says they invented the Ponytail Port, which we first saw on
a Troxel helmet, but again, who knows. Almost all of their colors are dark, but white is GT's best seller, indicating
that marketing may be missing a trend away from the dull stuff. There is a Troy Lee design in a micro shell, with
breakaway visor, and a Troy Lee BMX helmet with the visor screwed on and ready to yank your neck in a fall.
Head Gear
This Australian company has three smooth, well rounded designs. They have a rear stabilizer and optional visors. Worth a
look because they meet Australian standards, which unlike U.S. standards do test the visors and have a point loading test
in addition.
Headstrong
Headstrong (formerly Renaissance Marketing) blew the bottom off the helmet price scale in 1994, and brought millions of
cheap, decent quality helmets that met performance standards to the mass market at unheard-of low prices. CEO Dale
Friedman was at the Anaheim show, as was their ace manufacturing consultant, Blue Goulding. Their line is headed up by a
Goulding product in an attractive and conspicuous red, white and blue. There are helmets for adults, kids and toddlers, a
multi-sport skate helmet certified to Snell's tough N-94 standard, some with lighted panels, and some really eye-catching
color schemes. Some other models are Snell B-95 certified. There are also ski helmets. Headstrong announced something
called "Thin Skin" technology, described in their literature as a new inner foam making the helmet
significantly thinner, but it wasn't ready by show time, and we have not heard anything about it since. The entire line
is priced to sell at less than $30, and there are some for the bargain basement. With a lifetime impact replacement
guarantee, Headstrong is still among the price leaders, although the new Asian helmets with Snell B-95 certification seem
to be a better buy this year.
Hermes
Hermes is a Vancouver company that specializes in adding shells with custom corporate logos to a basic line of Troxel
helmets. They showed three models, including one with Electroluminescent lamps which can be integrated with the logo and
were described as flexible, micro-thin, battery powered and waterproof.
J&B/Alpha/Flashtec
Alpha and Flashtec are the house brands of J & B importers of Miami, which distributes a wide range of bike
components. They have toddler, youth and adult models, all certified to Snell B-95, the toughest bicycle helmet standard
in the market, so they are also certified to ASTM by Snell. The low wholesale prices indicate dealer pricing should be
$20 or below. At those prices you don't get rear grippers or visors, but these are Snell B-95 helmets at good prices.
Kaldworld/Looney Tunes
These Malaysian-made helmets are Snell B-95 certified, and covered with Buggs Bunny, Sylvester, Tweety, Porky Pig,
Roadrunner and other familiar cartoon characters. The adult versions have a built in rear light.
Macaw Products
This company showed two BMX helmets billed as the "Trash Can Lid" and the "Skid Lid." The Skid Lid
was said to be ANSI certified, which if true would make it the first helmet with that name to meet the ANSI standard. We
would avoid this one, since the ANSI standard was administratively withdrawn two years earlier and never was a strenuous
test to begin with. Not to mention the name, a holdover from an early 80's helmet that would not even meet the ANSI
standard.
Mango
This Italian company has a line fitted with a single band fitting device similar to the old Bailen helmets of the 70's.
The size is adjusted with a dial in the back where the band drops down to become a stabilizer, and the device is claimed
to end fitting problems. Since it's from Europe, there are even some bright colors.
Netti
One of the surviving Australian manufacturers after the shakeout in their market, Netti showed a line of six models for
infants, children and adults for 1997, including some with rear stabilizers and visors. Price points were a bit
optimistic at $50 for the upscale models and $35 for the child helmet, but they had one model that will retail for
$20.
NIC International
NIC showed a line of Snell-certified helmets with both adult and child models. They also had a BMX helmet with a
fiberglass shell and chinbar protection.
Qranc/OGK
OGK is a Japanese manufacturer who has sold here since the 70's. Their current line is Snell B-95 certified, snazzy
looking if you like the aero shape, and includes the QamaQaze downhill model with full face protection. They have a hot
yellow available for the super-vented model, but it lists for $120.
Razorback Products
Razorback has a line of BMX helmets with great colors and bolted-on visors that in our opinion should be outlawed.
Ritchey
Ritchey showed a helmet to match their boutique line of bikes and accessories, but it wasn't really in production and had
not been certified yet. The vents appeared oversized (see our comment above) and the colors were bright.
Royse Sports
This Canadian company concentrates on designs using "licensed" characters like Fred Flintstone, Betty Boop,
Barbie, Batman and Casper the Friendly Ghost. Price points in the retail market are just below $20.
Specialized
Specialized continues to offer some snazzy helmets, with sometimes whimsical touches like shark's teeth around a vent.
But their most impressive marketing ploy this year was a photo of a Specialized Air Cobra helmet smashed by a Tour de
France rider who fell on a rainy Dutch stage and hit a concrete bollard head first at, they say, 45 mph. (Why do we
suspect kph?) There is the helmet, with a chunk missing, and the description of the rider who got up and finished the
stage! There is not a hint about the death of an unhelmeted rider a year earlier, and in all it is a very classy ad. The
Specialized entry in the "more vents than anybody needs" category is their Air Banshee. (See our comments above
on super-ventilated helmets and why you might want to avoid it.) Many of their models including their Sub 6 Pro are still
certified by Snell to Snell B-90, B-90S or B-95 (Air Foil and Force Field). Specialized is another company with a
well-developed sense of community service.
Taiwanese and Hong Kong Manufacturers
A number of manufacturers from Taiwan with unfamiliar brand names exhibited some of the most promising new helmets at the
show. Most are made with PU (expanded polyurethane), a somewhat different foam from the EPS (expanded polystyrene) used
by all U.S. manufacturers we are aware of except Aria Sonics (EPP, expanded polypropylene). The Taiwanese helmets are
mostly Snell certified. The PU foam exhibits very fine grain, giving it slightly different crush characteristics than EPS
and probably permitting a more uniform structure in well-foamed helmets. Best of all for the consumer, these very
decent-looking helmets were virtually all selling in the under-twenty-dollar range, and some should be available under
$10. Among the manufacturers in that category were
Aerogo, Hoyama (Hoya), Jago, THH/Sunbeam Trading, VOC Vogue (NOTE:
Vogue has been accused by SEI of claiming SEI certification for uncertified helmets!), United
Royal Sports, Happy Way Enterprises, Great Group,
Trek
Trek showed five helmets, all with the Trek Cinch Retention System for stability. Their models now carry ASTM and CEN
(European) stickers rather than Snell. Their "Inertia" mountain bike helmet has a large visor with air channels
and more coverage than usual in the rear, but does not have face protection. Their other models are all very similar with
some variations, but all of them have increased rear coverage. The Navigator comes in smaller sizes to fit kids from age
4 up, while the Lunar has a shell over the lower foam. Trek as a different design for their Little Dipper, which is
billed as an "infant/toddler" helmet. It has more coverage than the adult helmets and fewer vents.
Vetta
Vetta showed two adult helmets for 1997, The Gryphon has a GECET foam liner and PETG shell. Both it and the Antares
model, with bigger vents, had rear stabilizers and visors. Both are Snell B-90 certified. Their child helmet, called the
"Kid" has a molded-in visor in front (a bad idea in our opinion) to make it look like a cap, and is advertised
as having a "high density liner." We don't know exactly what they mean by that. Opinions about foam density for
kids vary at ASTM meetings, but in our opinion kids need lower density foams in their helmets, not higher.
Vigor Sports
Vigor showed a number of Snell B95 models, although they still have some that are B-90/ASTM. They also showed a Snell
N-94 multi purpose standard helmet called the Duo, with good rear protection, a bright yellow option, a rear stabilizer
and 3M reflective tape. They also have an extensive line of BMX and downhill racing helmets, all certified to Snell N-94.
Vigor offers a lifetime crash replacement policy.
Zacko We don't know much about Zacko's helmets, which were not
at Interbike. They are made by PTI and meet ASTM standards. Zacko is running some very sexy ads in bike magazines, and
taking flak for it. We see that sort of advertising as long overdue and hope it will help to make helmets more attractive
to the younger people who are ignoring them.
(1998 Note: PTI has discontinued using the Zacko brand.)
Accessories
Mirrors
There were few new developments in mirrors this year, except for two tiny ones that are designed to be glued on the
inside of your sunglasses. One of them, the Hind-Site 20/20 (206-564-7760 for dealers) has three $20 models mounted at
different angles for specific brands of sunglasses. For $40 it can be ground to your prescription, since you are not
looking through the glasses lens and may need that. The other comes with a tiny swiveling mount. Either one is about the
size of a pea. We got samples to try out and will put up something on them, even though they are not attached to the
helmet.
Locks
Several manufacturers now make accessories to permit locking a bike helmet through its vents in case your lock won't pass
through. Louis Garneau has the Helmet Guard, a wide T-shaped anodized aluminum piece with a large hole in the base of the
T to fit u-locks or cable locks.
Decorations
There were a number of companies with things to hang on a helmet for decoration, most of them directed toward kids. Nutty
Noggins, for example, had covers to make your helmet a Mohawk, cat, lion, pony, skunk, fish, clown and more. Others add
dinosaur fins. We sometimes stop at the booths when we have time to make sure they are aware of the sliding resistance
issue.
Underwear
Several manufacturers are now producing products that go under the helmet. The Shamdana is a bandanna-style cover that
has chamois in the front.
Fly had a hand-knit "speed beanie" that must
clearly have been designed as an under-helmet cap.
Other Notes
A side note on certification: we have been informed by SEI that they found helmets at the show in one manufacturer's
booth with SEI stickers on them that they had not in fact certified. They immediately took appropriate action. The
helmets were samples and after SEI's actions it is unlikely that the manufacturer will ship production models to this
market with the wrong sticker.
The Protective Helmet Manufacturers Association had a booth at the show and invited others to a meeting they held. PHMA
is looking for a few good projects to undertake. We were pleased to have an opportunity to mention once again the need
for an extra large helmet, and proposed that PHMA sponsor one. In their booth PHMA was exhibiting their new video. The
title is "Professor Helmut on Helmets" and it is aimed at very young kids, perhaps K-3 or so. We have a copy to
lend out if you want to see it, or you can buy it from PHMA for $9.95 (PHMA, 1333 30th St, San Diego, CA 92154). We have
added it to our videos list.
Another welcome booth was the one sponsored by the Snell Foundation. Having a booth there makes knowledgeable Snell
personnel like Ed Becker and Gib Brown available during the show. Snell has a new plain-paper pamphlet called "All
You Need to Know About Helmets" with two paragraphs on how a helmet works and the rest on standards, Snell
standards, the Snell certification program, and Who is Snell. Their full color pamphlet continues to be available in
quantities of 250 for free, with info on their website.
Finally, 3M had a fine booth at Interbike following up on their efforts to market their reflective tape to helmet
manufacturers. In addition to the normal marketing staff they had an engineer from product development on hand to gather
first-hand information from manufacturers and others at the show on their product requirements. The company understands
that they will have to develop a product meeting the manufacturers' needs as a prerequisite for inclusion of a
reflectivity requirement in the ASTM or CPSC bicycle helmet standards. We have been pushing for that requirement, and
were pleased to see 3M at the show.
Note: During the 1997 season we will be adding to this article as new helmet designs appear.