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We took 11 top helmets on hundreds of long endurance rides, short jaunts around town, and everything in between in all types of weather.
After exploring the heat of a southern summer, the cold snowstorms of mountain winter, and rain that poured for hours, we feel the Trek Velocis Mips is the best for most people. It scored high on every test, especially comfort and ventilation. If you want the best value, get the Lazer Tonic Kineticore. While not as comfortable or well-vented, it is light, easy to adjust, and is a fraction of the cost of the helmets that scored higher.
All-day comfort along with an excellent fit are the Trek Velocis MIPS strongest suits. You'll appreciate how light it feels on your head after miles and miles of pedaling, while the excellent construction quality means your investment in such a high-end piece of gear is protected. Ventilation is almost second to none, helping keep you cool while chasing those king of the mountain dreams. An attention to detail is apparent: the dial on the back works better than most of its competitors, and the quick-release Y-buckles are super easy to adjust even on the go. If you prefer generous padding in your helmet, the Velocis delivers this in ways that most high-end helmets forget about.
A helmet that pampers you with such luxurious comfort comes at a real-world price, so you may have to save up for the Velocis. The aforementioned padding is excellent, but it's a bit of an annoyance to remove and clean. The back harness system that wraps the occipital bone curiously pops off sometimes when not worn, so you may have to re-attach it now and again. If this helmet doesn't quite fit the bill, consider the Giro Aries Spherical, another wonder-helmet, with incredible ventilation to keep you cool while setting personal records.
The Lazer Tonic Kineticore is a stylish, lightweight helmet that is sure to appeal to most road riders, but especially those shopping on a tight budget. This helmet costs a fraction of the other award winners in our lineup, yet still offers many of the key benefits of those higher-performing options. Tipping the scales at a mere 296 grams (for a size Large), it is one of the lightest helmets in our lineup. Shaving off a few grams seemed to noticeably reduce neck fatigue, particularly over the course of long rides. We appreciated the head retention system, which features thick contact areas over the temples to combat this common pressure point. We particularly loved the adjustability of Lazer's TurnSys adjustment system, which features easy-to-turn dials and a cradle that shifts vertically to accommodate most heads.
While the Tonic Kineticore fit the head of our lead tester well, this helmet is far from the most comfortable option we tested. Even though the shape seems to be perfect for those with more rounded skulls, we recognized that despite the additional padding, the helmet narrows at the temples in a way that could present a problem spot for other head shapes. But our biggest complaint with this helmet is the mediocre ventilation, as the 28 vents don't provide as much airflow as one might expect. This may be an area one might expect a budget helmet to suffer, and it is to be expected that this helmet doesn't perform as well as the top-end contenders we pitted it against. So, despite our complaints, we still would wholeheartedly recommend the Tonic Kineticore to anyone looking to save some money while still getting a truly great helmet. If you don't mind a helmet without high-end aerodynamics, the Smith Persist MIPS is comfortable and durable, ideal for those with a tighter budget.
The Tonic Kineticore can be a bit warm while climbing, but considering the price point, we're willing to suffer a few trade-offs to save some serious money for an otherwise great helmet.
When the dust had settled and we tabulated our own independent impact testing, the Smith Trace MIP came back to us as the highest scoring helmet of our entire lineup. On top of that, this helmet includes a rotational impact system along with a type of technology that claims to be similar to the crumple zones of a car. Along with these safety highlights, fitting the helmet is enhanced by both headband length and vertical adjustments. You're more likely to actually wear a helmet that fits well and feels good, which could be the most important safety feature of all.
Unfortunately, some of the safety features hamper other attributes of the Trace. The added impact technology adds a marginal amount of weight to the total, but what is more important is that it plugs up the vents it resides in, hampering free air flow. The rotational impact tech design in this particular helmet blocks additional flow. Even with all the adjustment points, they're somewhat limited on range — especially vertically. This helmet is slightly shallower than other helmets, so if you have a taller head, try a different helmet that'll probably fit you better. Smith's Smith Persist MIPS is another solid choice with a deeper fit and is less obstructive in the vents.
It's hard to wrap your head around just how much airflow the Giro Aries Spherical affords the wearer. Even a casual look at this helmet will have you believe almost half of the helmet body is hollowed out for some of the best ventilation we've seen in a high-end helmet. Several other features conspire to make sure as much air makes it through the helmet and onto your head – channels cut into the interior of the helmet body allow air flow to sneak into areas where vents aren't present. Even the lateral stiffening joints have airflow cutouts in them!
No product is perfect, although we'll concede that the Aries gets close. This amount of performance comes at a literal price, so expect to pay for such performance. You may struggle with the sunglass garage, given there's not a lot of foam padding to play around with. The vertical height adjustment on the headband is adequate but won't accommodate outliers. If you like a lot of padding, you won't find that on this helmet. An excellent option to consider is the Trek Velocis MIPS, which does have a great garage and padding — and almost as good ventilation.
The POC Ventral Air MIPS stands proud with the other award winners for its excellent ventilation and comfortable design. The deep recessed air channels move air very efficiently from the large forehead vents to the open trailing edge. The lightweight construction proved very comfortable on 100+ mile rides without creating any neck strain. The liner pads wick moisture away and don't create hot spots. Our testers had no complaints regarding this model.
The unique shape and design may not be for everyone. The Ventral Air abandons the typical streamlined curves of most road bike helmets and offers a new geometric design for the bold road cyclist. The venting design creates a very quiet wind roar as well. We loved the sunglass garage, and it held our shades securely at high speeds. The webbing straps are easy to adjust and supple, with secure Y-buckles that lie flat under the ear. This helmet may not suit everyone's style, but with nearly a dozen colors to choose from, chances are you can find one to suit your personality if you can afford it. If you like the design of the POC Ventral but want to avoid the high price tag, the POC Omne Air MIPS is slightly cheaper and provides adequate ventilation and durability. The caveat is limited adjustability and inferior comfort.
Poc is known for its unique look, but the helmet also performs admirable in most categories.
Credit: Justin Simoni
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The feeling during an early morning rides is what it's all about!
Credit: Justin Simoni
How We Tested
We purchased two of each helmet – one was sent to our expert cyclists for road miles, where they were judged for ventilation, comfort, and features such as sunglass holders, straps, and adjustments. The other helmet was sent to an accredited impact testing facility. Check our How We Test Helmets article to learn the details of our testing process.
To complete our unbiased testing in an extensive manner, we scored and rated each product based on five performance metrics:
Impact Test (25% of overall score weighting)
Comfort (20% weighting)
Ventilation (20% weighting)
Usability (20% weighting)
Weight (15% weighting)
Why Trust GearLab
Our road bike experts have tested almost three dozen of the best road bike helmets in the last seven years. To test road bike helmets, we selected the highest performing products available to test and abuse. We performed side-by-side comparisons on the same ride in the same conditions to compare such metrics as ventilation and comfort. Comfort was also assessed by riding all day in different riding positions. We rode in all conditions, including spring snowstorms, sweltering heat, pelting thunderstorms, thigh-pumping climbs, and exciting descents for hundreds of miles altogether.
Justin Simoni on his favorite terrain (off pavement, up a hill!)
Credit: Justin Simoni
Our expert testing team includes Nick Bruckbauer, Ryan Baker, Luke Hollomon, and Justin Simoni. Nick is a former competitive runner and eventually found his road bike legs by grinding away in the beautiful and steep mountains above Santa Barbara, CA. He now lives and adventures in the outdoor playground of South Lake Tahoe, CA. Ryan lives in Mammoth Lakes and spends the winter ski patrolling. When the ice melts and the snow clears, he can be found on soul-soaring rides into headwinds up the steep grades up the eastern Sierra from Tahoe to Lone Pine. Luke is across the country, in Richmond, VA. He rides and races thousands of miles per year on the rolling roads that professional riders like Ben King, Emma Langley, and Eddie Anderson cut their teeth on. Justin resides in the road bike mecca of Boulder, CO, and can be found grinding up the local gravel hill climbs. He's raced the Tour Divide and has toured for weeks on end up and over some of the most famous hill climbs in Europe.
We put the Z1 to the test on some long, grueling climbs.
Fast, light, and stylish describe the Giro Synthe Mips. Will it also describe you?
The POC Ventral Air SPIN lives up to its name effectively moving air for great venitlation.
Analysis and Test Results
We chose helmets that are best for road biking. While all of the helmets meet the same safety standards set by the U.S. Government, construction methods and design features vary by manufacturer and model. To help find the best model for each rider, we scored each model on five important metrics: impact test, comfort, ventilation, usability, and weight.
Worse Value
Better Value
What's the Best Value?
To help you find the best balance between price and performance in your next road bike helmet, we rated each helmet in our lineup against the competition and mapped out which models represent the best overall value. The Smith Persist offers high-end performance in a very affordable package. The Giro Agilis provides similar features as Giro's higher-end offerings with a little heavier weight and a much more affordable price.
Impact Test Results
Road bike helmets aren't bought just to make a fashion statement. They're important safety equipment that is purchased to help protect from the impact of a fall or crash. For this reason, we have partnered with ACT Lab, a specialized impact test company and an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited facility, for our impact testing. Our own Impact Test results greatly influence the overall score of the road bike helmets.
All the road bike helmets in our review meet or exceed U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) standards for bicycle helmets. All road bike helmets that pass the CPSC guidelines are considered safe and compliant. Our intention in performing our own impact testing was to explore beyond the minimum of what's required to gather data to help us determine which road bike helmets may give you an additional amount of safety.
Footage of the Bell Stratus Mips going through our third party independent impact tests. Sensors collect data used later for analysis.
Credit: GearLab/ACT Lab
For our impact tests, each helmet was tested using the lab's crash-test facility, which employs a dummy head that is outfitted with accelerometer sensors. Tests were conducted using a “hotter” setup than federal standards — and using more up-to-date equipment. Two different impact tests were performed: a “slow” and a “fast” test. The “slow” test was meant to emulate a fall from your bike, and the “fast” test was closer to being hit by a vehicle. We perform both tests, as often helmets that perform well in one of the tests do not always perform well in the other. Our final impact test score was then calculated by averaging out these two test data results. From the data, we calculated an easily digestible score of 1-10.
Slow Impact Test Results
For our “slow” impact tests, each helmet is dropped from a height of 1 meter to simulate a moderate yet substantial crash, such as one you might make on your own with no vehicles or objects involved.
The chart above displays data gathered by the accelerometer sensors during the drop from 1 meter onto the anvil. The lower the curve, the less trauma the dummy head underwent.
The helmet that earned the best score for this assessment was the Smith Trace Mips at 9.5. Other standouts were the Bell Stratus Mips at 8.3 and the Trek Velosis Mips at 7.4. Rounding out the bottom of the pack was the Lazer Tonic Kineticore, which earned a mere 3.2 points.
Fast Impact Test Results
For this assessment, the helmets were dropped from a height of 2.3 meters in order to gather data from a heavy impact. In a bit of a shakeup, the Bontrager Starvos Wavecel was the highest performer in this test, even though it showed mediocre results for the slow impact trials. Other notable scores are the Smith Trace and POC Ventral, with the POC Omne Air earning the lowest score.
This is a visual representation of our fast impact tests. The lower the line on the graph, the better the helmet is at absorbing higher impacts.
Apres impact test, some deformation is seen on the exterior of the Smith Trace Mips, but overall the helmet has kept its form.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Overall Impact Test Results
The Trace MIPS also includes “Koroyd”, marketed as a built-in crumple zone tech, designed to absorb some of the impact forces the helmet will experience during a crash.
Inspecting the inside of the POC Ventral Air Mips after the impact test shows a crack in the EPS body of the helmet, as designed. Road bike helmets are only meant to survive a single impact; the helmet body sacrificially absorbing the immense energy from an impact (rather than your head!).
Credit: Matt Lighthart
The Trek Velocis MIPS also scored very high in our Impact Test results, being a premium helmet. Not trailing too far behind are the Giro Synthe MIPS II, Bell Stratus MIPS, POC Ventral Air MIPS, and Bontrager Starvos WaveCel.
A Note on Rotational Impact Protection
Many road bike helmets on the market today also come with Multi-directional Impact Protection System (MIPS), which usually incorporates a thin plastic liner inside the helmet between the EPS foam and the padding that sits against the head.
The Smith Persist Mips is a good example of the flavor of Mips we see the most in road bike helmets: a thin plastic layer that allows the helmet to slightly slip and rotate independent of the head.
Credit: Justin Simoni
This layer is designed to act as a “slip-plane” between the head and the helmet, with the intention of reducing rotational forces on the brain that can result from certain types of impacts. A few models we tested take the design a step further.
The Giro Aries Spherical is an example of “Mips Spherical”, where the helmet body itself moves around slightly, rather than using a liner.
Credit: Maddock Rigby
The Giro Aries Spherical has a Mips Spherical system that eliminates the standard plastic liner and instead consists of a two-piece dual-density foam shell which are free to rotate against one another. This unique design doesn't necessarily provide any additional crash protection compared to a traditional Mips liner, but is intended to improve comfort and reduce both weight and bulk.
The Trek Velocis uses, “Mips Air” which is integrated into the padding of the helmet itself.
Credit: Justin Simoni
The Trek Velocis MIPS has the Mips Air system, which integrates the Mips technology within the inner foam padding, saving a little bit of bulk and weight.
One helmet in our lineup that does not come with Mips technology is the Lazer Tonic Kineticore. Instead, it uses a brand-specific technology called, “Kineticore”, which sculpts the EPS foam itself, marketed as creating embedded crumple zones, and thus being very similar to Mips.
Comfort
Road cyclists often spend long days in the saddle for both training and racing, making a comfortable helmet critical. Ideally, your road bike helmet should “disappear” once you put it on and shouldn't cross your mind during your ride. While head sizes and shapes are extremely variable from rider to rider, our testers consistently found certain design features that helped a helmet adapt to different heads, adding to the overall comfort regardless of the user.
Our testing revealed that padding design, full circumference headband adjustability, and chinstrap design each played an essential role in overall comfort. Quality padding is crucial, especially in the forehead and temple areas, because the headband adjustment systems on most helmets tighten in the back, pushing the head against the front of the helmet. While quality padding is an important component, we found that the location and coverage of the padding and the shape of the foam liner were more important than the thickness or density of the padding itself. We found the Trek Velocis, Bontrager Starvos WaveCel, and POC Ventral Air provided exceptional comfort with minimal well-placed pads in the fore and superior areas.
The Poc Ventral Air's rear adjustment dial can tighten and loosen the headband on the fly, and is easy to use even with gloves on.
Credit: Maddock Rigby
All of the helmets we tested have internal headband systems that allow adjustment to fit various head shapes and sizes. The best designs make a complete loop around the head, rather than those that do a partial loop and anchor into the helmet liner near the temples. The Giro Agilis has a newer Roc Loc 5.5 headband system that integrates the MIPS liner into the headband and cradles the head for a snug, customized fit. The adjustment systems on the Giro Synthe MIPS II also wrap entirely around the head, earning these models top scores in this category.
With the Giro Synthe Mips , one just needs to put the helmet on, snap the chin strap underneath your chin and adjust the back dial then go!
Credit: Maddock Rigby
Chinstrap design also plays a significant role in helmet comfort. Our testers preferred helmets that incorporated thin webbing straps and a Y-buckle, allowing the straps to lie flat against one's face. The Smith, Trek, and Giro models use different strap designs, but models from all three of these brands stand out with thin, supple webbing material and well-designed Y-buckles that allow the webbing to lay flat.
Helmet Y-buckle designs vary, but we favored those that featured a simple quick release system -- like seen on the Smith Persist Mips -- to allow you to easily dial in a fit even while you're riding.
Credit: Maddock Rigby
Overall, the Trek Velocis MIPS, and the Giro Synthe MIPS stand out as the most comfortable models that we tested. These helmets all have the best combinations of sufficient and well-placed padding, adjustable headband systems, and comfortable chinstrap systems.
Ventilation
A well-ventilated helmet helps keep your head and core temperature down, helping enhance comfort and performance. As aerodynamic designs become a higher priority for helmet manufacturers, balancing aero design with ventilation has increasingly become a challenge. The best-ventilated helmets are not necessarily those with the most vents but rather the ones that pair properly placed vents with internal channeling for optimum airflow.
The Giro Aries Spherical took the top prize as the best-ventilated helmet that we tested, employing many of the tricks of the trade: generous vents, internal channeling, raised up lateral reinforcements, and a Mips system integrated into the helmet body rather than on the interior face of the helmet. Its brethren, the Giro Synthe MIPS II, also scores high, sharing many of the same features.
We scored the Giro Aries Spherical at the head of the pack when it comes to ventilation.
Credit: Justin Simoni
Only the Trek Velocis came close to providing the same level of ventilation. Its deep recessed channels work brilliantly to pull air into the helmet, and padding inside floats the helmet off your head, letting air flow right over your skull.
Excellent ventilation like we observed on the Trek Velocis Mips is clutch on hot summer days and grinding up hard climbs.
Credit: Justin Simoni
Lower-scoring products, such as the Bontrager Starvos Wavecel, can be stiflingly hot on even moderately warm days. While aero helmets typically sacrifice ventilation for a sleeker profile, others have a retractable vent cover that gives the option of switching between more ventilation or more aerodynamics.
Many Smith helmets utilize Koyord tech in the vents, which can impact how well air can enter them.
Credit: Justin Simoni
Usability
What's the point of buying an expensive, lightweight road bike helmet if it's difficult to get the most out of it? The usability metric reflects how well the helmet works on the road. Can the helmet's fit be easily adjusted while on a ride, even with gloves on, or will you have to stop on the side of the road and watch your friends disappear into the distance? Does it come in a size that will fit your own head? Will it match your own riding kit or will it clash wildly? Is there a place to put your equally expensive sunglasses when not in use?
Topping our results for Usability is the Giro Synthe MIPS II. We particularly enjoyed its full-wrap headband and easy-to-adjust Y-buckles. The Giro Aries Spherical also scores high, sharing many of the same design details. Both also have a tough enough rubber strap end keeper, and the headband height, which is also easily adjustable.
The Giro Synthe Mips II has an extremely usable sliding y-strap to help dial in fit in a sensitive part of your face.
Credit: Maddock Rigby
The Lazer Tonic Kineticore also scores high, due to its own excellent adjustability — especially on its vertical fit.
The Lazer Tonic Kineticore gives you a wide-range of easy-to-use adjustments to work with.
Credit: Emily Hollomon
Other helmets that have scored high include the Trek Velocis MIPS that features a genuine Boa wire enclosure for the headband, the Smith Persist MIPS, which has two additional areas where the headband can be adjusted, and the Bell Stratus MIPS.
Weight
Road cycling is a gram-conscious sport where both professional and amateur riders go to great lengths to decrease their riding weight. Every extra gram can slow you down on climbs, and a heavy helmet can also cause neck fatigue on a long ride. While helmet weight can certainly impact comfort, all of the helmets we tested are relatively light compared to the overall marketplace, so these comparisons are relative to the models tested in our lineup.
We weigh each product ourselves to get an objective comparison, as the manufacturer claimed weights could often be inaccurate. We're happy to report that every helmet we measured was within 5% or less of the claimed weight, which is essentially equivalent when accounting for potential measurement tolerances and precisions.
The Trek Velocis Mips impressed us with it's feather weight, at only 270 grams.
Credit: Justin Simoni
Interestingly, some of the more expensive products we tested are heavier than some of their more affordable counterparts. There are several factors for this. Many of the higher-end helmets have more polycarbonate shell material covering the EPS foam liner, which marginally increases weight but also increases durability.
For all the features the Giro Aries Spherical packs, it's a pleasant surprise that it only weighs 279 grams.
Credit: Justin Simoni
The Lazer Tonic Kineticore comes out as one of the lightest helmets at a svelte 240 grams for a size Medium. It is also one of the cheapest. The Trek Velocis MIPS comes close at 270 grams in size Medium, and is one of the more expensive choices. Despite its burly looks, the POC Ventral Air MIPS only comes to a total of 308 grams, as does the Smith Persist MIPS. The Giro Aries Spherical only weighs in at 279 grams itself.
The Persist has no exposed EPS foam externally, preventing dings and scratches with its polycarbonate shell
Credit: Emily Hollomon
Conclusion
The primary purpose of a road bike helmet is to protect your head in the case of a crash, and all helmets sold in the USA are subject to the same minimum safety standards. While all helmets may offer the same basic level of crash protection, beyond that, they are far from equal. Different helmet designs go above and beyond by adding extra features such as MIPS liners for extra safety, adjustable headbands and chinstraps, comfortable padding, and different ventilation levels. Our testers racked up thousands of miles in the saddle, through all sorts of conditions, to sort through the differences in each helmet to help you find the best model for your next ride.
