Headway on bike helmets
I should be dead, twice. The fact that I’m not -- or even brain-damaged (I think) -- is due to the helmets I wore while being hit by a car and slamming head-first into a mountain trail. By design, their foam shells cracked instead of my skull, leaving me with scrapes, a concussion and the ability to ride another day.
Cycling’s speed and freedom make it inherently risky. Dangers lurk everywhere: distracted drivers; trees, rocks and potholes; 50 mph downhills. Bike fatalities are overwhelmingly due to head injuries. So why take a chance when today’s helmets are so effective, lightweight and stylish? And they’re getting more so all the time, as you’ll see by the new models reviewed here. A helmet completes your cycling ensemble and makes you look smart -- because it’s really dumb to ride without one.
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Made with a shade
Dux Helm Black Carbon: The first bike helmet with a built-in, retractable sunglass lens.
Likes: Ingenious and convenient -- the biggest bike headgear innovation in a decade. The lens, hidden in a slot in the front of the helmet, slides down over your eyes with the push of a slide-lock lever on top. There are no blind spots from sunglass arms to obstruct your view, and no more forgetting your sunglasses or misplacing them. The 12-ounce helmet, which uses an in-mold construction (a polycarbonate shell fused to a foam liner) and includes a handy and comfortable dial-to-fit circumference headband, is lighter -- and less expensive -- than it seems, since it eliminates a 2-ounce pair of glasses. A mountain-bike model with a visor will be available by summer. Extra lenses can be purchased separately for $40. The Black Carbon has a padded chin strap and a rubberized outer texture; a model with a conventional, non-rubberized shell is $20 less.
Dislikes: None.
Price: $199 (Black Carbon) and $179. www.duxhelm.com
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Dual-density safety
Kali Protectives Maraka XC: Visor-equipped mountain-bike helmet that purportedly increases protection and reduces concussions via use of the “Composite Fusion Plus System,†a co-molded shell/foam design that supposedly reacts more quickly and effectively to a collision. It includes a double-layer foam liner whose lower-density layer is said to absorb lower-level impacts better than normal and a pyramid-shaped foam bead that deflects energy sideways to spread and minimize impact over a wider area.
Likes: Comfortable and light at 10 ounces. Although I thankfully did not put the Composite Fusion Plus System to the test, the knowledge that I had an extra level of protection caused me to traverse steep, rocky, death-defying dropoffs in a blissful, life-affirming bubble of satisfaction.
Dislikes: Not cheap. (But how do you put a price tag on safety?)
Price: $190. www.kaliprotectives.com
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Urban simplicity
Giro Reverb: Classic, retro-style nine-vent helmet for urban riders that includes a removable cap-style fabric visor. Like the other helmets reviewed here, it is built with in-mold construction, which fuses the polycarbonate shell with a foam liner.
Likes: Lack of pretension. The round, utilitarian urban styling lacks the pointy wind tunnel sculpting that screams, “Look at me! I’m an aerobic monster!†Ironically, this model is an updated version of a 20-year-old design that was meant for road warriors like America’s three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond. Weight: 12 ounces.
Dislikes: Although lightweight and ideal for cruising, the Reverb might appear too casual for aggressive mountain or road riders. The inch-long visor is definitely a bit short for all-day cruising on a sunny beach path.
Price: $60. www.giro.com
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Ponytail friendly
Specialized Aspire: Lightweight women’s road biking helmet that features HairPort SL, a portal for a ponytail located between the shell and the adjustable-fit mechanism.
Likes: Comfort. The HairPort (also found on Specialized’s $75, visor-equipped Andorra mountain-bike helmet) did a good job of keeping my wife’s hair off her neck. The micro-dial system with height adjustability allows great fit. It’s very airy due to gigantic ventilation slots, starting with a gaping mouth in the front.
Dislikes: None.
Price: $64.99. www.specialized.com
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