Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute
The Helmet Update by Email Vol. 31, #1 -- January 16, 2013
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We have posted Helmets for 2013.
Our review finds no radical safety improvement this year that would compel you to replace your current helmet. Almost all of the helmets meet standards and offer good if not excellent protection.
We have tested a sample of cheap and expensive helmets and found no real performance differences. We recommend looking for a helmet that fits you well and has a rounded, smooth exterior with no major snag points.
Highlights:
--Neon colors are back, particularly neon yellow, but never called neon.
--Rounder profile "city," "urban" or "commuter" models are still growing in number. We list more than 70 of them. New models with rear points are mostly the "compact" style.
--Slip-planes to reduce rotational forces are now found in some POC models, Lazer child models and in the TSG Kraken skate-style model.
We still regard them as unproven technology, since a helmet will slip on your head anyway in an impact.
--"Mountain" helmets with extended rear coverage are available from at least eight manufacturers. But most only meet the CPSC bike helmet standard, so the extra rear coverage is not always proven by lab testing.
--There are more super-round chrono helmets coming out to compete with Casco's Warp models.
--Consumer Reports' last helmet article was published in 2012, rating only 13 models.
The full report with listings of more than 175 brands is at:
http://www.helmets.org/helmet13.htm
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