Never say nerd: A guy who is still wearing his helmet in a café two hours after the tour doesn't necessarily have to be a nerd. Maybe he just didn't look in the mirror - and forgot that he was wearing head protection at all because of his featherweight helmet. While the average weight in the last BIKE helmet test (Issue 6/2008->) was 295 grams, this year only head protectors weighing less than 250 grams found their way into the BIKE lab. Average weight: just under 220 grams. The fact that some of these are models that road cyclists also use is practical: very few racers use visors, and these are often the only real difference between road and off-road models. One reason why manufacturers have worked so hard on weight is certainly the advertising effect: lighter is better, and numbers sound convincing. The lightest of them all, the Giro Pro Light, weighs only half as much as some of its competitors. Imagine a race hardtail weighing twelve kilos and a competitor model only six. This race is already decided before the start, at least on paper.
The test results of these helmets can be found below as a PDF download:
Alpina Pheos LE
Catlike Whisper Plus
Cratoni Rocket
Etto Tornado
Giro Pro Light (BIKE Tip "Weight")
Limar Pro 104 MTB
MET Forte
Rose RH 01
Scott Groove II (BIKE Tip "Price/Performance")
Specialised S-Works
Uvex FP 1 (BIKE Tip)
