"The cyclist's crumple zone is his frontal brain." This phrase circulates among surgeons who have unhelmeted cyclists lying on the operating table in front of them. The sight could be described as unappetising. Our soft, flabby data centre is only protected by a layer of bone about seven millimetres thick. But the protective ring can be extended. A tried and tested means: the cycle helmet. We requested eleven current models with prices between 80 and 150 euros for our test.
Our request to the manufacturers was: send the perfect all-mountain helmet. The manufacturers' interpretation of this varies greatly. The fact is: More and more bikers are testing the limits of their riding skills in challenging terrain. The risk of involuntarily experiencing the laws of gravity increases exponentially with the difficulty of the task to be mastered. The helmet is therefore also required to provide extra protection. Many of the manufacturers in the test rely on more material on the helmet for this purpose. The neck and side sections are pulled further down and should therefore also protect against falls onto the back of the head.
The test results of these helmets can be found below as a PDF download:
- Abus Hill Bill
- Bell Super
- Casco Cuda Enduro
- Cratoni C-Hawk
- Giro Feature
- Mavic Notch
- Met Kaos UL
- Scott Lin
- Specialised Tactic II
- Uvex XP CC
- Zero RH+ 0/2000
We tell you which models score highly in terms of weight, fitting system, comfort, workmanship and ventilation, and which ones fall short. Thermographic images mercilessly reveal weaknesses in the airflow.
BIKE is also available as a digital edition.
Downloads:
Stefan Frey
Editor
