Does a cheap bicycle helmet protect less?

Does an inexpensive bicycle helmet offer as much safety as a high-end model? A recent study of theImperial College of London challenges this preconceived idea which claims that the tariff influences protection. If safety is a primary criterion to consider when purchasing, many other criteria can vary the cost of your helmet.

Cheap bicycle helmet: a study that overturns prejudices?

Published in the journal Annals of Biomedical Engineeringthe study compared the performance of 30 best-selling headsets in England (between €12 (£9.99) and £135). The result? No significant link was found between the price of helmets and their ability to protect against serious injuries.

The highest-rated helmet for safety, the Specialized Tactic MIPS, costs around $100, well below high-end models like the ABUS Gamechanger, which tops out at $175 while offering less protection (according to the study ).

The tests highlighted criteria such as the management of rotational impacts influencing safety, but without a direct link to price. As you can see from the graph above, most of the bicycle helmets tested provide similar protection in the event of a direct static impact (linear risk). The MIPS system, on the other hand, seems to make a real difference in moving impacts (rotational risk).

Do more than the standards

You must obviously take your results with all due caution. Because a scientific study, crash protocols however sophisticated they may be, will never be able to exactly reproduce the impact situation. And then, we are not specialists in scientific matters. It is therefore impossible to corroborate the methodology of this study (the full results of which are available here).

Research and development also has a cost

As we said above, safety is of course the main criterion for using a helmet on your bike. However, it should be noted that the high price of a bicycle helmet is also justified by the research and development part. If they are required to respect the standards in force (EN1078 for Europe), most often, manufacturers will offer products that protect you beyond these standards.

If it turns out to be simpler for a bicycle helmet in everyday use, it is more difficult to design a sporty, light and well-ventilated bicycle helmet, while guaranteeing identical protection. Engineering and R&D are therefore essential to obtain a product that can be put on the market. All this has to be paid for. On this subject, you can read our visit to the manufacturer Lazer in Belgium.

Beyond safety: comfort and functionality

Beyond safety, other criteria play a crucial role in choosing a bicycle helmet. Comfort is essential for everyday use or over long distances. A well-fitted, lightweight and ventilated helmet can make a real difference to fatigue and comfort, especially on hot days or in rough terrain. The weight of the helmet can influence the fatigue felt after several hours in the saddle. A lighter helmet, although often more expensive, can offer a real advantage for long outings.

Aerodynamics is also a key factor for road cyclists or competitors. High-end helmets generally focus on more aerodynamic shapes, thus reducing air resistance. If this characteristic is essential for some, it is not necessarily so for a commuter cyclist who is above all looking for a helmet that is comfortable, practical and minimally ventilated.

Let us add that some models offer additional features: integrated visor, lighting systems, or even winter kits to maintain heat. These elements, although frequently missing from entry-level helmets, can justify a higher price and, therefore, improve your cycling experience.

Security at a moderate price, yes, but not only that

Certainly, this study confirms that you don’t need to spend a fortune to be well protected while cycling. However, there are other important criteria to consider when considering the purchase of a bicycle helmet, cheap or not.

Besides the design, which remains very subjective, there is comfort, aerodynamics, weight or even the options or accessories which can justify a higher price. The choice, and intrinsically the price, therefore also depend on your specific needs and your use(s) of the bike.

Before letting you browse the list of headsets tested in the study, we remind you of a point that seems obvious to us. A point that seems worth remembering. Finally a last one, which does not seem so trivial to us.

The obvious

A helmet can only take care of your head if you take care of that helmet. Do not throw it away carelessly once it arrives at its destination. Avoid dropping it. Each shock, no matter how small, will damage its foam and its shell. With the risk therefore, that the weakened place of your helmet is this place which should have protected you in the event of an impact. A helmet that has suffered an impact, in principle no matter how minor, must be thrown away and replaced.

Not bad to remember

A helmet is to be considered as a consumable. It has a shelf life. Even if you take care not to drop it or bump it. Over time, its materials will lose their original qualities. Prolonged exposure to the sun, cold, rain and sweat will negatively impact its absorption qualities. An approved helmet must have its manufacturing date mentioned on its label. Manufacturers indicate that a helmet has a lifespan of between 3 and 5 years. It’s up to you whether you use it intensively or not.

Not so trivial

If we assume that a helmet protects your head in the event of an accident or mishap (this principle is not unanimously accepted in the wonderful cycling communities, who knows why), then the best way to protect yourself is to wear one (see the prerequisite mentioned in the previous sentence). Beyond the study results, wearing one is a good idea. You still have to want to wear it. So let it be comfortable for you. Fitted (around the skull and under the throat). Finally, please you (who in the room really wants to wear a helmet, which at best looks like a mushroom’s head, at worst a beast’s head? Not us anyway).

List of bicycle helmets tested for this study

Here is the complete table with the bicycle helmets tested for this study (Halfords is a chain of British stores specializing in bicycles and motorized two-wheelers). The prices displayed have been rounded to Euros and correspond to the purchase price (for the study), not the public price.