Helmets make great gifts for the cyclists on your holiday list. The most critical piece safety equipment for a cyclist, materials in helmets degrade over time with exposure to heat, cold, sweat, and rain. The Tucson sunshine beats down on your helmet instead of your head, and all that heat affects the helmet.
Manufacturers recommend a new helmet every one to two years. While shopping for gifts for the cyclists in your life, why not pick up a new helmet for for yourself to ride into the New Year?
Here are 5 great helmets for the holidays.
1. Cannondale Teramo
Cannondale designed the Teramo with special reinforcement they call the “SI Alloy Exoskeleton Reinforcement Bridge.” Unlike other helmet manufacturers who use composite material or expensive carbon fiber, Cannondale uses aluminum alloy to reinforce their helmets.
Like other helmet manufacturers, Cannondale uses EPS (expanded polystyrene) for the main body of the helmet. And, according to design documentation, Cannondale uses high and low density EPS using a cone shaped interface between the foam layers. Thus they’ve created zones in the helmet to disperse and redirect impact energy in the event of a crash.
Our tester tried the small/medium sized Teramo helmet that weighs in at 245 grams. The helmet was easy to adjust with one hand using the “micro adjuster” wheel to the perfect size. The numerous air vents provided excellent cooling during a recent 4-hour road ride in the Arizona sun.
Teramo comes in men’s and women’s styles with several color choices. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the Teramo is $109.99.
2. Lazer Nirvana
Belgian manufacturer Lazer modified its Nirvana mountain bike helmet for 2012 offering more adjustment in the retention system. Large vents make this one of the coolest helmets on the market, perfect for riding Tucson’s desert trails.
Besides revised retention system, the Nirvana has not changed very much from last year's model. Large vents provide great air flow, and Euro styling is cool with many color options available. Comfortable X-Static antibacterial pads will stay odor-free, and single-density foam holds up very well to daily use and being tossed on the floor.
The helmet comes in two sizes, five colors, and has a removable visor. The Lazer Nirvana weighs in at 283 grams and sells for $145.
3. Giro Aeon
Giro, a longtime player in the helmet market, updated its Aeon for 2012. It’s lightweight with tons of ventilation. It stays on your head with the Roc Loc 5 retention system, and something Giro calls the “thermoformed Roll Cage reinforcement.” Like Cannondale’s helmets, the Aeon has a micro-adjuster wheel for one-handed, on-the-fly, helmet adjustment. The weight is 222 gms, and Giro offers three sizes and nine colors. In this case, cool and light comes at a high price: $250.
4. Giro Reverb
Tapping into the urban commuter market, Giro presents the Reverb in high visibility yellow and white. Giro has not included too many features. Instead, the Reverb is designed to be an understated and well-functioning helmet.
Reverb’s visor is unique, it’s made out of fabric and removable for washing. The visor peak is positioned inside the rim of the helmet with Velcro tabs holding it in position. Its brim is similar to that of a traditional cycling cap, for that Euro hipster feel.
The Reverb comes three sizes, in staid colors like white and gray, as well as flashier yellow/orange/white, and other colorful designs. It weighs 271 grams and costs $60.
5. Cannondale Radius
For the self-defined urban hipster, or someone who just likes non-flashy matte colors, Cannondale presents the Radius. It’s made with single-density EPS foam with internal composite reinforcements; and has the same retention system as the Teramo. Cannondale offers the Radius in five colors, with one women’s specific option. It’s a bit heavier, weighing in at 300 grams, and costs $59.99.
Tucson’s Miles Ahead Cyclery sells Cannondale helmets. Performance Bike sells Giro helmets, and Lazer helmets are available online at: http://www.lazersport.com.
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