Best Commuter Bike Helmets

You’ve got a nice bike and you decide to ride it frequently? You would need the right helmet to protect your head on the bicycle trip.

Here is my review of 12 best commuter bike helmets for you to consider.

Before my detailed reviews, let it be known that my top choices are POC Crane, followed by GIRO Caden MIPS, considering all the factors of fashion, materials and durability

Now let’s come to details.

1. POC Crane

Best in all categories

Among all my options, POC Crane is so far the best city bike helmet.

It is designed to cover your head almost entirely from your forehead, to your ears by sideways and all over your backward parts. The protection system is indeed adjustable to fit your head. This helmet focuses on preventing your skull from getting damage on any side when an accident occurs.

Additionally, the structure and components of POC Crane helmet make it my top favorite.

Made of various layers, it not only helps to protect your head carefully, but it also includes anti-bacteria layers. With that layer, the product can ensure your health of the users away from bacteria after a long time used.

There are 8 holes along with the helmet, up in the top of it, which makes the product look stylish and air-clear at the same time. Users can enjoy the trip without feeling hot in the summer.

Pros:

• Fully cover your skull
• Air-holes on the top
• Anti- bacteria
• Adjustable safety system

Cons: none

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2. GIRO Caden MIPS

Excellent in quality

I bet this city bike helmet can be one of the most stylish ones I can have. People who follow the sporty and cool style may find this product is made just for them.

The helmet is designed with tough but light materials. The soft part of the helmet is interesting because it blocks the extreme weather condition from hurting your skin, yet it can be moved away if you want to enjoy the clear-through air.

The locking part is enhanced to make sure the helmet holds tight your head.

GIRO Caden MIPS is now available for people aged 5 and older. Although it protects almost all parts of your head, the ears part is left uncovered. You should consider which riding path you may take, so you can decide on whether the ear-protect helmet is necessary.

Pros:

• Stylish cool look
• Removable parts
• Tight lock

Cons:

• Age limited
• Partially protection

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3. Thousand Adult

Best for classic style

Unlike the sporty and cool look of previous helmets, this casual bike helmet is for people who love classic and daily bike riders.

Thanks to the unisex style, Thousand Adult Bike Helmet can be worn by either men or women for different reasons: skateboard, motor riding and bike-cycling.

It also has a logo on the front of the helmet. People who like the branch or find the logo sophisticated may consider have it for your own.

The helmet can be adjusted to fit your head. This design can protect ¾ of your skull since the sideways are not protected.

The ventilation part is quite small, but it is actually not so hot because the uncovered part is large. If you want a daily helmet to travel on a nice and familiar road, you may find this product suitable

Pros:

• Unisex and classic style
• Multi-functional

Cons:

• Sideways uncovered
• Limited ventilation

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4. Overade Plixi Fit Foldable

Best folding bike helmet

This product is special for its design: it is foldable. It sounds weird to me at first. Can you imagine a helmet can be folded?

In fact, this product, with this smart practice, is very sturdy and endurance. You can fold it and keep it in a bag while not using without worrying about it breaking or stuck someday.

It also has a chin protect part and the protective lock is quite user-friendly. I highly approve of the ventilation of this product. I can find no minus points about the appearance and practical usage

The only problem with this city bike helmet is that it contains joints and connective parts, so the weight of the helmet can become heavy a little bit. Also, it takes time to solve a puzzle, and it may appear to be difficult for some people who are not born for this game!

Pros:

• Good ventilation
• Sturdy and durable
• Save room when not using

Cons:

• Partially cover
• Extra weight
• Not really user-friendly

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5. SMITH Trace

Best for premium upgrade

SMITH Trace is most highly estimated with the premium upgrade. In this version, the shape of the helmet is moved a bit higher to ensure ventilation which may be the most underlined feature of this product.

Still, it makes the helmet look so stylish and sporty. You will feel so comfortable with the soft part added in the helmet.

This city helmet also protects the front and back of your skull. The chin and sideways are left uncovered.

However, it gains points for the adjustability of the security system. The protect part holds your head very tight, so in case an accident occurs, the rotational hits may not leave much damage.

For the extremely impressive ventilation and adjustable protection, I definitely give SMITH Trace Helmet 4 stars.

Pros:

• Extra air-through holes
• Adjustable and fit secure system

Cons:

• Partially protection

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6. Bern Hudson MIPS

Best with LED light system

One of the most outstanding features of this commuter helmet is that it has an integrated but light LED light system. Not only does it make the helmet look special, but it is also ideal for the safety reason for urban commuters when you travel at night. There are 3 modes for your light: steady, flash and pulse.

Also, the air-clear system is reasonably designed on the helmet, along with the extra cover and adjustable parts.

There is a removable visor attached to the helmet. It can somehow prevent sunlight or rain-drops if needed. In the meantime, it can be easily omitted if you don’t feel like it.

Bern Hudson MIPS focuses on and does a good job in protecting your front and back head. However, the ears cover is quite low, which means it cannot cover all of your ears, neither left it open. It touches the top of your ears and creates an uncomfortable feeling for some users.

Pros:

• Extra and removable parts: personalized
• Fashion ventilation

Cons:

• Partially cover your ears

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7. Bern FL-1 Pave MIPS

Surprisingly light helmet

Here comes another personalized urben helmet!

Bern FL-1 Pave MIPS impresses me with its outlook. The Stay-Put visor is tone sure tone with the helmet. Whether I put it there or remove it, the helmet still looks sporty.

The ventilation is another plus point for this product. Look like it’s made of jointed bars, the helmet lets the air go freely through. Hence, besides the sporty cool look, the weight of the helmet is actually light. Thus, no aged limited for Bern FL-1 Pave MIPS

Some bars have the soft protection part between. The soft layer is to protect your head from a rough hit, and at the same time, make your skin comfortable.

Adjustments can be easily made thanks to the knob. As user-friendly as it is, the cable under your chin can be loosened or tightened to fit your head size.

Pros:

• Adjustable secure system
• Good ventilation
• User-friendly

Cons:

• Partially cover

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8. GIRO Timberwolf Helmet

Best for the winter riding

This is one of my best commuter bike helmets when it comes to cold weather. The extra warm pads are put into the helmet to ensure winter travel will not be a disaster. The soft layers also create comfortable feelings and decrease the damage in case of a hitting situation.

In the summer, these pads can be adjusted to enhance the airflow through the helmet. However, this design best suits the low-temperature condition.

GIRO Timberwolf Helmet is designed to cover your head as much as it could. Hard parts go all over your skull and then soft pads take care of ears parts. These ear-covers are the idea of winter-design, however, still, protect users from dust and wind in the winter.

The chin secure cable makes this helmet fit the head of people aged 5 and above.

Pros:

• Warm in cold weather
• Removable soft layers
• Extra ears protection

Cons:

• Aged limited
• Hot in the summer

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9. Specialized Elechon II

Best for light-reflection

Perhaps the most outstanding feature that differs this Specialized Elechon II commuter helmet from the others is its light-reflective. It guarantees your safety under low-light conditions. Therefore, urban bike riders don’t have to be afraid of riding at night.

The ventilation also does a good job. The hit-reduce parts stick to and follow the hard bars, which allows the air to freely passes through the uncovered part.

The rear protection and adjustable chin strap are enhanced to ensure the safety of your soft parts.

Pros:

• Safety at night
• Good ventilation
• Adjustable secure

Cons:

• Partially cover

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10. Bontrager Starvos WaveCel

Perfect washable and removable parts

This Bontrager casual helmet definitely makes users look like professional bikers on road.

The top of the helmet is designed with bars that are able to slow down the speed and thus the damage of rotational hits.

The adjustable cables and secure system hold tight on your head and facilitate a comfortable but safe zone.

The inner layers are thick, which helps to protect your skin and skull during impacts if it happens. These pads are also washable, so we do not have to worry after a hot long trip. The sanity and fashion are so far on top matters of this product

However, the ventilation is a little bit poor because of the careful protection of the soft layer. You may prefer to use this urban helmet in cool weather.

Pros:

• Extra protection
• Adjustable secure system

Cons:

• Poor ventilation

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11. SMITH Maze

Excellent match for casual clothes

To be honest, SMITH Maze is not the first match for my cool street items: it perfectly fits my aesthetic clothes instead. If you love the sporty and casual appearance, then this casual helmet is for you.

Designed to almost cover your all skull, this helmet gains extra points for its protection. The safe cables, as well as soft layers, help to fit users’ heads, which is a very important factor when commuting.

SMITH Maze has front and rear vents. It allows the air to go through the helmet. However, I still feel my skin sweating when I ride my bike in traffic. I would prefer if this product has more air-holes

Pros:

• Good cover of your head
• Fit and adjustable system

Cons:

• Poor ventilation

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12. Triple Eight Helmet

Excellent for protection

Last but not least, I would love to introduce one of my favorite urban helmets, probably one of the most popular designs: Triple Eight Helmet.

Apart from the casual look, the most impressive feature of this helmet is how it is designed to absorb energy from the hit and spread it away. It passes plenty of exams for this feature.

The chin strap and other security systems are adjustable. The ears are not covered when the helmet is on, but it still protects for it holds tight on top of your ears.

The soft part inside the helmet is also removable, but I recommend you to keep this part all the time because it comforts your skin very well.

There are air-holes concentrating mostly on top of the helmet. It allows air pass, but the ventilation system cannot handle the summer hot or long travel.

Pros:

• Good protecting system
• Adjustable and removable parts

Cons:

• Limited under the weather

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How to choose the best commuter bike helmet?

Well, after viewing all of my detailed reviews, it’s time for you to decide on which one would be perfect for your bike trip.

There are some key factors that you should thoroughly consider when selecting any helmet.

• Does the helmet fit you?

First and foremost, this question requires the most-close answer. I bet you know why.

The best commuter bike helmets must hold your head well so that in case of an accident, the helmet will not fall out.

Also, if it is too tight for you, it creates uncomfortable feelings. It may become sweaty, hurt or too small for you to wear extra devices such as glasses.

I highly recommend you view the technical statistics of the helmet. Besides, choose the helmet with removable soft pads and an easy-adjustable secure system.

Make sure the product you choose allows you to personalize the size.

• Is the protection qualified?

Besides the fit factor, the protection of the helmet is the second concern.

There are different types of helmets offered: partially cover, full cover, etc. The point is what kind of road you are going to take will lead to what kind of protection you may need.

Your ears are as important as the skull and other parts. Hence, I recommend the full-cover helmet like POC Crane Helmet.

Also, the design and material of the helmet are crucial. When the incident occurs, your head must be protected well enough to avoid injuries. The hard outside and soft inside helmet may help you with that.

Like I said before, nowadays helmets pay close attention to the quality. Some are designed with energy-absorb bars and materials. Some also have inner layers to soften the hit. Note yourself about these available designs when considering helmet.

To estimate the quality of the helmet, you may view back to my review and do extra research if needed.

• Is ventilation enough for your trip?

Besides bringing you safety, being comfortable is never less essential.

The ventilation basically is designed through the air holes in the front, top, or rear of the shell.

These are some purposes that you might consider before deciding on which kind of ventilation is enough for you.

First of all: What route you mainly ride your bike? Should it be an urban or city helmet?

If the answer is urban, then you just need to choose the one with fewer vents, because the air in the urban is comfortable itself. If it is the city, you may consider buying a city helmet with more vents to get ready for long hour stuck road and high temperature from traffic vehicles.

Second: What weather do you usually use the commute helmet? Is this winter, summer, or year-round?

If you want to be a bike commuter in summer only, you may prefer a casual helmet that is lightweight, excellent ventilation, and has washable soft pads. The ventilation will indeed keep you from the heat and sweaty rides.

If you love to enjoy the cold weather, then the perfect helmet for you must have less air-hole. It helps to avoid air-flow and keep you from cold or flu. You should also consider the commuter helmet with ears cover and visor if riding under low-temperature conditions. GIRO Timberwolf Helmet is an ideal product for this.

What about being a daily commuter no matter what season it is? Well, find a casual bike helmet with an adjustable ventilation system. Some of the designs are very user-friendly and personalized. Adjust the ventilation holes and soft pads to make it to the best.

Conclusion

After listing all the features and answering these questions, I believe that POC Crane is my first choice, and GIRO Caden MIPS is definitely on the second of the list.

These products serve well in city, urban and casual rides, leaves alone the matter of weather. Not only the flexibility in use is highly estimated, but these helmets also have smart ventilation and adjustable secure system to fit individual users.

So, now comes your choice. Hope you find the best commuter bike helmet for you!