Road bike helmet test: Expensive versus cheap Road bike helmets in a comparison test

Note: This article was first published on 19/05/2025 and was updated on 17/04/2026.

The saying "Buy cheap, buy twice" means that cheap products are often of inferior quality and break more quickly or do not have the desired properties. Applied to a cycle helmet, this could have fatal consequences. If the helmet does not fulfil its function, slips off your head during a fall or even crumbles at the slightest impact. To prevent this from happening, only helmets that have passed the applicable standardised test (DIN EN 1078) are allowed to be sold. However, the approved testing machines essentially only check whether the helmet fulfils the standard requirements with regard to the impact absorption of the helmet shell and the durability of the straps and fasteners. The test method has become outdated as it cannot test the effectiveness of safety systems such as the Mips rotation protection. It only defines minimum standards far removed from what modern helmets can achieve and is therefore not a good indicator of the actual protective function.

All road bike helmets in the TOUR test

• Abus Game Changer 2.0
• Abus Stormchaser ACE
• Cratoni C-Zero Mips
• Cratoni Gravoq
• Giro Eclipse Spherical
• Giro Cielo Mips
• MET Manta Tadej Pogačar
• MET Estro Mips
• POC Ventral Mips
• POC Omne Air Mips
• Specialised S-Works Evade
• Specialised Search Mips
• Uvex Surge Aero Mips
• Uvex Rise

Short & sweet

Almost all manufacturers now equip their helmets with Mips rotation protection. In the test, the Estro Mips model from MET was the cheapest helmet for 140 euros. The test on the TOUR test bench impressively shows that all helmets, whether expensive or cheap, offer the best protection against concussion with this system.

Case studies

In order to test helmet safety in a practical manner, we have been testing all helmets on our own test stand since 2020, which records all relevant resulting forces when the test head with helmet hits an inclined surface. This also allows us to record the effect and quality of the Mips system. In the current test, we wanted to find out - among other things - whether the more expensive top models offer better protection than the cheaper helmets. Seven manufacturers followed our test definition, each with a more expensive and a cheaper model. This much can be revealed in advance: A higher price does not automatically mean more safety. And: The higher price is not necessarily coupled with better features such as adjustable Y-belts (which improve the fit below the ears) or a height-adjustable head ring, which improves the fit and usually also makes it possible to thread a braid through between the helmet shell and the width adjustment. The buckle is dominated by the plug lock, adjustable ratchet locks are rare, one helmet in the test has a magnetic strap lock. The option of attaching cycling goggles securely to the helmet, reflective strips or a transport bag are welcome additions to the equipment, but have become rarer compared to the previous test. Replacement pads or pads in different thicknesses to customise the helmet are nowhere to be found in the box today. Only one manufacturer offers a customer-friendly accident replacement policy.

Light is out

The days when the top helmets were always the lightest in the range are over. The additional weight of the current generation of helmets is partly due to the additional integrated Mips system and/or a closed helmet shell with fewer air vents for aerodynamic reasons in order to offer less resistance to the wind. Conversely, the lightest helmet in the test, weighing 223 grams, is a classic-looking model without rotation protection and with lots of air vents. In terms of ventilation, however, the modern design with fewer air vents need not be a disadvantage. Even with the models labelled as "aero helmets", there was no heat build-up under the shell during our practical test.

Safe is safe

In terms of protective function, the crash test provides a clear result: rotation protection integrated into the helmet, such as Mips, reduces the risk of brain injuries. Our measurements prove this. Mips helmets therefore offer a safety advantage over helmets without this feature. And the good news is that models that are half the price protect just as well as the top helmets.

The 7 pairs of road bike helmets in the individual test

>> Abus Game Changer 2.0 vs. Abus Stormchaser ACE

>> Cratoni C-Zero Mips vs. Cratoni Gravoq

>> Giro Eclipse Spherical vs. Giro Cielo Mips

>> MET Manta Tadej Pogačar and the MET Estro Mips

>> POC Ventral Mips and POC Omne Air Mips

>> Specialized S-Works Evade and Specialized Search Mips

>> Uvex Surge Aero Mips and the Uvex Rise

The results at a glance

How TOUR tests

Security (50 per cent)

Special safety systems - Mips & Co. - are designed to measurably reduce the risk of head injuries by reducing the rotational forces that occur in the event of an angled impact. The existing test standard for helmets, EN 1078, cannot cover these scenarios. In order to test the current generation of helmets realistically, we have developed a helmet test rig ourselves and orientated ourselves on the methods used in science and by research-based manufacturers. For the test, the helmet is fitted to an aluminium test head weighing 4.9 kilograms. During the simulated fall, the helmet and head are guided on a sled and hit a steel surface inclined at an angle of 45 degrees at a speed of 21 kilometres per hour. Sandpaper with a grain size of 40 imitates the roughness of the surface - this is similar to the test facilities at Virginia Tech, Folksam and other research institutes. The sled whizzes past the contact surface and releases the helmet, which bounces away after the impact. A six-axis sensor in the test head records acceleration and rotation rates around the three axes in space on impact and in the subsequent flight phase. In the first run-up, the helmet hits frontally, in the second laterally. We analyse the acceleration according to the highest resulting value - the lower the better. The average value from four measurements is given. We convert the head rotation into the BrIC criterion (Brain Injury Criterion), which indicates how damaging the movement is to the brain. This method is widely used in science and enables statements to be made about the probability of a concussion via the so-called AIS code.

Adjustment (20 per cent)

We assess the design and adjustability of the head ring as well as the course, fit and fastening of the harness system.

Cooling (15 per cent)

We test the ventilation with a powerful fan that accelerates the airflow up to 30 km/h. The heated, helmeted head is exposed to the flow and we determine the cooling capacity.

Weight (15 per cent)

The head reacts particularly sensitively to weight. 50 grams more or less makes a significant difference. Our test shows: More weight does not automatically mean better protection.

Measured values from the laboratory

Risk of concussion in per cent

The diagram shows the probability of a cyclist suffering an average concussion in the fall scenario we simulated. This can be calculated from the measured rotational movements (BrIC, Brain Injury Criterion). The relationship between BrIC and the probability of a concussion (according to the AIS code) is not linear. The probability is therefore more suitable for the assessment. The risk of concussion is between 8 and 31 per cent and averages just under 13.3 per cent. According to our test, the risk of suffering a concussion with a helmet without mips is 27.5 per cent on average.

Acceleration in g

All helmets in the test remain well below the standard (250 g) in terms of acceleration values, i.e. the forces that still act on the head in the event of an impact. However, the range extends from 90.4 g (Uvex Surge Aero Mips) to 130.6 g (Uvex Rise) and shows that the helmets provide different levels of protection. A correlation between reduced rotational acceleration and good shock absorption cannot be clearly established after all the tests.