There were a lot of helmets to see at Eurobike and Interbike, many with lots of vents and sleek designs, but these are the ones that stood out. The best of them show the next wave in commuter and urban helmets, giving us some stylish options far beyond the solid, dull buckets of years past. Case in point: The Cratoni C-Loom shown above. Well placed, large vents and great colors complement the Tron-like lines. Additional features like an adjustable retention mech, built-in visor and rear blinky lights finish it off.
But Bern and others had some real competition for it, and Limar continues the push the boundaries of lightweight and safety…
The C-Loom won’t be coming to the US (no CPSC testing on it yet), sadly, and we don’t have European retail numbers. SKS’s rep says they’re considering it, so if you’d buy it here in the states, leave a comment. For Cratoni helmets you can get in the US, check this post.
The Bern Allston has a more rugged appearance with more vents and a very mountain bikey vibe. Pick between a plastic visor or faux cycling cap visor depending on your mood (or bike selection).
360º padding and inmold construction that wraps all the way under the base keeps things smooth and comfy. Retail is $89. More Bern helmets were spotted in this post.
The Bult VH X1 sticks with the standard skate bucket style but builds in a 640×480 (decent web resolution) camera that shoots at 30 fps and can capture two full hours of video on the built in 2GB SD card.
The lens sees 100º of action. Street price is $120, making it far cheaper than a helmet and standalone camera, so you tradeoff image quality for convenience and price.
Transitioning to higher performance helmets, Limar had a wide range of helmets for commuters. The model on the Velov (left) has removable vent covers for cooler days, and numerous massive vents for the hot ones. The 720º (orange/gray/blue, next to the full faces) are their Superlight series for urban riders and the 360º (center) are the budget models.
Limar’s typically shown their Ultralight+ as the highlight, but this year they spread their “Superlight” construction across the range to shed grams on lower priced helmets. The 778 comes in at a claimed 205g (med.), but has a full height and fit adjustable retention mech, adjustable straps and bug net.
24 vents should help keep your head cool. Not shown, the new 660 gets 18 vents and a more aero shape. Claimed weight is just 220g (med).
The new 545 (black) mountain bike helmet sits at the bottom of their price run but still gets the dual adjustable retention, bug net and visor…and looks that don’t give it away as a budget lid. The 685 is an all-new Superlight offering for all-around use and comes in at just 240g with 19 vents and a mid-level price point..
The general theme for Limar’s 2014 collection was pushing more value and lightweight throughout the line, and it looks like they’ve done exactly that.
Even the kids’ helmets get Superlight options and upgraded features like built in blinky lights and dual adjust retention mechs. Oh, and plenty of cool graphics and colors.
Catlike showed variations on their road and MTB helmets that used non-ventilated inmold shells. The Mixino VD 2.0 road lid kept the four rear vents open as exhaust ports, and maybe a bit of air would sneak in at the brow, but it’s almost certainly designed for aero, rain and winter use.
And it looks killer. From what we can tell, it would be legal for UCI competition since the full shell is a structural component, not a snap-on cover.
The Whisper MTB model also had a full cover option on display, though the placard still claimed tons of vents so it may have just been a one-off.
It also looks like this one was snapped on (or glued on just for the show) since the stock World Cup graphics option is visible underneath. Nick’s got one of their helmets on review now.
We also spotted helmets from Kali and Sweet Protection and Lazer and Smith and Rockwell and Bell and Northwave and Rudy Project and Giro and POC.
