The Best Road Bike Helmets of 2025-2026

While Giro road helmets continue to share subtle hints of design language with predecessors dating back to the 90s, the Aries Spherical ($350) claims big gains in performance and makes a subtle shift in aesthetics while acing the Virginia Tech Helmet Rating safety test, receiving 5/5 stars.

At first glance, we were smitten with the look of the Aries. It has a beautifully minimal appearance and a strikingly low profile. So compact is the Aries that we had to double-check the label inside to confirm we were indeed holding a size large.

Up front, a boxy central vent is cut aggressively into the leading edge, creating a racy and muscular look. Out back, Giro spared no material from being cut away, creating an aggressively tapered shape that balances the looks of the helmet perfectly. The contrasting gloss and matte panels work together to create a seductive visual depth across the helmet’s surface. We learned quickly that this masterpiece of form was equally impressive in function.

The fit of the Aries is excellent and that’s no surprise. Giro figured out bike helmet fit ages ago by using data to map the human head and dial in the shape of its helmets to fit the greatest possible number of people. That said, the Aries is noticeably more luxurious and secure than the range-topping Giro helmets of yesteryear, despite minimal use of padding, which has been replaced with an array of thoughtfully sculpted internal channels.

On the road, the Aries continued to pamper while remaining perfectly positioned. Bumps, wind gusts, and full gas sprints never caused any slips or wiggles. Thanks to this supreme stability, we could ride with minimal tension on the Roc Loc 5 adjustment dial, which made the Aries feel even lighter and comfier. 

Giro claims that the Aries is 2.3% better vented than its predecessor, the Aether. While it’s hard to validate this numerical improvement, we can confirm this helmet moves prodigious amounts of air through its structure. Its venting is so effective that it may not be the optimal helmet for riding in cold conditions. 

Adding to the Aries’ robust strategy for moisture control, a new DryCore brow pad hides a silicone rubber strip inside its lower edge, where Giro claims it diverts sweat away from the eyes and outward toward the temples. While we can’t confirm with certainty that DryCore diverted sweat in this way, it did help keep the forehead dry and sweat off our lenses. 

Perhaps most importantly, the Giro Aries is the best-performing helmet ever tested by the Virginia Tech Helmet Test Lab. This safety rating speaks to the effectiveness of MIPS Spherical technology, which uses a dual shell ball-and-socket design intended to redirect impact forces away from a rider’s head during a crash, with the goal of reducing the risk of concussion. 

Even after all this praise, $300 is a lot to pay for a helmet. Certainly, there are helmets that compete with the Aries and cost considerably less. However, if you want the best and cost saving is not a priority, the Giro Aries Spherical is our top recommendation. 

The Lazer Tonic KinetiCore ($80) is the brand’s entry-level helmet road cycling model, but managed to impress, even compared to the range-topping Vento Kineticore aero helmet. At $80, it makes a strong case as a clear standout in the entry-level price point of road helmets. 

The Tonic’s fit is excellent, and we found it more comfortable than the range-topping Vento. The simple twist-dial adjustment knob in the retention system is a refreshing change after fussing around with the Vento Kineticore’s ScrollSys adjustment. The Tonic is also much lighter than the Vento. All this prompts the question, why is the Tonic so inexpensive?

For starters, the ventilation of the Tonic is limited, meaning that riding hard in hot conditions could cause excessive sweating. The Tonic also has a very safe aesthetic, verging on being a bit dull to look at. It certainly doesn’t look expensive or race-inspired. Storing sunglasses in the Tonic wasn’t a great experience either, so we ended up just clasping the glasses to the back of my jersey collar. 

The Tonic uses Lazer’s KinetiCore technology,  a MIPS alternative that has crumple zones in the EPS foam intended to provide rotational impact protection in the event of a head-impact crash. The system promises to work great, as the Virginia Tech University Helmet Lab awarded 5 out of 5 stars to The Tonic Kineticore after crash-testing.

Overall, riding in the Tonic was great, although it did start to feel a bit warm, even just cruising around town in mildly warm spring weather. The Tonic stayed in place well, thanks to its perfect fit and ample, soft padding. Aside from not having a great place to easily store sunglasses and its somewhat bland appearance, we don’t have any other complaints about it. We could definitely see the Lazer Tonic KinetiCore as a great helmet for anybody, from a novice rider to an accomplished racer who wants to save some cash for club rides and races. 

New for 2025, the POC Cytal ($350) arrives as one of the most advanced and safest road bike helmets we’ve worn. The Swedish brand built its reputation on protective innovation, and the Cytal continues that legacy with a 5-star rating from Virginia Tech Helmet Lab, ranking as the safest road biking helmet the lab has ever tested. Built with a unique dual-density EPS liner and the MIPS Air Node system — a low-friction layer designed to reduce rotational impact forces — the Cytal’s internal structure provides awesome energy management without adding noticeable weight. Translation: You don’t feel like a bobble head.

Contributor Heather Balogh Rochfort found that the Cytal’s ventilation performance stood out even among the best helmets in this guide. It has 13 large vents and carefully formed internal channels that efficiently move air, keeping riders cool during big efforts. Balogh Rochfort did most of her testing on Colorado’s Rio Grande Bike Trail and rugged gravel ascents near Thompson Divide. Through it all, the Cytal provided constant airflow no matter the temperatures, ensuring she didn’t entirely morph into a sweaty beast.

One of the Cytal’s defining features is its integrated carbon wing across the top of the shell. Beyond its sleek aesthetic, the wing reinforces the helmet’s upper structure for improved impact stability and directs airflow to create a mini wind tunnel effect. According to POC, as air moves over and through the helmet, it accelerates to create a cooling effect that pulls in fresh air and pushes out heat. But in testing, we felt it. The result is a helmet that feels light and exceptionally breathable on the road.

At $350, the Cytal comes in at the same price as the Giro Aries: expensive. The Cytal delivers unmatched ventilation and safety, but it does have a slightly bulkier feel than the sleeker Aries. Plus, the Giro Aries is more widely available than the Cytal. Because of this, the Aries edged the Cytal out for the top spot by the slimmest of margins. Still, it’s a fantastic helmet and if you have the money to spend, you won’t regret it.

Take one look at the Specialized S-Works Prevail 3 ($300), and it’s immediately clear that ventilation was the main priority in its design. It doesn’t just look the part, either. Our cycling editor, Seiji Ishii, says it’s the best-ventilated helmet that he’s ever used, and he’s tried pretty much everything. All the airflow in the world doesn’t matter if a helmet doesn’t perform its main job of protecting your head, and the Prevail 3 scores high marks here as well. In fact, it has the 5th best score out of the 250 helmets in Virginia Tech’s independent bike helmet testing.

Balancing extreme ventilation and a high level of protection is no easy feat, but Specialized employed a novel solution. By replacing the more traditional foam cross bridges with an aramid and carbon “Air Cage”, they claim to have opened up 24.5% more area for air to pass through. This is visually quite obvious as the three main vent channels over the top of the head are essentially just wide open from front to back. It’s also apparent the moment you put this helmet on, as air flows very freely over the head, even just walking around the house.

Specialized chose MIPS Air Node for rotational impact protection. This MIPS design incorporates the slip-plane into the padding, so it’s super low-profile, doesn’t make any noise, and doesn’t block any vents. That padding is minimal but well-placed, making for a super comfortable fit right out of the box. Specialized’s “Mindset” tensioner is also low-profile, but it cradles the occipital lobe nicely and has a great range of adjustments to personalize the fit. It is worth noting, however, that this helmet has an elongated shape that works great for oval heads but could be narrow for those with rounder heads.

The straps are minimal and don’t make any noise in the wind, while the Tri-Fix splitter successfully avoids any unwanted strap contact with the ears. The Prevail 3 also has a spot to attach Specialized’s aftermarket ANGi crash sensor, which can notify your contacts in the event of a crash. All this adds up to a weight of 322 grams for the size large we tested. That’s far from the lightest helmet around, but it feels light on the head, given how well it allows the air to flow.

That little bit of extra weight may contribute to its durability, however. Seiji tested the Prevail 3 for over a year on road, gravel, and cross-country mountain bike rides, and it held up well compared to many other premium helmets, which often feel much more fragile. At $300, it’s definitely not cheap, but at least it’s built to last.

So, what’s not to like? The Prevail 3 has a relatively deep fit but it has a somewhat tall profile. It just looks a little tall on the top of the head, but you get used to it pretty quickly. We found the placement of the sunglass ports to be a bit wide, which felt like it was putting some strain on our sunglass frames when stashed on the helmet. The ventilation is also so effective that we found it’s too much for riding in temperatures below around 60 degrees F.

Those minor concerns aside, we haven’t found another helmet with better ventilation than the Specialized Prevail 3. For hard efforts in the heat, this is the helmet we reach for the most.

The Giro Eclipse Spherical ($300) is an aero road helmet with excellent ventilation and respectably low weight, making it a one-helmet solution for any riding or racing scenario. Despite its balanced approach that prioritizes ventilation and weight savings, Giro claims that the Eclipse Spherical is the fastest road helmet they’ve ever tested in the wind tunnel, and it’s relatively lightweight for an aero model at just 270 grams in a size medium. 

Giro achieved best-in-class ventilation and weight savings in the Eclipse Spherical by incorporating its proprietary Wind Tunnel venting system and pairing these active intake vents with deep exhaust channels inside the helmet’s shell to accelerate cool air across the rider’s head and force warm air out.

It sounds so easy to reduce weight and boost ventilation by simply removing material from the helmet, and yet, no other aero helmet to date can match the Eclipse in these areas. This speaks to Giro’s iterative approach to helmets. They don’t have to go back to the drawing board for every new helmet but rather draw on learnings from dozens of their best-in-class designs from the past few decades to achieve whatever blend of attributes they seek. 

Speed and comfort are great, but the actual job of a helmet is protecting the rider’s brain in a crash, and here again, the Eclipse Spherical proves its value by scoring 5 out of 5 stars in testing by Virginia Tech University’s Helmet Ratings Lab. This excellent level of protection is made possible in part by the helmet’s namesake, the MIPS Spherical rotational impact protection system.

MIPS Spherical was a great choice for the Eclipse, as it doesn’t compromise weight and ventilation the same way earlier and less advanced iterations of MIPS liners did. In the Eclipse Spherical, the MIPS system blends seamlessly into the helmet and goes entirely unnoticed. 

Throughout the Eclipse Spherical, all the iconic Giro details remain constant. Giro’s Roc Loc 5 Air Fit system, with its 2-way adjustment, makes for a secure and comfortable fit at the base of the occipital lobe. Iconic+ AntiMicrobial Padding and lightweight webbing with easily adjustable guides pamper the rider’s head on even the most grueling days. Like other Giro models, we found the fit to be quite comfortable, with a crowd-pleasing shape that should work for most riders.

If you’ve been wooed by the free speed of an aero helmet but have been put off by the weight, bulky looks, and lackluster ventilation in the past, the Giro Eclipse Spherical might just be the helmet that wins you over. Giro states, and we agree, that the Eclipse Spherical delivers speed without compromise.

Specialized recently redesigned its Propero road helmet, and the new Propero 4 ($230) is virtually unrecognizable compared to its predecessor. Borrowing design elements from its more expensive S-Works siblings like the Evade 3 and the Prevail 3, the Propero 4 is a low-profile aero model that comes in at a more reasonable price of $230.

Specialized used Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and wind tunnel testing to focus on both aerodynamics and ventilation. Despite looking like it has a limited number of vents, 12 total, internal channeling does a great job of moving air from the front intake vents across the head to the exhaust vents in the back. The smaller number of vents also contributes to the Propero 4’s clean, streamlined look, which we feel makes it among the better-looking lids on the market today.

Inside the Propero 4, Specialized went with a MIPS Evolve for rotational impact protection. On top of that, it was tested in Virginia Tech’s independent helmet test lab and earned the highest 5-star rating. We found the Tri-Fix webbing splitter by the ears to hold the straps flat and away from the ears, plus they can adjusted to find the ideal position for your head shape. It’s also offered in both “classic” and “round” fits, so most people should be able to find one that matches the fit of their cranium. 

With a measured weight of 308 g in a size medium, it isn’t the lightest helmet around, but it feels light on the head thanks to its excellent ventilation and great fit. Overall, we feel the Specialized Propero 4 is a great new helmet that provides aero advantages without the bulky looks and higher price of most other aero models.

The original Protone made a big splash because it was a great concept — a uniquely styled helmet with heaps of ventilation up front, a gloriously compact profile, and aerodynamically efficient exhaust ports out back, all at an impressively low weight. Now, the Kask Protone Icon ($300) retains the overall aesthetic of the original but updates the internal shaping to increase ventilation while decreasing aerodynamic drag. A new retention system, which Kask calls Octafit+, includes a new cradle, stabilizer, and rubber inserts that connect to a wider section of the occipital lobe, providing a more secure hold.

According to Kask, some subtle changes have been made to the exterior structure as well, aimed at improved aero efficiency, but thankfully, these are subtle and don’t change the look at all. Cycling brands have to iterate to stay relevant, and it’s often a case of newer not meaning better, so we applaud Kask for staying true to the winning formula of the original Protone in developing its successor. 

After putting the Protone Icon on, it was clear that the Octafit+ system gives it a more comfortable and stable fit than the original. Vertical adjustment of the cradle is very easy, with just a gentle push up or pull down in either direction, so finding the correct tilt and a comfortable hold is a breeze. The leather chin strap is a great touch as it is better able to resist grabbing and irritating the skin on the throat and should help keep the strap looking better over time than polyester, which is more affected by sweat and friction.  

Kask does not use MIPS rotational impact systems, instead using an internal testing protocol called “WG11” to evaluate all its helmets’ rotational impact performance. Kask claims that the level of friction generated by the head form used in MIPS testing is too great and that the Kask head form provides a more realistic test protocol. Sadly, the Protone Icon has not been tested by the Virginia Tech University Helmet Lab, so its ability to protect against concussions is less quantifiable than some of its competition.

Out on the road, the Kask Protone Icon performs perfectly. The torrential airflow and low weight combine to keep things cool and relaxed during even the most searing efforts. And in those moments, it’s nice to know that your helmet is saving a few watts of drag and helping you look like a boss. 

The Trek Velocis MIPS ($330) is a beautifully minimal, lightweight, and well-ventilated helmet. A sleek, rounded profile is punctuated by 18 vents and clad with Trek’s OCLV carbon fiber, which gives the Velocis a contemporary and race-ready stance. Tipping the scales at just 240g in size medium, this range-topping option from Trek makes a strong impression right out of the box.

Inside the shell, you’ll find the MIPS Air — the lightest and best-vented version of MIPS — integrated into the padding of the Velocis. MIPS systems are designed to redirect impact forces away from a rider’s head during a crash, with the intention of reducing the risk of concussion. For those of us who like to keep padding fresh, the MIPS Air padding is designed to be removed and washed. Just be sure to remove the padding carefully, as it’s connected mechanically to the shell of the Velocis.

Although this version of MIPS prioritizes weight savings and ventilation, it’s worth mentioning that the Velocis did receive a 5-star rating from the Virginia Tech University Helmet Lab. This 5-star rating is even more impressive, given the extremely minimal appearance and feel of the MIPS Air and the entire Velocis helmet.  

The fit of the Velocis is comfortable, if not exceptionally luxurious. The interior feels firm and secure, with no obvious pressure points. A three-position yoke in the back of the Velocis allowed for a customized fit and secure hold. Thanks to the yoke, we were also able to get a 60cm head into a medium, which was a nice benefit to both looks and weight savings.

Strangely, the 360-degree BOA fit system was an unfortunate drawback to the Velocis. While we typically get along well with BOA generally, we found the feel of the BOA in the single lace adjustment system sloppy and the squeaky sound it made during adjustments unbecoming of a $300 helmet. We suspect the BOA dials need more structure and support than the single-lace adjustment system can offer, so while the idea is great, we felt the execution was not. 

Once the adjustment was sorted and we were out riding, the Velocis was a joy to wear. Trek sculpted the leading edge of the Velocis to minimize interference with peripheral vision, which helps when riding with a more aggressive head and neck posture. Sunglasses are easily and securely stored thanks to channels cut into the interior foam.

The Velocis is also noticeably quieter than other helmets in its class, speaking to its sleek and minimal shape. Many riders commented on the Velocis, mostly complimenting its looks and conspicuous display of carbon fiber.

The Trek Velocis MIPS defends its high price point well with a long list of features and a tangible quality that few helmets can match. Its ability to balance the demands of weight-savings, aerodynamics, and cooling makes it a great choice for racing or hunting trophies and crowns on Strava.  

POC’s entry-level road helmet, the Omne Air MIPS ($220), is a prime example of technology trickling down from higher-end offerings into a more affordable, albeit heftier helmet. The extra weight of this helmet is noticeable, but so is the excellent ventilation, sleek profile, and enhanced visibility of AVIP (Attention, Visibility, Interaction, and Protection) on the colorway we tested. 

Beginning with the ventilation, the Omne has five front vents and three rear vents. The three central front vents are matched at the rear, at the opposing end of deep and wide internal channels. It’s a simple but effective layout for ventilation that works well to move air freely over the top of your head. 

The Omne Air profile looks much better than many helmets, which are nearly double the cost. While the aesthetics of some POC helmets have polarized opinions, the Omne takes an understated approach to create a look that’s hard to resist. 

On the back of the Omne Air, POC has included the option of AVIP (Attention, Visibility, Interaction, and Protection), which is a fancy way of describing the color (very bright) orange. In all seriousness, it’s an effective means of getting motorists’ attention as they approach from behind and actually looks surprisingly cool. It also comes in several less brilliant color options.

Branding on the Omne Air is still prevalent but more subdued relative to other POC products from the past. If anybody asks, the acronym stands for Piece Of Cake, but the brand is pronounced “Pock”, not “P, O, C”. 

Once a head impact has become unavoidable, MIPS Integra steps in to redirect impact forces away from your head, with the goal of reducing rotational forces that reach the brain. Virginia Tech Helmet Lab testing resulted in a score of 4 out of 5 stars for Omne Air. 

We found the fit of the Omne comfortable and secure but not airy like the Ventral, POC’s range-topping road helmet. Nevertheless, we stayed cool and dry while riding in warm conditions with plenty of climbing involved. No pressure points developed, and the plush padding and excellent fit kept the Omne perfectly positioned throughout our rides.

For riders looking for a well-vented helmet with a great fit and sleek Scandinavian aesthetics, the POC Omne Air MIPS is a smart choice at a great price. 

The third iteration of the original aero road helmet, the Specialized S-Works Evade 3 ($300), seeks to maintain its status as the most aero helmet available while upgrading cooling and comfort. In fact, Specialized claims a 10% improvement in ventilation over the previous model, and the additional air movement was certainly noticeable out on the road.

The S-Works Evade 3 makes a great initial impression. The overall finish of the shell and vent edges is exquisite, and the lack of any visible bare foam lends it a contemporary, luxurious look. The profile is unique, with a somewhat rectangular stance and a large shelf at the lower trailing edge. This look won’t please everyone, but trade-offs between aesthetics and big aero gains are nothing new. 

The Evade 3 is compatible with ANGi, which is a live tracking device, crash detector, and safety beacon that can be added to the Mindset adjustment harness. Once the optional ANGi sensor is paired with the Specialized Ride app, any force consistent with head impact triggers an alarm on your phone and starts a countdown. If you are unable to stop the alarm before the countdown ends, the app sends text and email messages to your emergency contacts with your location. A subscription is required for the ANGi system to operate. 

Speaking of crashes, the Evade 3 received a 5-star safety rating from the Virginia Tech University Helmet lab, which is not all that surprising given its high price tag. The Evade 3 offers the MIPS Node Air, which is the most comfortable, best-ventilated, and lightest version of MIPS available. This low-profile version of MIPS is intended to protect the brain from rotational impact forces in certain types of crashes, and its 5-star performance in Virginia Tech’s impact testing makes a strong case for its effectiveness.

As with other magnetic buckles, we found the one on the Evade’s chin strap quite fiddly and perhaps a solution in search of a problem. Once the Evade 3 was secured and adjusted, however, we found the fit to be excellent and did not notice the helmet’s extra heft at all. 

After riding in the Evade 3 in warm conditions, we can confirm it vents much better than many non-aero helmets, let alone other aero helmets. We would have no hesitation taking it out for a full gas race or ride with lots of climbing in warm weather. To us, this is the clear reason to choose the Specialized S-Works Evade 3. It isn’t the lightest, but it will provide a boost in cooling during the most grueling races and club rides compared to many aero models. 

As its name suggests, the Lazer Vento KinetiCore ($300) generates excellent airflow, both inside and out, to keep you cool and comfortable with less aerodynamic drag. As for KinetiCore, it’s a MIPS alternative that features crumple zones in the EPS foam intended to reduce rotational impact forces that reach the brain in the event of a crash. Given the 5-star rating in Virginia Tech’s independent helmet impact testing, KinetiCore promises to work as advertised. 

Unboxing the Vento Kineticore, we were immediately impressed with the finish quality. The edges of the vents are finished cleanly, and the contrasting matte and gloss-painted panels give the helmet a seductive look. It’s also light, at just 285 g, nearly 20% lighter than the S-Works Evade 3, a perennial favorite in the aero helmet category.

We found the fit to be a bit wide, with a moderate pressure point immediately evident at the front of the helmet. We found this surprising since we’ve always gotten on well with Lazer’s fit, going back to its iconic Genesis design. The back of the Vento Kineticore is remarkably comfortable since the tightening mechanism, dubbed ScrollSys, is built into the rear shell of the helmet instead of pressing against the occipital lobe. 

While we found the ScrollSys mechanism easy to understand and operate, the feeling of adjusting it was harsh, loud, and jerky. There was a lot of back-and-forth before we found the sweet spot. Our experience with ScrollSys slightly diminished our opinion of the Vento Kinteticore because it would be an experience we’d have every time we put the helmet on. We enjoyed RollSys, as found on the Genesis, but this iteration is an example of newer and different not always resulting in a better experience. 

Out on the road, the Vento Kineticore performed very well, moving air efficiently through its well-placed vents to keep the head cool and dry. The Vento Kineticore was also noticeably quiet at high speeds, compared to other helmets we tested. While we still felt a bit of pressure at the front and back, the feeling didn’t get any worse after a few hours of riding, so we suspect that the Vento Kineticore is just a better fit for those with slightly wider or rounded head shapes.

We also applaud Lazer for offering some bold color combinations. The red and plum test model looked amazing when worn with the bright red S-Phyre RC903 shoes, which are made by Lazer’s parent company, Shimano. For faster riders and racers who want everything in a helmet — low weight, great ventilation, watt-saving aero performance, and test-proven head protection — the Lazer Vento KinetiCore justifies its premium price and deserves a close look.

The Sweet Protection Falconer 2Vi MIPS ($250) sits near the top of the brand’s range of road cycling helmets, topped only by the Aero version, which costs $50 more. With a sleek design, unique looks, a light weight, and an excellent score in Virginia Tech’s helmet testing, it makes a strong case for being your next road or gravel lid.

One of the first things that stands out about the Falconer is its relatively unique style that successfully blends aerodynamics with ventilation. The look is very streamlined, with the smooth, rounded outer shell transitioning nicely to the large exhaust port at the rear. A narrow, horizontal vent across the brow punctuates the front of the helmet and ties into the temple vents and the sunglass storage. Three of the thirteen total vents sit squarely on the forehead, drawing air into the deep channels across the top of the head. Still, it’s delightfully minimal and low-profile.

Fit-wise, the Falconer is on the narrower side of the spectrum, so it will likely work best for those with oval-shaped heads. People with rounder heads will want to try this one on, if possible, before making a purchase. Sweet’s 360 Occigrip Fit System wraps all the way around the head, cradles the occipital lobe nicely, and has a great range of adjustments. We were able to dial in the fit easily for stability and security on bumpy pavement and rough gravel roads. The thin webbing straps lay flat and split nicely around the ears, with a low-profile buckle connecting beneath the chin.

Inside the helmet, MIPS Air is integrated into the padding, reducing bulk and not conflicting with airflow in any way. Sweet Protection also included the namesake 2Vi design, which includes a variable-elasticity shell and multi-density foam panels inside the helmet — the four foam panels are visible inside, strategically placed at the “corners” of the helmet. While that certainly sounds fancy, the protection of this lid is backed up with its 5-star performance in Virginia Tech’s testing, and the Falconer 2Vi has the third-best score of all the helmets tested.

Sunglass storage is also on point, with rubber grippers built into the temple vents, which hold glasses securely when needed. Though this helmet doesn’t vent quite as well as the airiest models we tested — or even Sweet Protection’s Fluxer MIPS — it still moves air quite well for all but the hottest of conditions.

Overall, the Sweet Protection Falconer 2Vi MIPS is a great-looking and highly protective all-rounder that’s perfect for road and gravel rides, from training to racing. At $250, it’s not cheap, but it’ll save you a few bucks compared to many other premium lids without sacrificing the all-important safety metric.

The Trace MIPS ($285) is unmistakably a Smith helmet. The Portland, Oregon-based brand has developed a bold design language that’s quite likable. An aggressive stance in the front transitions to a gracefully arched form at the back. It all flows together gracefully, and the contrasting gloss and matte finishes give the Trace a nice visual depth. 

The fit is excellent, with even pressure, supple padding, and perfectly balanced mass from front to back. Adjusting the Trace is quick and easy, thanks to a simple, quiet, and solid-feeling twist dial. The retention system — dubbed Vaporfit — uses minimal material and is barely noticeable against the occipital lobe once the Trace is on and adjusted. 

We’d hoped that Smith would use MIPS Air in a $260 helmet to maximize comfort and breathability. However, Smith opted for a basic MIPS liner that connects to the inside of the EPS structure. It’s a non-issue, though, because Smith controlled the interior shape and pad placement so well that the Trace feels just as comfortable as helmets with MIPS Air. 

Though the independent helmet impact test lab at Virginia Tech has yet to test and rate the Trace MIPS, its construction, supplemented with an MIPS liner and Koroyd, provides confidence in its protective qualities. Koroyd is a material designed to dissipate energy during a crash before it can reach your head. The Koryod material is clearly visible in the construction of the Trace, a honeycomb of protection sandwiched between the EPS foam and MIPS liner. 

While the Koroyd material is porous, it doesn’t allow air to flow as freely to the head as helmets with wide-open vents. It isn’t a huge reduction in ventilation, though it is noticeable compared with super breezy helmets like the Specialized Prevail 3 or the Kask Protone Icon.

On the road, the Trace is brilliant, essentially disappearing into the background. The Trace stays firmly in place over rough sections of the road, giving us confidence that it would make a great helmet for not only the road but also for gravel riding. If you’re looking for a boldly styled, super-comfortable, lightweight, and safe helmet for road, gravel, and even commuting, the Smith Trace MIPS makes a compelling argument to be your next helmet.

The Bell XR Spherical ($225) helmet doesn’t look like most road helmets, but what it may lack in looks, it makes up for in spades with a great fit, impressive ventilation, a little extra head coverage, and the incorporation of MIPS Spherical technology. 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but it’s easy to see some XC mountain bike influence in the XR Spherical. Its overall shape, especially around the lower trailing edge, is rather square and chunky, and it drops down at the back of the head more than most road helmets. The gradient fade paint scheme is cool but is somewhat diminished by the enormous Bell logos flanking the XR’s trailing edge. 

The fit is sublime, which is no surprise given Bell’s, and sister company, Giro’s, decades of experience making cycling helmets. Pressure is perfectly distributed around the interior, and luxurious padding is combined with intelligently sculpted channeling to create an easy but secure hold. The Float adjustment system is smooth and quiet.

As of publication, Virginia Tech University has yet to test the Bell XR Spherical. That said, given the above-average head coverage and the use of MIPS Spherical technology, which uses a ball-and-socket design to redirect rotational impact forces away from a rider’s head during a crash, it looks and feels quite protective.

If you’re in the market for a road bike helmet that provides a little more coverage than most, or you’re looking for a versatile option that can span your road, gravel, cyclocross, and XC mountain biking needs, we think the Bell XR Spherical is a solid choice.