In this article I’m going to give my thoughts on what the best gravel road bike helmets are.
The first question that pops up is “is there such a thing as a gravel helmet?”, and if you’d ask me I’d say the answer is no. And there are a number of reasons why I think that’s the case.
There are a number of designs for bicycle helmets, each of which offers different features unique for that particular design. The most obvious one for gravel riding is the road bike helmet, but you’ve also got urban helmets, bmx, open face or trail, full face or downhill, and of course aero and time trial helmets.
Other than the road bike helmet, none of the other designs, except maybe for the trail helmet, makes sense for a gravel bike. I’ve seen trail helmets creeping into lists of what the best gravel helmets should be, but either those guys know something I don’t or they’ve never actually ridden a trail with a mountain bike helmet.
The most standout feature setting a road bike helmet apart from an open face helmet is the visor. It’s function is often quoted as being able to shade your eyes from the sun. That sure is nice, but I mainly use it to prevent branches from whipping across my face, by quickly dipping the front of the helmet down.
If you’ve ever used a mountain bike helmet on a bike that puts you in a similar position as a road bike, you’re immediately being confronted by the fact that the more aggressive position moves the visor into your field of vision. That’s an incredible nuisance and the core reason you don’t want to use a mountain bike helmet on anything resembling a road bike.
Among professional mountain bikers road bike helmets are exclusively featured among cross country riders, with none of them wearing open face helmets. Road bike helmets are lighter, and better ventilated than their mountain bike counterparts, which is probably the reason.
Furthermore, although mountain helmets are bigger, and cover a larger area of the head, they aren’t more crash resistant. Road bike and mountain helmets are equally represented among helmets receiving the best ratings from Virginia Tech’s crash tests.
Even if I could I wouldn’t stop you from wearing any helmet you want on your gravel bike. You do you. But you won’t find any other helmet than road bike helmets on this list for the best gravel road bike helmets. I decided to display a wide variety of them, ranging from mid-tier helmets offering good value, to top-of-the-range with all the latest tech. A table overview is located at the end of the article for your convenience.
Bell Falcon XR MIPS
The Bell Falcon XR MIPS offers excellent value for money, and is one of the more affordable helmets featuring the latest MIPS evolved crash technology.
For half the price of its more premium siblings, you get both this technology, as well as the similar Float Fit system with Fidlock buckle.
There are multiple colors to choose from, easy eyewear storage, and a quick-drying Ionic+ antimicrobial, washable liner. The same liner used in their most expensive helmets.
A nice touch that’s not included is the optional rear light, which neatly fits in a rear exhaust vent.
- Excellent value-for-money in a mid-tier road bike helmet with MIPS technology
- None
Bell XR Spherical
The MIPS Spherical technology is one of the best ways to improve upon the safety of a helmet, and the Bell XR Spherical is the single helmet of the American brand featuring this outstanding technology.
All helmets featuring the MIPS Spherical ball-in-socket crash technology are very expensive, and unfortunately this helmet is no exception to that rule. The Spherical technology split a helmet into two halves that can minimally move independently from each other. Upon impact this slight movement absorbs a significant amount of energy which would otherwise be transferred onto the rider’s head, with all negative consequences associated with it.
Another feature of this helmet is the multi-density EPS layer which progressively absorbs energy as well.
The Float Fit system with Fidlock buckle and Ionic+ liner with antimicrobial silver has proven to be an excellent way to achieve a secure and comfortable fit.
- Top-of-the-line helmet from Bell with all crash technology currently available in a road bike helmet.
- Pricey
Bell Z20 MIPS
The Bell Z20 MIPS is a helmet that offers excellent crash protection with a great fit.
At 310 grams it’s not exactly a lightweight. On the other hand, they’ve included the latest MIPS Evolve crash technology with multi-density EPS liner.
The Float Fit Race fit system allows for multiple ways to get to the ultimate fit for your head, cleverly integrating it with the MIPS technology. Both the vertical height, circumference, and even padding width is adjustable.
Furthermore the EPS liner has a multi-density structure, which allows for progressively stronger impact absorption.
A great helmet, with a great overall value.
- Great overall package, comfortable, and one of the best in terms of crash protection.
- Heaviest of all premium models listed
Giro Aether Spherical
The Giro Aether Spherical is arguably a better value-for-money proposition than the far more expensive Aries Spherical.
That’s because it boasts the exact same crash technology in a slightly different package. MIPS Spherical crash technology to reduce rotational impact forces, a multi-density EPS liner, and a reinforced polycarbonate shell. All are the same.
The Roc Loc 5 Air fit system is also featured, ensuring a great fit of the helmet with multiple ways to adjust the padding, vertical height and circumference. To keep you cool, air is ingeniously guided along your head.
There are many colors to choose from to fit the rest of your outfit or your bike. All in all a no-brainer if you value safety and are willing to spend the money on a premium helmet such as this one.
- One of the best value-for-money helmets in the premium segment.
- Still pretty expensive
Giro Aries Spherical
The Giro Aries Spherical is one of the safest if not the safest helmet within its category. It also has the highest suggested retail price at 300 USD. On its product page Giro boasts the helmet having the lowest Virginia Tech helmet rating (lower is better), and you have to if you charge this price.
So what exactly do you get for the money? This is one of a couple of helmets offering the MIPS Spherical technology, which reduces rotational damage with a ball-in-socket helmet setup. Furthermore the polycarbonate shell is reinforced with twin bridges on each side, alongside a roll-cage-like reinforced band. It all makes for an incredibly strong helmet that doesn’t weigh more than your average similar helmet.
It has silicon beads so sweat doesn’t drip into your eyes, or runs down your glasses, which is a feature far more useful than you might think.
The helmet is tightened on your head with the Roc Loc 5 Air fit system, something featured in all of their premium models. And something that does a great job of keeping the lightweight lid in place.
- Virginia Tech's best-rated helmet in terms of safety
- The most expensive helmet within its category
Giro Synthe MIPS
The Giro Synthe MIPS is a mid-tier helmet with a lot of strongpoints, that falls just short of being excellent.
A popular choice in Giro’s lineup it’s a very comfortable, and well-ventilated helmet at an average weight of 275 grams.
However it’s kind of pricey considering the Giro Agilis has the same features for half the price.
Kask Protone Icon
The Kask Protone Icon stylish looks underwrites its premium nature as the best road bike helmet the brand has to offer.
Extremely lightweight at 230 grams, the helmet has huge intake vents which are reinforced. A well-chosen color-scheme provides a sharp contrast between the glossy or matt polycarbonate and the black reinforced EPS liner.
The amount of ventilation achieved, makes this one of the best helmets for hot and summer rides. And well-placed vents in the front alongside the CoolMax padding keep your head dry and prevent hot spots and sweat from going places where you don’t want it to go.
The Octo Fit system does a perfect job of fastening the helm evenly around your head, offering both vertical and horizontal adjustment.
Everything pro peloton riders use can be had for a small fortune, and the same goes for this helmet, which is incredibly expensive. But for that money you get an exceptionally well-designed, highly ventilated, and comfortable road bike helmet.
- Incredible levels of comfort and ventilation in one of the best-looking road bike helmets.
- Extremely expensive
Kask Valegro
The Kask Valegro is by far the lightest road bike helmet I could find, and the only one diving below 200 grams (for a size small that is).
At 180 grams it’s 35 percent lighter than the average weight of 280 grams. There are many things beside weight that add to the overall comfort of a helmet, but if you’re looking for a lightweight one this is definitely it.
The weight saving had to come from somewhere, and with the same Octo-fit fastening system used in other helmets it came from the minimal padding and what feels like less material in the EPS liner. It means you not only get a lightweight helmet you also get one which is less safe than other helmets that do not similarly compromise the liner.
The thing is airy enough and you probably don’t feel the minimal padding while riding, but the cost of the weight gain is not something I’d be willing to pay. And as far as price goes, the thing isn’t especially cheap, coming from a brand which supplies the pro peleton as well.
As far as looks go, I like the Kask Protone Icon better, but the Valegro is a very pretty helmet indeed. And it comes in enough colors to mix and match with your outfit and/or bike.
- Lightest helmet available
- Weight comes at the price of safety
Lazer G1 MIPS
The Lazer G1 MIPS is marketed as one of the lightest helmets in its category. And to be fair it is.
Yet I want to put the 235 grams of this helmet in perspective, because the average road bike helmet weighs 280 grams. That’s 45 grams heavier and something you will not notice while riding.
On the other hand, things like ventilation and fit are far more important things with respect to comfort than a couple of grams less. And luckily this helmet performs exceptionally well in that area. You get 2 different sets of padding to fully customize the fit.
Unlike your classic dial at the base of your skull you actually modify the fit with a wheel on top of the helmet. This non-indexed dial draws the helmet tight around your head around the entirety of its circumference.
Although it does a fantastic job of creating a superb fit, the two strings underneath the helmet look rather delicate. And I’m familiar with fit systems breaking with helmets being stuffed into bags. So that’s something you might want to keep in mind if you’re not the type of person who’s really careful with her/his material.
In terms of safety it offers MIPS technology and sits just behind Giro’s Aries Spherical, so its most important feature is taken care of. And a helmet cover is included to marginally increase aerodynamic properties or protect you from the rain.
- One of the both lightest and safest helmets.
- Delicate fit system. You pay a hefty price to safe a few grams.
Lazer Sphere MIPS
The Lazer Sphere MIPS is an excellent choice if you want a helmet with a proven track record in safety without paying an absurd price.
When looking at the catalog of helmet manufacturers you can see an exponential increase in price to obtain the latest technology or the lightest variants. The Lazer Sphere MIPS is an excellent example of this, where a decent price get’s you all the latest bells and whistles in a slightly heavier package than Lazer’s top dog.
MIPS technology, the ARS fit system with the non-indexed dial on top of the helmet, and a weight of 280 grams, which is the exact average for road bike helmets all make for a great package.
- Excellent value for money.
- Delicate fit system
POC Octal MIPS
I will not hide the fact that I’m a fan of the Swedish brand, and with the POC Octal MIPS they’ve created another fantastic-looking product to their already impressive lineup.
Always striving to cram their products with the best technology the Octal MIPS features the Integra version of this crash technology, which means the slip plane is customized to the specifics of this helmet. The helmet has a unibody build for enhanced structural integrity in case of a crash.
It’s touted as being extremely lightweight, with a stripped down EPS liner and fit system, but it isn’t really. 270 grams sits just below the average for a premium bike helmet such as this one, and if you really want the lightest helmet you have to look somewhere else.
Personally, I feel again that this helmet is the best-looking of the whole bunch, but am acutely aware of the subjectivity of that statement. And I have read a number of comments from people being less favorable about its above-average width. Nonetheless is the craftsmanship of this helmet undeniable, and it has a safety rating to match.
- Distinctive design, excellent fit.
- None
POC Ventral Air MIPS
The POC Ventral Air MIPS is a premium road bike helmet from the Swedish brand.
POC offers cleanly designed products crammed with the best technology within its specific product category. In the case of the Ventral AIR, it offers the MIPS Integra technology within a unibody shell. It’s a custom fit slip plane for a helmet with excellent structural integrity.
In terms of comfort they offer their rather finicky adjustable 360-degree fit system. However, once set up it proves a solid fit, no hot spots, and great ventilation.
The helmet has been wind-tunnel tested. I don’t have any comparison data between helmets, but it speaks volumes about POC’s approach towards road bike helmet design.
The helmet is known for its ability to keep your head cool during the hottest summer rides.
- Superb ventilation in a unique looking road bike helmet.
- Very expensive
POC Ventral MIPS
It says something about a product if they offer incremental payments, but it says that quite clearly on the sales page of the POC Ventral MIPS, the Swedish brand’s most expensive piece of road bike kit for your head.
So what do you get for a helmet that is twice the amount of the average road bike helmet? Well it’s a helmet that underwent the rigors of a CFD testing, which stands for Computational Fuild Dynamics. I’m no aerodynamics expert, but there’s a general consensus that aerodynamics are a factor.
The fact that this helmet is wind-tunnel tested also says something about its target market. You either actually do races and crits, have too much money, like to have the latest-and-greatest, or a combination of those.
In terms of safety it offers POC’s best. The MIPS Integra version, which means the slip plane was customized for this specific helmet. The helmet also has a unibody design for added structural integrity.
Everything about the helmet oozes premium quality, including its overall minimalistic design and the comfort of the padding and its ability to achieve high levels of ventilation.
- The best POC has to offer is an aerodynamic road bike helmet.
- The most expensive helmet there is.
Smith Persist
The Smith Persist is a good-looking and affordable road bike helmet with MIPS technology.
The in-mold shell neatly wraps around the edges of the helmet, giving it a premium look-and-feel.
I’m not sure whether or not I’m willing to pay the more premium price, because it shares all other features with the Signal, which is significantly less expensive.
The helmet does offer MIPS technology, and even though it cannot be vertically adjusted, the VaporFit dial system in combination with a plush liner does the job of providing you with a nice fit.
The Smith Persist does everything really well, yet doesn’t excel in anything when compared to true premium offerings. Which, I guess, is the hallmark of a solid mid-tier contender.
- Great looks for an affordable price.
- The Smith Signal offers almost everything this helmet does for a much smaller price.
Smith Signal
The Smith Signal is a nice-looking and affordable helmet. Smith describes this helmet as a commuter helmet. I have no idea why, since it features almost the same shape, same liner, and same fit system as the Persist.
It could simply be the price, which doesn’t break the bank. The reason is that this is not an in-molded helmet where the EPS liner and polycarbonate shell are fused together in the same mold. In terms of safety this doesn’t matter. In terms of ventilation and cost it does.
The helmet does feature an exposed EPS liner sticking underneath the shell. Besides the fact that this doesn’t look great, the delicate EPS might nick more easily. I never had to throw away a helmet because of it though.
It’s one of the most affordable road bike helmets (or commuter) that feature MIPS. And because it has the same weight, VaporFit dial system, AirEvac 21 vents, and eyewear port as the Persist, it’s one of the best choices for budget-minded cyclists.
- Fantastic choice for those who don't want to spend an arm and a leg
- None for its price-level
Smith Trace
As one of the standout features, the Smith Trace uses a Koroyd liner for impact protection.
Koroyd has a honeycomb-like structure, and is made by gluing polymer tubes together. It means you don’t have to cut holes into your liner, but instead can cover the interior of the helmet entirely.
EPS liners have been around for as long as I can remember, and judging from its widespread use across all major brands, it looks like the majority hasn’t jumped on the Koroyd bandwagon. That’s because there are both advantages and disadvantages associated with it.
A Koroyd liner is a full shell inside the helmet. So it offers impact protection no matter where it occurs, but still keeps the weight down because it’s lighter than EPS. The Smith Trace weighs 280 grams, which is average for a road bike helmet.
It is said Koroyd has a better energy absorption effect, yet the Virginia Tech ratings for the Forefront and Overtake, the only two helmets using Koroyd on that list, doesn’t support that notion with a respective rating of 18.62 and 15. These are mid-level ratings at best.
So talk about better energy absorption aside, there’s no clear-cut evidence which would support an industry-wide adoption of the Koroyd for helmet liners.
Another thing is that with Koroyd being a full shell, ventilation seems to be lower no matter what helm you pick. Depending on what weather conditions you use the helmet, that could be a good thing, but in general it’s not. And it at least makes the helmet less versatile from a seasonal perspective. Because you can wear a thermo-cap underneath a helmet, but you can’t strip out the liner for hot summer rides.
The Smith Trace is a very well designed helmet, and the Koroyd liner peaking through the ventilation holes looks distinctive. You can easily put your glasses on top of it. And like basically every other helmet, it has a vertical and horizontal adjustment system with excellent padding.
- Looks and premium build quality. Good all-season option.
- Runs hotter than other helmets. Koroyd liner isn't a sure bet for a safer helmet.
Specifications gravel road bike helmets
Name | Price | Technology | Shell | Liner | Visor | Fit | weight (gr) | eyewear port | rating | Buy at Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bell Falcon XR MIPS | 120 USD | MIPS Evolve | polycarbonate | EPS | none | Float Fit w. Fidlock buckle | 310 | yes | ||
Bell XR Spherical | 225 USD | MIPS Spherical | polycarbonate | Progressive Layering 3-layer EPS | none | Float Fit w. Fidlock buckle | 285 | yes | ||
Bell Z20 MIPS | 200 USD | MIPS Evolve | polycarbonate | Progressive Layering 3-layer EPS | none | Float Fit Race | 310 | 11.23 | ||
Giro Aether Spherical | 225 USD | MIPS Air/Spherical/Aura II | polycarbonate | Progressive Layering 3-layer EPS | none | Roc Loc 5 Air | 280 | yes | 12.51 | |
Giro Aries Spherical | 300 USD | MIPS Air/Spherical/Aura II | polycarbonate | Progressive Layering 3-layer EPS | none | Roc Loc 5 Air | 275 | yes | 8.4 | |
Giro Synthe MIPS | 170 USD | MIPS/Hardbody | polycarbonate | EPS | none | Roc Loc 5 Air w. Slimline buckle | 275 | 16.95 | ||
Kask Protone Icon | 275 EUR | MIT/Inner Frame | polycarbonate | EPS | none | Octo-fit | 230 | |||
Kask Valegro | 209 EUR | MIT | polycarbonate | EPS | none | Octo-fit | 180 | 19.57 | ||
Lazer G1 MIPS | 250 USD | MIPS | polycarbonate | EPS | none | ARS | 235 | 9.23 | ||
Lazer Sphere MIPS | 160 USD | MIPS | polycarbonate | EPS | none | ARS | 280 | 10.23 | ||
POC Octal MIPS | 200 EUR | MIPS Integra/Unibody | polycarbonate | EPS | none | lightweight system | 270 | yes | 10.59 | |
POC Ventral Air MIPS | 260 EUR | MIPS Integra/Unibody | polycarbonate | EPS | none | adjustable 360-degree fit | 295 | |||
POC Ventral MIPS | 300 EUR | MIPS Integra/Unibody | polycarbonate | EPS | none | adjustable 360-degree fit | 264 | yes | ||
Smith Persist | 120 USD | MIPS | polycarbonate | EPS | none | VaporFit | 300 | yes | ||
Smith Signal | 85 USD | MIPS | polycarbonate | EPS | none | VaporFit | 300 | yes | 15.49 | |
Smith Trace | 250 USD | MIPS | polycarbonate | EPS/Koroyd | none | VaporFit | 280 | yes |
Johan van Seijen
FoundeR Restoration.bike
Johan van Seijen is the founder of restoration.bike. His passion for cycling in general, and restoring older bikes turned into a website to share his knowledge with a broader audience. Starting out on his father’s road bike and riding classics as the Amstel Gold Race and Liege Bastogne Liege he has shifted his attention to trail, XC, and gravel riding since. No matter how much he loves writing about everything related to cycling, nothing beats actually using his ever-expanding bicycle collection.
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