With this article I’ll be sharing the top selling cycling helmets of the last few months. The list is compiled based on aggregated sales statistics from Amazon worldwide, including United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Europe.
When it comes down to safety, it seems that people are willing to spend money, with the top selling cycling helmets sitting at the upper end of the price spectrum.
MIPS technology is widely featured across every high-quality helmet, and has become a proven technology to increase safety and reduce risk of rotational impact injuries. All major brands incorporate this technology and are featured in this list.
For an added premium you get helmets with unibody designs, reinforced polycarbonate shells, and patented Spherical technology, setting new standards for safety and garnering high rankings in the independant Virginia Tech helmet ratings.
So without further ado, here’s the list of top selling cycling helmets.
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 Agilis MIPS
The Giro Agilis MIPS is a mid-tier road bike helmet for a reasonable enough price.
The biggest difference between this helmet and the much cheaper Isode MIPS is the number of vents and fit system.
This helmet is markedly different from the Isode by incorporating 32 instead of 22 vents. The number of vents isn’t necessarily indicative of its cooling characteristics, but in this case the Agilis indeed does a better job of controlling airflow and keeping your head cool.
Furthermore it offers the hardbody polycarbonate reinforced shell besides the MIPS Evolve technology. And it has the lighter Roc Loc 5 fit system keeping the weight of this helmet around 300 grams for a medium. The padding is anti-microbial as well.
It makes for an incredibly comfortable helmet for a price half that of its more premium counterparts. It seems that for the top-of-the-line safety features like MIPS Spherical and dual-density EPS liners you also have to pay top dollar. Although this kind of makes sense, there’s no denying that the Agiliis offers a tremendous value-for-money package.
The shell wraps the edges of the entire helmet, making it more sturdy and resistant to liner damage and comes it a number of excellent color combinations. It’s one of my favorite mid-tier helmets, where you get almost all of the features you need for a decent price.
- Excellent, high-quality road racing helmet. Extremely comfortable yet very affordable.
- None
Giro Women's Agilis MIPS
The Giro Women’s Agilis MIPS is exactly the same as the non-women’s version. The only difference is the color options.
It has the same design, shape, weight, number of vents, and Roc Loc 5 fit system. And since the colors don’t necessarily strike me as characteristically feminine (e.g. pink), the moniker “women’s” is nothing more than marketing for what is indeed one of the best mid-level helmets on the market.
- Excellent, high-quality, mid-level helmet. Comfortable yet affordable.
- None
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 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
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.
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
Specifications top selling cycling helmets
Name | Price | Technology | Shell | Liner | Visor | Fit | weight (gr) | eyewear port | rating | Buy at Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 Agilis MIPS | 100 USD | MIPS/Hardbody | polycarbonate | EPS | none | Roc Loc 5 w. Slimline buckle | 300 | |||
Giro Women’s Agilis MIPS | 90 USD | MIPS/Hardbody | polycarbonate | EPS | none | Roc Loc 5 w. Slimline buckle | 300 | |||
Kask Valegro | 209 EUR | MIT | polycarbonate | EPS | none | Octo-fit | 180 | 19.57 | ||
Lazer Sphere MIPS | 160 USD | MIPS | polycarbonate | EPS | none | ARS | 280 | 10.23 | ||
Lazer G1 MIPS | 250 USD | MIPS | polycarbonate | EPS | none | ARS | 235 | 9.23 | ||
POC Ventral Air MIPS | 260 EUR | MIPS Integra/Unibody | polycarbonate | EPS | none | adjustable 360-degree fit | 295 |
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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