What is the piece of bike gear that has the most important job? That would be the helmet. According to the National Safety Council, “cyclists who wear a helmet reduce the risk of head injury by 60% and brain injury by 58%.” As you can see, bike helmet safety is key to being a responsible and safe cyclist.
That’s why our partner Bontrager takes great care in designing every single helmet while also offering their Crash Replacement Guarantee. Bontrager will replace your helmet for free if it is impacted within the first year of ownership.
From aerodynamic road bike helmets to durable mountain bike helmets and stylish city bike helmets, with Bontrager’s seal of approval you can rest assured your helmet will do its job.
With that in mind, let’s take a quick look at few of the most common question about helmets:
Do helmets expire?
Helmets have a shelf life of five years. A helmet should be replaced five years after the purchase date or seven years after it’s production date. Helmet’s production date can be found on a sticker inside the helmet under the padding near the ear.
Helmets should also be replaced after a crash that impacted the helmet. Learn more about Bontrager’s Crash Replacement Guarantee here.
So what options do you have? Keep reading to learn more about the best helmet technology on the market, WaveCel and MIPS.
What is WaveCel?
In an attempt to further improve rider’s safety, Bontrager partnered with Virginia Tech University to create a brand new helmet technology called WaveCel. WaveCel’s collapsable, cellular design helps to reduce head trauma due to rotational forces during a crash. Bontrager states, “It works like a crumple zone that absorbs the force of an impact before it reached your head.”
Bontrager backs their new WaveCel technology, claiming that it is up to 48x more effective in preventing concussions caused by common cycling accidents. WaveCel helmets can prevent up to 99 out of 100 concussions. This is extremely impressive when compared to a standard foam helmets which only prevent 41.
You only have one brain. WaveCel technology ensures that you are protecting it.
What is MIPS?
MIPS stands for “Multi-directional Impact Protection System.”
Created through years of research, the combination of the brain’s own protection and MIPS can provide better protection from angled impacts. Many helmets now include MIPS technology which is a low friction layer of the helmet that provides brain protection, reduces concussion and protects better in real world situations where your head/helmet will impact at an angle rather than straight on.
You can learn more about MIPS’ technology HERE.
Bike Helmet safety features have come a long way in recent years and we are grateful.
So what helmet is right for you? Sam Foos, Bontrager’s marketing director stated, “Trek offers helemets with WaveCel, MIPS and standard technology. Consumers can decide for themselves which products fit their particular needs based on the data and information available to them.”