The best budget helmet should be comfortable and offer full protection when riding. In this best budget bike helmet review, we look at budget helmets that promise great performance.
As a bike rider, I am particular with what kind of helmet I wear on the road. Though I bought a lot of cheap helmets online, none of them had the quality I wanted. Either they broke easily or my head felt too hot in them. Some helmets performed great at first but dwindled with time due to wear and tear. I had to look for a stronger durable solution within my spending limit. Amazing what a little digging can do for you. I discovered an array of budget helmets with great reviews. I will outline three of my best budget helmets in this review.
Best Budget Helmet
JBM adult cycling helmet, Critical Cycles Silas helmet, and Schwinn Thrasher Microshell helmet are some of the best budget helmets you will find online. They boast of solid construction and a host of other features. JBM adult helmet is the cheapest of the three The Schwinn Thrasher is the cheapest of three and has great color variety. The Schwinn Thrasher comes in second and has a 360-degree size-adjusting feature. Critical Cycles Silas is the premium helmet of the three and includes backlighting.
Features
Material
Most budget helmets boast of a tough impact resistant construction. The JBM bike helmet features an outer casing made of PVC-PC and EPS foam. This tough plastic outer allows this helmet to resist hard impact hence protecting the head. The Schwinn Thrasher boasts of tough plastic construction put together using tapeless technology. This molding adds the aesthetics of the helmet and also contributes to its durability.
Critical Cycles helmet also boasts of an EPS foam construction. Its ergonomic design is also CPSC 16 certified as safe for use when riding.
Comfortable Fit
The best budget helmet fits your head perfectly. All three helmets include breathable inner padding that helps reinforces the fit of the helmet. This padding helps in sweat management as well to prevent itchiness and bad odor.
The Schwinn Thrasher has a 360-degree adjusting knob to resize the circumference of the helmet. The JBM adult cycling helmet has a user-friendly adjusting knob on the straps. It helps in tightening the straps around the face for a comfortable fit. Critical Cycles helmet also boasts of a size-adjusting knob. This knob doubles as the backlight control button as well. The knob adjusts the circumference of the helmet and activates the three light modes of the LED bulb.
Ventilation
High-performance helmets come with airflow vents for cooling the head while riding. JBM helmet has the least number of air flow vents to cool the inside dome. Schwinn Thrasher helmet has 21 flow vents while Critical Cycles helmet has 24. The more air flow vents a helmet has the better the cooling effect. More flow vents also boost the aerodynamic quality of the helmet.
Shade Protection
Riders want their eyes protected from harsh light when out biking. The Schwinn Thrasher and JBM helmets both have detachable visors for eye protection. Critical Cycles helmet lacks an inbuilt visor. You can buy magnetic shield goggles which attach to the helmet.
Color
Color variety increases consumer choice when buying a helmet. The Schwinn Thrasher helmet scoops the award of having the most color options for consumers. It is available in black-grey, coral, flames, pink-purple, and pink-white. You can also buy it in teal, blue-silver, carbon, green, and black-grey. Other available colors include red, purple-white, and purple.
JBM helmet is available in 8 unique colors. These are black, blue, gradient green, and purple-yellow. You can also buy It in black-blue, dark blue- orange, light red, and yellow-black.
Critical Cycles helmet is available in 5 colors only. They are matte graphite, matte blush, matte celeste, matte black, and matte white.
Pros
- Solid construction
- Size adjusting features
- Great color variety
Cons
- None of the helmets fit all head sizes
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Conclusion
The best budget helmet comes with great features for comfort and protection. In our best budget bike helmet review, the Schwinn Thrasher helmet is the winner. It has a cooling system similar to the Critical Cycles helmet but at a cheaper price. This helmet has great color variety as well. You can read reviews of the other two helmets by clicking on Critical Cycles helmet and JBM Adult bike helmet.