Helmet For Class 3 E-Bike

[GeorgeM]

Hi,

I commute to work several days a week on my class 3 e-bike. It's pretty easy to maintain 20+ mph on my route, and there are few spots where I exceed 30 mph. I've been using my Giro road helmet, but I think I need to invest in one that's designed for higher speeds. I'm aware of the Dutch NTA-8776 standard for class 3 e-bike helmets, and I plan to buy one that's been certified. But which one? I'm considering the Abus Pedelec 2.0, Giro Bexley, and Giro Camden. There aren't many user reviews and I can't find any lab tests.

I suspect both of the Giro's will be hot. There aren't many vents. I live in Southern California so that's a concern. On the plus side, both Giro's have MIPS, which I think is important. The Abus has more vents and will probably be cooler. It's also less expensive than either Giro. But it lacks MIPS. Does anyone have experience with these helmets? Are there others I should consider? Amazon links are below.

Abus Pedelec 2.0: https://www.amazon.com/Pedelec-2-0-Concrete-Grey-L/dp/B07WRT7H62
Giro Bexley: https://www.amazon.com/Giro-Bexley-Commuter-Helmet-Medium/dp/B07H8NWC1Z
Giro Camden: https://www.amazon.com/Giro-Camden-MIPS-Cycling-Helmet/dp/B075RV4798

I'm only interested in class 3 e-bike helmets. Don't want to wear a motorcycle helmet or anything else that'll be hot or heavy. Thanks in advance for the help!

George

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Thank you, @JayVee!

 

[TMH]

Yes, thanks to all who started or responded to this thread. I found the link to the Virginia Tech study to be most helpful!

Just ordered the Fox Dropframe Pro. Have Bern MIPS helmets which are very good, but the Fox just seems to give a little more coverage, and with a lot of good venting.

I've become somewhat addicted to 28+ mph speeds and protection must be a very high priority. Plus I had just over $100 in FleaBay Bucks which I didn't know how I would spend.

Additionally the Fox helmet comes in Chili Red, which should be a great match to my incoming red Turbo Vado 4.0.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Just ordered the Abus Pedelec+

 

[Sierratim]

This comparison of NTA 8776 helmets might help:

BEST eBIKE HELMET FOR FAST EBIKES | REVIEW Abus Giro Met

NTA 8776 eBike helmets. A review of five of the best NTA 8776 approved eBike helmets for speed pedelecs or fast eBikes. Abus vs Giro vs Met

www.ewheelsnow.com

It doesn't go into a ton of detail but might give some ideas of what to look for.

I can see the advantage of having a helmet that's designed & certified for higher speeds vs even a MIPS helmet. I've cracked 3 helmets over the years in low speed crashes. The amount of damage they sustained was surprising. I replaced each one after the crash. I'm sure they wouldn't have helped much at higher speeds.

I wear an XL sized helme, like the Giro Bishop, so my choices are more limited. Unfortunately I don't see a XL helmet on the 2+ pages of certified helmets that are published in the link in the article you've provided. I'll just need to soldier on with my MIPS style CPSC tested helmet...

 

[TMH]

I believe that all helmets are meant to be sacrificial in crashes - they can absorb the most energy (thus transferring the least to your head) by essentially disintegrating on impact.

Another interesting helmet which wasn't quite as highly rated in the VT study was the Troy Lee Designs A2 Decoy MIPS. This one is available at REI, and they have a 20% off discount right now (I think you have to be a member of their perks club - $20 lifetime membership fee). From their sizing info the XL/XXL size fits head diameters up to 24.4".

 

[Dewey]

Full face chinbar would help in a crash at Class 3 higher speeds, a lot of broken noses and jaws could be prevented with a chinbar.

 

[Sierratim]

I believe that all helmets are meant to be sacrificial in crashes - they can absorb the most energy (thus transferring the least to your head) by essentially disintegrating on impact.

Another interesting helmet which wasn't quite as highly rated in the VT study was the Troy Lee Designs A2 Decoy MIPS. This one is available at REI, and they have a 20% off discount right now (I think you have to be a member of their perks club - $20 lifetime membership fee). From their sizing info the XL/XXL size fits head diameters up to 24.4".

I'm not finding the Troy Lee Designs helmet on the list of pedelec certified helmets; https://www.nen.nl/Standardization/Certification/SpeedPedelec-Helmet/Certified-Helmets.htm . I'll just stick with my XL MIPS Giro for now...

 

[rich c]

Here's a picture of a Bontrager WaveCel after my friend's friend hit a coyote at 30mph on a $10,000 traditional road bike going down a hill. Four cracked ribs, staples in the back of his head, and stitches in his face. I don't know the guy, but was treated and released.

 

[Sierratim]

Here's a picture of a Bontrager WaveCel after my friend's friend hit a coyote at 30mph on a $10,000 traditional road bike going down a hill. Four cracked ribs, staples in the back of his head, and stitches in his face. I don't know the guy, but was treated and released.

Yep, always good to wear a helmet. With our local hilly roads I can easily get close to 40mph without e-assist. Feels very stable on the Vado, but still not the smartest thing to do I suppose. I think I'll use the brakes a bit more for speed control...

 

[rich c]

Yep, always good to wear a helmet. With our local hilly roads I can easily get close to 40mph without e-assist. Feels very stable on the Vado, but still not the smartest thing to do I suppose. I think I'll use the brakes a bit more for speed control...

I've been riding with a different attitude myself. Slower on hills, slower on tight curves, wearing more hi-vis green. Not that going to the ER is ever good, but it's really a bad time now!

 

[byunbee]

Any thoughts on this helmet?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0091PBLSK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1

 

[GeorgeM]

Any thoughts on this helmet?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0091PBLSK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1

I don't think it has enough protection for a high-speed crash. But it's way better than no helmet.

 

[GeorgeM]

This comparison of NTA 8776 helmets might help:

BEST eBIKE HELMET FOR FAST EBIKES | REVIEW Abus Giro Met

NTA 8776 eBike helmets. A review of five of the best NTA 8776 approved eBike helmets for speed pedelecs or fast eBikes. Abus vs Giro vs Met

www.ewheelsnow.com

It doesn't go into a ton of detail but might give some ideas of what to look for.

Thanks! I saw that article before and it's how I learned of the 2 Giro helmets. The Met seems to be worth a look too even though it's the lowest rated.

 

[GeorgeM]

There's no such thing as Class 3 helmets. Helmets do not come with class ratings like ebikes.

Anyways, to answer your question, if you care about safety, I would Fox Dropframe Pro. It's a $200 helmet but worth the money.
Fox is a good brand, they're well known in both motorcycle and bicycle industry.

Dropframe Pro Helmet

Buy Dropframe Pro Helmet at Fox Racing®

www.foxracing.com

According to IIHS, the Fox Dropframe Pro is the safest helmet on the market.
They scored 8.9, which is the safest score so far.

It is also interesting to note that IIHS found out that the price had nothing to do with the safety.
For example, $250 Giro Synthe and $250 Specialized S-Works Evade II had worse safety rating than $60 Bell Draft and $18 Schwinn Intercept.

Although IIHS is known for car crash safety tests, they test bicycle helmets as well.
IIHS website: https://www.iihs.org/ratings
IIHS Virginia Tech: https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicycle-helmet-ratings.html

Appreciate the link to the VT testing site. Didn't know about that. Lots of good info.

Respectfully disagree with your claim there's no such thing as Class 3 helmets. The Dutch came out with a standard in 2016 called NTA-8776. It's helped to create a new class of helmets for speed pedelec e-bikes, which are the same as Class 3 e-bikes in the US. There are now several dozen helmets that meet the standard. Unfortunately most of them aren't readily available in the US.

Be safe in these strange times.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I don't think it has enough protection for a high-speed crash. But it's way better than no helmet.

As if the snowboarding was a safe and slow discipline I wear a good snowboarding helmet for my winter rides.

 

[Sierratim]

Any thoughts on this helmet?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0091PBLSK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1

When my youngest was in college he participated in the Human Powered Vehicle team. They'd design, build and race their vehicles in competitions that have grown to the international level. I believe the speed record is now over 80mph. The designs were required to incorporate safety harnesses and riders had to wear helmets. My son's team chose the Triple 8 helmets for crash worthiness and compact size. They each picked thier own logo...

 

[Alaskan]

I ride with the Giro Bexley. It is quite comfortable. I really like the rear blinking red light panel. I use the drop down visor all the time. In the winter, the removable ear covers are great. It is surprisingly well vented but the vents have a tab that closes them making the helmet quite good in the rain, not fully waterproof for a real deluge but it keep out a good shower. It is expensive but has the safety and convenience features that I find very useful. The fidlock magnetic clasp is super convenient once you become accustomed to it.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I'm tempted by this, which is the urban version of the ABUS with NTA 8776. It has a rear led, a visor, and a rain cap.

Pedelec 2.0 ACE silver edition M - ABUS

The Pedelec 2.0 ACE combines modern safety technologies with a variety of useful features.

mobil.abus.com

Still waiting for the Abus Pedelec+ delivery from the Netherlands... It is quite challenging to buy a specific ware nowadays in the times of the pest.

 

[Over50]

Here's a picture of a Bontrager WaveCel after my friend's friend hit a coyote at 30mph ...

My commuter helmets are 4 with the commuter version of the Bontrager Wavecell being the one I use the most. It has a mount on the rear for Bontrager's Flare taillights which are of great quality and very bright. Someone I know who prefers to ride in an aero position did not like this helmet because of the small visor:



I also have the Bell Annex MIPs which is comfortable and of good quality. It has a light mount on the rear but I think the light it is intended for was made by Blackburn (the Flea or Super Flea if I recall) and may not be available any more:



Next up is the original Abus Pedelec + already discussed here. I bought a medium and it is on the small side. The built in light is the version that takes batteries rather than being USB rechargeable. I do like that it has the tuck-away rain fly that is highly reflective. It allows the helmet to also be used in colder weather as it seals up the vents.

Last is the Kali Protectives City. I'm not sure if this is still available or made by Kali who has some solid/quality offerings. It came with removable visors (which I don't use because I have wrap around prescription glasses). It also comes with removable ear pads for cold weather and has ability to attach a rear light: