• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Shop
    • Cart
    • Checkout
  • Calendar
  • Gear
  • Destinations
  • Archive
  • Forum
  • Members
    • Register
    • Login
    • Logout

Northwest in Motion

Inspiring, informing, and connecting cyclists, runners, hikers, and skiers

Home » Gear » Helmet » Hi Vis Helmet Hack

Hi Vis Helmet Hack

May 19, 2019 by David Longdon 1 Comment

Earlier this year there was a big press announcement and social media buzz about Bontrager’s new “WaveCell” helmet design. Bontrager claimed their new collapsable matrix design to be much safer than helmets using MIPS (Multi-Directional Impact Protection System) technology. I’ve since noticed they backtracked on that claim and it now says “compared to styrofoam helmets.”

Shop Northwest in Motion

  • Sale!

    Nalini Dolomiti Lady

    $100.00 $55.00
    Select options
  • Sale!

    Nalini Green Lady

    $100.00 $55.00
    Select options
  • Sale!

    Nalini Nalinissima Ws Shorts-L

    $125.00 $49.95
    Add to cart

The latest generation of bike helmets, rather than just being a styrofoam lid, incorporate features that account for the fact that impacts are rarely unidirectional. When you crash on a bike the impact involves forces in multiple directions. The previous standard for testing helmets was limited to one direction, and therefore not considered to be realistic. Check out this discussion of helmet design in Consumer Reports.

Meanwhile, Virginia Tech recently established a helmet testing lab, and developed a new testing protocol that accounts for the variability in impacts.

According to the helmet testing lab, the Bontrager WaveCell Specter is currently ranked second, slightly behind a Lazer MIPS helmet. One thing you’ll notice as you browse the ratings is that there is no correlation between price and safety. Unlike automobiles, higher price does not equate to a safer helmet.

I’ve been using a Lazer MIPS helmet for the past few years, but it was starting to get a bit rough around the edges. With the press announcement about WaveCell, there were a number of sales and deals on the new helmet. I took the plunge and bought a Specter from REI for under $100.

Aside from impact protection technologies, proper fit is another key element of helmet safety. The Lazer MIPS I had been using was a definite upgrade from the styrofoam Bell lid I was previously using, but the Bontrager fits my head even better.

A Bontrager Wave Cell Specter outfitted with a Knog rear light.

One thing was missing, however–lighting.

I have strong opinions about the most effective ways to being visible on a bike. The ways most folks attach lights to their bikes probably isn’t very effective–attaching a small blinky light to the seat stem is hard to see in a visually complicated urban setting, especially when it’s raining. I think wearing reflective clothing, and making the bike stand out in traffic is a better way to go. Standard bike lights look too similar to automobile lights for even attentive drivers to differentiate.

But, I do think there is a place for a red light: on the back of the helmet. In contrast to a light on the bike frame, a light on the helmet is more clearly in a driver’s line of vision, just like the way rear lights on automobiles usually have a vertical alignment that makes them obvious.

My hack for this setup is a Knog rear light with the attachment strap threaded through a gap in the helmet’s vents. The light I used in this case is a few years old, and the tough silicone strap was challenging to thread through the small gap in the helmet. If you try this modification, I’d recommend using a light with an attachment strap that is easier to thread through a narrow space.

Related Stories

Filed Under: Gear, Helmet, Lighting

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. David SmeethDavid Smeeth says

    June 27, 2019 at 8:14 am

    This is my set up. Different helmet and light, same configuration.

    Log in to Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Inspired | Informed | Connected

We’re here to inspire, inform, and connect you with like-minded cyclists, runners, and fitness enthusiasts.

Running in the rainNorthwest in Motion was created by David Longdon, and is produced with a cadre of creative collaborators.

Bellevue pop up Italian Home & Kitchen
Francesca Carmichael manages our retail experiences.

Gear Wisdom

Road Rash Wound Care
How to Layer for the Pacific Northwest
Gearing up for a Bikepacking Epic
Women Gear Up for Bikepacking
Gearing Up for Bikepacking
How to Choose Cycling Shorts
Swiftwick Merino Wool @ Bridle Trails
How to Wash your Kit

Bicycle Helmet Safety Ratings
Hi Vis Helmet Hack

The n + 1: Platypus Tokul XC 8.0 & B-Line 8.0
The n + 1: Oakley Flak 2.0 XL w/ Day & Night Contrast Lenses
The n + 1: Roka Eyewear
The n + 1: Sensity Photochromic Lenses
The n + 1: Bialetti Moka Express

More Gear Reviews & Tips

Connect

Login or Register to comment and participate in the Forum.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Search

Share

Sponsor

Contact us about:
–sponsoring the calendar
–promoting your events
–sponsoring story categories
–promoting your business
–promoting your brand

Fitness During Coronavirus

Stay motivated, engaged, and connected. Check out the virtual events in our Calendar.

Support LOCAL businesses including Northwest in Motion’s online and popup retail!

Join the every other week Peace Peloton rides supporting economic reform for Black people.

Share your pandemic fitness experiences on our Forum.

Check out Cascade Bicycle Club’s Directory of Open Bike Shops

Recreate Responsibly

Footer

About
Contact

Partners
Advertise
Subscribe

Returns and Shipping Policy
Terms of Use
Privacy

Copyright © 2021 • Northwest in Motion, LLC • All rights reserved