But bigger vents can involve using harder, denser foam, and squaring off the edges of the remaining foam to beef up what remains. Worse, designers are adding bumps and sharp exterior lines just for style. We believe that rounder shells are less likely to snag in a crash. But despite laboratory evidence that sliding resistance of a shell makes a difference in both impact and neck forces, there is no test for this in our standards yet. Harder foam ribs inside can transmit a blow to the rider's head with more pressure on one spot.
Good helmets can still meet the impact performance standards with the larger vents.
To reduce potential snagging points to a minimum we would prefer helmets with vents and ribs well faired and rounded like the Giro Helios or Vigor's V-Tec. The new ones are the snazziest-looking helmets we have ever seen. Despite what we consider sub-optimal features we expect them to perform acceptably in the field, and if they do get helmets on more riders they would be justified. They will be expensive, and some will not show up until March or even later. More Trends Other trends include brighter colors as orange and yellow bikes and sports clothing gain favor in some areas of the U.S. Visors are fading.