Best lightweight road cycling helmets for 2023 — invest in the best

When it comes to cycling, paying more will get you less, and that's a good thing. With everything getting lighter and more comfortable, here's what do you get if you pay £100 or more for a cycling helmet. We've logged thousands of road miles in all weathers to find out which of the lightest cycling helmets have the best comfort, ventilation and overall wearability. These are the best you can buy.

• Best overall: Specialized Prevail II ANGI MIPS — Buy Now for £159.00 from Tredz | Find out more
• Lightest: Lazer Genesis — Buy Now for £146.99 from Cycle Store | Find out more
• Best on a budget: Met Strale — Buy Now for £56.00 - £76.00 from Wiggle | Find out more
• Best aero: MET Trenta 3K Carbon — Buy S & L Now for £149.99 from Merlin Cycles
  Buy M for £189.00 from ProBikeKit | Find out more
• Best for winter: Lazer Z1 — Buy Now for £112.49 from Winstanleys Bikes plus Aeroshell — £19.99 from Freewheel | Find out more

You can get a fairly decent cycling helmet for £30, but if you want a helmet that’s so light and comfortable you’ll forget it’s there, or you want the latest aerodynamic designs, then you’ll have to pay a bit more.

The main advantages of high-performance cycling helmets are lower weight and better ventilation, both things you'll be grateful for on longer rides. Better adjustment systems and more careful attention to shape means these cycling helmets often provide a better fit too.

You'll also find more cycling helmets with MIPS, which is claimed help reduce the severity of certain types of injuries if you crash.

Some high-performance cycling helmets are claimed to be aerodynamically superior too. Should you buy an aero helmet?

Want to spend less money? Check out the best cheap cycling helmets.

The best lightweight high-performance road cycling helmets

Best overall: Specialized Prevail II ANGI MIPS — Buy Now for £159.00 from Tredz

Weight: 219g

Specialized's S-Works Prevail II Vent ANGi helmet is a lightweight and well-ventilated option that comes with a MIPS safety system and an optional crash detection sensor, £39.99, which, when linked to a smartphone, can tell your emergency contacts that you're in need of help.

The Prevail helmet has long been a popular helmet with performance-focused cyclists because it's comfortable, well ventilated and seriously lightweight. This version retains everything that was good about original but has a much lower profile. It not only looks better but offers better ventilation and sweat management as well as reducing the wind noise of the original.

And it now has MIPS SL and the ANGi crash sensor. The ANGi sensor measures the forces that indicate a crash and if it detects a spill the accompanying Ride smartphone app gives you between 15 and 90 seconds to tell it you're actually all right, before alerting your emergency contacts via text and/or email, sending them your most recently uploaded GPS position.

This version of the Prevail incorporates MIPS SL, a lightweight version of the MIPS layer that allows 10-15mm of relative motion between the helmet and the head in all directions, the idea being to reduce rotational motion transferred to the brain in the event of an impact. MIPS SL is integrated in the helmet padding which makes it easier for Specialized to maintain the Prevail's reknowned level of ventilation.

The Prevail II Vent features large vents – including a 'Mega Mouthport' across the front – along with deep internal channels and sizeable exhaust ports at the rear. The whole system does an excellent job of moving air across your head to keep you feeling cool and (at least relatively) sweat-free. This is one of the best-vented helmets out there, and the incorporation of MIPS makes no difference to that.

Read our review of the Specialized Prevail II

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Lightest: Lazer Genesis — Buy Now for £146.99 from Cycle Store

Weight: 210g

Lazer's Genesis has evolved from a mid-range helmet into a lightweight, breathable lid that performs well on hot days and during races. The ventilation is among the best that we've tried and it works brilliantly when climbing at threshold. The fit is very comfortable and the Rollsys retention system works well to spread pressure. The price is the only slight issue.

Lazer's latest version of the Genesis cycling helmet sees it go on a diet, losing 65g and quite a bit of material too. Vents have increased in size and number, from 19 up to 22, but the Rollsys retention system is unchanged and still works very well. If you hate a heavy lid and want to feel as small a load on your head and neck as possible, this is the helmet to go for.

To be clear: this is a new Lazer Genesis that's lighter than both the original Genesis of a few years ago and Lazer's previous top-end helmet, the Z1 (see below). There are still quite a few original Genesis helmets available via the likes of Amazon, so if you want the latest version, make sure that's what you're ordering. If it's under £100 it's almost certainly not the new model.

Read our review of the Lazer Genesis
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Best on a budget: Met Strale — Buy Now for £56.00 - £76.00 from Wiggle

Weight: 241g

Met's Strale cycling helmet strikes a balance between aerodynamics, cooling and comfort that makes you wonder whether you really need to spend any more on a polystyrene lid.

The Strale is half the price of the Met Manta Aero, below, but offers nearly the same performance. No doubt there'll be some data out there to say it doesn't save as many watts at a given speed, but for the majority of your riding that probably doesn't matter.

With eight vents up front, the Strale has a lot fewer than most traditional helmets but you certainly don't overheat when you're wearing it. A few weeks ago the temperature in this part of the country was nudging 30°C and I spent the week riding in the Met without issue.

Read our review of the Met Strale
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Best aero: MET Trenta 3K Carbon — Buy S & L Now for £149.99 from Merlin Cycles
Buy M for £189.00 from ProBikeKit

Weight: 220g

The Met Trenta 3K Carbon cycling helmet is lightweight, it feels cool in use and, if you accept Met's claims, it offers an aero advantage over a traditional lid, but you're going to have to dig deep for this one.

Our medium sized Met Trenta 3K Carbon helmet was 220g on our scales. The weight saving over most other helmets will have a negligible effect on your speed but you might find it more comfortable than one that's even 50g heavier.

Met has kept the weight down by using EPS (expanded polystyrene) foam that's 20% less dense than normal, it says, without affecting the helmet's capacity to absorb energy in the case of impact. How come? It's down to the elastic modulus of the carbon cage that's embedded into it, says Met. You can see the black woven carbon beneath the white in-moulded polycarbonate shell. Met insists that this carbon is structural rather than cosmetic. It's the addition of the carbon, which you don't get on the standard Trenta, that allows the use of the lighter EPS.

We're giving the Trenta 3K the nod for best aero helmet because of helmets that are claimed to be aerodynamically superior, it's  the best in overall terms of low weight, ventilation and comfort. If we were concerned solely with aerodynamics we'd be pointing you at a time trial helmet like the Specialized S-Works TT, but nobody is going to wear one of those outside of a race unless they're very keen on being laughed at.

Read our review of the Met Trenta 3K Carbon helmet
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Best for winter: Lazer Z1 — Buy Now for £112.49 from Winstanleys Bikes plus Aeroshell — £19.99 from Freewheel

Weight: 238g

The element of the Lazer Z1 that stands out most is that it has been designed with ventilation in mind, with 30 vents throughout the body. The airflow is about as good as you will find and certainly among the best we have used. It has great word-of-mouth too; this is one of the best liked cycling helmets around for its ventilation and fit.

The strong fit is achieved through Lazer's Rollsys system, which maintains pressure around the entire head rather than placing it on the rear like most other helmet adjustment systems. This means there are no hot spots of pressure, making it comfortable to wear for long periods of time. In terms of fitting the helmet, it is effortless as it just has a wheel on the top of the helmet that you twist to either tighten or loosen.

It gets the nod in this category because for £20 or less you can add a Aeroshell to close the vents. The original idea was to improve aerodynamics, and of course the Aeroshell still does that although pro riders aren't allowed to use them because the UCI thinks they're an add-on fairing. But when the temperature gets cold and wet, the Aeroshell keeps out the elements, which can be a big help to riding right through winter.

Read our review of the Lazer Z1

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Scott Centric Plus — Buy Now for £134.99 from Westbrook Cycles

Weight: 222g

This new version of Scott's Centric Plus has been developed for world-class road and mountain bikers, focusing on aerodynamics, airflow and weight. At 222g for this medium (55-59cm) size, it is certainly a very light helmet and feels that way when you are wearing it.

With 18 vents it is also one of the most airy we've used. Catching the tail end of the warm weather of the summer during testing and then heading into autumn, it certainly keeps you cool when you're riding hard or the temperatures are high.

Read our review of the Scott Centric Plus
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Giro Aether Spherical MIPS — Buy Now for £153.00 - £194.00 from Sigma Sports

Weight: 267g

Giro's Aether is a fabulous cycling helmet that offers an excellent level of ventilation, plenty of comfort and new MIPS Spherical technology.

The MIPS Spherical tech is its most important feature. MIPS stands for Multi-directional Impact Protection System. According to the company behind it, MIPS is "scientifically proven to reduce rotational motion by absorbing and redirecting rotational energies and forces transferred to the brain from angled impacts to the head."

MIPS usually comes in the shape of an internal liner – a polycarbonate plastic layer that sits between your head and the expanded polystyrene (EPS). Here, though, rather than being added after the event, the MIPS Spherical technology is an integral part of the Aether's construction.

Read our review of the Giro Aether MIPS
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Bell Stratus MIPS — Buy Now for £94.49 - £118.99 from Chain Reaction Cycles

Weight: 291g

The Bell Stratus MIPS cycling helmet is quality, comfortable with a great fit, and comes in a wide range of colours. The Stratus MIPS is Bell's latest second-rung helmet, below the Zephyr, and shares many of its features, the main differences being a single polycarbonate shell instead of the dual-density laminate and a significant saving. If you can't stretch to the Zephyr, look here.

Read our review of the Bell Stratus MIPS
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Abus StormChaser — Buy Now for £99.00 from Merlin Cycles

Weight: 231g

The Abus StormChaser is an exceptionally comfortable helmet with great ventilation. It's light, offers lots of adjustment, and all pads and straps can be stripped out for washing – in fact, it gives some of Abus' own more expensive helmets a serious run for their money. The lack of MIPS or similar at the price may put some off, though.

The name is somewhat confusing as StormChaser suggests some form of wintry protection, but this helmet is really well vented and actually best suited to summer warmth. It has most, if not all, the features found on Abus' high-end AirBreaker, including in-mould EPS construction, ActiCage internal reinforcement and the Zoom Ace retention system.

Fit is excellent and the helmet very comfortable despite minimal padding. The amount of adjustment is enough that it should fit most head shapes. The dial adjuster is easy to find and use, even with gloves on, and the steps are small enough to really fine-tune the fit. You can also adjust the height by almost 4cm, and even the mounting points for the cradle itself can be moved between three options for the most secure, comfortable fit.

Read our review of the Abus StormChaser
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Lazer Z1 MIPS — Buy Now for £120.00 from Mantel

Weight: 261g

The Laser Z1 MIPS cycling helmet brings together the already impressive strengths of the original Z1 and adds the extra protection promise of the MIPS – Multi-directional Impact Protection System – layer.

The original Z1 offered impressive comfort thanks to the innovative closure system, with the dial on the top of the helmet tightening the system around the entire head. The system holds it in place well even when you're particularly sweaty, and whatever your head shape. The MIPS has been integrated really well so it doesn't impact this.

Ventilation is also a real strength, with the MIPS layer having negligible impact compared with the original. You can still feel the wind blowing through your hair as you ride, with just a slight reduction that you only really notice if you wear the MIPS and original version on consecutive rides.

Read our review of the Lazer Z1 MIPS
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KASK Protone — Buy Now for £110.00 from Merlin Cycles

Weight: 250g

Kask's Protone helmet, developed in collaboration with Team Ineos when they were Team Sky, is a highly adjustable, cool and comfortable lid, although it comes at a premium price. If Kask's claims are to be believed, it boasts impressive aerodynamics for a well-vented helmet too.

You know how some helmets feel like they perch on top of your head a bit like a flat cap? The Protone is the exact opposite. It feels like it fully encompasses your head, more like a beanie, say, reaching low at both the front and, especially, the back.

Testing the Protone involved a lot of climbing in high temperatures and we found the venting to be very effective. Our tester didn't get a noticeably hot, sweaty head, or anything close to that, despite relatively little venting towards the rear of the helmet. There's good airflow right across the top of your head that keeps the humidity down.

Read our review of the KASK Protone

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Honourable mentions

Met Estro MIPS — Buy Now for £108.00 from Tweeks Cycles

Weight: 270g

The Met Estro MIPS Helmet is a great fitting, well ventilated helmet that looks good too. It's a bit dearer than some helmets offering similar features, but then it's lighter too.

Tester Neil writes: “Ventilation is well-attended to with 17 ports directing the air in and nine rear outlets. It's vented right down to the base at the back, and there are five channels inside the forehead protection to really ramp up the airflow. (Being on winter test, overheating was not a problem for me). The MIPS insert is carefully cut and arranged to make the most of all that venting, too. The air inlets at the temples also support your sunglasses, if you like that look.

“The Estro is very comfortable to wear, gives good coverage, is well ventilated and keeps that potentially intrusive MIPS insert carefully tuned to the shell. It's definitely worth a look.”

Read our review of the Met Estro MIPS 270g
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Kask Wasabi — Buy Now for £200.00-£269.00 from Sigma Sports

Weight: 264g

The Kask Wasabi is a quirky model reckoned to be the helmet for all seasons and to some extent all riders – road and gravel being two key audiences. For the most part it succeeds and performs to an extremely high standard. However, there are some minor niggles, and £270 is a lot of money.

Unlike a traditional helmet (unless you count the old Bell V1 Pro with its sliding front vent cover), the Wasabi employs panels that can be opened or closed depending on how much airflow you want. This is controlled by a gentle touch of the front panel.

While the lid looks a little 'Tron-like', it's configured for optimal aerodynamic efficiency. According to Kask, wind tunnel testing confirmed that 'less than one watt was lost between an open and closed vent when riding at a speed of 50 km/h'. Ventilation works to the usual inlet and exhaust principle common to helmets in the last decade or so: cooling air comes through the front, unwanted heat is expelled at the rear.

Random fact: Genuine wasabi is very hard to grow and consequently very expensive.

Read our review of the Kask Wasabi
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Met Manta MIPS — Buy Now for £139.00-£195.00 from Sigma Sports

Weight: 248g

The Met Manta Mips Aero Road helmet offers a good blend of aero performance and ventilation while integrating Mips protection nicely. It's a good all-round helmet with a strong leaning towards fast club riders and racers interested in aero performance.

Tester Leon writes: “Out on the road I've found the new Manta Mips to be fast (well, fast-feeling) compared to my usual airy and lightweight climber's helmet – a Kask Valegro at the moment – and surprisingly airy too. The front six channels in combination with the seventh top vent provide just enough ventilation to regulate the temperature around your head on a warm British summer's day. It's only overwhelmed by a particularly humid warmth or when temperatures on the road start edging towards the high 20s.

“The MIPS technology has been nicely integrated, and the safety benefit of that – which no one hopes to ever have to test – puts you in the best position possible if you do have a spill. The Manta MIPS costs a fair amount of money, but in exchange you get a very accomplished helmet well-attuned to fast riding and racing.”

Read our review of the Met Manta MIPS
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Giro Helios Spherical helmet — Buy Now for £183.99 from Cycle Store

Weight: 274g

The Giro Helios Spherical helmet benefits from the trickling down of the company's highly praised MIPS Spherical technology – which was first introduced on its top-end Aether – to this less race-focused lid. The protection of the MIPS (Multi-directional Impact Protection System) comes on a comfortable lid with ample adjustability, at a cheaper price.

The Helios Sphericalprovides a comfortable and secure hold, with a fit that can be adjusted with ease thanks to Giro's Roc Loc 5 Air system. To spread the pressure and to cater for varying head shapes, the system stretches the full circumference of the helmet. It's controlled by a wheel at the rear, which makes a reassuring audible click on each slight twist for accurate fine-tuning, both when tightening and clicking back down to loosen slightly.

Overall, with its understated looks, the Helios Spherical impressed as an incredibly comfortable lid with a low-profile design that still delivers well on aero and cooling performance. Although still not cheap at £229, Giro brings its innovative and well-integrated Spherical MIPS technology to a more affordable lid, and leading brain protection technology now doesn't come with compromises. It's comfortable, well ventilated and lightweight enough.

Read our review of the Giro Helios Spherical helmet
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Giro Syntax MIPS — Buy Now for £86.95 from Mantel

Weight: 296g

The Giro Syntax MIPS is a well ventilated and comfortable helmet that deals well with all kinds of road riding. The rotational-force damping MIPS system is really well integrated for noticeable gains in cooling and comfort, and the quality is high. It's only significant downside is that it's a bit heavier than some of its competitors.

The MIPS system is particularly well integrated. It's fairly obvious when you're wearing a helmet that's been retrofitted, and Giro has clearly designed the Syntax with MIPS in mind. For a start, it's the same colour as the shell, and more importantly it's shaped around the vets for uninterrupted airflow. It takes a few seconds to see it, and in use it's almost imperceptible.

The channels in this helmet aren't as deep as some, but those 25 vents still keep your head nice and cool regardless. It's very comfortable regardless of temperature, too, with soft and plush pads that keeps the MIPS system off the top of your head. They don't become unpleasantly saturated or start smelling over time, either.

Read our review of the Giro Syntax Mips
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Abus AirBreaker — Buy Now for £120.00 from Mantel

Weight: 214g

The Abus AirBreaker is an excellent cycling helmet that provides loads of ventilation in a lightweight and low profile package.

The AirBreaker's overall shape is the same as that of Abus's GameChanger aero lid. Aero helmets tend to be heavier than most others and ventilation is usually compromised, hence the introduction of the AirBreaker. Our medium sized test model hit the scales at just 214g and it has a similar level of ventilation to the Abus Aventor.

The AirBreaker's venting is its best feature. It's an in-mould design (meaning that the outer shell is permanently connected to the expanded polystyrene inner) with what Abus calls ActiCage structural reinforcement – essentially a plastic framework within the EPS, the idea being that you can have big vents without the helmet's safety being compromised. Many other brands do something similar.

Read our review of the Abus AirBreaker
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LEM Gavia — Buy Now for £95.61 from LEM helmets

Weight: 262g

The LEM Gavia cycling helmet offers safety, comfort and style. Its ventilation is excellent and a decent range of colours means you've got a good chance of getting one to match your bike/kit. The only potential drawback is its lower than average profile, which might interfere with certain sunglasses.

LEM might be new on the cycle helmet scene, but it's not new to head protection: for 30 years it has been developing and producing helmets for motorsports. It's now focusing on cycling and is offering seven different helmets, in 50 colours, covering road, mountain biking, commuting and kids. If you like to match your kit with your bike you're in with a good chance here: the Gavia is available in seven different colours, each in small, medium and large.

Read our review of the LEM Gavia

Met Manta — Buy Now for £93.00 from Sigma Sports

Weight: 215g

Aerodynamics are important in a bike race and we're seeing the pros concentrating on cheating the wind from every direction, head to toe. 'The fastest closed aero helmet' claims Met about its brand new Manta; a big claim but this cycling helmet is about more than just going fast.

Met claims the Manta saves 10 watts at 50km/h compared to its rivals and although that is hard to test in the real world even half of that isn't to be sniffed at for free. That'll be at an optimal position too, most likely the handlebar-staring, stem-chomping head angle employed by the world's best sprinters but hey, when you're really going for it in the drops the Manta does actually make you feel quick – nothing wrong with a placebo effect.

Bargain hunters with small heads can grab a Manta for just £64.99.

Read our review of the Met Manta
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BBB Tithon — Buy Now for £33.99 from Bikester

Weight: 280g

If you want top aero performance for that final burst to the line at the end of a race, coupled with reasonable ventilation, the BBB Tithon is a great option.

Let's start with that ventilation, which you'd be right in thinking isn't spectacular. Of course it isn't: there are only two holes at the front and three at the rear. However, the way they work in practice by pulling air through from a high pressure to low pressure area means you do still get a surprisingly good level of airflow in spite of appearances.

It's one of those cycling helmets where, if all you're interested in is saving the odd watt here or there at the end of a race, then it's going to appeal; if not, then it's likely you'd be better suited to one with more ventilation.

Read our review of the BBB Tithon
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Everything you need to know about high-performance helmets

What improvements do you get when you choose a high-performance cycling helmet over a cheaper model?

Weight

The lightest modern cycling helmets come in around 200g which is light enough that you really do barely notice they’re there. Achieving very low weights while still meeting standards isn’t easy, though, and involves the use of high-tech materials and very careful design. Specialized’s 219g Prevail, for example, is internally reinforced with an aramid skeleton. Other super-light helmets have minimal, pared-down adjustment systems, necessitating the use of light but strong plastics, and featherweight webbing straps, none of which comes cheap.

Ventilation

The materials that allow a cycling helmet to be light also allow better ventilation because they make it possible to increase the size of the vents and internal channels. Quite simply, there’s less helmet there, so there’s more room for air to flow.

In some helmets the cradle that fits around your head lifts the body of the helmet away from your scalp, further improving ventilation. That has been an important feature of the latest generation of aerodynamic helmets.

Comfort

The days of foam pads resting on your head and making it sweaty are long gone. Many modern performance cycling helmets have cradles that lightly wrap your whole head, spreading the already-low weight over a large area and leaving plenty of bare scalp for sweat.

Helmet shapes have improved too, and the almost-universal use of some sort of dial adjuster to fine-tune the fit means these helmets can be easily tweaked; a lot less hassle than picking the right thickness of pads out of the box.

Aerodynamics

As in almost every other aspect of cycling, aerodynamics is the latest big thing. Aero road bikes and aero wheels have been joined by helmets claimed to be wind-tunnel-tested to provide an aero advantage.

It started with simple plastic shells to cover the vents for situations like a finishing sprint where every fraction of a second counts, followed by helmets with fewer vents and smooth outer shells. Not having a wind tunnel, we can’t verify the aero claims, but this crop of cycling helmets does have the advantage of being warmer in winter. The previous generation of high-end helmets are so airy your head gets distinctly chilly without a skull cap.

Protection

In reviewing helmets we don't consider the level of protection a helmet offers, for two reasons. First, we simply don't have the resurces to do impact-absorption tests to determine how much load a helmet transmits to your head in the event of a crash. More importantly, helmets have to meet national and international standards to be sold at all, so every helmet here has passed those tests.

Read more: Should you buy an aero helmet?

Read more: Everything you need to know about helmets

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