TSG Geo Urban Helmet

The TSG Geo Helmet, according to Technical Safety Gear (TSG), is 'reshaping the sphere of head protection'. Well, you may end up looking a little like Red Dwarf's Kryten, but for your money you're also getting a well-priced, fully featured, commuter-friendly lid with a rear LED, reflective straps and European and US safety accreditation – so it's not merely form over function.

If the Geo isn't doing it for you, check out our guide to the best cycling helmets for more options.

The most obvious starting point for this helmet is its looks. The helmet is a co-creation of the manufacturer TSG and the company Papertrophy, which is known for its angular paper-based animal creations. Yep, seriously. The initial concept for the Geo came from TSG's late CEO Ruedi Herger, who liked the idea of an angular helmet design but felt TSG couldn't bring it to fruition on its own – hence the collaboration with Papertrophy and the resulting Kryten-like shape. You can read more about all this on TSG's blog.

But ignore the shape and you'll find that beneath the looks is a decent helmet that's well designed for day-to-day urban riding, commuter and leisure rides. The lack of venting compared with a road helmet means it's not one for extended hard efforts, as you're likely to overheat, but during commuter-length rides at moderate efforts in late autumn and early winter I didn't find any issues.

Our 302g weight for the S/M (I actually tested the L/XL) is within 12g of what TSG claims (though it doesn't specify which size) and is fine for a helmet of this type. It's 32g lighter than the medium size Abus Hud-Y, and while I don't think helmets are the first place I'd look to lose weight, it's a considerable 155g lighter than the 52-58cm Kask Moebius, which I feel is enough of a difference to actually notice. 

I'm a big fan of having a rear-facing LED in a bike helmet so I was pleased TSG has fitted one. Typically for a helmet light it's quite a modest affair with six individual LEDs, but I always feel that helmet-mounted illumination in addition to a bike-mounted light is a very good call for riding safety.

You can remove the light if you choose, though why would you? You pop it out using a pen from the inside and it's powered by a single CR2032 cell, though you need a small Phillips screwdriver to change the battery – I'd have preferred both a tool-free design and a rechargeable battery, which could also have added brightness (and upped the cost, of course), but I'm still glad it's there.

The six LEDs offer you a choice of solid lighting and two flashing modes: one with all six LEDs flashing regularly; the second with a single LED illuminated at any one time, first going clockwise and then anti-clockwise. You just press the light to turn it on and scroll through the modes and turn it off. Simple as.

The rear light is complemented by straps that have a reflective strip – which should be a no-brainer for pretty much any helmet designed for commuting as it adds lateral visibility – and the matt-finish shell has a couple of reflective TSG logos. The box also comes with a couple of reflective patches, featuring the TSG initials beneath a Viking-helmet-like logo for even more night-time visibility.

It's pretty much all standard in-mould helmet fare after that, bar the more blocky, angular design which is fine by me. It comes with quite thick padding around the entire inner circumference and another strip across the cranium. You also get a spare set of pads that are a good deal less thick; it's always nice to have a couple of options to help you achieve the right fit.

The straps – with the exception of the reflective strips – are all pretty familiar, as is the ratcheted rear dial that you can operate single-handedly while riding. It's not a micro-adjust dial, but is all fine and dandy.

It looks like a blocky skateboard helmet when you're wearing it. I found it comfortable, though it's only available in the UK in two sizes – S/M and L/XL, I tested the latter – so as always I'd strongly recommend trying before buying to see whether it works for your head shape. There's good protection all around your head, with an angular cutaway for your ears.

It hasn't picked up any knocks or dings during testing, but I haven't crashed or banged my head while wearing it. As with all helmets with a matt finish, it picks up grubby fingerprints and the like, though these wash off easily.

The construction quality appears to be very good for such a moderately priced helmet. The hard shell doesn't extend over the bottom face of the helmet, which I would like to have seen for shrugging off little knocks. But the join between the EPS and the hard shell is exceptionally neat throughout, and the vents' internal edges are just as tidily finished.

Value

You can of course use pretty much any helmet for commuting. The Endura Hummvee, for example, costs £46.99. In spite of the modest price, Matt still thought it was a fantastic urban and off-road helmet that's light and well made.

The Kask Moebius comes in at a similar price to the TSG, but while you can fit an LED to it, it doesn't come as standard, and Tom wasn't overly impressed with its quite minimal venting or its quite hefty 447g weight.

And the TSG Geo is a good deal cheaper than the £129.99 Abus Hud-Y, though Lara rated that highly for its comfort, adjustability and its bright rear LED, which unlike the TSG's light is rechargeable.

The Smith Dispatch is more expensive still at a quite salty £159.99, but Hollis praised it for its all-round quality and the inclusion of both Mips and Koroyd for the maximum possible protection.

Conclusion

I'd have preferred a brighter, rechargeable LED but I feel that in pretty much every other way TSG has delivered a very well-considered lid. It's comfortable, easy to adjust, has reasonable venting and personally I like the science-fiction looks, though your mileage may vary. And with a reasonable weight and good construction quality, it's a big thumbs up from me.

Verdict

Well-made and good value commuter lid with a distinctive design and all the relevant safety credentials