There are lots of bike helmet options on the market. Knowing this can make shopping for a new helmet overwhelming. It’s clear that some riders have an affinity toward certain brands. We get it! We thought it would be helpful to go head-to-head with seven other well-known bike helmet brands to see how each stacks up.
HERE'S WHAT WE'LL CRITIQUE:
THOUSAND VS. BELL BIKE HELMETS
Bell makes a wide range of MIPS-certified road bike helmets. We compared the Thousand Chapter MIPS bike helmet to the Bell Daily MIPS LED bike helmet. At $100, the Bell Daily helmet is $35 cheaper than ours. Both helmets feature a rear LED light and front visor. However, the Thousand light is magnetic and detachable. The Thousand Chapter is also designed with our signature hidden PopLock for theft protection. Both helmets come in three different colorways. While the Bell helmet looks like a solid pick for commuting, it might not have the same appeal for more recreational riders.
THOUSAND VS. BERN HELMETS
Bern helmet designs are similar to Thousand, so we looked at the revamped Macron 2.0. At $60, it’s a tad cheaper than the Thousand Heritage bike helmet ($89). That said, the Bern Macron helmet doesn’t include a visor — unless you want to pay for the $10 attachment — or theft protection like our signature PopLock. Both styles come in a range of colors; however, the Thousand Heritage comes in 12 whereas the Bern helmet comes in 11. So close! Weight-wise, the Bern Macron is 375 grams, and the Thousand Heritage starts at 410 grams. Bicyclists and skateboarders would both dig the Macron style.
THOUSAND VS. GIRO BIKE HELMETS
Giro bike helmets tend to skew more on the athletic side than ours. In fact, most of their options look like hardcore cycling helmets or winter sports helmets, which is fine if you’re into that sort of thing. With that in mind, we opted to compare the Giro Camden MIPS helmet, a similar style to the Thousand Chapter MIPS helmet. Price-wise, it’s $55 more than ours. Both helmets feature built-in rear lights (the Giro helmet looks more like a panel) and well-placed vents for breathable rides. Unlike Thousand helmets, you probably wouldn’t wear this for more casual riding, so it loses points for versatility.
THOUSAND VS. NUTCASE HELMETS
One quick scroll through Nutcase’s bike helmets online and you’ll see the style resembles our Heritage collection. You can’t help but also notice the array of colors and patterns, ideal for bicyclists and skateboarders who like to display their aesthetic on their domes. Nutcase helmets start at $80, so just a few dollars less than ours. The style is similar, although Thousand helmets have a much sleeker and streamlined look, and also versatile making it ideal for cycling, skateboarding, or e-scooters. Nutcase doesn’t offer any insight into helmet weight, which could have implications on your decision if you’re a commuter.
THOUSAND VS. POC HELMETS
POC does an excellent job on its performance bike helmets. Commuter helmets? Not quite. The closest match to a Thousand Chapter helmet is the POC Corpora, available for $150. It’s designed for commuters, but lacks a rear light (pay $250 to upgrade to the POC Corpora Aid for the LED light), visor, and other thoughtful touches that daily riders might appreciate. Sure, it looks nice. But at that price, you’re not really getting a bang for your buck. The POC Corpora isn’t even designed with MIPS technology, and it’s not immediately clear if it meets other safety certification requirements.
THOUSAND VS. SMITH HELMETS
Smith peddles a small collection of bicycle helmets, many of which are designed for avid cyclists. The Smith Maze Bike helmet is basically the only option for urban commuters and casual cruisers. Priced at $80, the Smith Maze is only a few dollars less than our Heritage Collection. It’s available in two colorways at the time of this writing, unlike the Thousand Heritage, which comes in 12. The Thousand Heritage has more vents for a breathable ride; however, it weighs slightly more than the Maze. Both helmets are versatile enough to use for bicycling, as a skateboard helmet, and while riding e-scooters; however, the Heritage one-ups the Maze with its super-handy PopLock for secure protection when locked up.
THOUSAND VS. SPECIALIZED HELMETS
If you’re looking for a casual commuter helmet, Specialized probably isn’t your brand. We couldn’t find a similar style to compare, so we opted for the least performance-looking bike helmet of the collection instead. The Specialized S-Works Evade with ANGi is a wallet-breaker at $275. It’s available in just four colorways; the Hyper Green hue is an attractive pick for commuters who ride at night. Its aerodynamic construction makes it lightweight, and the ANGi crash sensor is meant to detect and report possible harmful helmet impacts in the Specialized Ride app. Even though it’s a seemingly safe helmet, it loses points for versatility, for obvious reasons.
The choice is yours, of course. If after reading this you’re set on a stylish Thousand helmet (hooray!), head over to our bike helmets page to shop the Chapter and Heritage collections.
