Customer Reviews

Bell Citi Bike Helmet

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought this helmet 2 months ago and it is great. This is the first helmet I have ever worn and was skeptical about wearing one. After wearing it bike riding for 2 months, I would never ride without one again. It is very lightweight. It fits perfectly. I didn't even have to adjust the straps. The cooling vents work well at least at the moderate temperatures in San Diego. The main reason I bought this helmet was that it was one of the few helmets recommended by Consumer Reports along with the Bell Slant and the Schwinn Intercept.

Saw that this was the highest rated helmet on some of the websites so I picked it up. This helmet is designed for people with 55-61 CM heads. My head is 59.25 cm, so I was a bit worried about fit because I'm on the high end of the scale. But the helmet fits perfectly and is very comfortable. I don't even notice that I'm wearing it. It's also extremely solid and feels very durable compared to the other helmets I've worn.

On the downside, I look pretty goofy when I'm wearing it. That's not a big deal to me -- if my head is safe, I'm happy. But if style is important to you, I'd at least consider a racing helmet instead of this commuter helmet. Imagine yourself wearing a doubly-thick baseball helmet that's had the ear protection removed. That's how this looks.

Okay, I could go into how I think the areo-dynamic helmet is NOT going to help the average-joe (even though he may think so), nor will I go into how stupid I think those things look on average-joes (even though he may think he looks cool). I will go into what I think about my Bell Citi helmet.

It does exactly what I want it to do - give my spouse a sense of security while I'm on my commute to work. It was rather inexpensive. It's adjustable, so that it can fit on my head they way it's supposed to. Plus, it comes with some reflective stickers (great for my early morning commute), and the air vent help keep my head cooler during the summer (a very good thing here in Phoenix).

I know the visor is really a nose guard for when you fall (and yes, eventually you will fall!), but I wish it was also a sun visor (oh well, that's what sunglasses are for).

Other than that - This is a practical safety device! And unless you're Lance Armstrong (or equivalent person), go for the practical.

As soon as I put this on I knew I had found my helmet. Apparently this is the up and coming trend for style with bike helmets but I look like a mushroom head in everything. I still think the swept back/aerodynamic ones look a little cooler but I have read the bicycle safety sites as well as Consumer Reports reviews and they like the fact that this has "no snags". Makes sense to me so I bought it. Safety first!

I have a little bigger than average size head and after trying them on at an outdoors store I came here to buy it for less.

I'm a bicycle commuter, but much of my commuting begins with a plane flight. Been over a year I've had this girl and let me tell ya why it's the only helmet I'd buy now:
1. It's lived without a mark though plane flights, banging around on pack, stuffed in suitcase with my folding bike, accidental drops, etc. So A for durability. Yes, the plastic is fused to the styrofoam, plus the styrofoam doesn't crack off as many have done with one drop. Plastic covers it pretty low.
2. Just today I noticed the rear head size adjust mechanism is so easy I can even do it with gloves midride (had it larger to go over my hood until I warmed up and took hood off).
3. It's so comfortable just this morning I found myself searching for it, when duh, it was on my head.
4. The built in hi-viz and reflector tape are a must have for me, long before it helps protect my noggin in a crash, I'd prefer it help me *avoid* one. (get it in orange!)(also like the rear light strap)
5. Not too hot in summer, and as I said, easily adjusts to go over hood/hat in winter.

Folks have said it ain't too cool to look at. If you say so. Is that like how the weekend riders in full spandex are really cooler than the riders who are out every day? Whatever.

Bought this helmet based on previous reviews and Consumer Reports evaluations, and am very satisfied with it. Dollar for dollar, this helmet is a great value for those that are mainly concerned with keeping their brains intact in the case of an accident. You won't win any cyclist fashion contests wearing this one, but who cares ? It is light as a feather, well ventilated, and easily adjustable to fit your "grape". The only reason I did not rate it as five stars is because the chin straps that come down on both sides of the ears tend to "whistle" a bit in the wind as you ride..... not a huge complaint, but just enough to be noticeable, at least until you become accustomed to it. Overall, if you just need a well-constructed, highly rated helmet for general cycling and don't care if you look cool or not, you should get this helmet. Since I ride mostly late at night on city streets, I'm much more concerned with safety than looking good, so this was the best choice for me. Buy it, use it faithfully, and enjoy the peace of mind that comes from knowing your head is well protected !

OK, so I cheated on the alliteration, but this is a fine helmet. The fit is great, very adjustable, easy to adjust, and continues to ride well after hours of wear. The fashion is right - subtle, simple, slick, not flashy but stylish enough. And the ventilation is what I need - full enough for a warm summer day doing a bit of uphill climbing. The brim works for those sunny days and is enough to deflect a bit of rain or wind. The strapping is comfortable and seems sturdy enough to do the job when called upon. All in all, it's a good price for a good solid product. I'll look for another one in a few years (I replace my helmets periodically to avoid breakdowns in the plastics.)

My first helmet - purchased about a year ago - was a Bell Faction, which is a BMX-style helmet. I've always hated racer-type helmets that make you look like an alien, so I went that route when I suddenly became a newbie bicycle commuter.

That helmet was fine - it was simple, fit well, and gave me the look I wanted.

After a while, I began to realize that it was pretty heavy and hot - basically no ventilation - also the weird-ish padding inside was starting to fall off. I still don't like the racer helmets, so I did a little research and found this little gem for the sweet spot between road racers and mountain bikers/BMX-ers. Definitely lighter, more aerodynamic, better cooling vents, and it does look great, I think.

The comment about it looking like a baseball helmet is way off - this person clearly has never worn a helmet before. The Bell Faction - now that's a baseball helmet. (Since this is now my 2nd helmet, clearly I'm an expert now :-) ) This helmet is WAY less bulky than the Faction, although, yes, I'm sure it is probably a little larger than a racer helmet.

Also, contrary to some comments, the bill on the front is ***NOT*** for forehead protection -- that's just silly. Its function is to block sun and rain - and it works pretty well, too. Just slip it a tad more forward than you would normally wear it when riding into the sun or rain, and it'll keep you from being blinded, and keeps rain off your glasses, too. GREAT feature. With my old Faction helmet I used to wear a baseball cap beneath my helmet for the same reason - no need for that any more.

On hot days, the vents are great. Yeah, a racing helmet has more vents. They're also a little silly looking and generally way more expensive. Now that it's November, it's getting a little colder, but I just wear a skull cap or knit cap underneath, and it keeps my head warm.

I was a little worried about the one-size-fits-all thing, but the helmet is attached to your head by a suspension of plastic webbing that expands and contracts by adjusting a dial (like most hardhats, if you know what that's like), so it fits great (I do have a medium sized head, though), and if I wear a knit cap underneath, I just open it up a little, and it fits great then, too.

The matte gray is really attractive. I don't know if it's reflective (since it's on my head I can't see it), but it does have a great slot on the back for your blinky light - great safety feature - I just keep my light there 100% of the time now.

What can I say, I really like this helmet!

I have been using the Bell citi helmet for about 1 month now and have found it to be very comfortable and secure fitting. Compared to my much older helmet, it is about 60% of the old helmet's weight.

Looks great, at least compared to most helmet which tend to look pretty dorky. Fits great, comfortable, and feels sturdy.