Customer Reviews

Bern Brentwood Summer Multi-Sport Helmet

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have owned TONS of helmets and bike products. I read lots of online reviews prior to purchasing, and then purchase 2 or 3 close items to compare. Unfortunately, I often forget to return the others, but I digress... :) Anyways,after buying hundreds of items this way none of them have prompted me to post a review - until now. This product is EXACTLY what I was looking for. I currently own and rotate through three or four dorky looking but high-end road and mtn bike helmets from Giro, Bell, and a full-face V1 from Fox Racing. The Bern Brentwood is by far the lightest, most comfortable, and not unimportantly *decent looking* helmet you can get for even twice the money, let alone at this price ($59.99 and free shipping). I'd say it fits true to size to a *tad* small, so if you are on the edge like I was go with the bigger one and you'll be set. The snap in liners are cool as hell and offer options. I have yet to be able to find an online retailer to buy the winter Hunter fleece insert, but that's no biggie. In addition, after a ride with it today enjoying the nice low-profile deep-dish fit (like a skateboarder or hockey helmet), I fell asleep on the couch and apparantly my 85lb yellow lab went to town on it for like 20 minutes. There were teeth marks but no major damage to the shell, foam, or the liners which says a lot! Highly recommended and wish I found it sooner.

i love my bern brentwood helmet. it's totally functional and lightweight and durable and fits on your head in a way that doesn't look stupid. i get a lot of compliments on the way it looks.

the visor thing is cool too. you can either have a detachable mini-visor to help shield sun and rain or take it off.

it's not super cheap but it's well worth the value. and if you're able to find it used or discounted, there's really no excuse not to get it.

easily the least stupid-looking bike helmet on the market.

I live in Hawaii, where there are no helmet laws (as it should be). I ride my 50cc moped everywhere. After witnessing a couple of nasty spills, I started researching helmets. My initial thought, naturally, was a motorcycle helmet. However, having ridden motorcycles for many years and suffering through the discomfort of wearing a full brain bucket, I started looking at "skid lids". This led me to research helmet safety and testing standards.

Guess what?

The difference between a bike and motorcycle helmet, testing-wise, is ONE METER -- that is, the height from which a motorcycle helmet is drop-tested is 3 meters, while a bike helmet is dropped from 2 meters. This is the equivalent of a 4 MPH difference! It should also be noted that most well-made (like Bern) bicycle helmets could easily pass the 3-meter drop test.

Further, motorcycle DOT helmets are so-designated by the manufacturers themselves -- there is no independent certification done.

Google up this article from Motorcyclist magazine:

Motorcycle Helmet Performance: Blowing the Lid Off

It is quite exhaustive and within it one learns that when motorcycle accidents were actually studied, 90 percent or more of actual accidents are moderate-energy impacts. Ninety-plus percent of the head impacts surveyed, in fact, were equal to or less than the force involved in a 7-foot drop. And 99 percent of the impacts were at or below the energy of a 10-foot drop.

With all of this in mind, I started thinking, "So why wear some heavy, uncomfortable DOT helmet that will afford me no better protection (and possibly less) than a well-designed bike helmet?"

Enter Bern and their Brentwood model.

All I can say is pretty much summed up in the title to this review. It is supremely comfortable, with their large-size fitting my 23" cranium nice and snugly (but not overly snug). It looks so hip (especially with the snap-in visor) that my son will actually wear it. And it is more aerodynamic than my naked head! The ventilation is excellent, keeping my head cool in the hot Hawaiian sun.

Bottom line: If you're thinking of wearing a helmet, buy this. You can't go wrong.

I'm really not a big fan of helmets. I think they look a little silly, and no one wants to get their hair messed up. But riding the trails makes it a little risky and just not a bad idea not to wear one. I got this helmet because I thought it looked a little less dumb than others (and I go snowboarding and plan on getting the cold weather insert when I do go). And I am very pleased. That would actually be an understatement... I'm a really hard trail rider and have had more than couple of tumbles, and the brain is still ticking.

Another thing that surprised me was that the visor actually does a really good job keeping the sun out of my eyes. I was actually surprised, because I thought it was more for looks than anything else.

All in all, I love the helmet. I got the flat black and it looks pretty awesome (I don't like to have stuff that stands out). If I ever have future helmet needs, I will definitely go to BERN.

After hours...days...looking for just the right helmet the Bern Brentwood was my top pick. It's super light, has a removable visor (held in by really strong push buttons), and a built in size adjuster belt-clip type mechanism so it's easy to fit. I'm new to biking, so I was very self-conscious about how I'd look with a helmet (it's new york city, you've can't look lame ;-)). The brentwood looks great, and feels like it covers my ENTIRE head without feeling bulky.

Oh, and if you measure your head and are sort of between sizes, get the one size bigger as the built in adjustment works really well.

The Amazon price is VG. I purchased mine from a local high end bike store going out of business. Seems to be $ 69 list.

While my dorky Bell Glide helmet is fine for the bike paths, I wanted a decent looking style for neighborhood rides. This is it. The built in cloth visor gives it somewhat of a baseball cap appearance. Okay-maybe not really, but it looks okay.

Its a nice helmet will be trying it soon and deciding to return it or not then. Helmet is rough on the inside, rough cuts and a good number of dings and dents inside it and the places where the liner attaches and the chin strap are rough too. The outside looks fine which is the only reason I still have it as the dents and dings dont compromise the safety. Brentwood has pretty much no padding though. Oh and it seems to be on the small side too.

I was a little reluctant after reading the reviews regarding the fitting and sizing of this Bern helmet. I am a large fit, however, previous reviews guided me into choosing a larger size which I'm glad I did. I would definitely recommend buying a size bigger than your normal. ~AA

Love the Bern Brentwood, I agree with all the reviews here. Unfortunately Amazon.com/co.uk wouldn't deliver to Spain so had to buy it on Amazon.de and go to pick it up there. I'm a bit worried it's going to cook my head in summer, bit so far it's exactly what I was looking for.

I never understood why bike helmets looked so dorky for so many years (yeah, I'm talking to you, Giro). Glad to see that companies are now making helmets for the skater/skier/BMXer extreme athlete in all of us. Even if we are just cruising the streets on a MTB. Comfortable fit, very lightweight. I can't find anything wrong with it, to be honest.