This new helmet from Bell enters a crowded market. It features 22 high volume, internally channelled vents and tips the scales at 332g.
It's not following the lightweight trend that has seen lids dip beneath the 200g mark – but frankly when you’re wearing a helmet you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference between one that weighs 200g and one that weighs 300g.
What the Lumen does have going for it is that it meets the American CPSC standard in addition to having the usual European EN1078 accreditation. The standards are very similar, although the American standard is generally reckoned to be tougher to achieve.
The impact velocity that helmets are tested to on the flat anvil drop is 6.2m/s for the CPSC standard and 5.42-5.52m/s for EN1078; impact velocity is tested up to 300g for CPSC and 250g for the European standard.
Construction quality is what you’d hope for from one of the world’s biggest helmet manufacturers. It’s very well finished, the rotary retention system can be altered singlehandedly as you ride and the clips for altering strap length are both easy to undo and stay firmly closed, which isn’t always the case.
