Riding a bike through the busy city streets is not the safest thing in the world, but one of the best ways to protect yourself is by wearing a quality bike helmet for city riding. If you’re having trouble finding the right bike helmet for you, don’t worry! We’ve taken the liberty of compiling a list of our top five picks for the best bike helmets for city riding.
There are many quality bike helmets available, so read on to learn about the features that make our top five picks stand out from the rest.
Our Top Picks
Best Overall: VICTGOAL Bike Helmet
Best Adjustability: MONATA Bike Helmet
Best Protection: Smith Optics Signal MIPS Men’ Cycling Helmet
Best Ventilation: Schwinn Beam LED Lighted Bike Helmet
Best Budget: Zacro Adult Bike Helmet
As you can see from this short outline, many biking helmets specialize in different areas, which makes it difficult for many people to decide on a helmet. Finding the right helmet comes down to personal preference, so the better you understand the features you’re looking for in a helmet, the easier time you’ll have in trying to find one.
Best Bike Helmet for City Riding: Top 5 Picks
Here are our top five picks for the best bike helmets for city riding. You can find all products below on Amazon.
Comparison Chart
Best Overall: VICTGOAL Bike Helmet
The VICTGOAL bike helmet is one of the premier helmets for city biking, thanks to its lightweight and compact design. It contains 21 breathable vents that allow for a built-in ventilation system to keep your head cool when you’re riding on those hot days, and the EPS foam on the interior will prevent your head from suffering any hard impacts.
This helmet also comes equipped with magnetic goggles and a visor that you can equip and unequip with ease, allowing for good customizability. The visor will keep the sun off your face, while the goggles will protect your eyes from any flying dirt or gravel.
If you’re looking for a helmet that has all the essentials for a fair price, the VICTGOAL bike helmet is without question the best option on the table.
Pros
- 21 breathable vents
- EPS foam interior protection
- Comes with magnetic goggles and a visor
Cons
- Not the most adjustable
Best Adjustability: MONATA Bike Helmet
If you have worries about getting a bike helmet that does not fit your head, the MONATA bike helmet will erase those worries the moment you take it out of the box.
This helmet is one of the most adjustable because it features a simple twist dial on the back that you can turn to adjust the helmet’s fit on the fly. The helmet can fit any head circumference from 21.6 to 24 inches, making it an excellent fit for both men and women bikers.
In addition to being incredibly adjustable, the MONATA bike helmet also has a built-in rear safety light. This is an important feature that you will especially want to have when riding in the city in the evening or at night, as it makes you far more visible to drivers.
Pros
- Great adjustability breathable vents
- Built-in rear safety light
- Detachable visor
Cons
- No glasses included
Best Protection: Smith Optics Signal MIPS Men’s Cycling Helmet
The Smith Optics Signal MIPS Men’s Cycling Helmet is a top-of-the-line biking helmet for city riding due to the sheer level of protection it offers.
With the MIPS brain protection system, your head will have more protection against angled impact forces. This keeps the brain from shaking violently at even the strongest of impacts, making this helmet fantastic if you’re looking to give your head the maximum protection possible.
The Smith Optics Signal MIPS Men’s Cycling Helmet also comes with 21 vents, a low-bulk single layer webbing, a defog system for glasses, and an adjustable dial for getting just the right fit. There’s a lot to love about this biking helmet with all these features, but note that it’s among the more pricey options.
Best Ventilation: Schwinn Beam LED Lighted Bike Helmet
Schwinn Beam LED Lighted Bike Helmet features the ventilation system of any helmet on this list, and ventilation is a crucial aspect of any great biking helmet. The last thing you want is to ride through the city while your head is sweating the entire time from your helmet being too hot. That won’t do from a comfort perspective, and this helmet’s 17 vents will keep you nice a cool.
In addition to its great ventilation system, the Schwinn Beam LED Lighted Bike Helmet also provides adequate protection with its full-coverage PVC microshell. So, you can always feel nice and safe. The helmet’s lightweight design also allows for excellent head mobility, and it won’t feel at all restricting while you’re wearing it.
The one minor drawback with this helmet is that its ventilation system can work a little too well when it’s cold outside, and your head can get very cold as a result. However, one easy remedy for this is to wear something like a ski mask to keep your head warm.
Pros
- 17 vents for great ventilation
- PVC microshell
- Good head mobility
Cons
- Not good for cold temperatures
Best Budget: Zacro Adult Bike Helmet
The Zacro Adult Bike Helmet is great if you are operating on a budget, as it has many quality features from other helmets for a considerably lower price.
With this helmet, you’ll get an adjustable spin dial, quick release buckle, chin strap with a pad, 18 vents, a removable sun visor, high-density EPS on the inner shell, impact resistance PC on the outer shell, and a safety pad for the backside of your head.
It doesn’t specialize in any one particular area, but it covers a lot of the essential elements of the best bike helmets for city riding. So, in that sense, it is very much a jack of all trades, but if you don’t mind this type of helmet, then you need to look no further!
Pros
- High-density EPS inner shell
- Impact PC outer shell
- Low price for great value
Cons
- Does not excel in any one area
So, What’s the Best Helmet for City Riding?
While the VICTGOAL Bike Helmet is our top pick for cyclers who ride in the city, it might not work best for you, so consider all the options on our list. They are all of the highest quality, so the one you gravitate to most will likely depend on what features you heavily prioritize.
And remember, it might take you one or two tries to get the right biking helmet. Don’t feel frustrated if the first one you buy does not meet your expectations, as you can always return it and try a different one.