BELL Avenue MIPS Adult Road Bike Helmet

Product Information

ERGO FIT—A lightweight fit system with an easy-to-turn rubber overmolded dial for adjustments (integrated with MIPS). But Bontrager doesn’t just use WaveCel, with the brand opting for MIPS in some of its helmets too. When asked why, Foos said Bontrager “offers a range of products that align with riders’ needs and combine the best balances of performance, comfort, price, and style.” MIPS stands for Multi-directional Impact Protection System, which is a leading slip-plane technology inside the helmet designed to reduce rotational forces that can result from certain impacts. It is widely regarded that increased visibility equates to increased safety. To that end, we have taken our classy all-rounder, the Formula, and incorporated a bright, 20-lumen rear LED into the fit system. It’s unobtrusive, highly visible, easily rechargeable with an included micro USB, and it just might make the difference between being seen and not.

Many helmets with these alternative systems rank just as well as other MIPS helmets in testing, and sometimes better. In terms of performance, the AVENUE MIPS holds its own. It offers good ventilation, with sculpted vents that keep your head cool and comfortable even during intense rides. The sleek aesthetic of the helmet is an added bonus, making it a stylish choice for riders who want to look good while staying safe. Using the same in-mould engineered construction as their flagship models, the Avenue MIPS Helmet won’t let you down should you bash your head. This system, pioneered by Bell, sees an impact-absorbing EPS foam fused to a durable outer shell. Should you be unfortunate to take a tumble, this system works to soak up damaging impact forces while maintaining excellent structural integrity. Bell have then deployed MIPS.What we actually do with the MIPS system is mimic a fall on ice. So instead of [the head] grabbing into the ground and experiencing rotation, it’s more like we slide on ice and continue in the direction we were supposed to go.” Like water, the brain cannot be compressed. If you expose a bowl of water or a human head to a linear force, Halldin says you will see very low deformation figures for the central part of the bowl of water and the brain. However, if you introduce a rotational force you will see higher strain values on the centre.

Peter Halldin, chief technical officer at MIPS, explains what happens when you fall at an angle and how the MIPS system counteracts the rotational forces caused because of this: Marcus Seyffarth, head of product development at MIPS, uses the analogy of stretching a rubber band to explain the effect these strain values can have.

FLYING BRIDGE VISOR TECHNOLOGY — This visor design allows more flexibility and improves airflow across the helmet. By not using a traditional center post and screw concept, we're able to increase the amount of energy management material in a high-impact zone. The company released the first third-party helmet with MIPS a few years later. They realised there was greater potential to get MIPS into helmets if they worked with other helmet manufacturers, as opposed to producing their own. This is a business model much like Gore-Tex or Polartec, which sell their fabrics to different clothing companies. Nutcase global brand director, Christopher Bohannon, explains that Nutcase is "nuts about safety" and has fully integrated MIPS into their helmet lineup "to get as many people as possible in MIPS-equipped helmets." Is Wavecel Better than Mips? Rotational motion is a common cause of concussions in oblique hits to the head. In a crash, the Mips system is designed to move slightly inside the helmet to help redirect forces away from the head.