Strengths: Got it for $20, comfy, fits well, mostly good air flow
Weaknesses: forhead gets wetter than monsoon season, little heavy
Bottom Line:
For $20 this is a good deal for some one without a lot of cash to spend. If most of your money is going to books and tuition this is a good use of money. It's a little heavy and makes my forehead sweat even more than my crappy old helmet. The rest of the air flow is good though, the top of my head stays cool. It fits really snuggly without having to choke myself with the strap, or compress my head to make the thing stop moving. I like the back locking system. It's pretty comfy too. Beats wearing a foam cooler on your head. Don't know if I'd spend the MSRP, go with something a little lighter if you are gonna fork over that dough, but can't pass it up for cheap.
Similar Products Used: really crap old bell helmet
Bike Setup: access XCL frame, lx/xt drive train, stx-rc vees with avid sd7 levers, thudbuster w/ selle italia gel flite, titec hellbent bars w/ big al stem, indy c fork - hey, I'm a college kid on a budget
Strengths: Comfortable, fits well, easy to adjust straps.
Weaknesses: A little heavy.
Bottom Line:
My frame broke at the headtube while on a fast road ride. The bike endoed with me clipped in. I woke up in the hospital, the helmet was as flat in the front as a cartoon charactor after being hit in the face with a fry pan. This helmet saved my life!
Bike Setup: Giant ATX 860, Cool blue Panaracer tires, cooler avid mech. front disk
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Nomad
a Weekend Warrior
from Cleveland, OH
Date Reviewed: August 7, 2002
Strengths: The fit when it was new, looks, color.
Weaknesses: Ventilation sucks, crappy pads, it falls apart.
Bottom Line:
This helmet is a piece of junk. I bought a 1999 model last year and I already had to buy a new helmet. After 30 hours of riding, the glue that holds the staps on fell apart. I tried to glue it back on myself, but was unsuccessful. This is unacceptable. I can't risk the front strap comming loose during a ride. Even the pads are falling apart. I just bought a Giro Exodus a week ago and hopefully it holds up. I really thought this helmet was great when I first got it because the fit was perfect, but the vents and quality are horrible. I will never buy a Bell helmet again.
Maybe I just got a lemon, since the other reviewers seem to like this helmet so much.
Submitted by
Pedro Branco
a Weekend Warrior
from Lisbon, Portugal
Date Reviewed: June 30, 2001
Strengths: Back head protections Tight Fit
Weaknesses: A bit hot
Bottom Line:
It protected me from severe head injurys when I was hit by a car, the back of the helmet was destroyed, absorving all the impact energy well done bell! Possibly saved my life.
Submitted by
Sherman
a Weekend Warrior
from British Columbia, Canada
Date Reviewed: March 10, 2001
Strengths: Good protection all around for all types of crashes Excellent fit Lots of adjustment Long straps for making the adjustments
Weaknesses: Color Scheme
Bottom Line:
I got this off of a crash replacement for my Evo 2 helmet. It is an excellent helmet. I cannot really comment on the value of the helmet but I think I got a great deal since it came off of crash replacement. Overall it is light and not too big. Fits very well with a lot of adjustment possibilities, much more than my Evo 2, the visor has more studs to keep it in place whereas my old evo 2 would have the visor move around. Not too crazy about the colors offered, I just selected the silver one which is probably the best color. They are using pads instead of the quick wick band that they used to have which seem to work alright. Vent holes are a lot bigger so you can get a finger in there to scratch your head.
Great helmet, colors may deter some buyers but some may actually like the colors. I give it a five
Submitted by
Rocky Rider
a Cross Country Rider
from Ontario
Date Reviewed: December 28, 2000
Strengths: Cool looks Good ventilation Plenty of straps to ensure good fit Reasonable price (I paid $90Can tax in last year) Visor (not really a plus for me - I don't use it) Molded-in shell (no squeaks) Speedy crash replacement
Weaknesses: It's okay to have a visor come with the helmet, but when you take it off there are four ugly holes left. The Bell sticker is not straight on the visor
Bottom Line:
I got this helmet as a crash replacement for my Esprit. It's exactly the same except for the visor. I ran into a stone wall, a stupid story, and my old helmet cracked before my head did (phew!). I have received this baby in about two weeks for $50 Canadian. It could have been faster if I had shipped express. They even picked a similar colour! This helmet provides very good fit as long as you read the manual word for word and do what it says. If you can't get perfect fit on the first try it's normal. On a hot summer day your forehead will be a little sweaty but that's the only weakness in ventilation I can remember (it's not as hot now in December). I don't get the idea behind black and dark red colours they also use: a helmet is a safety device, and how much safer is a helmet that you can't see in the dark? But overall there are no major disappointments with this design - go for it if you can.
I sure don't feel any more courageous wearing it, but I know it's there for me when it gets tough.
Similar Products Used: Cheaper Bell, and Esprit Pro (same but with no visor)
Bike Setup: I use it on both road and mountain bikes
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Greg Lawrence
a Cross Country Rider
from Tigard, OR USA
Date Reviewed: September 27, 2000
Strengths: This was a great fitting helmet(till I trashed it) the fit was superb and the only make I could find that really felt snug on my head. It replaced a specialised helmet and was definately cooler/lighter than it's predecessor. And to be honest I thought it looked cool too!
Weaknesses: None that I discovered
Bottom Line:
I bounced on this helmet onto a rock from over six foot up(don't ask, you really do not want to know the answer), the bottom line, it saved my life....I even broke off a peice of the rock in the process....all I suffered was a few moments of sparklies and a bruised shoulder. The helmet was destroyed. If you want a reason to buy this helmet....160lbs(+ 25lbs of bike) from six feet to rock, and I walked away, nothing more to say!
Submitted by
Paul
a Cross Country Rider
from Boston, MA
Date Reviewed: June 19, 2000
Strengths: cheap
Weaknesses: ZERO ventilation
Bottom Line:
I bought this helmet because I'm a cheapskate and Bell was offering $20 off with the trade-in of an old lid. In terms of crash protection, this helmet is fine, though I've been lucky enough not to find out firsthand. However, in terms of ventilation, this helmet is HORRIBLE! There are plenty of vents, but they're all too small, and do not allow enough air to pass through them. I've ridden around 500 miles using this helmet, and even on cool days, it feels like someone is standing over me with a blowtorch pointed at my head. My old Tsunami Pro, which was cheaper than the Image2000 and was fairly low on Bell's helmet totem, was MUCH better ventilated. Bottom line: Buy this helmet if you like heat, and large amounts of sweat dripping into your face as you ride. Otherwise, stay away, especially if you live in a hot climate. As for me, I've heard good things about Specialized's high-end lid. I may pick one up and keep the Image2000 as a backup.
Strengths: Solid feel, light weight, plenty of air
Weaknesses: Joke visor attachment, obviously it is not designed to last, snapped off first day of ownership. I hope plastic lock at back of neck is stronger and lasts.
Bottom Line:
A very good light weight helmet, let down by poor visor attachment design. I got it for $29.99 plus shipping from Pricepoint. Bell must improve visor attachment to justify full price charge.
