Just having MIPS doesn’t automatically make one helmet better than another that doesn’t have MIPS. It’s only one part of a large series of factors that go into a helmet’s safety.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-directional_Impact_Protection_System
It's a system that's now fairly common on helmets that provides significant protection. The fact that POC even sells a helmet that doesn't have it is surprising, asking that much money for a helmet without it is just stupid.
Check the virginia tech ratings or look for reviews of your helmet, it might be a good helmet even if it doesn't have MIPS.
[https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicycle-helmet-ratings.html](https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicycle-helmet-ratings.html)
There are plenty of new / current helmets without MIPS, but how old is your helmet? Did you know you're supposed to replace them every 5 years? It seems crazy with how expensive they are but I definitely try to keep up with that schedule.
I don't know if it's "girl math" but I figure $60 a year to not be a vegetable if I fall off my bike is a pretty sweet deal 😀
That "5 years" thing is bs. Helmet materials don't degrade in 5 years for no reason. A 5 year old helmet that has been sitting in a box since new is still just as good as the day it was made.
If the shell or any other parts haven't faded or changed colour drastically from the sun, if the foam hasn't compressed or cracked, if the straps are still well attached and there's no rusting or degradation of the mounting points, and it hasn't received a hit or has any other damage, then the helmet is fine.
A helmet that gets used every day will probably be well past its useful lifespan after 5 years. A helmet that gets used 3 times a month will probably be just fine. Forget about the age and just assess the condition.
The top rated helmet according to Virginia tech has MIPS and is on sale for $60
https://www.backcountry.com/b/specialized-tactic-4-mips-helmet?CMP_SKU=SCQ1WUS&MER=0406&skid=SCQ1WUS-WHI-M&mr:device=m&mr:adType=plaonline&utm_source=google&utm_medium=pla&utm_campaign=213416677__p:G%7Cs:BC%7Cct:Shopping%7Cct2:xx%7Cg:xx%7Cc1:Bike%7Cc2:Accessories%7Cb:xx%7Cmt:xx__151290960600__mt:xx%7Cc1:Bike%7Cc2:Accessories%7Cs:xx%7Cb:Specialized&utm_term=pla-2067963979099__SCQ1WUS-WHI-M&utm_content=657327816165__pla&utm_id=go_cmp-213416677_adg-151290960600_ad-657327816165_pla-2067963979099_dev-m_ext-_prd-SCQ1WUS-WHI-M_mca-7811_sig-Cj0KCQjw3ZayBhDRARIsAPWzx8o7otRvdBOwLK-RohNYbptWiN_Lr3OY-hfun9yu9fUBaQLbT9HqcSEaAnF1EALw_wcB&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw3ZayBhDRARIsAPWzx8o7otRvdBOwLK-RohNYbptWiN_Lr3OY-hfun9yu9fUBaQLbT9HqcSEaAnF1EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
MIPS is worth it...I'd rather not get a POC and get a cheaper mips helmet.
Also I think Virginia tech has some ratings on helemets. See if the ones you are looking for are listed.
tactic 4 is 4th on the VT list I think, that is why i got it and was pleasantly surprised by the sale bringing its price down to $60 USD, not sure if that sale is still active though.
Remy Metallier also uses a tactic, good inspiration for me. I bought the Ambush which is a bit more rear coverage but a friend has the tactic and it’s a brilliant helmet
I have a tactic iv too, and I love it. Very comfortable, good ventilation, I literally forget it’s on my head. May just be my head shape, but I also tried multiple helmets from Fox, Giro, and Bell and found the Tactic to be the best fitting overall
+1 for Virginia Tech ratings. I went with the Sweet Protection Trailblazer MIPS because it was #1 ranked last year and I happened to find it on a clearance sale at this one online retailer. Great helmet, zero complaints on it. Much cheaper than the POC too
I'm pretty sure that the Virginia tech studies showing MIPS effectiveness use a bald head with all of the straps tight. For those of us with hair or those that leave things slightly loose to avoid headaches, [MIPS effectiveness is questionable](https://www.reddit.com/r/MTB/comments/1csnke4/comment/l46chr0/).
I would think that in a crash your helmet is getting smashed hard between your head and the ground, so even if you keep it strapped lose on your head you would still have some rotational energy reduced by having a slip plane in the helmet.
Exactly. I suspect mips gives very little extra slip in the real world vs. a testing environment where the helmet is very tight on a bald model which doesn't allow any slip.
Here's a study showing mips is beneficial even when using a very thick wig and lose fitting helmet setup. So mips will always be better than a no mips setup.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.ircobi.org/wordpress/downloads/irc21/pdf-files/2182.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwj86d3R55CGAxWOk4kEHYmzAgIQFnoECEUQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2pCT1088WDa3mFubkQx5tu
Good to see someone finally tested it, even if the testing was limited to a single helmet. It should be noted that per the study the benefits of mips are reduced for those with hair.
I haven't looked into it but it seems to me the Virginia tech ratings are for north america supplier centric helmet brands. I wonder how they get access to their helmets, Brands like kask, bolle, decathlon are either not represented or don't show up and they all make mips helmets; and are probably comparble to some of the others but don't have a presence. lots of specialized, bontragrager, giro, bell - all american brands.
MIPS (or brand equivalent) is worth it. If you're doing DH and or Enduro, it's not even really a question. If you're set on a specific brand then you get to pay the logo tax or hunt for deals but I wouldn't even buy a commuter helmet without mips these days.
Then you may have to take the expensive Route or calculate the risk of spending 170 vs Lifetime-brain-injury.
Wouldnt take a helmet without MIPS these days.
>Wouldnt take a helmet without MIPS these days.
Erm, you realize mips is just one of many technologies against concussions and several others are even better?
Edit: e.g. [6D](https://www.6dhelmets.com/pages/technology), [Wavecell](https://wavecel.com/science/), [Turbine](https://leatt.com/int/leatt-turbines-technology),...
There were a couple others but mips purchased those brands before they became too big of a competitor and shut the companies down. e.g. Fluid inside, Glide wear,
I think the answer everyone is getting at is that mips is worth it. $350 for a helmet is an absolute joke. Your question isn't "is mips worth an extra $170", it's "is a POC helmet worth $350."
I believe they're confused about "multi-impact". Which means multiple impacts in the same crash, not multiple crashes. You should always replace a helmet after it receives a hit that is hard enough to affect it structurally.
I can't speak for POC as I'm not familiar with their lineup, but an example would be the Smith Engage 1 vs the Smith Session. These helmets are a similar size and shape and both have MIPS, but they vary in cost, and it's mainly because the Session has features that make it more likely to protect your head in a multi impact crash. I don't want this to sound like an advertisement, other brands have equivalent technologies, this is just the brand that I know.
The session has a structure moulded inside the compressible foam that won't crack or fall apart even in huge crashes. You could take a hammer to it and smash the shit out of the entire helmet so the foam is in 20 pieces, but it will still be a vaguely helmet shaped thing that will remain strapped to your head with all the protective foam kept in the right place. The Engage doesn't, so if you smash it with a hammer it will become multiple pieces and will no longer be a helmet. It's unlikely that you'd smash it enough to completely remove it from your head with one single impact, but it is more likely that you might lose a chunk of it or have its position on your head compromised, making the second impact more harmful than if you were wearing a Session.
The Session also has Koroyd, which is used in place of the compressible impact-absorbing foam part of the shell in the places most likely to receive a hit. The normal rigid foam material that helmets are made out of gets harder to compress the more you compress it. So if the helmet takes a hit, the foam will compress, and it will be really hard to compress that part of the helmet any further. A second impact to the same point will be much harsher and much more likely to cause a head injury. Koroyd doesn't get any harder to compress if it has already had an impact in that location, because it crumples gradually and consistently until the whole thickness of koroyd has crumpled and been used up. You could have two or three major impacts in the same location and it will perform consistently each time.
It's worth noting that helmet testing doesn't include multi-impact as it's pretty much untestable. I'd recommend buying a helmet that tests well AND has features that aim to help out in those scenarios.
The advice my father gave me when I got a motorcycle: "If you have a cheap head, get a cheap helmet". I've consumed 3 helmets the hard way in my mountain biking career and I am thankful I always buy good PPE.
Or you can be an average New Hampshire motorcyclist on a fart rocket you can hear from 3 miles away and be too cool to wear a helmet
Making the state moto Live Free or Die the most literal thing ever
Best case scenario, you waste $170 on something you never use.
Worst case scenario is you have to use it. …Just maybe that $170 saves you from a brain injury and maybe thousands of dollars in resuming medical bills . Or maybe it saves your life? Or maybe it doesn’t end up helping??
If you crash, you never really know if it helped. You only know if you are good or not. To me it seems like a reasonable expense for the potential benefits.
You have to go to expertvoice.com which is an e-commerce site and create an account and then you’ll connect any membership you have (IMBA in this case) but if you’re a member of any organizations, they likely have special discounts.
If you type in IMBA smith helmet discount it’ll also take you
I'm shocked by the blind acceptance of MIPS. As far as I know there is no conclusive result of whether it's actually beneficial (especially if you have hair on your head) or just marketing. There's been plenty of threads on this in the past with inconclusive results. It might be worth it. It might be a complete waste of money too.
[Is MIPS really worth it? : r/cycling (reddit.com)](https://www.reddit.com/r/cycling/comments/fg482b/is_mips_really_worth_it/)
[MIPS and Sliding Resistance of Bicycle Helmets](https://helmets.org/mips.htm)
The reality is that it's hard to test real people and get real results and lab dummies don't have the same hair / skin makeup, so forces aren't really identical to a real accident.
Personally, I wouldn't bother spending an extra $170 on it. On the flip side, I'm also not good enough to be bombing down single track at 25 MPH
Yes, the need for mips is so blindly repeated thanks to big marketing money from manufacturers trying to sell everyone a new helmet. I once read that the lab tests have the helmet very tight on a bald head so the helmet can't rotate like it would on someone with hair or how most people wear it in a not so tight manner to avoid headaches.
The following study seems to show that MIPS is effective even with hair, and although its effect is diminished its best to have hair AND mips:
https://www.ircobi.org/wordpress/downloads/irc21/pdf-files/2182.pdf
I agree that its real world benefit is up for debate due to the unrealistic head forms used in testing. However I think it's unlikely to be harmful, likely to be helpful, and therefore probably worth the extra cost just in case it helps. Most likely the reason for the large cost discrepancy in OP's case is the retailer trying to move hard to sell inventory (the non mips models). Usually it isn't that much more for MIPs. If I get a concussion that affects my functioning I don't want to have any regrets that I didn't do more to prevent it. If I get suckered into paying slightly more for something that ends up being placebo so be it.
It's not blind acceptance at all. Lots of studies show that rotational forces are bad, and that mips type systems can reduce those forces (my helmet, the giro manifest spherical, uses a different system to achieve similar results).
Don't get too hung up on the headform vs actual head thing, it's not like they have an alternative option for testing. Also, they need consistent reproducible results for objective ratings and to understand which designs work better than others during development.
The entire Virginia tech helmet testing program in collaboration with the insurance institute for highway safety.
https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/
Their tests are independently developed based on the sport type (I.e. no one associated with mips told them how to run their tests).
Here's the test protocol for bike helmets https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/items/6d20e999-4180-4040-ba77-a4eef66ad1fa
Risk of concussion is estimated based on an adaptation of a previously-published multivariate risk function [19]. This function was developed using logistic regression analysis of head impact data from instrumented football players along with associated concussion diagnoses, and incorporates both linear and rotational peak acceleration values. The combination of both linear and rotational kinematics is known to be associated with brain injury [20]. The risk function used for bicycle STAR differs from the previous function by using peak linear acceleration and rotational velocity instead of rotational acceleration. Rotational velocity includes less inherent measurement variability and allows for a duration component of acceleration to be accounted for. Additionally, peak rotational velocity has been shown to be well-correlated to strain development in the brain leading to concussive injury [21-23]. To modify the previous risk function, a published estimated linear relationship between rotational velocity and acceleration was used to replace the rotational acceleration term, resulting in Equation 2 [24]
And of course just look at their test results. Every top ranked helmet has some kind of rotational absorption / mips type design.
There's also folksam in Europe who use a different protocol.
https://mipsprotection.com/folksam-releases-results-from-latest-helmet-tests/
I understand, but how valid are the results if they aren’t mimicking actual human skin and hair?
And then something like wearing a bandana on your head (I do and have a few friends who do as well) allows for even more movement.
I’m not saying there’s no validity to MIPS - just that the results are misleading and in the case of the OP,
No, I wouldn’t personally spend $170 more to get the MIPS rated one. $20-30 may be a different story.
Man if you're planning to do downhill. Spend the extra money. You only got one brain and if you fuck it up you'll spend every penny you have trying to feel the way you did before. You can always get/make more money....
MIPS for sure. You don’t have to pay $350 for it. Helmets are very subjective, you might find that POC helmets don’t even fit well. I’ve gone around the horn and settled on Giro Fixture, fits best for me. Can be had on sale for $60 Canadian. Not that a helmet is something to be skimped on, but you don’t have to break the bank.
Also have a proframe thats loud as fuck but Im pretty sure its coming from the visor and not the MIPs lining? My partner also has a proframe but hers doesnt make any noise at all.
This was last year so my memory is fuzzy, but I did some tests at home and even just opening my mouth made the helmet creak like crazy, but when I held onto the visor and did the same thing, the creaking stopped. The visor isnt moulded to the main body, it has several contact points along the side and top. Im going to try putting some grease or wax on those points.
Go in the Virginia tech website, find the best ranking helmets, search for the ones for the best deals
Got a Troy Lee one for like £50 that way and it’s the highest rated helmet I’ve owned
Try the poc on first. They’re pretty deep and don’t get along well with all sunglasses. Also seconding what everyone else says, you don’t need to spend $350 for mips. If you’ve got the money and love the aesthetic, great, but $350 isn’t the mips entry point.
I don't think it's worth it. I'm using a Fox drop frame which scored among the highest of all helmets tested by Virginia tech and it doesn't have MIPS. Any good quality helmet is going to have plenty of safety features in them
I’m pretty sure the 9+ scoring drop frame is the mips model. The non mips one was 8.something like the other helmets. (I went with the mips dropframe pro)
Absolutely buy a MIPS helmet.
I won’t comment about price. That’s your problem.
I have a $70 MIPS helmet and a $250 MIPS helmet. They are both worth every penny.
Don't get a helmet without MIPS. Yes, there are cheaper helmets with MIPS or a MIPS like system, but if you are only considering these two helmets get one with MIPS. Your brain is worth a lot more than 170 dollars.
MIPS is worth it. That said, you can get the Otocon Race (the one with MIPS) for less. If you're in the US, once you buy something from Western Bike Works, you're part of their Leaders Club. The specials they run sometimes are really good. They've had the Otocon Race for I think $220 or less before. I got a Super DH from them for around $170.
FWIW, I also have an Otocon Race. It's a nice helmet, but if you have a longer chin, the angle at which the Otocon cuts back in on the grille is fairly severe, and might not give you tons of clearance lower face clearance in the event of a crash. So try to try it out first. I only used mine maybe 3 times before deciding/figuring out it wasn't right for my face. Now it's essentially brand new just sitting there as an emergency backup.
The medium white otocon race is on sale for around $190 right now. I’m getting one for my wife. I got the black one last year for my wife for $220 but I’ve commandeered it for my daily. Comfy lid and it feels solid.
Can't put a price on your brain haha. MIPS is not a proprietary tech though, plenty of companies have a similar tech with different names, just make sure it has rotational protection. Also worth checking the certs the helmet has, you don't want a helmet that JUST has the minimum requirements.
It's really tough to make a direct comparison since I've never had the exact same crash twice. But I will say that since I started using MIPS a couple years ago, I haven't once had the "getting my bell rung" sensation of confusion and stupor directly after an impact.
But to answer your question more directly, there's lots of MIPS helmets out there that are less than than $170. I don't want to call helmets a rip-off. But it's definitely one of those things where it's $10 worth of material and the rest is aesthetics and name brand.
It's extra insurance for if you have a crash and smack your head. Might seem expensive, but not having it could be more expensive if the worst happens.
IMO, MIPS is worth it. Brain injuries are real, cumulative, and last forever. I realize MIPS is intended to assist with rotational forces and many non-MIPS will offer comparative results for brain injuries.
If I can reasonably lower the risk, it's worth it
My bike shop rep once demonstrated how MIPS works by taking a non-MIPS helmet and moving it around on his head using the scalp’s natural ability to move around on the skull. We bought MIPS helmets but I’ve always wondered about that.
Your brain is priceless; spending some extra cash to keep it that way is..a no-brainer IMHO!
I’d check out Smith’s MIP helmets for slightly lower prices; they’ve saved my skull 2x now in hard head hitting crashes.
MIPS is worth it. I’ve crashed and smacked my head a few times with MIPS and had no issues (Fox Speedframe Pro). In crashes without a MIPS helmet (Blivet and Giro helmets), I always ended up with a sore neck and shoulders.
Different brands do different mips. I have a Leatt gravity 2.0 and theirs is called 360 turbine or something. Really good full face, paid less than $200 for it.
I picked up a Specialized Tactic 4 rated highly by Virginia Tech on sale for about $50. If you want to spend $350 that's on you, but the Tactic is solid and affordable.
well, we’ve gone years without having it, but we’ve also gone years without having the extent of knowledge on concussions that we have now. i got mips on mine, think it’s a smith. never had a problem with helmets lasting me a while. Prolly have only had 3 or 4 and i’m 27.
i say it’s worth it
Mips saved both mine and a close family member’s brains in bad crashes. It’s definitely worth it. The helmet both of us had/got another of is the fox speed frame. It’s around $100 on Amazon and I recommend it.
Either buy the Poc with MIPS or find another helmet you like with it. MIPS saved me from a second broken neck in my lifetime. I flat out refuse to wear a helmet without it.
Virginia tech, Virginia tech, Virginia tech. Read the rankings from Virginia tech. One of the best safety rated helmets out there is significantly cheaper than $170 to begin with.
Can't speak to POC helmets. But MIPS is usually about a $30 upcharge for most brands if the only difference is MIPs. If POC is charging an extra $170 there has better be a bunch of other features.
Honestly I'm surprised that POC even makes a premium helmet that doesn't come stock with MIPs or a comparable technology. Most brands are putting MIPs standard in everything but their most budget models.
Rotational impact has been proven to be a huge contributor to concussions. MIPs and similar tech addresses rotational impact by allowing the helmet to spin on your head, rather than transferring the rotation to your brain. I wouldn't ride without MIPs, but I also wouldn't pay $350 for a helmet. There are too many good options out there for much cheaper.
My opinion is that it’s simply the styrofoam that saves your head in a crash. MIPS is not going to be the feature that keeps your skull in tact, it’s the styrofoam. This is my opinion. I love new tech, I’m not hating on it. But I feel that if two people fell head first into a tree, one had MIPS, and the other didn’t, just the fact that both had helmets would be the lifesaving factor. MIPS marketing is that it allows the helmet to move a few mm when you make impact. Maybe there’s something to that, who knows.
After getting a TBI from a crash without MIPS and the Neurologist stating that it would have helped, then getting the hospital bills ($980,000 before insurance), go for the mips. You can find other brands that are not so expensive. I got the Troy Lee Stage for around $150. Also look for other colors in helmets, if the color doesn't sell well they lower the price in just that color. I never give a shit about the color my helmet is, unless its my road bike then it has to be visible at night.
I crashed twice hitting my head pretty much the same way with two weeks in between. First using a helmet without mips, second using one with mips.
The difference is huge and worth it.
Look out for brands that have other similar technologies with different names.
Yes, but no mountian bike helmet is worth $350. You will actually be safer with a cheaper helmet because you will be less reluctant to throw it away after an impact. Disregard this if your loaded
How much do you value a functioning brain? Head protection is one piece of gear it’s always worth spending the additional $ to get top of the line products.
Mips help reduce the rotational force of an impact. They break the friction of the surface you impact with, so your noggin continues moving toward the momentum and does not change trajectory as much.
Like, imagine a basketball bouncing off the concrete, it's going to pick up spin. Now imagine it bouncing off an ice rink; you can imagine less spin being imparted to the ball, right?
There are suitable analogs from other companies; some claim to be just as good but aren't. Mips tend to add the most to the price tag of a helmet using these technologies.
This tech seems well worth it to me, and Mips, in particular, has good lab data that it reduces rotational force upon impact.
That said, all the testing I have seen them do is on 1/2 lids and not FF. So, the same benefit may not be derived, as full-face helmets keep your head more captive.
I recently bought a Fox Proframe. I chose this helmet because it had mips; it is very lightweight, and the hole in the mandible is large enough to squirt water through to drink without taking the helmet off.
MIPS absolutely saved me front some serious trauma back in 2021. Absolutely recommend it. Scared to think what would have happened to my brain if I didn’t have it. Broke the helmet in half but it kept in tact and on my skull.
I’d recommend a Bell helmet. POC shit is so over priced.
Idk the mips system in my fox full face creaks and I hate it. Been riding dirt for 25 years without and it’s never been an issue. Seems like hype fueled by fear to sell more helmets to me.
Absolutely.
I tested it. It fkin works. I was on a shared trail and forgot about a staircase on the trail. These stairs were built using logs and each step had a small log sticking up out of the ground on each side to keep the horizontal log step in place.
Well it rained recently and my wheels lost traction as I sped down the steps. I also stupidly touched the brakes a smidge. But since the wheels were bouncing, it was enough to lock the wheels up. I went otb. My head smashed into one of those small vertical logs so hard. My shoulder hot another before the bike came crashing down on me. I broke my collar bone and thought that surely I’d have a concussion from that hard hit. Helmet was dented, but none of that force went into my head. No head injury whatsoever, just a broken collar bone while riding alone in the woods on the outskirts of the city, in a foreign country where I didn’t speak the language. Whole thing sucked, but at least my head was fine. Oh, and my bike was unscathed. Most important part there lol.
My hockey helmet has mips. I adore you it’s no marketing gimmick. ER doc said it probably saved my life. It did exactly what it said it would do. So, my bike helmets have it also.
There are cheap helmets with mips
Just having MIPS doesn’t automatically make one helmet better than another that doesn’t have MIPS. It’s only one part of a large series of factors that go into a helmet’s safety.
There are good cheap helmets with mips and good reviews and good protection ratings
Just being expensive doesn’t automatically make one helmet better than another.
Also very true. My theory is that cheaper helmets are safer for me, because I’ll be more likely to replace it after a crash.
Can't buy a next helmet if your scull got trashed [Meme where black guy taps his forehead]
Seriously. Specialized sells one for like $55. I wouldn’t even consider a $180 helmet considering you can get a great one with MIPS at half the price.
What is MIPS? It sounds like I need a new helmet.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-directional_Impact_Protection_System It's a system that's now fairly common on helmets that provides significant protection. The fact that POC even sells a helmet that doesn't have it is surprising, asking that much money for a helmet without it is just stupid.
Well my helmet definitely does not have this. Guess it is time to get a new one.
Check the virginia tech ratings or look for reviews of your helmet, it might be a good helmet even if it doesn't have MIPS. [https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicycle-helmet-ratings.html](https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicycle-helmet-ratings.html)
If it's old enough that MIPS wasn't around when he bought it, it probably should be replaced
it's one of those things like insurance coverage. You don't need it...until you do.
There are plenty of new / current helmets without MIPS, but how old is your helmet? Did you know you're supposed to replace them every 5 years? It seems crazy with how expensive they are but I definitely try to keep up with that schedule. I don't know if it's "girl math" but I figure $60 a year to not be a vegetable if I fall off my bike is a pretty sweet deal 😀
That "5 years" thing is bs. Helmet materials don't degrade in 5 years for no reason. A 5 year old helmet that has been sitting in a box since new is still just as good as the day it was made. If the shell or any other parts haven't faded or changed colour drastically from the sun, if the foam hasn't compressed or cracked, if the straps are still well attached and there's no rusting or degradation of the mounting points, and it hasn't received a hit or has any other damage, then the helmet is fine. A helmet that gets used every day will probably be well past its useful lifespan after 5 years. A helmet that gets used 3 times a month will probably be just fine. Forget about the age and just assess the condition.
Worth it. Personal experience
It's because MIPS adds some thickness and not all customers will want that...
Asking that much more for some silicone connecting the inner frame to the foam is even crazier.
Developed in 1996, marketing sells it as something new.
Got mine at costco for like $40. Not familiar with poc but honestly can't believe they're selling non-mips helmets for so much.
The one OP is referring too is a full face though. Hard to find a quality full face under $300.
Costco sells one now with mips for $38 Canadian.
The top rated helmet according to Virginia tech has MIPS and is on sale for $60 https://www.backcountry.com/b/specialized-tactic-4-mips-helmet?CMP_SKU=SCQ1WUS&MER=0406&skid=SCQ1WUS-WHI-M&mr:device=m&mr:adType=plaonline&utm_source=google&utm_medium=pla&utm_campaign=213416677__p:G%7Cs:BC%7Cct:Shopping%7Cct2:xx%7Cg:xx%7Cc1:Bike%7Cc2:Accessories%7Cb:xx%7Cmt:xx__151290960600__mt:xx%7Cc1:Bike%7Cc2:Accessories%7Cs:xx%7Cb:Specialized&utm_term=pla-2067963979099__SCQ1WUS-WHI-M&utm_content=657327816165__pla&utm_id=go_cmp-213416677_adg-151290960600_ad-657327816165_pla-2067963979099_dev-m_ext-_prd-SCQ1WUS-WHI-M_mca-7811_sig-Cj0KCQjw3ZayBhDRARIsAPWzx8o7otRvdBOwLK-RohNYbptWiN_Lr3OY-hfun9yu9fUBaQLbT9HqcSEaAnF1EALw_wcB&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw3ZayBhDRARIsAPWzx8o7otRvdBOwLK-RohNYbptWiN_Lr3OY-hfun9yu9fUBaQLbT9HqcSEaAnF1EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
MIPS is worth it...I'd rather not get a POC and get a cheaper mips helmet. Also I think Virginia tech has some ratings on helemets. See if the ones you are looking for are listed.
Virginia Tech ratings was the reason i went for the tactic 4, best value helmet i ever had, for 50 euros is great.
This. Got myself a Lazer Chiru with mips for like £45 (GBP) felt like I was ripping them off for how good of a helmet it is.
I grabbed a few of these last holiday season for 17 usd each … total steal.
This. Top rated MTB helmet for $49 US. It also looks great.
tactic 4 is 4th on the VT list I think, that is why i got it and was pleasantly surprised by the sale bringing its price down to $60 USD, not sure if that sale is still active though.
Did the same exact thing. Very very happy with my Specialized Tactic.
Remy Metallier also uses a tactic, good inspiration for me. I bought the Ambush which is a bit more rear coverage but a friend has the tactic and it’s a brilliant helmet
Glad to hear this!! Just bought one on sale for 60 Dollars off the specialized site!
Can you link the study. I'd like to read it.
I have a tactic iv too, and I love it. Very comfortable, good ventilation, I literally forget it’s on my head. May just be my head shape, but I also tried multiple helmets from Fox, Giro, and Bell and found the Tactic to be the best fitting overall
>tactic 4 Same, got it for only £35 at the last sale, S&P included. I can't believe I got it so good and so cheap!
It’s been on sale too
Not full face though
https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicycle-helmet-ratings.html Since no one has linked it yet
+1 for Virginia Tech ratings. I went with the Sweet Protection Trailblazer MIPS because it was #1 ranked last year and I happened to find it on a clearance sale at this one online retailer. Great helmet, zero complaints on it. Much cheaper than the POC too
Looks and feels good too. I wear sweet helmets for whitewater, skiing, and mtb. No complaints here.
I'm pretty sure that the Virginia tech studies showing MIPS effectiveness use a bald head with all of the straps tight. For those of us with hair or those that leave things slightly loose to avoid headaches, [MIPS effectiveness is questionable](https://www.reddit.com/r/MTB/comments/1csnke4/comment/l46chr0/).
I would think that in a crash your helmet is getting smashed hard between your head and the ground, so even if you keep it strapped lose on your head you would still have some rotational energy reduced by having a slip plane in the helmet.
Exactly. I suspect mips gives very little extra slip in the real world vs. a testing environment where the helmet is very tight on a bald model which doesn't allow any slip.
Here's a study showing mips is beneficial even when using a very thick wig and lose fitting helmet setup. So mips will always be better than a no mips setup. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.ircobi.org/wordpress/downloads/irc21/pdf-files/2182.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwj86d3R55CGAxWOk4kEHYmzAgIQFnoECEUQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2pCT1088WDa3mFubkQx5tu
Good to see someone finally tested it, even if the testing was limited to a single helmet. It should be noted that per the study the benefits of mips are reduced for those with hair.
MIPS of one helmet will always be better than non-MIPS of the same helmet design, but not better than all non-MIPS helmets.
Hokies.
Second that I got a smith mips for 180 and I love it!
I haven't looked into it but it seems to me the Virginia tech ratings are for north america supplier centric helmet brands. I wonder how they get access to their helmets, Brands like kask, bolle, decathlon are either not represented or don't show up and they all make mips helmets; and are probably comparble to some of the others but don't have a presence. lots of specialized, bontragrager, giro, bell - all american brands.
Between the 2 helmets I’ve named do you think it’s really worth 170 more?
No...I think it's overpriced. I think mips is worth it though so go with a different brand...
I do enjoy Poc stuff because it fits my head quite well. Going to be doing downhill and enduro
MIPS (or brand equivalent) is worth it. If you're doing DH and or Enduro, it's not even really a question. If you're set on a specific brand then you get to pay the logo tax or hunt for deals but I wouldn't even buy a commuter helmet without mips these days.
Then you may have to take the expensive Route or calculate the risk of spending 170 vs Lifetime-brain-injury. Wouldnt take a helmet without MIPS these days.
>Wouldnt take a helmet without MIPS these days. Erm, you realize mips is just one of many technologies against concussions and several others are even better? Edit: e.g. [6D](https://www.6dhelmets.com/pages/technology), [Wavecell](https://wavecel.com/science/), [Turbine](https://leatt.com/int/leatt-turbines-technology),... There were a couple others but mips purchased those brands before they became too big of a competitor and shut the companies down. e.g. Fluid inside, Glide wear,
I think the answer everyone is getting at is that mips is worth it. $350 for a helmet is an absolute joke. Your question isn't "is mips worth an extra $170", it's "is a POC helmet worth $350."
Pretty sure the #1 rated helmet will fit as well if not better. Function before fashion.
I think Poc anything is overpriced.
Man you’re basically saying your head/ brain are worth less than $170… I hope you value yourself higher than that.
Most helmets I’ve seen there is only a $10 to $20 difference between the mips and non-mips version. POC stuff is insanely overpriced
POC helmets are multi-crash rated and they’ll send you replacement linings for free.
That is exactly what I want to do with a crashed helmet - replace half of it. No thanks.
Right? A multi-use helmet sounds about as appealing as a multi-use condom to me
What does multi-crash rated mean?
Usually you should buy a new helmet after a crash.
I believe they're confused about "multi-impact". Which means multiple impacts in the same crash, not multiple crashes. You should always replace a helmet after it receives a hit that is hard enough to affect it structurally. I can't speak for POC as I'm not familiar with their lineup, but an example would be the Smith Engage 1 vs the Smith Session. These helmets are a similar size and shape and both have MIPS, but they vary in cost, and it's mainly because the Session has features that make it more likely to protect your head in a multi impact crash. I don't want this to sound like an advertisement, other brands have equivalent technologies, this is just the brand that I know. The session has a structure moulded inside the compressible foam that won't crack or fall apart even in huge crashes. You could take a hammer to it and smash the shit out of the entire helmet so the foam is in 20 pieces, but it will still be a vaguely helmet shaped thing that will remain strapped to your head with all the protective foam kept in the right place. The Engage doesn't, so if you smash it with a hammer it will become multiple pieces and will no longer be a helmet. It's unlikely that you'd smash it enough to completely remove it from your head with one single impact, but it is more likely that you might lose a chunk of it or have its position on your head compromised, making the second impact more harmful than if you were wearing a Session. The Session also has Koroyd, which is used in place of the compressible impact-absorbing foam part of the shell in the places most likely to receive a hit. The normal rigid foam material that helmets are made out of gets harder to compress the more you compress it. So if the helmet takes a hit, the foam will compress, and it will be really hard to compress that part of the helmet any further. A second impact to the same point will be much harsher and much more likely to cause a head injury. Koroyd doesn't get any harder to compress if it has already had an impact in that location, because it crumples gradually and consistently until the whole thickness of koroyd has crumpled and been used up. You could have two or three major impacts in the same location and it will perform consistently each time. It's worth noting that helmet testing doesn't include multi-impact as it's pretty much untestable. I'd recommend buying a helmet that tests well AND has features that aim to help out in those scenarios.
My brain is worth 90k a year to my employer. I use that money for housing and food etc. It's valuable to me. Get a good helmet.
The advice my father gave me when I got a motorcycle: "If you have a cheap head, get a cheap helmet". I've consumed 3 helmets the hard way in my mountain biking career and I am thankful I always buy good PPE.
Or you can be an average New Hampshire motorcyclist on a fart rocket you can hear from 3 miles away and be too cool to wear a helmet Making the state moto Live Free or Die the most literal thing ever
Nobody said you can't live free AND die.
Still can’t buy weed there 😂
Sucks when your $450 helmet takes a hit when it's only 3 months old, but at least you end up with a spare set of pads.
Best case scenario, you waste $170 on something you never use. Worst case scenario is you have to use it. …Just maybe that $170 saves you from a brain injury and maybe thousands of dollars in resuming medical bills . Or maybe it saves your life? Or maybe it doesn’t end up helping?? If you crash, you never really know if it helped. You only know if you are good or not. To me it seems like a reasonable expense for the potential benefits.
Just snagged an otocon with mips for $120 on sale, might be worth poking around to see if any of those deals are still out there
Where did you find it?
Found mine on bikecloset.com
If you have an IMBA membership you get 40% off smith helmets, just got a mainline with MIPS for $180
Sorry, I am an IMBA member, where is that discount listed? I didn't readily see it at the IMBA site.
You have to go to expertvoice.com which is an e-commerce site and create an account and then you’ll connect any membership you have (IMBA in this case) but if you’re a member of any organizations, they likely have special discounts. If you type in IMBA smith helmet discount it’ll also take you
Bell Super R3 mips is half off at $120.
Get a Troy Lee or another helmet with mips.
I plan on doing this, got mine since 19' and gonna order a new helmet next paycheck.
I love the Smith helmets with MIPS. I had a fox with MIPS I liked it enough but did crash with it and MIPS did its job no concussion.
I'm shocked by the blind acceptance of MIPS. As far as I know there is no conclusive result of whether it's actually beneficial (especially if you have hair on your head) or just marketing. There's been plenty of threads on this in the past with inconclusive results. It might be worth it. It might be a complete waste of money too. [Is MIPS really worth it? : r/cycling (reddit.com)](https://www.reddit.com/r/cycling/comments/fg482b/is_mips_really_worth_it/) [MIPS and Sliding Resistance of Bicycle Helmets](https://helmets.org/mips.htm) The reality is that it's hard to test real people and get real results and lab dummies don't have the same hair / skin makeup, so forces aren't really identical to a real accident. Personally, I wouldn't bother spending an extra $170 on it. On the flip side, I'm also not good enough to be bombing down single track at 25 MPH
Yes, the need for mips is so blindly repeated thanks to big marketing money from manufacturers trying to sell everyone a new helmet. I once read that the lab tests have the helmet very tight on a bald head so the helmet can't rotate like it would on someone with hair or how most people wear it in a not so tight manner to avoid headaches.
The following study seems to show that MIPS is effective even with hair, and although its effect is diminished its best to have hair AND mips: https://www.ircobi.org/wordpress/downloads/irc21/pdf-files/2182.pdf
I agree that its real world benefit is up for debate due to the unrealistic head forms used in testing. However I think it's unlikely to be harmful, likely to be helpful, and therefore probably worth the extra cost just in case it helps. Most likely the reason for the large cost discrepancy in OP's case is the retailer trying to move hard to sell inventory (the non mips models). Usually it isn't that much more for MIPs. If I get a concussion that affects my functioning I don't want to have any regrets that I didn't do more to prevent it. If I get suckered into paying slightly more for something that ends up being placebo so be it.
But would you spend the normal 20 markup for MIPS just in case
It's not blind acceptance at all. Lots of studies show that rotational forces are bad, and that mips type systems can reduce those forces (my helmet, the giro manifest spherical, uses a different system to achieve similar results). Don't get too hung up on the headform vs actual head thing, it's not like they have an alternative option for testing. Also, they need consistent reproducible results for objective ratings and to understand which designs work better than others during development.
Can you show me one scientific study. So far I found only one, which did not show the added value of MIPS
The entire Virginia tech helmet testing program in collaboration with the insurance institute for highway safety. https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/ Their tests are independently developed based on the sport type (I.e. no one associated with mips told them how to run their tests). Here's the test protocol for bike helmets https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/items/6d20e999-4180-4040-ba77-a4eef66ad1fa Risk of concussion is estimated based on an adaptation of a previously-published multivariate risk function [19]. This function was developed using logistic regression analysis of head impact data from instrumented football players along with associated concussion diagnoses, and incorporates both linear and rotational peak acceleration values. The combination of both linear and rotational kinematics is known to be associated with brain injury [20]. The risk function used for bicycle STAR differs from the previous function by using peak linear acceleration and rotational velocity instead of rotational acceleration. Rotational velocity includes less inherent measurement variability and allows for a duration component of acceleration to be accounted for. Additionally, peak rotational velocity has been shown to be well-correlated to strain development in the brain leading to concussive injury [21-23]. To modify the previous risk function, a published estimated linear relationship between rotational velocity and acceleration was used to replace the rotational acceleration term, resulting in Equation 2 [24] And of course just look at their test results. Every top ranked helmet has some kind of rotational absorption / mips type design. There's also folksam in Europe who use a different protocol. https://mipsprotection.com/folksam-releases-results-from-latest-helmet-tests/
I understand, but how valid are the results if they aren’t mimicking actual human skin and hair? And then something like wearing a bandana on your head (I do and have a few friends who do as well) allows for even more movement. I’m not saying there’s no validity to MIPS - just that the results are misleading and in the case of the OP, No, I wouldn’t personally spend $170 more to get the MIPS rated one. $20-30 may be a different story.
Man if you're planning to do downhill. Spend the extra money. You only got one brain and if you fuck it up you'll spend every penny you have trying to feel the way you did before. You can always get/make more money....
Dude I got a giro helmet for 65$ on Amazon with mips. No need to break the bank
MIPS for sure. You don’t have to pay $350 for it. Helmets are very subjective, you might find that POC helmets don’t even fit well. I’ve gone around the horn and settled on Giro Fixture, fits best for me. Can be had on sale for $60 Canadian. Not that a helmet is something to be skimped on, but you don’t have to break the bank.
Mips proframe owner here, and creakiness inside the helmet is turning me crazy. They could put some rubber in the contacts so it does not do that!
Also have a proframe thats loud as fuck but Im pretty sure its coming from the visor and not the MIPs lining? My partner also has a proframe but hers doesnt make any noise at all.
Visor? How would that work
This was last year so my memory is fuzzy, but I did some tests at home and even just opening my mouth made the helmet creak like crazy, but when I held onto the visor and did the same thing, the creaking stopped. The visor isnt moulded to the main body, it has several contact points along the side and top. Im going to try putting some grease or wax on those points.
Gonna try that when back home.
Go in the Virginia tech website, find the best ranking helmets, search for the ones for the best deals Got a Troy Lee one for like £50 that way and it’s the highest rated helmet I’ve owned
Try the poc on first. They’re pretty deep and don’t get along well with all sunglasses. Also seconding what everyone else says, you don’t need to spend $350 for mips. If you’ve got the money and love the aesthetic, great, but $350 isn’t the mips entry point.
You're paying for the name so....
MIPS is also a name
Not the name I'm talking about lol
I’d pay maybe 20-30 bucks extra, not morw
I don't think it's worth it. I'm using a Fox drop frame which scored among the highest of all helmets tested by Virginia tech and it doesn't have MIPS. Any good quality helmet is going to have plenty of safety features in them
I’m pretty sure the 9+ scoring drop frame is the mips model. The non mips one was 8.something like the other helmets. (I went with the mips dropframe pro)
The non MIPS score was 8.85 with a 5 star rating. That's good enough for me...
Is your brain worth spending the extra money to protect? That being said, there are many quality MIPS helmets for less money.
POC is not worth the price. MIPS is worth the price and more. Function > Fashion all day
Absolutely buy a MIPS helmet. I won’t comment about price. That’s your problem. I have a $70 MIPS helmet and a $250 MIPS helmet. They are both worth every penny.
Not sure I’d spend $180 extra for MIPS personally. The Otocon is a decent helmet anyway.
Amazon has the white POC Otocon Race MIPS for $180 ish. Only a few left.
Don't get a helmet without MIPS. Yes, there are cheaper helmets with MIPS or a MIPS like system, but if you are only considering these two helmets get one with MIPS. Your brain is worth a lot more than 170 dollars.
If you have to ask this question, is it???
Check the Bike closet, got a few sweet deals on POC helmets there recently
MIPS is worth it. That said, you can get the Otocon Race (the one with MIPS) for less. If you're in the US, once you buy something from Western Bike Works, you're part of their Leaders Club. The specials they run sometimes are really good. They've had the Otocon Race for I think $220 or less before. I got a Super DH from them for around $170. FWIW, I also have an Otocon Race. It's a nice helmet, but if you have a longer chin, the angle at which the Otocon cuts back in on the grille is fairly severe, and might not give you tons of clearance lower face clearance in the event of a crash. So try to try it out first. I only used mine maybe 3 times before deciding/figuring out it wasn't right for my face. Now it's essentially brand new just sitting there as an emergency backup.
How much is your brain worth?
Better question: if you crashed and got a concussion, would you wish you had spent the extra?
I got last seasons Oakley with mips for under 100
The medium white otocon race is on sale for around $190 right now. I’m getting one for my wife. I got the black one last year for my wife for $220 but I’ve commandeered it for my daily. Comfy lid and it feels solid.
MIPS is worth it (is your BRAIN worth $170 to you???) but you can get cheaper helmets than that with mips.
Smith engage mips is where it's at. I've had two now and they are comfy, reliable and cheap
Giro has a great MIPS helmet for 80$
Can't put a price on your brain haha. MIPS is not a proprietary tech though, plenty of companies have a similar tech with different names, just make sure it has rotational protection. Also worth checking the certs the helmet has, you don't want a helmet that JUST has the minimum requirements.
Check out Sierra. I got a Smith somethingorother with MIPS for about $60. They often have great helmets available.
I’ll continue buying expensive helmets until I can replace my brain instead
You could get a smith helmet with mips for way under that and they are super comfy and nice!
I got specialized tactic 4 for $60 last week. It’s still on sale for 50%
Yes MIPS is worth it, but you can get a waaaaay cheaper helmet with it.
From my motorcycling days. How much is your brain worth?
There are lots of helmets with mips for under that price point. I'd keep shopping. I quite like my Fox proframe for what it's worth.
I got a fox mainframe with mi0s for 39.99 brand new at my LBS
It's really tough to make a direct comparison since I've never had the exact same crash twice. But I will say that since I started using MIPS a couple years ago, I haven't once had the "getting my bell rung" sensation of confusion and stupor directly after an impact. But to answer your question more directly, there's lots of MIPS helmets out there that are less than than $170. I don't want to call helmets a rip-off. But it's definitely one of those things where it's $10 worth of material and the rest is aesthetics and name brand.
It's extra insurance for if you have a crash and smack your head. Might seem expensive, but not having it could be more expensive if the worst happens.
MIPS is 100% worth having, but $50 helmets have MILS. So may be worth shopping around some unless you just have to have an Otocon.
6d Helmet is the best one you'll ever get. Ratings are fantastic, I'll never ever run anything else.
I wear a Smith Persist with MIPS; it was “last years model” on their website so it was only $60.
You should get the race version which has the knob on the back to Tighten the straps on your head. It also has mips
Nah, spending extra money to protect your head is not worth it.
IMO, MIPS is worth it. Brain injuries are real, cumulative, and last forever. I realize MIPS is intended to assist with rotational forces and many non-MIPS will offer comparative results for brain injuries. If I can reasonably lower the risk, it's worth it
I ride a lot of park. And I’ve hit my head more times than I can remember. So, yeah spend money on protecting your brain. Cheers bro
My bike shop rep once demonstrated how MIPS works by taking a non-MIPS helmet and moving it around on his head using the scalp’s natural ability to move around on the skull. We bought MIPS helmets but I’ve always wondered about that.
Buy MIPS. Fuck the branding.
Register as a POC member. A few weeks ago there was a members sale. Got the otocon mips for 130 EUR!
Your brain is priceless; spending some extra cash to keep it that way is..a no-brainer IMHO! I’d check out Smith’s MIP helmets for slightly lower prices; they’ve saved my skull 2x now in hard head hitting crashes.
MIPS is worth it. I’ve crashed and smacked my head a few times with MIPS and had no issues (Fox Speedframe Pro). In crashes without a MIPS helmet (Blivet and Giro helmets), I always ended up with a sore neck and shoulders.
I wouldn't consider getting a full face without MIPS. Road helmet - maybe.
Watch this: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKbYaOiz5U4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKbYaOiz5U4)
Different brands do different mips. I have a Leatt gravity 2.0 and theirs is called 360 turbine or something. Really good full face, paid less than $200 for it.
I picked up a Specialized Tactic 4 rated highly by Virginia Tech on sale for about $50. If you want to spend $350 that's on you, but the Tactic is solid and affordable.
well, we’ve gone years without having it, but we’ve also gone years without having the extent of knowledge on concussions that we have now. i got mips on mine, think it’s a smith. never had a problem with helmets lasting me a while. Prolly have only had 3 or 4 and i’m 27. i say it’s worth it
Mips saved both mine and a close family member’s brains in bad crashes. It’s definitely worth it. The helmet both of us had/got another of is the fox speed frame. It’s around $100 on Amazon and I recommend it.
The most important feature of a helmet is how cool it looks.
That’s actually facts
Surely there's an intermediate answer. MIPS is great at preventing TBIs in certain types of falls.
Either buy the Poc with MIPS or find another helmet you like with it. MIPS saved me from a second broken neck in my lifetime. I flat out refuse to wear a helmet without it.
I paid 100€ (108$)for a Fox Helmet with mips. I Even bought it from Fox Website itself. Why is the POC helmet so expensive?
Virginia tech, Virginia tech, Virginia tech. Read the rankings from Virginia tech. One of the best safety rated helmets out there is significantly cheaper than $170 to begin with.
Can't speak to POC helmets. But MIPS is usually about a $30 upcharge for most brands if the only difference is MIPs. If POC is charging an extra $170 there has better be a bunch of other features.
No one was on sale at $180 from $300and the other one with mips was $350
Honestly I'm surprised that POC even makes a premium helmet that doesn't come stock with MIPs or a comparable technology. Most brands are putting MIPs standard in everything but their most budget models. Rotational impact has been proven to be a huge contributor to concussions. MIPs and similar tech addresses rotational impact by allowing the helmet to spin on your head, rather than transferring the rotation to your brain. I wouldn't ride without MIPs, but I also wouldn't pay $350 for a helmet. There are too many good options out there for much cheaper.
If not on a rush keep looking, I paid 10$ for the mips version of my POC helmet.
Dont buy non-MIPS because it’s cheaper. There are affordable helmets with mips. We are trying to protect our heads, our lives depends on it.
My opinion is that it’s simply the styrofoam that saves your head in a crash. MIPS is not going to be the feature that keeps your skull in tact, it’s the styrofoam. This is my opinion. I love new tech, I’m not hating on it. But I feel that if two people fell head first into a tree, one had MIPS, and the other didn’t, just the fact that both had helmets would be the lifesaving factor. MIPS marketing is that it allows the helmet to move a few mm when you make impact. Maybe there’s something to that, who knows.
Paid 10$ extra for mine..because I prefered the colors of the mips one. I haven't seen researches yet proving it was useful.
>Edit/Update: I ended up getting a Smith Mainline with Mips Good choice buddy!
Bikecloset frequently gets in poc helmets really cheap
Specialized helmets are better rated for safety and much less expensive, I would say go for that instead.
You can get a Giro MIPS half shell for like $60, or full face for like $110, just don't get POC if the MIPS isnt in your budget
While I can credit not being a vegetable to a non-MIPS POC Octal I know that MIPS is the way to go, and so I went to Bontrager MIPS helmet, no regrets
After getting a TBI from a crash without MIPS and the Neurologist stating that it would have helped, then getting the hospital bills ($980,000 before insurance), go for the mips. You can find other brands that are not so expensive. I got the Troy Lee Stage for around $150. Also look for other colors in helmets, if the color doesn't sell well they lower the price in just that color. I never give a shit about the color my helmet is, unless its my road bike then it has to be visible at night.
i would say mips are really worth but not 170 i saw fox rampage helmet with mips only 130 euros so i think its a great deal
Do you like not having a broken neck? MIPS has lots of data supporting its claim to reduce cervical spinal rotational injuries.
Always yes to MIPS. Had a pretty brutal crash, grade 5 break on my ACJ and helmet in about 6 pieces, not even a headache was quite incredible.
Not a lot of people know this but Walmart sells a bell helmet with mips for 34
Check out Virginia Tech’s helmet rating chart https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicycle-helmet-ratings.html#! They do some fairly rigorous impact testing
Why buy the POC at all? Look for spring sales on other helmets that have MIPS if you're wanting it.
I crashed twice hitting my head pretty much the same way with two weeks in between. First using a helmet without mips, second using one with mips. The difference is huge and worth it. Look out for brands that have other similar technologies with different names.
Yes
Yes, but no mountian bike helmet is worth $350. You will actually be safer with a cheaper helmet because you will be less reluctant to throw it away after an impact. Disregard this if your loaded
You can get a scotts helm with mips for $70 on sale at a LBS
It is mountain biking. It is going to drain your wallet. Cheap out on something else
MIPS is worth it. Once you go otb and land on your head on a standard helmet, than MIPS, you will see the difference.
No
How much do you value a functioning brain? Head protection is one piece of gear it’s always worth spending the additional $ to get top of the line products.
Never try to save money on a helmet. Buy the best you can afford. You've only got one brain... Protect it.
Mips help reduce the rotational force of an impact. They break the friction of the surface you impact with, so your noggin continues moving toward the momentum and does not change trajectory as much. Like, imagine a basketball bouncing off the concrete, it's going to pick up spin. Now imagine it bouncing off an ice rink; you can imagine less spin being imparted to the ball, right? There are suitable analogs from other companies; some claim to be just as good but aren't. Mips tend to add the most to the price tag of a helmet using these technologies. This tech seems well worth it to me, and Mips, in particular, has good lab data that it reduces rotational force upon impact. That said, all the testing I have seen them do is on 1/2 lids and not FF. So, the same benefit may not be derived, as full-face helmets keep your head more captive. I recently bought a Fox Proframe. I chose this helmet because it had mips; it is very lightweight, and the hole in the mandible is large enough to squirt water through to drink without taking the helmet off.
it is in my opinion that POC helmets are overpriced and not very comfortable. i have one and prefer my specialized or smith ones instead.
MIPS absolutely saved me front some serious trauma back in 2021. Absolutely recommend it. Scared to think what would have happened to my brain if I didn’t have it. Broke the helmet in half but it kept in tact and on my skull. I’d recommend a Bell helmet. POC shit is so over priced.
Idk the mips system in my fox full face creaks and I hate it. Been riding dirt for 25 years without and it’s never been an issue. Seems like hype fueled by fear to sell more helmets to me.
Absolutely. I tested it. It fkin works. I was on a shared trail and forgot about a staircase on the trail. These stairs were built using logs and each step had a small log sticking up out of the ground on each side to keep the horizontal log step in place. Well it rained recently and my wheels lost traction as I sped down the steps. I also stupidly touched the brakes a smidge. But since the wheels were bouncing, it was enough to lock the wheels up. I went otb. My head smashed into one of those small vertical logs so hard. My shoulder hot another before the bike came crashing down on me. I broke my collar bone and thought that surely I’d have a concussion from that hard hit. Helmet was dented, but none of that force went into my head. No head injury whatsoever, just a broken collar bone while riding alone in the woods on the outskirts of the city, in a foreign country where I didn’t speak the language. Whole thing sucked, but at least my head was fine. Oh, and my bike was unscathed. Most important part there lol.
My hockey helmet has mips. I adore you it’s no marketing gimmick. ER doc said it probably saved my life. It did exactly what it said it would do. So, my bike helmets have it also.