Gone are the days when bicycle helmets were a piece of Styrofoam with a plastic shell glued on top, we may not fully understand the effects a crash has on the brain but thankfully research is currently progressing and helmet manufacturers are constantly evolving their products to exceed the demands the user puts on them.
And while every company has their own idea about what that looks like and the materials used, they all strive to offer the same ultimate goal to protect the end user from a big crash and reduce the after effects as much as possible.
Bontrager’s new safety system looks like an amalgamation of two already existing safety products namely the Koroyd system and MIPS, but looks can deceive and they are actually similar but very different.
Unlike the honeycomb shape of the Koroyd system Bontragers Wavecel is designed to deflect angular impacts as such it more resembles waves as such it is not as laterally stiff but the benefit is that if you hit something wearing Wavecel it will buckle in the same direction as your skull giving a much higher level of impact protection from any angle.
The MIPS looking liner is actually the helmet cage on which the pads sit and although it does allow the head to move freely under impact the helmet relies more heavily on the Wavecel crumple zone than the movement of the helmet. Something that Bontrager claims that the new Wavecel helmets are “proven to be up to 48 times more effective than standard EPS (expanded polystyrene) foam at preventing concussions from common cycling accidents", and that "nearly 99 times out of 100, WaveCel prevents concussions from common cycling accidents"
Other features and benefits found on the new Bontrager Wavecel helmets are superior cooling thanks to the unique shape of the protective material it funnels air to the head and easily dissipates heat giving the rider not only a great level of protection but a comfortable helmet in all weathers.
For a great fit the new Bontrager Wavecel helmets feature the Boa® System so you can adjust the helmets fit with just one hand, the front chin buckle gets a similar treatment featuring the fantastic Fidlock magnetic buckle that simply slides together and fixes securely even with a single hand.
And should you test the capabilities of the Wavecel by crashing within the first year of ownership Bontrager offer a free crash replacement guarantee.
