Bontrager XXX WaveCel Helmet

Bontrager's XXX WaveCel helmet offers a good fit and a high level of comfort although it's heavier than rivals in its price bracket.

• Pros: Comfortable, good fit system, durable
• Cons: Heavier than rivals

The elephant in this particular room, though, is safety... Back in March, Bontrager claimed that WaveCel sets new standards in terms of the protection it offers.

> Find your nearest dealer here

WaveCel is a collapsible cellular material developed by orthopaedic surgeon Dr Steve Madey and biomechanical engineer Dr Michael Bottlang. They have collaborated for 25 years and have worked with Trek and Bontrager's Research and Design teams on the creation of the WaveCel helmets over the past four years.

Most helmets are designed to protect against direct impacts whereas WaveCel is also designed to deal with "twists, turns, and angled impacts", according to Bontrager.

"WaveCel absorbs energy in multiple ways. On impact, the layers of the WaveCel material move independently and flex until the cell walls crumple and then glide, actively absorbing direct and rotational energy and redirecting it away from your head.

"This three-step change in material structure—flex, crumple, glide—is remarkably effective at dispersing the energy from an impact. Nearly 99 times out of 100, WaveCel prevents concussions from common cycling accidents."

Bontrager also says that WaveCel is "proven to be up to 48 times more effective than standard EPS (expanded polystyrene) foam at preventing concussions from common cycling accidents".

Those are huge claims!

> Get more details on Bontrager's claims here

Shortly afterwards, Swedish helmet ingredient company MIPS said that WaveCel helmets perform far less impressively in safety tests than Bontrager claims, and suggested that the equipment chosen for lab evaluation could have been responsible for overstated benefits. You can read more on that here.

> Find out all you need to know about MIPS here

Koroyd, the brand behind the co-polymer tube structure you see in helmets from Smith and Endura, also voiced scepticism at Bontrager's safety claims. 

Then Virginia Tech said in May that several Bontrager WaveCel helmets, including the Bontrager XXX WaveCel, had performed well in its latest safety tests, earning five-star ratings. That said, the Lazer Cyclone MIPS achieved better results than any of them, and Bontrager's own Ballista MIPS got a better score than its XXX WaveCel. 

Virginia Tech says, "Our bicycle helmet impact tests evaluate a helmet's ability to reduce linear acceleration and rotational velocity of the head resulting from a range of impacts a cyclist might experience."

Its ratings are based solely on safety factors, not ventilation, fit, comfort, weight or price. Here's its methodology. 

Virginia Tech says, "[Our] helmet ratings are the culmination of over 10 years of research on head impacts in sports and identify which helmets best reduce concussion risk. This work is done as part of Virginia Tech's service mission and is 100% independent of any funding or influence from helmet manufacturers."

We don't perform our own helmet safety tests so you can take Virginia Tech's findings or you can leave them.

Moving on from safety, one of the first things you notice about the Bontrager XXX WaveCel is that it's a deep fit, extending low on your brow and temples as well as at the back. I didn't have any issues with this but one tester found that the low front clashed with some high-sitting eyewear. I can certainly see how that could happen because the helmet and certain models of glasses that I used (100% Speedtraps, for example) were almost touching. It's something to check out before handing over your cash.

The Bontrager XXX WaveCel isn't the roundest helmet I've ever used, and it's not the longest either – it sits somewhere in the middle. The flexible fit system connects at the temples and the rear and comes with the choice of five different height settings. You adjust tension via a clicking Boa dial at the back that couldn't be simpler to operate.

The lightweight webbing straps are similarly easy to adjust and the dividers are sturdy, while a single multi-sectioned pad keeps the WaveCel material off your head. Even if you don't have much hair, you won't feel any sharp edges inside.

It all works well to provide a comfortable and secure fit on a wide range of head shapes.

One thing that you will notice is that the Bontrager XXX WaveCel is a little heavier than many similarly priced helmets out there. We have the medium sized version on test and it hit the road.cc Scales of Truth at 361g.

To give that some context, the Abus Airbreaker helmet that we reviewed recently was 214g while the Catlike Kilauea was 252g. 

Some people are more sensitive to that than others. I've never found the Bontrager XXX WaveCel uncomfortably heavy but I have certainly been more aware of it in use than of some lighter lids.

I did worry that all of that WaveCel material would make the helmet feel hot, but didn't find that to be the case. That said, I don't tend to suffer with a hot head so I asked off-road.cc's Pat to try it out too, because he does. Pat finds a Smith helmet with Koroyd protection and a MIPS liner to be uncomfortable in warm weather, but he didn't have a similar issue here. Although there are no gaping vents or deep internal channels, several other testers reported that the Bontrager XXX WaveCel is cooler than appearances might suggest. Airflow isn't up there with the very best but none of our users started burning up as soon as the temperature hit the high 20s.

The internal padding wicks sweat well, the line across your brow doing a good job of stopping sweat dripping down on to your glasses. It'll eventually get overwhelmed on a hot climb but will keep your vision clear in most circumstances.

An issue you could have with the WaveCel structure is that it doesn't allow you to tuck the arms of your eyewear into the vents. You can flip some glasses upside down and use the tension in their arms to hold them in place against the sides of the helmet, but I've tried every orientation possible with other glasses and nothing works.

Four months in and the Bontrager XXX WaveCel is looking almost as good as new. The WaveCel is tough stuff and the EPS around the edge of the helmet is covered in a protective layer of polycarbonate so it's unlikely to get squashed when carried in a bag or the back of a car. This looks like it's going to last well.

One thing I haven't discussed is aerodynamics. Bontrager says that the XXX WaveCel offers "an aerodynamic shape [that] helps you outsmart the wind and ride faster". However, it doesn't provide any material to support that assertion (we've asked, of course).

> Buyer's Guide: 19 of the best high-performance helmets

In terms of price, the Abus Airbreaker helmet that I mentioned earlier is £229.99, while the Catlike Kilauea is £219.99. The Bontrager XXX WaveCel's £199.99 is in no way unusual for a high-end lid these days.

Conclusion

Bontrager's XXX WaveCel is a highly comfortable helmet with good adjustability. If Virginia Tech's findings are to be believed, the level of protection it offers against concussion resulting from a range of impacts a cyclist might experience is among the best available.

Verdict

Comfortable helmet incorporating interesting new tech, although it's heavier than most high-end rivals