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review
Helmets
Haloglow Ice helmetHaloglow Ice helmet

Haloglow Ice helmet

7
by Shaun Audane
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published Dec 8, 2010

2
£39.99

VERDICT:

7
10
Innovative and surprisingly capable commuter/winter helmet
Weight: 
264g
Contact: 
www.todayscyclist.co.uk
How we test

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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Essentially two products in one, Haloglow Ice helmet is prefect for the rough and tumble of regular commuting thanks to the polycarbonate outer shell and unique integrated fibre optic/LED. 24 vents, in mould construction, washable pads and sturdy thumb closures are very high spec relative to the asking price, extending its horizons towards touring and winter training too.

Delivering fifty five hours and twenty eight (flashing and steady respectively) from two CR2032 watch type cells the helmet produces a captivating halo visible from about three hundred metres. By the time you’d hit the optics’ 10,000hr life expectancy the lid would be retirement ready without owing a bean. A peak would’ve been nice, shielding the face from rain and foliage but then, race/skull caps worn beneath do much the same thing.

Conforming to CE1078 and CS standards, the gloss black polycarbonate shell is well equipped to shrug off everyday scrapes (after all, it's what riot shields are made from) and obviously black will compliment your entire wardrobe from full Lycra training ensemble to office suit and tie. Copious vents and washable pads retain a temperate inner climate, keeping things hygienic whatever the weather. The softer profile is more conducive to helmet mounted lighting systems so the Haloglow is perfect for commutes or tours on the wild side. Regularly struck by random projectiles thrown up by vehicles, ours hasn’t shown the faintest trace of swirls or more serious damage in several weeks.

Two hours at a steady 20mph tempo didn’t fry my brains while the fibre optic component passed the garden hose test with flying colours. Switches are difficult things to perfect and this one requires a two second hold to engage which proved tricky in winter gloves. Of the two modes, flashing is by far the most eye-catching whether round town or along unlit lanes while the steady mode showed a tendency for blending in with neon shop signs and other light pollution.

Verdict

Innovative and surprisingly capable commuter/winter helmet.

road.cc test report

Make and model: Haloglow Ice helmet

Size tested: Ice, 54-59cm

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

ICE URBAN - BLACK

ONLY HELMET WITH FIBRE OPTIC TECHNOLOGY

FIBRE OPTIC LIGHT WRAPS AROUND HETMET FOR MORE THAN 10,000

HOURS OF NIGHT TIME VISIBILITY

FLASHING & SOLID LIGHT OPTION

INCLUDE 2 BATTERIES - 60 HOURS OF CONTINUOUS USE

INDUSTRIAL GRADE POLYCARBONATE (PC) OUTER SHELL

Well made with wider horizons than simply commuting.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
7/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
7/10
Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Possibly

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Generally, yes

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 37  Height: 1m 81  Weight: 70 kilos

I usually ride: Rough Stuff Tourer Based around 4130 Univega mtb Frameset  My best bike is: 1955 Holdsworth Road Path and several others including cross & traditional road

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, commuting, touring, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

Helmet
Haloglow
Cycling helmet
Cycle helmet
Shaun Audane

Shaun Audane is a freelance writer/product tester with over twenty-eight years riding experience, the last twelve (120,000 miles) spent putting bikes and kit through their paces for a variety of publications. Previous generations of his family worked at manufacturing's sharp end, thus Shaun can weld, has a sound understanding of frame building practice and a preference for steel or titanium framesets.
Citing Richard Ballantine and an Au pair as his earliest cycling influences, he is presently writing a cycling book with particular focus upon women, families and disabled audiences (Having been a registered care manager and coached children at Herne Hill Velodrome in earlier careers)

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2 comments

Avatar
laurenvdp | 13 years ago
0 likes

If anyone is looking to buy a helmet from the Haloglow range a 10% off voucher is available from the TfL site: www.tfl.gov.uk/cyclingoffers. It can be redeemed at any Haloglow retailer (not valid online).

Avatar
RuthF28 | 13 years ago
0 likes

I like it!

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