I’m in the office with our Bell Sports asles rep Bill Rehor. He is showing us a very nice new Bell helmet called the Sweep that was used by a few teams in the Tour.
He also has a new version of the Atmos that is available in full-on, super dark matt black. It is mega-stealth, absolutely flat black. It isn’t a prototype but will be a production helmet. Super cool.
The Bell Sweep will also be available in a matt black color way, which seems to be the new “in” thing in helmets.
There is also a super limited (only 2004 produced) Lance “gold” helmet commemorating his 6th Tour win.
Interesing stuff. I tried talking him out of one of the sample helmets in black. No luck.
Even with all those vents, wouldn’t a black helmet get super toasty on a summer day? I’ll have to check out the Sweep when it comes out too, I’m due for a new helmet, I think mine is 3 years old now…
The subject of helmet color vs. heat reflection comes up every once in a while. I subscribe to the theory that a thick layer of styrofoam makes a really good insulator, so it doesn’t make any difference what the shell color is. Put an ice cube on top sometime and see if it cools you off any :-).
Besides, if Peter Reid wears mostly black for the run in Kona, it’s gotta be fast.
The owner’s manuals generally say the helmet’s normal lifespan is three years. However, you do need to read the owner’s manual with your helmet. There are actually some interesting things in there.