Bell Array helmet £74.99

The Array is Bell’s latest mid-level helmet. When I first pulled it out of the box and removed the packaging, I was initially certain it was the wrong helmet. Helmets this light, well ventilated and sharp looking usually cost substantially more.

But it was the right helmet. It’s the result of the “trickle-down” effect. Hot on the heels of the new top-end Volt helmet, launched last summer, the Array boasts many of the features found up towards the top-end, but without the high price tag.

Let’s start with the features, then. First, there’s the 22 wind channelling vents designed to suck and push air over your noggin to keep you as cool as possible, the easy to use Twin Axis Gear retention device, which employs a turn-dial for ridiculously simple adjusting, and in-mould technology with an internal reinforcing composite skeleton – which essentially means Bell can get away with less foam and larger vents for a lighter weight without compromising on the helmet’s all-important role of protecting your head in the event of a crash.

On the head the helmet cuts a low profile, and isn’t too portly either at a claimed 284g. The retention device is among the easiest out there and on the bike adjustments are easy to make. I tested it alongside the Giro Ionos and Specialized 2D and it offered similar levels of comfort and ventilation. The 2D edges the Array on weight but the Ionos isn’t that far ahead, and in the ‘how it actually feels out on the road’, there’s really little to distinguish between them.

It all really begs the question, why spend any more?

Three sizes are available to cover all head sizes, and there’s seven colours to choose from.