Keith Bontrager is not only an engineer, but also a physicist and rider, and the bike rack he designed in the '70s made quite a splash in the fledgling world of mountain biking. Later, Keith expanded the custom frame shop business to make bicycle accessories, which was the beginning of Bontrager. In 1995, Trek, a top bicycle brand, acquired Bontrager, and with the support of Terrk, Bontrager has developed into the world's top bicycle accessories brand, enjoying a high reputation, and the same is true for cycling helmets.
 
Safety is the first criterion for users to choose helmets, and concussion, as the most common injury in cycling collisions, should focus on prevention. At present, most helmet manufacturers add MIPS systems to their helmets to reduce the probability of concussion. The MIPS system was invented by Swedish scientists Hans von Holst and Peter Halldin, and the patent is owned by MIPS. MIPS was first applied to police helmets and is the mainstream technology for cycling helmets in preventing concussions. There are other companies on the market that have designed similar protection systems to MIPS, but the most successful is the WaveCel collapse buffer technology.
 
Trek and Bontrager co-developed the WaveCel collapse cushioning technology, which was the first helmet technology to receive funding from the National Institutes of Health. Helmets with WaveCel have a foldable honeycomb structure on the inside, which cushions the impact when it reaches the head, and the Terk website claims that helmets with WaveCel technology are 48 times more protective than standard foam helmets when it comes to preventing concussions. Currently, in the field of bicycle accessories, this technology is only used in Bontrager brand helmets.
 
Most of Bontrager's helmets are made from a single piece of molding technology, which adheres the shell to the surface layer during the foaming stage of the cap, which provides a better fit and strength to protect the head. The inner layer of the foam and the shell of the non-monobloc helmet are produced in two parts, and then glued together, the shell and the foam will create gaps, low fit, poor protection of the head, and have been phased out.
 
There are many helmets that Bontrager recommends, and they vary in terms of helmet accessories, ventilation design, and exterior styling. From the perspective of concussion prevention, Bontrager's products can be divided into three categories: WaveCel helmets, MIPS helmets, and regular helmets. In Virginia Tech's helmet safety tests, Bontrager's WaveCel helmet line received a perfect 5-star recommendation, while MIPS helmets received a Very Good rating or higher, and regular helmets without WaveCel or MIPS received only 3-star Good ratings.
 
WaveCel technology is both protective and lightweight, with helmets with WaveCel technology adding an average of only 53 grams to a regular Bontrager helmet. At present, Bontrager has launched a total of four WaveCel helmets, Specter, Charge, XXX, and Blaze, priced at $150-300, and the Specter and Charge are priced at the same price, both at $150, the difference is that the Specter is a road helmet with better ventilation, while the Charge has small ventilation holes, which is more suitable for daily commuting use. The $300 XXX is better optimized in terms of aerodynamics, and the NoSweat pads on the helmet keep sweat out of the eyes, making it more suitable for race use. The Blaze is a mountain bike helmet with a GoPro camera and Bontrager lights, and has a long brim that provides some shade compared to road helmets.
 
Bontrager's star product, the $200 Ballista features a Multi-Directional Impact Protection System (MIPS) that reduces the risk of concussion in a crash and received a 5-star recommendation in Virginia Tech's helmet safety test. Other MIPS-equipped helmet models include Circuit and Quantum, both priced above $100 and worth buying with 83 points from Consumer Reports and a 4-star recommendation from the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab, respectively.
 
For users with high ventilation requirements, the Ballista has been tested in wind tunnels, the Circuit helmet that can be attached to the camera or lamp accessory by magnets, and the Quantum helmet with a detachable brim to prevent foreign objects from flying into the rider's eyes and at the same time provide some shade.
 
The Solstice, Velocis, and Rally helmets are available in both MIPS and regular versions, and the reflective elements of the Solstice helmet shell make it easier for riders to spot at night, thus improving safety. The junior version, Solstice Youth, was the first recommendation in the Youth Helmet category by Consumer Reports, and the helmet was excellent in all indicators. The Velocis with visor brim is an improved version of the Ballista, and the helmet's front 5 large air intakes provide decent breathability. Like the Circuit, the Rally is all about practicality, with a Blendr mounting system that makes it easy to integrate GoPro cameras and Bontrager light accessories into the helmet.