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review

BTwin 900 Road Bike Helmet

7
£49.99

VERDICT:

7
10
Good all-round performance from BTwin's top road lid
Weight: 
303g

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Decathlon's BTwin 900 road bike helmet is their top lid for the road, coming in at a penny under £50. It's a good helmet, and good value. I wasn't blown away by the performance but there's nothing really wrong with it.

BTwin gear comes in 300, 500, 700 and 900 series, getting progressively more technical (and expensive) as you go. As such, this is the most expensive road lid they'll sell you. It's an in-moulded EPS/polycarbonate design with 28 vents, and it features internal reinforcement to keep it structurally sound should you ever need to test its EN1078 credentials. The straps are standard webbing with a quick-release cinch to get them running properly down the sides of your head. At the back there's a retention system that uses two ratchets at either side, rather than a dial. There's some standard internal padding, and a removable visor.

In use the 900 helmet puts in a solid rather than exceptional performance. Venting is good, overall comfort okay. I found the rear retention was higher than I'd like, and it's not height-adjustable, so that was a minor niggle. It didn't feel insecure, just slightly odd. The padding is in the right places and my 58cm head was a snug fit inside the 54-58cm medium, as you'd expect. The straps are easily adjustable, and don't dig in. The peak is fairly minimal and secure once you pop it into its four mounting points.

All good then? Yes, pretty much. At £50 though you'll be eyeing up the likes of the Giro Savant which is an exceptional helmet for the money, and for the sake of a tenner it's worth upping your spend. That being said, Decathlon often discount their BTwin stuff and at time of writing the 900 is 20% off at £39.99, at which money it represents a good buy.

Verdict

Good all-round performance from BTwin's top road lid

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road.cc test report

Make and model: BTwin 900 Road Bike Helmet

Size tested: Black, 54-58cm

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?

Protection for competitive road or cross-country riders.

The best in ventilation.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

User comfort

Cushioning foam. Adjustable head size with micro-adjustment sliders.

Ventilation

28 ventilation holes.

Low weight / lightweight

277g without visor.

Impact protection

Moulded from a single piece + reinforced internal structure for added strength

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10

Well made. Padding, retention system and webbing don't feel top dollar but it's nicely built.

Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10

Venting works well, retention system and strap both fine although I'd prefer the rear retention sat a little lower.

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
7/10

Not bad for a £50 helmet but there are lighter out there.

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
7/10

Decent levels of comfort throughout.

Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

Not bad at full price, often on offer too.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

It performed well. It didn't blow me away, but it did all the helmety things.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Looks good, not expensive.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Retention system could do with sitting lower, padding not the best.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Maybe, at a discount.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? If it was on offer.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 41  Height: 190cm  Weight: 102kg

I usually ride: whatever I'm testing...  My best bike is: Genesis Equilibrium 853

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mtb, Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling, track

 

Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.

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5 comments

Avatar
Peowpeowpeowlasers | 9 years ago
0 likes

I love how none of these helmet reviews actually test the ability of the helmet to protect someone's head. How about you drop it onto concrete at 20mph, complete with a dummy head, to see what it does? A few images of an obliterated helmet and a damaged dummy head might spur someone into creating a helmet that actually does something.

Avatar
MKultra replied to Peowpeowpeowlasers | 9 years ago
0 likes
Peowpeowpeowlasers wrote:

I love how none of these helmet reviews actually test the ability of the helmet to protect someone's head.

Volunteers to be fired against a wall on a powered sled?

It could get messy, I believe the US Air force once used chimps or Walmart employees.

Avatar
Bigneilsmith | 9 years ago
0 likes

Decathlon do some great stuff - but this is fugly?
 21

Avatar
The _Kaner | 9 years ago
0 likes

too much exposed EPS for my liking....

Avatar
The _Kaner | 9 years ago
0 likes

too much exposed EPS for my liking....

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