Bontrager Charge WaveCel Commuter Helmet

As an urban cycling lid, the Bontrager Charge WaveCel Helmet looks pretty sleek and offers an excellent fit. It is heavy though, and at £129.99 is a massive investment compared with typical urban cycling helmets. Does meeting the latest standards for e-bike use and sporting the brand's new WaveCel technology justify it though?

• Pros: Comfortable fit, small peak keeps the sun out of your eyes
• Cons: Heavy and pricey

The Charge is part of Bontrager's new WaveCel line-up, which, if you haven't come across it before, is a collapsible cellular material designed to deal with 'twists, turns, and angled impacts' rather than just direct impacts like standard EPS helmets.

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If you are interested in the details you can take a look at Mat's piece on it here.

We've seen similar systems to it before (although Bontrager says it is completely different) from the likes of Koroyd, which was fitted to the Endura Pro SL that I tested last year.

The biggest issue with that was ventilation, and it's a similar story here. The Charge has very little venting in the first place, and what it does have doesn't let a whole lot of air through. One ride where I was heading directly into a cold northerly headwind saw about as much breeze as an asthmatic mouse could conjure up.

We also have one of the WaveCel race models in for testing, which will be more definitive from this point of view.

I found the fit of the Charge to be very comfortable, with tensioning of the cradle being dealt with at the rear by a Boa wire, like those usually found on shoes. It gives tiny little increments to get the fit just right.

The padding is firm but soft against your head and the whole experience is quite pleasurable, although it's quite a weighty helmet. At 445g it's one you're going to notice perched on your bonce.

In its defence, the Charge is certified to NTA 8776, a more stringent EU standard than 'normal' cycle helmets have to meet. It's approved for S-EPAC ('speed' electronically power assisted cycles) use, pedal assisted vehicles that can achieve speeds up to 45km/h (28mph) and are basically classed as mopeds here in the UK. You can get the full details on our sister site ebiketips here.

NTA 8776 helmets look like cycle helmets but have to withstand higher impact speeds, which could explain the increased heft. Its EPS body certainly feels thicker than most other road helmets.

Rather than using a standard clasp for the strap, Bontrager has gone for a magnetic option, the Fidlock, which works well and is quick and easy to open and close once you've got used to it.

Out front you get a rubberised peak that's just the right length for keeping the sun out of your eyes but doesn't restrict your view when scanning the road ahead.

If you're just after a simple urban commuter cycling helmet then there are a lot of cheaper options. The Smith Maze, for example, costs £54.99 and weighs 282g, though George found its fitting system a bit of a faff.

The TSG Status scored better, but will cost you £64.99 and weight is up a little compared to the Smith, at 313g.

> Cycling helmets: everything you need to know

If it's an NTA 8776 helmet you are after specifically, the Charge sits around the same price as a lot of the limited number of competition. The Met Grancorso mentioned in that ebiketips piece is available for around the hundred quid mark in the UK and has a lot of similarities to the Charge.

Overall, the Bontrager is a decent helmet if you want the extra protection over a standard cycling helmet for your commute and are willing to pay for it.

Verdict

Pricey and heavy for a standard commuter lid but passes the much more stringent standards for e-bike use