Bollé Eco React Mips

The Bollé Eco React Mips is an urban cycling helmet with safety and sustainability at the forefront of its design. I found it good to wear on my urban commutes, and if that's the extent of your cycling then it's worth a look, though I'm not fully sold on the need for a specific commuter lid. Check out our guide to the best cycling helmets for more options.

Looking at the marketing information for the Eco React Mips, it's very clear that sustainability is one of its key selling points. Bollé says, 'The same qualities that make our helmet lightweight, comfortable, and safe also make it eco-friendly.' The steps Bollé has taken to make it more environmentally friendly include using recycled plastic (40% of the shell is recycled), cork in the EPS layer (20%) and plant-based nylon, along with bamboo fibre lining, though only some plastics and petroleum products are able to be replaced.

Using this for urban city commuting, I found it did a great job. It's easy to get on and off, with its 'Click-To-Fit' retention system with a large dial, and a buckle that isn't too small and fiddly, as some can be.

The peak – made from cork – is a real winner for me, too. On my commutes, where I'm often not wearing sunglasses as I would on a long road ride, it did a good job of keeping wind and rain out of my eyes.

The Eco React Mips sits in Bollé's Urban Biking range, and wasn't so successful when I tried it for longer outings. Having taken the removable peak off for a road ride, it felt much wider, heavier and just more cumbersome than the road helmets I'm used to. There's nothing especially wrong with it, it just doesn't offer the same lightweight, aerodynamic features of a road helmet. (And didn't work well with my sunglasses.)

For urban riding, though, I like its style and design. I like the freckled look of the cork in the EPS foam, and the colour of the helmet I tested, which Bollé calls 'Dark Green Matte' but looks like matt black to me, pretty universally matches any clothing. It's also available in a 'Blue Matte', which does actually look blue.

They both come in three sizes, S 52-55, M 55-59 and L 59-62; oddly, the small size in the green (black) is £25 less than the others.

Safety & value

No surprises given its name, the helmet includes Mips safety technology, which allows movement between the Mips layer and the helmet, reducing the level of shock transferred to the head by rotational forces in the event of an accident.

> All you need to know about Mips

Looking at rivals, to compare value, there are few cycling helmets that boast similar sustainable credentials, but there are a number of urban helmets we have tested recently around this price. The CHPT3 Barrivell Mips is a little cheaper at £130 and has a similar design including a peak; George thought it was very good, scoring it 8/10.

The Abus Hud-Y is also slightly cheaper at £129.99, and Lara rated that highly too, though it doesn't include Mips safety tech.

You can spend more: the HJC Calido Plus is £165, and Caroline wasn't overly impressed. In comparison, the Bollé at £140 doesn't seem unreasonable.

That said, there are other helmets out there that offer a more all-round performance at a lower price, such as the Kask Sintesi for £90, which Lara thought was excellent, and wouldn't look out of place on road or commuter rides.

Conclusion

In summary, the Bollé Eco React Mips performs well in the urban situations it's designed for. I liked using it for my commutes and it was good to see sustainability considered in its manufacture. However, I'm not totally sold on the idea of spending £140 on a commuter-specific helmet that isn't that great when used on other types of ride; there are cheaper options that do both well.

Verdict

Good urban helmet, with eco-friendly credentials, though not the most versatile