Met Idolo helmet

The Met Idolo Mips road helmet is very comfortable and adjustable, and – as you can no doubt guess from the name – uses Mips technology. For under £100 it's very good, available in two sizes and six colours.

For more choices, from budget lids for urban commuting to money-no-object aero specials, check out our guide to the best bike helmets.

Met has used a polycarbonate shell with an EPS liner to construct the Idolo, as well as adding Mips technology in there for added safety. It's the recipient of some trickle-down technology from pricier lids like the Vinci Mips, such as the Safe-T Sport Fit System (essentially, Met's name for its retention system) with a 360-degree head belt for more adjustability.

If you have long hair, you'll be pleased to know the Safe-T Sport system is ponytail compatible. I like that the belt is cushioned at the front – there are some helmets that just use plastic here and I find that can dig into my head after a few hours.

I found the Idolo seriously comfortable. I tested the smaller of two sizes, designed to fit heads from 52-59cm (the XL is 60-64cm). My head measures 53cm and it fitted really well, and allowed me to put a ponytail easily through the cradle at the back, as mentioned above.

Interestingly, though, I let a friend with a 56cm head circumference try the helmet on and they found it quite difficult to get it comfortable. Using a circumference measurement isn't always the most accurate way of sizing a lid, as head shapes vary so much, so it's always worth trying a helmet on before you buy, if you can.

I tested the Idolo on e-bike rides as well as longer road rides, and felt it was well suited to both. If I'm riding an e-bike I'm generally working less so I'll wear more layers, including a full merino skullcap in the early months of the year – and I felt the helmet didn't cause me to overheat even when I was layered up.

On the road it performed well, too. The 17 vents are well placed and the overall construction is light enough that it doesn't feel cumbersome or like a sweatbox on your head if you're lucky enough to catch some sunshine rays. I imagine it'll be a good all-year-round choice – unless you're heading to somewhere with an extreme climate.

It doesn't look as 'cool' as my £250 Lazer Vento KinetiCore, in my opinion, but it felt similar in terms of comfort – and it didn't make my ears go numb when I wore sunglasses. Note, however, it's not the easiest helmet to store sunglasses in if you don't want to shove them in your pocket.

You can also find comfort in the fact it uses Mips-C2 brain technology while you hurtle down a hill at 30mph with rim brake pads that are probably due replacing. If you want to learn more about Mips and why it's a good thing to have in your helmet, read our feature, All you need to know about Mips.

Value and conclusion

At £80 it's well priced for a Mips-equipped lid, though you can get cheaper: the Liv Relay Mips is almost half the price of the Idolo, which is pretty impressive. Emma reviewed it in 2022 and thought it was excellent.

If weight is more of a concern then the Kask Sintesi is a similarly designed helmet (Lara reviewed one in 2022) but it's 60g lighter. It costs £90 and is designed as more of a multi-purpose helmet than one dedicated entirely to road, so the extra fiver could be worth it if you don't want shelves of helmets to pick from depending on what bike you bring out of your shed.

Overall, the Met Idolo is a very comfortable road helmet (if the shape suits) with extra safety tech. There are plenty of colours to choose from, and the fit works well on smaller heads without giving you the appearance of a mushroom.

Verdict

Very good lid that punches above its weight in terms of comfort