Bontrager Wavecel Blaze - First Impressions review

Who else is excited for the helmet battles of 2019?

https://wavecel.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/ - This will take you to Bontrager's Wavecel information page, from here you can download the pdf version of the study they are making their marketing claims off of.



https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicycle-helmet-ratings.html - This is the Virginia Tech Bicycle Helmet Ratings list. All Wavecel helmets receive a 5 star rating with the Wavecel Specter taking top honors. Interesting to note that several other MIPS helmets scored as high or higher than the other Wavecel helmets on the list.



https://www.pinkbike.com/news/mips-says-wavecel-performance-falls-far-below-bontrager-claims.html - An interesting read, with no data from MIPS so far I'm not sure what can really be taken from this but it sounds like more information is on its way.

There are many facets to safety in cycling. As mountain bikers, gravel cyclists, roadies and commuters we aren't going to give up what we love doing and I think we all have to accept a certain level of risk each time we jump on our bikes. If anything can increase the chances that we can keep enjoying a high quality of life for longer then that is a piece of tech worth checking out.



Trek/Bontrager's Wavecel Technology makes a lot of promises but how are the helmets in real life? So far my impressions of this Bontrager Blaze are good and I have been very impressed with the Specter as well. I don't think they they fit or function distinctly better than other helmets in their price range but they are at least on par. I'll post additional thoughts as I come across them.



If these helmets are outside of your price range or you can't get on with the fit, looks or slight weight increase then MIPS is a great option. If you read the study you'll see that in many scenarios it actually performed very well.



The ventilation feels slightly different than other helmets but in the cool weather we are experiencing now it has been very hard to tell any difference. Wavecel is a very airy material in person. That said I will have more thoughts in the summer. I do think that it performs much better than Smith's Koroyd material.