A MIPS Helmet: Does Your Bicycle Helmet Need MIPS?

We have compiled the answers to these questions for you in the following overview on the topic of MIPS:

Table of Contents

• MIPS – What is it exactly?
• How does MIPS work?
• MIPS – A success story
• Spherical MIPS
• Conclusion: Helmet with or without MIPS?
• Small MIPS FAQ

MIPS – What is it exactly?

The conventional construction of helmets, not limited to bicycle helmets, traditionally assumed a fall where the head impacts linearly – a so-called Head-On Impact. However, falls in reality are rarely perfectly linear.

With increasing awareness of skull-brain injuries and their consequences, it became increasingly clear that falls with rotational movements can be very dangerous.

The Multi-directional Impact Protection System (MIPS) is designed to provide additional protection against these rotational movements:

How does MIPS work?

Imagine a fall where a rider crashes into a mountainside. It is sloping and uneven, leading to different rotational movements of the head – simultaneously! These partially opposing forces are, of course, anything but healthy, especially for the sensitive brain. To protect it, the helmet should absorb the impact forces as effectively as possible, thus safeguarding the head.

Today's helmets made of EPS foam provide this protection by allowing the material to compress during a fall, absorbing the impact energy in the process. That's why it is always important to never reuse a helmet that you've already fallen with!

To provide enough impact protection, the hard and protective shell of a bicycle helmet must be rigid and robust and, therefore, cannot cushion rotational movements. This is where MIPS comes into play:

Attached between the inner padding and the EPS foam, it resembles a shell between the helmet and the head.

This shell, also referred to as the Slip-Plane or Glide Layer, can move in multiple directions during an oblique impact. Ideally, the system completely absorbs this rotational movement without transferring it to the head – at the very least, it reduces these movements and provides additional protection.

MIPS – A Success Story

In 2022, most bicycle helmet manufacturers incorporated helmets with MIPS technology. In our online shop, you can find a wide selection of them – from regular city helmets to time trial helmets and MTB helmets, there are MIPS helmets available for all cycling disciplines.

To provide some hard numbers: In 2021, 143 different manufacturers integrated MIPS into a total of 883 helmet models. The trend is clearly on the rise. MIPS helmets are used in various areas and sports, including occupational safety. In the world of cycling, MIPS has become a trendsetter.

The yellow logo and the yellow protective layer inside the helmet, the "real" MIPS, are impossible to overlook. This is due to various factors. For one, it is straightforward to integrate MIPS into existing helmet models.

Most importantly, MIPS is convincing: Not only due to the solid additional protection but also because of its relatively low weight. Different MIPS variants weigh only between 20-45g, similar to an energy bar.

You can find more about the history of MIPS and its different variants in our MIPS FAQ. However, as a bicycle helmet wearer, you don't have to go through extensive research to determine which MIPS variant is best for you. The helmet manufacturer collaborating with MIPS takes care of that to ensure the ideal integration of the glide layer into the helmet.

The variants differ only in how they are built into the helmet. However, there is a truly unique development of MIPS that works a bit differently and is quite interesting:

Giro and Bell: Spherical MIPS

Trusted helmet manufacturers Bell and Giro understand that a good bicycle helmet should not be a choice between safety and performance but must offer both. Accordingly, they invest heavily in research and design.

We, as cyclists, benefit from this: In the product lines of both brands, a very special advancement of MIPS is integrated into high-end helmets: Spherical MIPS.

One advantage of MIPS is that it can easily be inserted into existing helmets. However, the Spherical MIPS helmets from Bell and Giro also showcase the potential of helmets that plan and use the strengths of MIPS from the beginning:

In the animation, you can see the interior of the Giro Aether MIPS. It's immediately noticeable that the classic yellow glide layer is missing.

That's because the Spherical MIPS of the Aether helmet consists of two EPS shells that absorb the majority of the impact energy during a fall while also providing very high ventilation. The unique MIPS Spherical technology is located between these two shells, with the inner shell replacing the plastic sliding surface of the standard MIPS.

You can observe the result in this animation: During a fall with an oblique impact, the inner helmet shell, the MIPS Spherical, moves to absorb and mitigate the rotational movement.

Because the two EPS shells can move against each other like a joint, the helmet offers all the benefits of MIPS protection against rotational movements – additionally reinforced by the inner EPS shell. This makes the Spherical MIPS a true milestone in safety.

Conclusion: Buy a helmet with MIPS or without?

Especially if you are considering a helmet available with or without MIPS, we strongly recommend the version with MIPS.

The protection of your head and brain is not the place to skimp – especially since the additional cost for MIPS is usually relatively low. MIPS is not a miracle solution that magically prevents injuries, but it doesn't hurt and can make a difference in the event of a fall. Perhaps even the crucial difference.

Small MIPS FAQ