Thanks for tuning in today we're going to be reviewing the Bolle Halo React MIPS cycling helmet.
Bolle's eco react helmet lineup is a commuter lineup of helmets that combine safety with
sustainability. As the name implies the new halo react mips helmet that we have here is the top of
the line product in that lineup that combines led lights with that same sustainable approach. You can
see packaging is very simple black cardboard box bullet branding on it you have a nice cutout here
so if you see this on a shelf you can actually interact with a helmet and you can see we have
the titanium version and the medium size. I'll go ahead and take out the box and go over the specs.
So retail price on this is $260 dollars so quite expensive for a commuter helmet.
You get their eco-friendly construction so that means 100 recycled fabric
you get water-based printing on here as well as cork integrated into the EPS foam and that's
what gives these little flecks in there. It has integrated in front and rear leds which is really
cool with the front ones almost invisible then the rear ones on the back. You have a full 360 degree
retention system so nice dial wrap around cradle so very comfortable you get a magnetic Fidlock
buckle so you just place it near it and then it locks into place. Then you get a replaceable
or removable fabric brim so that protects you from the sun and gives you that commuter style.
In terms of what comes with the helmet as you get the helmet itself it's usb rechargeable
and then inside the packaging you get a replaceable foam padding for the front so if
you didn't want to run the brim you can just pull it off and then swap it out for the other one.
You also get a micro usb charging cable for charging the leds. Now take a look at the weight of the helmet
we have the medium version for the north american market so it's usually a little bit heavier than
other markets. That comes in at 368 so surprisingly light considering you have integrated leds.
Visually the halo react has a very sleek commuter style that combines a lot of ventilation
with commuter specific features you can see that commuter profile that comes down
a little bit further on your rear and then the fabric bill that protects you from the sun as well
as a lot of large vents here. You don't typically see this much ventilation with a commuter helmet
usually it's more like a skate helmet with one or two but with this it looks more like a road bike.
The coolest thing about this helmet is the fact that you do have the integrated leds
on the front it's invisible unlike a lot of other helmets where it's really obvious.
This one looks great so whether you're riding in day or night it's still a good looking helmet.
The rear led is a lot more obvious you can see just looks like it blocks the vent but
it's not removable. There's two colors with this helmet we have the titanium version and you can
see very sleek looking has almost like a metal like finish with a little bit of a texture to it.
The leds one of the best features is the fact that the front is so hidden
so here with it on you can see it's two strips that run down the front
and actually pretty bright. Not enough to really see but it's more of a be seen light so if
you're riding in low visibility or the city it's a nice way to make sure you're actually visible.
You can see the rear is also really nice it's wide enough that you can see it from the side so
it curves a little forward and you have a couple of output modes. So you have constant on back and
front. Press it again you can go to flashing so flash on both front and rear it's good if you
want extra visibility and then they also have a hybrid flash mode where the front is constant
and then the rear is flashing and it's actually pretty good looking even the rear has a nice strip
and then again press it again to turn it off. Charging requires you just to pull up the
rubber of the button and they'll have a little charging port right underneath. It's not a usb
type-c just like standard micro usb. Otherwise very sleek helmet you can see considering the
price point looks like a single piece shell. A lot of nice sharp creases here and you can see the
edges between the foam and then that outer shell are also really nice and crisp. On cheaper helmets
this is usually where you see kind of curvy edges or sloppiness the rim is also fully finished with
this separate color so you can see it's a black color comes all the way down and makes it look
really good. So you don't have exposed foam on the sides the foam that you do see you'll notice has a
tan flecks in there so this is actually the cork eps so pretty cool so to make it more sustainable they
combine cork with the foam. You have fully recycled 100 recycled fabric used for the rest of the
material so with the padding and then the straps the retention system is a standard rotational
design so you have a little dial on here to loosen and tighten. You have the up and down adjustments
you go underneath here and you can adjust that and then nice simple adjustments on the edges too
you have this large chin strap as well so fake leather but looks really premium and then that
Fidlock magnetic buckle. So with this the motion's a little bit opposite of a standard plastic buckle
which would kind of be parallel to the straps this one you go perpendicular pull it off and
then when you get close you put it back on. On the inside of the helmet you have the MIPS liner
really well integrated so you can see it's almost invisible here it's hidden behind everything else
and you can see that it provides a little bit of rotation for additional safety if you were
to crash. The foam here is also really nicely made so you can see nice and soft and it's velcro so
you can remove it to wash it and they provide two versions of the front so one with the bill already
installed and then you can remove this to run it without it if you prefer to ride without that.
Now take a look at the halo react on the road here we have it paired with the Smith Boomtown
sunglasses and you can see it's a really nice match. The helm itself and the titanium finish
looks great and it's fully finished all the way around the rim so it has a nice premium look.
What we really like about the Halo React helmet is that it blends a lot of commuter features you want like
the extended rear protection the integrated leds and the fabric brim with the lots of ventilation
that you would expect more road cycling helmets so it's a great helmet if you do short or long rides.
You get a lot of versatility out of it's quite comfortable as well easily adjustable rear
dial and the medium size fits just as well as all the other helmets were reviewed on the channel.
In terms of the led light that's a really cool feature the rear is a nice COB LED.
Bolle doesn't publish any of the lumen number the run cat runtime but you can see there's a solid
mode and then there's a full flash mode obviously the flash modes are going to give you more runtime
and they're quite visible. They're not daytime visible so you still want to use a traditional
tail light or headlight during the day but at night they add a little bit of extra visibility
and that COB rear is really nice. The last mode is a sort of hybrid mode and you can see its
rear flashing front constant in terms of the brightness you can see that rear tail light is
really wide so helps you be seen and it's really high up while the front led isn't quite as bright
so you still need a headlight but it adds a little extra visibility which is nice to have.
Now let's compare the Halo React with other helmets on the market. We actually have the
other Eco React helmet from Bolle so you can see the standard Eco React MIPS on the right
and then the Halo on the left. You can see very similar design the big difference being the led
integration with the halo you can see the Eco React. They both have the cork material
but this one being a little more fully finished with the bottom rim.
Similar fit systems this one's just a little bit of lighter color but again you don't have the tail
light so you can see the tail lights integrated and then the headlights actually carved into
it. You also get the Fidlock with the Halo React versus the Eco React going with just a standard
plastic buckle. Other commuter helmets on the market are like this Bern Hudson so you can see
in white it looks a little bit sleeker. You have the LED add-on so it's a little bit of a weird
one where you have to hold it or double press to turn it on so not nearly as bright or as well
integrated as the Halo React. So you can see much smoother with that integrated led versus just the
little transmitter surface mounted very similar profile so with the commuter helmets they kind
of extend down a little bit further. The bern hudson has this little hole here for a lock
so you can put a lock through here where the Bolle doesn't but it's not really a feature I
imagine a lot of people are going to use. The other thing is with the Hudson it is the higher speed
rated so it's an e-bike approved helmet while the Halo React is just the standard crash resistance.
On the inside you have the fabric bill but you can see the MIPS line here is much larger and
not nearly as much ventilation with the Hudson where the Bolle looks more like a road bike helmet.
Speaking of road bike helmets we have the Smith Trace here so you can see a little bit
sleeker detail is not quite as long and you have more of an aerodynamic profile.
With this one we have the get wild color scheme so it looks pretty crazy
but you can see a lot of vents and that's what's really nice about the Bolle eco series so tons of
vents here so you're not going to be overheating even though you're riding a commuter bike.
Inside again very similar with all these helmets you have the
wraparound retention system the trace does not have the Fidlock but you can get road bike
helmets with it and you can see the MIPS line in here it's a little bit more obvious while
the Bolle is well integrated with that all black color.
Now let's go over the pros and cons for the Halo React helmet. What I like about it is
as an eco-friendly construction, it's always nice to see companies use more sustainable methods
and construction when creating cycling accessories. We also like that the front
leds are directly integrated into the helmet so they're completely invisible during the day
unlike a lot of the Lumos or other helmets on the market so you don't even see them until nighttime.
It's also a very well ventilated helmet so it's something you can easily wear on long
weekend rides or even club rides so this is a helmet you can use for quite a bit of
different riding styles. Some of the cons for the helmet is that it is quite expensive
at 260 this is definitely on the high end and there's a limited color selection with the only
white and the titanium version currently. Also the power button lacks tactile feel it's very small
and you really have to press it right at the top so it can be hard to use especially when
you have gloves. Taking everything into account would give the Halo React a 9.1 out of 10. It's
a nice sleek commuter helmet. Thanks for watching this review don't forget to like and subscribe.
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