Nutcase Gen 2 Street Sport Helmet Review

Nutcase produces cool helmets.  It’s really as simple as that: they’re safe, they’re well made, and they look way cooler than your riding buddies’ helmets.  Admittedly they’re a ‘street’ style helmet which isn’t the norm for mountain biking, but last summer when I was looking for something different, I picked up one of these flashy lids and I’ve been sporting it proudly ever since.

Nutcase Street Sport Helmet Features:

• Injection-molded ABS shell
• Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) protective inner foam for high impact protection
• 2 front intake vents
• 7 multiple top-mounted exhaust vents, and 2 rear exhaust vents
• Adjustable Spin Dial allows for perfect fit
• Three sets of removable low-density polyurethane foam insert liners for comfort & refined fit
• Anti-Pinch, Magnetic Buckle for easy, one-handed operation
• Reflective logos front, back & sides
• 1 Nutcase wrist band for letting your friends know that you “Love Your Brain”!
• Rust proof rivets with Nutcase helmet guy logo
• Soft fabric chin strap for maximum comfort
• Certified CPSC for Bicycle Riding
• MSRP: $60

Nutcase Street Sport Helmet Review

Nutcase has excellent standards of production, and it shows in their products.  After a year of harsh conditions and as a few new scars and torn cartilage will attest, several crashes, my helmet is (functionally) as good as new.  The inside of the lid features ‘Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) protective inner foam for high impact protection,’ and I have to say that it has proved its mettle.  The helmet also features cushy polyurethane pads to keep one’s head comfortable.  Nutcase took the additional measure of including a total of three different sets of these pads to create a customized fit, which is a nice touch.

The helmet fits well on me; between the adjustable spin dial, highly adjustable chin strap, and the extra sets of foam pads, it’s easy to get a comfortable and secure fit.  The spin dial at the rear of the helmet works well for the most part, but I did notice that it has a substantial amount of creep.  It’s not something I notice while riding, but when I put it on for my next ride, I almost always notice that it needs to be adjusted.  On the whole the helmet fits a little larger than most.  I recommend trying one on before buying; I ended up getting a small-medium, whereas nearly every other helmet I’ve bought is a medium-large.

The Gen 2 Nutcase helmets all feature a magnetic buckle, which works like a charm.  It totally eliminates pinched skin, and it’s easier to unbuckle while wearing full-finger or slightly bulky gloves.  The Nutcase magnetic buckle is easy to use and works flawlessly, which makes it a really great feature of the helmet.  The chinstrap features a soft cushion to keep from chafing, but my cushion fell off after about six months of riding.  So it goes.

There’s only one notable flaw with this helmet, and that is ventilation.  Nutcase punched eleven vents into the ABS shell, but honestly, it’s just not enough for sweating up a mountain.  In that regard it’s a little nicer for winter riding (which we all got to do a lot of, thanks to the mild winter), but in the summer I sweat rivers.  Also, I should note that it’s a fair bit heavier than a decent MTB helmet, but that’s to be expected from a street-style helmet.

There are a lot of miscellaneous goodies as well – 360° visibility between the Nutcase logos on the shell and buckle, a free ‘I love my brain’ wristband, and lots of compliments on your flashy lid.  Frankly, one of the biggest selling points for these helmets is Nutcases’ awesome graphics, and in that regard they’re fairly unique in the market.

For my own part, I can personally attest how well this helmet protects the rider in crashes.  I took a big fall on some really hard Nevada clay, and my head slammed into the ground and I skidded for several feet.  While I was still skidding, I thought two things: A) Wow, this helmet totally saved my life, and B) I just had this bike tuned up and now the wheels will be out of alignment.

It was a really hard wreck and my head came out fine… less so for my other body parts.  From a safety aspect, I recommend this helmet without reservation.

Good Nutcase:

• Flashy, cool graphics
• Well-made
• Flawless magnetic buckle
• Reflective bits for safety
• Kept my brain safe in a hard wreck
• Free wristband!!!

Bad Nutcase:

• Cool graphics, but shows scratches more than traditional helmets
• Ventilates poorly
• Heavy

Bottom Line:  Nutcase Gen 2 Union Jack Street Sport Helmet

For mountain bikers, it’s a novelty purchase.  Although I enjoyed my time with the Nutcase, I have to admit I’ll be glad to go back to a real MTB helmet with good ventilation.  The helmet meets or exceeds all safety standards under the sun in the UK and US, and they have product lines especially for kids.  On the whole, Nutcase produces awesome lids that function great and look even better.

Buy Now: Visit NutcaseHelmets.com