Not everyone that wants a bike helmet is after the race-prepared look, and the Urban I is one of a growing number of metropolitan-styled lids for the city commuter. It's a good one, too, with a pleasing range of features, and it's light and comfortable as well.
Abus make their helmets using an in-mold process to bond the shell to the EPS foam, and the Urban I conforms to the European EN1078 standard for safety. 15 vents and air channels inside the lid keep you cool and there's a removable peak to the front and bug mesh to stop unwanted visitors to your scalp. Round the back the rear triangular vent is highlighted in reflective material and the retention system incorporates a small LED unit for after dark.
The most noticeable thing about the Urban I straight out of the box is that it's really quite light. At 265g it's comfortably lighter than Abus' similarly priced road offering, the S Force, and that coupled with the comfortable fit (for me, anyway) rendered it unnoticed for most of the test period, which is a good thing for a helmet to be. Venting isn't up to the standards of a top road lid but it's effective enough.
The rear LED is a nice touch as it's at a good height to be seen by traffic. It's not meant to replace a bike-mounted light but as an extra safety feature it's very welcome, and Abus even throw some spare button cells into the box. We haven't run ours down yet though.
There's a range of finishes available; ours is the 'map' one that's covered with a stylised street map of Berlin. We'd probably plump for the tweed one if it was our cash, but there should be something for everyone. At £50 the Urban I represents decent value too.
My one gripe was that the rear retention system sat a bit low and hit the top of one of our test rucksacks. It's not a big issue but other urban lids have a more recessed retention strap to better accommodate backpacks – which commuters often use – and we'd like to see Abus follow suit.
Verdict
Well designed urban helmet that's practical and comfortable
road.cc test report
Make and model: Abus Urban I helmet
Rate the product for quality of construction:
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
8/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
8/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
8/10
Rate the product for value:
7/10
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Age: 36 Height: 190cm Weight: 98kg
I usually ride: whatever I\'m testing... My best bike is: Trek 1.5 with Ultegra 6700
I've been riding for: 10-20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Experienced
I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mtb, Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling, track
I struggled to justify it when it went up to £13.. and only stuck with them to ride with mates.. there are other alternatives out there. ...
We'll just carry on riding without licence or MOT, they haven't got room in the prisons to lock us up!
Educate yourself on how the appeals court works. It's not how you are thinking it does.
Perversely to what they were intending, this sounds like a call to revolution....
There is a place in London where cyclists *can* do fast laps: The road cycle circuit near the Velodrome at the QE Olympic Park. But it costs money...
£2,299 seems like a bargain for a carbon bike, with 105 and disc brakes in the current market. and the purple colour is lovely
I've read this review 3 times now. If my partner puts her foot down about my n+1 bike problem, this could be a real contender as one bike to rule...
what no entry road? dead end roads or cul de sacs are never no entry, they can't be.
Further to this, out for a bike ride this morning, in one of a number of crap passes I was overtaken on a bend into on coming traffic, solid white...
Hmm, pretty sure mine has? I'll put my glasses on and go check once it comes back out of the stable.