BELL Z20 MIPS Adult Road Bike Helmet - Lightweight & Ventilated Cycling Helmet for Men & Women - Perfect for Commuting, Racing & Long-Distance Rides

When I became aware of the MIPS helmets I decided to buy a new helmet that provided this function. I have never needed a bike helmet but after a fall from a failed ladder resulted in a severe concussion took me 18 months to fully recover, I appreciate the value of having the best possible bike helmet.The fitting instructions are terrible. There are three adjustment mechanisms and the instruction only cover one of the three. I had to search on youtube to find third party videos that covered how to best fit the helmet to my head.My first Bell helmet was purchased in 1974 and it was a terrible design with very little air flow. Wearing it meant a high probability of heat stroke and so I never road it on my long distance tours. With current helmet designs that is not a problem and there are almost too many helmets from which to chose.For a MIPS helmet I narrowed my selection to a helmet from Lazer and this one from Bell. The Lazer has a design flaw in that it has a plastic adjustment device that hit the top of my head and was so not comfortable to wear. The Z20 has an excellent adjustment design and overall I have found the Bell helmets to be the most comfortable to wear while riding.Currently with the coronavirus rampaging across the globe there is a shortage of helmets and so many models were not available in a medium and eliminated 75% of my selection. Fortunately the Bell Z20 MIPS helmet in a medium was available.I bought this helmet after using my head to bash the side of my old one on the street. That one had MIPS, and I had no concussion, headache, stars, or anything, even though my arm and legs were scraped, bruised, and bleeding, and my neck and shoulder hurt for a week. I will stick with MIPS!This helmet is light and airy. I can feel the breeze on my head when I'm going really fast. I have long hair, and wear it in a ponytail when I ride. I have not had the issues other reviewers have reported. My hair has never gotten stuck or pulled. The helmet does not shift around. The chin strap has a holder for the loose end. I forget that I have it on. I do get some forehead marks, but I haven't taken the time to check out the other adjustments, as it fit fine out of the box with just a quick twist of the dial and some strap adjustment. The straps were easier to adjust than on some other helmets I tried.The only negative is that it doesnt have a visor. I miss that, both because of the sun protection and the holder for my "Take a Look" mirror, which I had to attach to my sunglasses instead. If I stay out too late and switch to clear safety glasses, I no longer have a mirror. That, however, is a choice. I knew there was no visor when I ordered the helmet. Just wanted to point that out. I wish they would add a removable visor.Oh yeah, the reflective paint (Ghost model only) works great! I'm posting a photo where I set it in the driveway at night and shone a flashlight on it.Update: Over a year later, still loving this helmet!I have had this helmet for only a month or so and have put only a couple of hundred miles with it so far, but so far so good. I bought it to replace a helmet I destroyed in a bike crash. That one had the wavecell technology and that worked very well in keeping me from having a conclusion. But I decided to change brands and went with this helmet as a replacement for three reasons: 1) air flow--the wavecell helmet is hot and in summer where I live we commonly have 100 degree days--this helmet has much better ventilation, but it will be cooler in the winter; 2) the mips system . I am sold on paying a little more to reduce the probability of concussion and after my bike wreck--your brain is worth a little more investment; and 3) sweat management--this helmet does a pretty good job diverting the sweat out of my eyes--which was a problem with my previous helmet. I haven't used it on a 100 degree day yet, but so far this is working out pretty well.The helmet is comfortable, light, and easy to adjust. I wear a cap under it in cool weather, and it adjusts easily to accommodate my cap. So far so goodThis is my second Bell MIPS helmet, and I like their ventilated road versions because I ride in the desert heat all summer. I have worn Bell helmets on and off for 30 years, and I like the simplicity of them. This helmet is easily adjustable from the back using the adjustment knob. I've had a helmet save me twice over the years, and after a dog knocked me off my bike, resulting in a significant concussion and a broken helmet, I have chosen to go with MIPS until something even better comes along. It's worth the extra money to save your memory. My only complaint with this purchase was with the vendor. The helmet I received was clearly a pre-opened or returned item. The helmet bag and instructions were thrown haphazardly into the box, and although I believe this helmet is supposed to come with an extra liner pad, none was to be found.I upgraded from my long outdated Bell Volt helmet. At $119 this was a great deal. Fits well, it’s light, and looks good.I chose this helmet for my child after contacting Bell, Kask, and Girosport to inquire about the design. I needed one with a dedicated ponytail space because if you just shift a helmet to squeeze your ponytail in, the helmet won’t be protecting your head in the most important areas that it’s meant to. It would be pitched too high or too low.On the MIPS question: Kask has its own version of MIPS and their helmets are certified to meet national regulatory standards but they didn’t answer my question about the ponytail figment. Ridegearguru recommended one of their helmets for ponytails but it was twice the price of this Bell model. GiroSport sells a MIPS ponytail helmet but it didn’t come in anything larger than a toddler size (The Scamp).This Bell model has MIPS and great ventilation and a great price but I couldn’t figure out how the fit was ponytails. Bell wrote that they “have several models in the adult line offing ponytail fitment sold in chain stores, CITI, Curve, and Glow.” So the Z20 wasn’t communicated as having the fitment. However, Ridegearguru listed this z20 Joy Ride as having plenty of space for ponytails without sacrificing safety.