A Review of the New Bontrager Circuit Wavecell Helmet
The Bontrager Circuit Wavecell helmet made its debut at the end of 2021 with high-end features and a modest price. The updated helmet replaced the old Circuit, which featured MIPS, with the new Circuit line now using the Bontrager exclusive Wavecell safety tech. For those unfamiliar with Wavecell, it is designed to flex upon impact to reduce initial friction. Then crumple like a car bumper and glide to disperse more energy away from the head. That is excellent news for your health and safety, but one of our biggest concerns is whether the helmet still allows for ample airflow.
Bontrager Circuit Wavecell Helmet
Pros
- Great Price
- Comes with Light Mounts
- Extended Sizes
- 30 day Guarantee
- Crash Replacement
Cons
- Doesn’t Breathe Well
- Mounts are Hard to Remove
- Hard to Adjust Ear Loops
- On the Heavier Side
Ride Impressions
The Circuit helmet out of the box is impressive and looks like a much more expensive helmet. Things we loved from the get-go included the removal of the green-colored Wavecell of previous Bontrager helmets and the included mounts for a front and back light. We immediately encountered two things we didn’t exactly love about the helmet, the hard to adjust ear loops and the difficult to remove light mounts. The front mount easily pops in and out, but the rear light mount is challenging to get free. It will feel like you are about to break it before it finally comes free.
If you are like us and have a larger head, you will love this helmet for that reason. I specifically have a large head and long hair (see picture above) and don’t have a single problem with the fit. Even though the Circuit helmet could afford to drop some weight, you don’t notice it being overly heavy. You will notice on a hot day the lack of airflow the helmet provides. The design of the Wavecell is just not conducive to free-flowing air. Is it so bad you will feel the need to order a new helmet? Not likely, but if you are used to a higher-end lightweight helmet, you will notice the airflow is significantly decreased.
Bontrager Circuit Wavecell Helmet Review Thoughts
While we found the helmet to be slightly heavy and lacking in great airflow, we still use the helmet on a regular rotation. It finds itself useful at evening training rides where we can easily mount a light up top and hit the road or trails as the sunsets. Overall it’s a great helmet and the safety features are a fair trade for the weight. But we will stick to our Bontrager Velocis MIPS and Lazer Sphere MIPS for longer rides in the summer such as Unbound Gravel.