Review: The Base Camp Zoom Cycling Bike Helmet – Future Cool or Spaceballs Geek?

For a long time, I had been annoyed by sun getting into my eyes while biking. Even when wearing sunglasses and a helmet with brim, the sun seemed to “leak in” from the sides. Sure, wrap-around sunglasses solves that, but when I wasn’t wearing contacts, I needed to wear prescription glasses, in and I didn’t have prescription wrap-around sunglasses.

That’s why I was intrigued by the Base Camp Zoom Cycling Bike Helmet with Removable Shield Visor. The visor covered the entire top part of your face, so there was no way the sun could leak in. I ordered it!

The Fit

I have a pretty big head, so I was relieved that this fit me after some adjustment. The feel was different from my previous helmet, but it was good.

One minor issue is that the adjustment wheel in the back of the helmet is situated right where the helmet ends. In order for it to fit on my head, I have to move the wheel out of the helmet while I put it on, which is a minor annoyance. Maybe it’s just me. Not a huge deal.

The Detachable Visor

I was worried about the detachable visor which is held on with magnets.  But the designers nailed this! The magnets are quite strong, so that you just have to get close and it will snap right in. At the same time, removing the visor is not difficult. Great job here.

So far so good!

Road Testing

Next, I took it on the road. I quickly discovered that although the visor had good coverage on top from the sun, there was a pretty big gap below where I could see the street with no visor coverage. Sure, not a big deal, but it’s a bit distracting due to the tint of the visor. In all fairness, I have kind of a flat face, so this might only be an issue for me. In any case, it’s not a huge deal, just another minor annoyance.

Riding with glasses under this is a bit of a chore, but you can still adjust them while the visor is down.

There have been times in bright sunlight when I’ve wished the visor had a darker tint, but then it might be too dark at other times, so they probably made a good compromise in the tint darkness.

A benefit that I didn’t think about is that it really shields the wind from your eyes, which helps them not to dry out, if that is ever a problem for you. The downside of that, however, is it blocks cool wind from your head and makes you sweat more in hot weather.

The Look

Ok, now lets address the elephant in the room. This helmet has a very distinctive look. Some will think it has a cool “dystopian futuristic cop” look to it, while others will think “Spaceballs”. Either way, you’ll get some glares from people when you use this helmet, for better or worse. Personally, I love the “Robocop” look!

The Verdict

I have mixed feelings about this helmet. I actually like the futuristic look, and it does solve the problem of sunlight leaking through the sides of my sunglasses.

But, something I didn’t think about is that the visor shields my face from wind, which causes me to sweat more when it’s hot (in cold weather, the wind shield is a good thing). And, there is some light leakage when I look down, but that is probably more just due to the shape of my face.

On Amazon, this helmet has an impressive four and a half star average rating!

You’ll have to decide what you think about the look!

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What do you think of this helmet? Please leave a question or comment below! – Brian