LeMieux Verv and Vexa Helmets vs the Helmets Riders Know

The LeMieux Verv Competition Helmet is a show helmet built on a corrugated ABS twin shell with a reinforced polycarbonate rim, a 360° wrap fit you tighten with a rear control wheel, and click-on top panels and magnetic peaks you can swap. The LeMieux Vexa Skull Helmet shares the shell, the wheel fit and the Coandă airflow system, with a grip surface that holds a hat silk in place for cross-country.

LeMieux lists both helmets as tested to EN 1384:2023 and ASTM F1163-23, and the Vexa listing adds BSI and SEI impact testing. If your saddle pads, boots and bonnets are already LeMieux, the Verv is the helmet that matches them. The helmets below are the ones riders reach for when they want the same job done by a model they've worn for years.

One K is the closest match to the Verv's swap-the-look idea. The One K Mips CCS Helmet takes One K's CCS color system of interchangeable panels, front shields and vent rails, with a Mips liner, an anti-microbial layer and a padded harness, as One K lists it. The ASTM-certified One K Defender Helmet comes in regular and Long Oval shells.

Riders tell us One K is the helmet they forget they're wearing: comfortable from the first ride, cool in summer, and easy to fit without fussing with straps. Look elsewhere if you want a skull cap; One K's lineup here is peaked show and schooling helmets.

For a skull cap, the Trauma Void Lynx Eventing Skull is the direct alternative to the Vexa: a Mips liner, laced neck, mesh-backed vents and a washable lining, at about 560g by Trauma Void's own figure. For the ring, the Trauma Void EQ3 NEOZ Helmet pairs Mips with a Coolmax interior, a magnetic snap and an adjustment wheel, and Trauma Void lists it as SEI ASTM F1163-23 certified.

Riders tell us Trauma Void fit them when other shells didn't, especially riders moving over from Charles Owen and riders who sit between sizes. Trauma Void shells suit a rounder head; if yours is long and oval, start with One K Long Oval or the Equinavia below.

The Equinavia Crown Mips Riding Helmet is the helmet riders with a large, very oval head keep naming. Equinavia lists a Mips safety system, a wide flexible brim, a chrome-coated frame with front, top and rear vents, a memory-foam lining you can wash, and dial-adjustable fit, certified to ASTM F1163-23/SEI and CE EN 1384:2023.

Riders tell us the Crown Mips was the one that fit after they'd tried Mips and Charles Owen models that didn't, and that it sits a tier below most of this list. Crystal and glossy versions give it the dressed-up look the Verv's panels are built for.

Shires Karben brings the leather-look, suede and crystal finishes of a competition helmet down to the $$ tier. The Shires Karben Amity SMRT Riding Helmet pairs a matte frame with a matching center panel and a dial fit, and the Shires Karben Sonic Alessa Wide Brim Crystal Finish Helmet adds a wide brim and crystal trim. Shires lists the Amity as certified to ASTM F1163-23 and EN 1384.

Riders tell us the Karben dial fit ends the pressure points other helmets gave them, and that the details look like a far more expensive helmet. Look elsewhere if you want Mips: the Karben helmets here use a standard liner.