Bontrager WaveCel Helmets

What is WaveCel?

Exclusive to Bontrager, WaveCel is a collapsible cellular structure that absorbs the energy from an impact and works effectively to prevent concussion. Developed by a biomechanical engineer and an orthopaedic surgeon who wanted to solve the problem of traumatic brain injuries in active people, it’s the first advanced helmet technology ever to receive funding from the US National Institute of Health.

Unlike a standard foam helmet, which is designed to protect against direct impacts, WaveCel accounts for how most cycling accidents actually happen—ungracefully, with twists, turns, and angled impacts.

WaveCel absorbs energy in multiple ways. On impact, the layers of the WaveCel material move independently and flex until the cell walls crumple and then glide, actively absorbing direct and rotational energy and redirecting it away from your head.

This three-step change in material structure—flex, crumple, glide—is remarkably effective at dispersing the energy from an impact. Nearly 99 out of 100 times, WaveCel prevents concussions from common cycling accidents.*

*Results based on AIS 2 Injury (BriC) at 6.2 m/s test at 45° comparing a standard EPS Helmet and the same helmet modified with WaveCel insert as described in detail in Comparison of Bicycle Helmet Technologies in Realistic Oblique Impacts. For more information visit trekbikes.com/WaveCel