After seeing what goes on inside the Mips helmet test lab in Stockholm, I can tell you I’ve never felt better about wearing a Mips-equipped helmet. It’s one thing to understand the theory behind safety tech. It’s another to watch helmets get smashed to pieces in real-time — all in the name of protecting your brain.
Click Play to step inside the Mips test lab with me, and see more at the PEZCycling Youtube channel here.
The Yellow Dot That Could Save Your Life
If you’ve seen that little yellow dot on the back of your helmet, congrats — you’re wearing a Mips helmet. That dot means your lid includes a Multi-Directional Impact Protection System — a thin, low-friction layer inside your helmet that allows it to move slightly during a crash. It might not seem like much, but that movement helps reduce rotational forces, which are a major cause of concussions and brain injuries.
Mips has been studying this kind of trauma since 1996, and their research is clear: your skull is strong, but it’s the internal shaking of your brain during a crash — especially one with rotation — that does the most damage. That’s exactly what Mips is designed to minimize.
A Real-Life Example: Rob’s Story
While working on this piece, I chatted with Rob Laybourn, organizer of the Armed Forces Cycling Classic (see my video interview with Rob here). When I mentioned Mips, he didn’t hesitate — “That helmet saved my life,” he said.
Rob was hit by a car while riding. His bike? Destroyed. The car? Big dent in the hood where his head struck. The helmet? Crushed. But Rob walked away without a concussion or any kind of brain injury. He had serious leg injuries, but his head was untouched — and he credits that to wearing a Mips-equipped helmet.
What’s Going On Inside the Mips Lab
At the Mips HQ in Stockholm, the lab runs helmet crash tests all day, every day. They’ve already done over 92,000 impact tests, measuring how helmets respond to different kinds of crashes, especially angled and oblique impacts — the type most likely to cause rotational damage to your brain.
Mips isn’t a helmet brand. Think of them as the “Intel Inside” of helmets — a safety ingredient added to helmets from over 150 different brands. Each Mips liner is customized for the shape, size, and design of a specific helmet model, ensuring the protection works as intended.
Inside the lab, I saw various types of test rigs, crash test dummies with nine accelerometers inside their heads, and high-speed cameras and equipment capturing over 16,000 data points per test. The testing is incredibly precise — down to aligning each helmet in exactly the same position every time for consistency.
Prototypes, Innovation & Peace of Mind
Beyond their standard liners, Mips is also working on new designs — including multi-piece shells that slide around more freely and liners for industrial or motor sports use. They’re testing new ideas constantly and refining how to make helmets even more protective — all right there in-house.
After seeing it all, I walked away fully convinced. I saw real science and research, not marketing spin. It’s a data-driven mission to make helmets safer — and it’s working.
Final Word
I’ve been wearing Mips equipped helmets for years, but after seeing their work up close — and hearing stories like Rob’s — I’m doubling down. If you ride, ski, climb, or do anything where your brain might take a hit, this is tech worth trusting.
So next time you’re in the market for a new helmet, look for that yellow dot. There’s a brand and style out there that fits you — and includes Mips protection. It might just be the thing that saves your life.
• See at the Mips website here
The post Inside the Mips Test Lab: Why I Trust My Helmet More Than Ever appeared first on PezCycling News.
