What is WaveCel?

WaveCel is a collapsible cellular structure that lines the inside of your Bontrager helmet. It’s designed to be more effective than traditional foam helmets in protecting your head from injuries caused by certain cycling accidents.

You only get one brain

Protect it

How it works

WaveCel works like a crumple zone that helps absorb the force of impact before it reaches your head. In order to protect your head and absorb the energy created by an angled impact, WaveCel is designed to go through a three-step change in material structure.

Step 1: Flex

First, the cells flex to reduce the initial frictional forces.

Step 2: Crumple

Next, the cells crumple like a car bumper on impact.

Step 3: Glide

Finally, WaveCel glides to redirect energy away from your head.

Steeped in science

WaveCel is the brainchild of a biomechanical engineer and an orthopedic surgeon who've dedicated their lives to brain injury prevention. It's the first-ever helmet tech to receive funding from the US National Institute of Health.

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Shop WaveCel helmets

If your WaveCel helmet is impacted within the first year of ownership, we’ll replace it for free through the Bontrager Crash Replacement Guarantee.

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WaveCel is available only in Bontrager helmets online and through authorized Trek and Bontrager retailers.

Every Bontrager WaveCel helmet received a five-star rating in Virginia Tech’s safety rating system. That’s perfect marks on every helmet in the lineup.

We recommend wearing a helmet at all times while cycling. No helmet can completely prevent injury, including concussions, in every type of cycling accident. Some portions of helmets with an insert, such as the perimeter portion, will have properties similar to EPS helmets. The WaveCel insert of Bontrager XXX, Specter, Blaze, and Charge WaveCel helmets covers the front, rear, top, and sides of the internal area. The WaveCel insert of Bontrager Starvos, Rally, and Jet WaveCel helmets covers the front, top, and sides of the internal area, while the rear is EPS and may have properties similar to EPS helmets.

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