Sena S1 Smart Cycling Helmet Review: Listen to Everything, Love Nothing
Hello everyone. Let’s talk about the Sena S1 – a shiny, aero, Bluetooth-laden promise to make your cycling life safer, chattier, and allegedly more entertaining. Now, while the marketing team would like you to think it’s the second coming of sliced carbon fiber, I’m here to dissect it in all the glorious, sarcastic, scalpel-wielding detail it deserves.
The Good: As Light as a Feather, as Smart as… Well, Smart Enough
First, weight. At 360 grams, the Sena S1 is lighter than your dignity after rage-quitting a multiplayer game. The design? Sleek enough to make you feel like part of a Tour de France breakaway, even if you’re just cycling to the nearest coffee shop to “work remotely.” It keeps your head cool with front and rear vents, and it absolutely looks the part – glossy meets matte, like a racing skin suit that forgot it has to endure sweat and screaming quads.
Price? $229. Which, in the land of high-end bike helmets, puts it right in that eerie financial territory where you stop questioning practicality and just hand over your credit card because… carbon dreams. But here’s the kicker – it’s not just a helmet. It’s also a pair of over-ear speakers, a microphone, Bluetooth-enabled, taillight-equipped, and blessed with Sena’s Mesh Intercom wizardry. Basically, it’s a comms hub stapled to a piece of expanded polystyrene.
The Setup: Easier Than Remembering Game Controls After a Six-Month Break
Charging? Two and a half hours to full, promising up to 12 hours of runtime. Pairing? Instant. It found my phone faster than my PC finds that one USB device I plug in once a year. The audio relay worked for music, podcasts, phone calls – basically, anything your phone can whine in your ear about, it’ll do.
Yes, I tested it under frankly ridiculous conditions – a hundred miles on a quarter-mile track. That’s 400 laps, folks. The mental equivalent of grinding an MMO daily quest until your soul sighs. And hey, the S1 made it tolerable. My wife called every 30 minutes to check if I’d lost my mind, and the built-in mic made crystal-clear communication possible despite me riding into a headwind like I was fighting an invisible boss battle.
The Intercom: Voice Chat Without the Trash Talk
The Mesh Intercom? Surprisingly good. We were able to ride on opposite ends of the track, chatting about life, local gossip, and the tiny existential horror of 1,600 consecutive left turns – all without screaming over wind noise, thanks to capable noise-canceling magic. Co-op mode, unlocked.
The Audio: Don’t Expect Dolby Atmos
Let’s be real: the sound quality is… fine. Not bad, not great – much like the filler lore questlines in your favorite RPG. If you’re dreaming of rich, thunderous bass while riding into the sunset, go home. This isn’t a concert. It’s a helmet. Expecting otherwise is like expecting a toaster to do your taxes.
The Controls: The Real Boss Fight
Here’s where the S1 pulls a bit of a Dark Souls on you: four buttons run everything, and they change functions depending on how you press them. Quick tap for one thing, hold for another. Great idea in theory, but in practice? You’ll fumble them enough times to wish for a tutorial pop-up. It’s not a deal-breaker, but you’ll need some muscle memory grinding before it feels natural.
Verdict: Worth It, If You Want the Multiplayer Cycling Experience
Here’s the bottom line: if you like distraction while you ride – the good kind, the kind that keeps you sane on a century or during soul-crushing turbo trainer sessions – the Sena S1 is more than worth it. It’s comfortable, smart, and keeps you connected without killing your spatial awareness. If, however, you treat your rides like a monk’s pilgrimage, free from podcasts, playlists, and phone calls? Then no, you probably don’t need this glorified Star Trek comm badge for cyclists.
Overall impression? Solid tech, questionable necessity, but undeniably cool. Rating? A begrudgingly earned 8 out of 10.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is entirely my opinion.
Article source: Sena S1 Smart Cycling Helmet Review: Listen to Everything, https://www.wired.com/review/sena-s1-smart-cycling-helmet/
