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(2 / 5)
- Not Worth It
- Meh
- Good
- Highly Recommended
- Life Changing
[April 2020 Update: The BioLogic Pango is no longer available for purchase. Check out the other folding helmets instead.]
What Is It
The BioLogic Pango is a folding helmet that collapses to save space. Its outer shell is made of ABS, the same hard plastic that’s used to make LEGOs, and which makes it much more resistant to scratches than your ordinary higher-end polycarbonate shell. It has a big vent on the top, which makes it look– let’s say, different– from most helmets. The Pango was also the first folding helmet to use a magnetic buckle.
To give credit where it’s due, the Pango was certainly innovative when it came out, with its magnetic buckle, unique shell, and folding design.
However, the Pango is significantly heavier than other helmets (in part due to the ABS), it rides high on the head, and does not collapse so much. This may make the helmet both look and feel uncomfortable to your average rider.
About the Pango
The BioLogic Pango is a foldable helmet– it’s a fairly old one, actually. In fact, the Pango heralded in am era of new folding helmets, as since the Pango came out in 2009, at least five other folding helmets have hit the market.
The Pango came on the heels of a different helmet, called the Madillo, which was using an identical folding design but for a climbing helmet. That helmet was named after the armadillo, an armored anteater that can roll into a small ball.
The company behind the Pango, apparently liking the direction Madillo was going in, named its helmet after the Pangolin, another adorable anteater that can also turn itself into a well-protected ball.
Like the Madillo, the Pango immediately won an award for its revolutionary design.
Since the Pango, many other folding helmets have hit the market, both imitating– and improving on– the Pango’s folding concept. You can see some of the other folding helmets here, with a comparison versus a few of them at the bottom of this page.
Recommendation
For starters, the Pango is safety certified in Europe, but is not safety certified for the US, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand. So if you’re in one of those countries, the Pango is obviously not for you.
Furthermore, we would not recommend the Pango to the average rider for several other reasons:
- It is relatively heavy— 515g or 1.1 lb– which is 20% to 100% heavier than other folding helmets on the market.
- Folding it takes longer than it does for other folding helmets, since it takes a few steps.
- The Pango is not as compact as other folding helmets.
- The helmet rides high on the head and looks a bit weird.
However, that’s not to say that no one would want the Pango.
Who the Pango Would Be Perfect For
The Pango’s biggest selling point is that it is one of the cheapest folding helmets. If you can tolerate the Pango’s shortcomings– namely its weight, bulk (relatively speaking), complexity, and the big top vent– the Pango may be a good option for you.
Another selling point of the Pango is that it does not scratch as easily due to the ABS outer shell.
Finally, if you want to try the magnetic buckle, the Pango is likely your cheapest option. You can find out more about the magnetic buckle and other folding helmets that use it here.
Foldability
The Pango folds in three steps:
- Release the two rear latches
- Roll up the side flaps
- Fold the back inwards
Although it’s intuitive enough, the folding process does take some time– a few seconds once you’ve mastered it. However, if you’re like me, the inconvenience of having to deal with those steps would be enough to get me to just leave the helmet open when I’m not using it.
You can see the steps in action from the Madillo folding climbing helmet:
| Time needed to open/ fold | 10 seconds |
| Attention needed to fold | Somewhat complex, needs some focus |
| Time/ Tries to master | Around 10 tries (2 minutes) |
Pango, open Pango, folded
| Open | Folded |
| 9″ l x 7.5″ w x 5.9″ h 23 x 19 x 15 cm | 9″ l x 7.3″ w x 5.1″ h 23 x 18.5 x 13 cm |
Portability
Due to its heavy weight, and that there is no natural way to grip the helmet with one hand in its folded position, the Pango is somewhat less portable than other folding helmets.
Fit
The Pango fits heads that measure 55-61cm (or about 21.7″ – 24″) in circumference. There are pads on the inside which you can swap out for thinner ones if your head is too large for the helmet. The Pango also has tabs on the back which you can set to adjust the helmet’s size. The Pango’s range is wide enough that it should be able to fit all head sizes.
Here is a video BioLogic showing how the helmet fits on the head.
Safety
The Pango is certified EN 1078 in Europe. However, it is not certified CPSC for the US and Canada, or AS/NZS 2063:2008 for Australia and New Zealand. Unfortunately this means that it isn’t available for purchase at this time for many of our readers.
Options
The BioLogic Pango can be purchased in either black or white.
Reviews
The reviews we found online were largely mediocre. This posting gave the Pango a solid 2.5 stars overall, and rated its performance, comfort, and value all five out of ten. The main complaint was the Pango’s weight, where the reviewer said they couldn’t last beyond 30 minutes without feeling uncomfortable.
Across the board, the main downside people mentioned was the Pango’s look. None of the reviews we saw online had anything positive to say about it. Of course, that’s a personal preference, so you might disagree.
| Pros | Cons |
| -Hard outer shell more likely to resist scratches -Magnetic buckle -Inexpensive -Adjustable size | -Only certified in Europe -Heavy -Relatively complex to fold -Not so compact -Rides high on the head |
Where To Buy
Until recently, the Pango could be purchased directly from its manufacturer Tern’s website. However, the Pango no longer seems to be available for purchase on that site or any reseller we could find.
Comparison to Other Folding Helmets
Since the Pango came out, many other folding helmets came to market, with various improvements over the Pango.
Morpher
The Morpher came out just a few years after the Pango. Its main innovation is that it folds flat– only 2.5″ wide— much flatter than the Pango.
The Morpher does have a few features in common with the Pango
The Morpher, like the Pango, requires some work to fold. It’s not like folding it is super hard, but it is enough of an inconvenience to make me question whether it’s worth it to fold the helmet in the first place. This is due to the Morpher’s four latches which you have to unfasten in order to fold the helmet.
Another feature the Morpher has in common with the Pango is its magnetic Fidlock buckle.
Now here is where the Morpher and Pango differ
Fortunately, the Morpher is certified CPSC, so you can use it in the US and Canada (not Australia or New Zealand, however).
Aside from the fact that the Morpher folds much flatter than the Pango, it also looks great. Where the Pango went for an exotic futuristic look, the Morpher went super traditional. The Morpher looks like a regular cycling helmet, nothing out of the ordinary about it. I personally love this aspect of it.
The Morpher’s outer shell, like most higher-end folding bike helmets, is lined with polycarbonate, unlike the Pango. This makes the Morpher’s shell softer– and therefore more susceptible to scratches compared to ABS– but also much lighter. The Morpher weighs 0.9 lb, or 20% less than the Pango.
The last key difference between the Morpher and Pango is the price. The Morpher costs about $150, which is around twice the price of the Pango.
You can read our review of the Morpher, and how it compares to other folding helmets, here.
To recap:
| Similar between Morpher and Pango | Difference between Morpher and Pango |
| -Both helmets are difficult to fold -Both have a magnetic buckle on chin-strap | -Morpher is certified CPSC -Morpher has more traditional look -Shell is softer, lighter than Pango’s -About twice the price of Pango |
Have a Question or Comment?
Have a question about the BioLogic Pango folding helmet? Want to share your experience with us? Disagree (or agree) with anything we said? We would love to hear from you! Post your thoughts below!
This review was written by the Things That Fold editorial team. We have based our review on information we found publicly online, such as the vendor’s website, online sales channels, other review sites, and news articles. We do not currently own this product.
Our website uses affiliate links, meaning that if you click on a hyperlink, we may receive a commission for referring you to the seller’s website. As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases. Any prices and availability shown are based on time of publication and may subsequently change.
Product images on this page are taken from the product’s official website or from the product page of an official sales channel.
Great foldable helmet, unfortunately however a small bolt and nut have become detached from the hinged back section rendering it unwearable. Attempts to find the specialist type of fixing have been unsuccessful.