Helmet Reviews - Put 'Em Here!

Mikie said:
BELL!
Went away from bell for a couple helmets, but back in it and I remember why. Great fit, MIPS technology, greater protection to the back of the head, Bell reputation.
I just bought a 2016 2R. One annoying issue however is with the chin mounted it squeaks! Maybe nothing more then some White Lightning lube at the connection point, but the squeak drives me nuts. I use the chin guard to mount my Go Pro mount to, perfect location! I like the flat blue and black color as well...
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I located the squeak in my Super 2R. It's where the adjustment knob and fit system plastic rubs on the poly inside the helmet. Put a small piece of the loop half of Velcro and poof all gone. Or you can just be really irritated at first at then you forget about it. After a couple months of use my work in a nice smooth spot and the squeak is very minimal now.
 
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We got the new Palmer helmet in today. Pretty sweet.

www.flyracing.com/product/mtb/riderwear/helmets/freestone-shaun-palmer-helmet/4233/redwhiteblack
 
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First time poster/long time lurker/older Clydesdale -
Smith Forefront - I decided to bite the bullet on a high end helmet. I did a little research on helmets and was intrigued with their technology. Check it out. I am glad I did. I took a pretty good header OTB on a fire road downhill (Coal Cyn.). Was only going about 10-12 mph. Hit a rut at a bad angle and I am pretty sure I must have grabbed the front brake (I know, rookie mistake). Went right over and my helmet took the brunt of the fall. I feel fortunate with the outcome. I checked out the damage to the helmet and can't say for sure that another helmet would have performed better or worse. I'm no expert. One smallish piece of the inner shell did break apart from impact but the honeycomb inner shell technology did work. I have some good pics to post but an having a tough time uploading them here. All I know is that this sport can be quite challenging and I am not willing to roll the dice anymore on safety issues. I guess it is a bit of a conundrum because some would counter that mountain biking is rolling the dice on safety but, oh well... Point is, IMO protect your head at all costs if $$ feasible.
 
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As you may have seen in my crash confession, I tested out my Fox Head Flux helmet a couple of days ago. Just got around to looking at the Garmin speed recap of the incident and found that I was going a little over 22 mph when I clipped a mailbox, rolled into the spin onto my back and came slamming down to an immediate stop within inches of a chain link fence. Couldn't resist the whiplash momentum and smashed the crap out of the back of my helmet.

I have to say that this helmet saved by bacon. Or rather my melon. Maybe melon wrapped in bacon. In any event, for safety I give it high ratings. Originally, I liked it because the XL fit my rather big, giant head very comfortably. The 2 sets of detachable cushion/sweat pads are a nice feature as I can take one set off for clean-up and slap the second set in without having to wait. There are a lot of very large vents so the air moves over my head well, keeping me fairly cool. The back strap for quick fit adjustment work well and simply.

All in all, I liked it enough to replace it with another, scheduled to arrive today, 2 day mail as promised, which is better than the original 4 day estimate. So I can get back out there as early as tomorrow. Just gotta keep telling myself to slow the heck down when I am slaloming in and out of the trail using mailboxes as gaits.



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I destroyed my Troy Lee A1 Drone in my latest crash, so I replaced it with the IXS RS (Richie Schley) that I got for about $85.

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Best fitting hemet I've owned, and very air conditioned and light. My only gripe is that the brow is slightly peaked downward in the middle and both the brow and the visor are blocking my sightline slightly while climbing. That's OK, keeps me from looking up the hill and getting discouraged. This is literally a low-brow helmet.

Sunglass fit is pretty much the same as the A1 Drone. I have to work to position the arms just right. I'm used to it after two years of having to do so.

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TLD A1 .... great airflow, good fit for my razorback shaped head. Padding is excellent and holds a pools worth of sweat. easily removable for washing, and doesn't fall apart. Strap loosens up during rides. This is my go to helmet during hotter months.

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Giro Hex.... good airflow and perfect fit for me big dome. straps stay tight. padding is a little weak, and doesn't hold much sweat. The fit is spot on for me

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I've tried on POC Trabec, Smith Forefront, Bell Super 2r (or whatever its called) and the Fox Flux. Not a single one of them fit my melon good.
I do like the look of the new Fly helmet. Might try that one next, at least try it on. Fly makes quality stuff, so we'll see.
 
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Redman said:
TLD A1 .... great airflow, good fit for my razorback shaped head. Padding is excellent and holds a pools worth of sweat. easily removable for washing, and doesn't fall apart. Strap loosens up during rides. This is my go to helmet during hotter months.
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Giro Hex.... good airflow and perfect fit for me big dome. straps stay tight. padding is a little weak, and doesn't hold much sweat. The fit is spot on for me
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I've tried on POC Trabec, Smith Forefront, Bell Super 2r (or whatever its called) and the Fox Flux. Not a single one of them fit my melon good.
I do like the look of the new Fly helmet. Might try that one next, at least try it on. Fly makes quality stuff, so we'll see.
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We have a the Fly Firestone and it has an odd fit. Most helmets fit me fine, but this one had an odd fit.
 
I like my Kali Maya helmet in matte orange. It fits great and has good coverage in the back.
This is the first helmet where my head actually gets colder than my body, which will be awesome during the summer, but not so much during the winter.
Also, my buddy likes the orange because you can see me about a mile away.
 
I've tried numerous helmets from POC, TLD, Bell, Urge, and more. Giro, Bell and a some of the major brands just don't fit my head well. My previous favorite had been the Troy Lee A1. I found it to be an excellent helmet that fits my oval head well. My TLD was becoming old, sweat soaked and I was just ready to try a new helmet. Planning to purchase another A1, I ran across a Kask Rex. I really like their road bike helmet and decided to give the Kask Rex a try for my MTB. It's my new fave. The helmet is reasonably light, even better vented than the A1 and has all the bells and whistles like goggle holders, adjustments and GoPro mount built in. It also has wonderful adjustments and a leather chin strap. As a bonus, it's actually made in Italy.

I really like the Kask Rex and still have no real issues with the TLD A1. Let me know if you have questions...
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Helmets are like seats...what works for me, may not work for you. That being said, I recently picked up a Bell Super 2. I came from Uvex helmet which I loved for it's fit and sweat management (I'm a sweater). However, the coverage around the temples and back of the head were not quite as substantial as I prefer for my style of riding. Therefore, when I stumbled on a good deal on the Bell Super 2 and it fit my noggin, I jumped all over it. It's quite a bit heavier than my Uvex bucket, but it also covers more of my head than the Uvex. Sweat management is not great, but as I said, I'm a sweater and no helmet has been able to contain my sweatiness.

This helmet feels much more protective than any other open face helmet I have previously worn (Fox Flux, 661 Recon, Uvex). I no longer feel the extra weight that I initially felt as I have become accustomed to it. I like the retention system with the dial in the back and adjustable chin strap. I'm not a huge fan of the overall looks as the visor sits really high IMO. Mine is the non-MIPS model and if it fits your head well and you can get it for sub $80, I do not think you can go wrong. Oh and as part of the purchase price, you get the ICE (in case of emergency) service, where you create a log in...then establish a few emergency contacts. There is a sticker on the back of the helmet with a code...if you're found hurt/unconscious and someone texts that code to the number on the sticker and they will notify your emergency contacts. I'm not banking on it and still notify my emergency contacts when I go out solo, but it's a nice add on feature for a bit of added sense of security.
 
AKAKTM said:
I've tried numerous helmets from POC, TLD, Bell, Urge, and more. Giro, Bell and a some of the major brands just don't fit my head well. My previous favorite had been the Troy Lee A1. I found it to be an excellent helmet that fits my oval head well. My TLD was becoming old, sweat soaked and I was just ready to try a new helmet. Planning to purchase another A1, I ran across a Kask Rex. I really like their road bike helmet and decided to give the Kask Rex a try for my MTB. It's my new fave. The helmet is reasonably light, even better vented than the A1 and has all the bells and whistles like goggle holders, adjustments and GoPro mount built in. It also has wonderful adjustments and a leather chin strap. As a bonus, it's actually made in Italy.

I really like the Kask Rex and still have no real issues with the TLD A1. Let me know if you have questions...
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What we really want to know more about is the bike!!
 
As more and more of my riding has me aggressively pointed downhill, I'm starting to think about getting a full face helmet for those times when it is appropriate (Hi Snow Summit, I will be in you this summer). However, none of y'all are talking about that here.

I wear a TLD A1 myself for my normal All Mountain riding, so my web searches have naturally gravitated to the (Expensive as all get out) MIPS D3 TLD Full Face. I know a lot of the pro Enduro and DH riders wear those, but how much of that is marketing versus quality/value. Note; I don't ever value "cheap" or "inexpensive" with headgear. That just means the company cut corners somewhere to keep costs down, and I'd much rather pay full $$ to protect my brain.
 
Cougar, Check out the Bell Full 9 also. I was a TLD D3 fanboi til I slipped the Full 9 on my head, for my melon the fit is superior to the D3. I was running the A1 also, as a matter of fact I've had 3 of them. Now I'm running the Giro Montero with the Mips. Best all mountain lid I've ever placed on my head and there has been alot!
 
littlewave said:
What we really want to know more about is the bike!!
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The Mojo 3 has been wonderful. As with helmets, I've had a lot of bikes from brands like Ibis, Trek, Ellsworth, Specialized, Niner, Santa Cruz, On One, and so on. My riding style is similar to Mikie's (a little bit of everything), but I don't have his level of skills (yet). Historically, for a one bike quiver, I've been a big fan of 120mm 29" bikes that can do trail, back country exploring and aren't out of place at Mammoth. The Ripley, Ripley LS and Fuel EX fit my style well for a single bike. As a result, I never imagined riding anything other than a 29 bike again. Recently Mike (a fellow member) purchased my Mojo HD3 and I was resigned to 29 inch, except I demoed a Mojo 3+ in Sedona and had the good fortune to have my HD3 and Fuel EX 9.9 along. All three bikes were superb, but the M3+ really stood out. I sold the other two and built an M3+ and never looked back.

I am quite impressed with both the super-dialed in geometry of the M3 and the B+ tires are wonderful. Not only do they have the expected high levels of traction, but they also roll faster than you'd expect. The M3 is more plush and more efficient than you can possibly imagine. I've ridden it 7 or 8 times and am getting the suspension dialed in and I love it. It'll be my do-everything bike for quite a while. Let me know if you have any specific questions.
 
@Cougar See the full-face in my Avatar? That's a Bell Drop I bought for about $100. I still use it. Bell doesn't make that model anymore, but point is, you can get a quality FF for SS or other DH applications for $90-$120.
 
I know it is difficult to drop $$$ on a helmet. But, I look at it this way.... Don't skimp on a helmet, you only get one head. How much is your head worth? $85 helmet = $85 head. You get what you pay for.
When I wear a full face, it is a MX helmet. I had it from riding MX. It has better protection than a MTB helmet, stricter standards. Yes, it is heavier than a MTB helmet. Yes, it has less airflow. But so what, I only wear it a few times a year for lift/shuttle rides.
 
herzalot said:
See the full-face in my Avatar? That's a Bell Drop I bought for about $100. I still use it. Bell doesn't make that model anymore, but point is, you can get a quality FF for SS or other DH applications for $90-$120.
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Yes, but you also bought that before WW II ;) Inflation has come a long way since then!

Joking aside, without personal reviews of those cheaper helmets, I'm going to think like Redman above. My head is worth a lot of money! (And no, that doesn't mean I'm going to turn a $100 half lid into a gold plated monstrosity just to drive up the price.)
 
Back in the 70's when I first started riding dirt bikes, there was a Bell helmet poster that hung in my local motorcycle dealership. The slogan was, "If you have a $10 head, buy a $10 helmet". I have never forgotten that and I live by it to this day. I have always worn top level helmets when riding motorcycles. After many years of wearing a Giro Pnuemo (left over from my road bike days), I am currently wearing an IXS Trail RS helmet. I love the venting and the way it cradles my head.
 
After my crash 3 years ago I needed to replace my 2 month old Bell. The Bell probably did its job, no cracks or obvious damage but I had gotten a concussion bad enough to lose 6 hours of memories so it was time to replace and time to upgrade.

After trying on a dozen helmets I found the Giro “Feature” fit my head perfectly. It does not seem to have as much venting as other helmets and I was afraid that it was going to be hot, but it has been fine even on 100°+ days.

I wore the pads out on that helmet, replaced it with the MIPS version of the same helmet and I just as happy with that one. So far, I haven’t tested it’s crash worthiness, or it has done so well that I didn’t notice.

Some new pads and the old helmet is now my Night helmet with a light semi-permanently mounted on top.
 
Cougar said:
Yes, but you also bought that before WW II ;) Inflation has come a long way since then!

Joking aside, without personal reviews of those cheaper helmets, I'm going to think like Redman above. My head is worth a lot of money! (And no, that doesn't mean I'm going to turn a $100 half lid into a gold plated monstrosity just to drive up the price.)
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Here's my personal review:
I love my Bell Drop. Too bad they don't make them anymore. Mine is the Lopes 55 model which has snazzy graphics. It's comfortable and not too hot. I really like the click chin-snap closure instead of D-Rings, but I think that feature is gone from the Full Face world. I've fallen several time while wearing my Drop, but I have never taken a direct blow to the head. I hope that when I do, it does its job. The stickers inside say it will.

Okay, now that I got that out of the way, here's some more random thoughts about price and safety when it comes to full-face helmets.

Price is not a 1:1 ratio with safety. A $375 TLD is not 2.5x safer (or perhaps any safer) than a $150 Giro.

I see 2015 Bell Transfer 9s for about $75 at Price Point and Jenson. Fox Rampages for $119. You can get a helmet that's basically as safe as they get for less than $150. If you need reviews, just google 'em. Like anything else, if you buy last year's model, you can get much better prices.

Happy hunting - And I hope your noggin is OK after today's dismount!
 
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After hitting three stores today (The Path - Live Oak, Pure Ride Cycles, TLD Laguna), I finally managed to get a Full Face. The Path only had one D3 XL, and no Bell 9's in XL and no XXL's anywhere. I wasn't sure if I was an XL or an XXL. I was certainly NOT a L though, that thing barely fit on my face.

Pure Ride only had a single Full Face in the entire store, and it looked like it wasn't the D3 equiv, rather the D2 equiv.

I called TLD Laguna, and they said they had XL and XXL's in stock, and remembering @herzalot comment on the trails about a clearance rack, I asked them if they had XL's or XXL's in the clearance rack. They did! Shoulda made that call first rather than last, heh. Off I went, three boys in tow.

Turned out the XXL is a bit too big, so the XL is where it is at. They had three last year models in XL so I had a few choices, but ended up with something that won't necessarily match my kit/bike, but it isn't a horrible clashing monster either :)

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Oh ya, and they took off 50% at the register too since it was last years model. Bad Ass!
 
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