Bike
MTB
How to choose your next MTB helmet
Get the lowdown on what goes into the world's best helmets.
Like just about everything to do with mountain biking, there’s a myriad of helmets on offer out there and they all bristle with hundreds of different features, shapes and styles. So which one is for you? Well, ultimately that boils down to you and your wallet, but we thought we’d try and make things a bit easier by breaking things down a bit.
Rachel Atherton sinks her teeth into training
© Yorick Carroux/Red Bull Content Pool
What jobs does a helmet have to do?
Silly question? No such thing. When charging down mountains on a bicycle, having something to protect your head against sudden losses of talent is fairly essential. Virtually every bike park on earth deem a helmet to be mandatory kit too. Bike helmets are all tested to very high impact standards.
If you have a big crash and in any way smack your helmet on something then it's time for a new one. Helmets are designed to ward off single impacts, not repeat abuse. It’s your head, why chance it?
They also need to channel air in through the front and out the back again. This ensures that you stay comfortable and less stinky. The majority of mountain bike helmets also come with peaks these days, these help to keep glare out of your eyes and catch roost and dirt thrown up by the front tyre.
XC/Trail
Team-mates: Marco Fontana and Manuel Fumic
© Lukas Pilz/Red Bull Content Pool
Trail or XC lids are the lightest helmets going. They achieve such exalted status by boasting the most vents. The priority here is all-day comfort and maximum air movement.
In reality, this is often all the helmet that most of us need and they’re built on the DNA of the original mountain bike crash hats that went before them. More XC-orientated versions will feature increased road influences such as lighter materials and removable peaks.
Enduro
Wyn Masters on the back wheel
© Rob Parkin
This is by far the most popular style of MTB helmet on sale today. The shape is similar to the XC/Trail hat but there’s added coverage around the back and sides. Although they’re slightly heavier, the level of protection is superb and they’re packed with features of a more gravity-orientated nature. These include bigger peaks, goggle strap channels and more advanced protection in some cases such as MIPS.
What is MIPS?
MIPS is a relatively new technology which helps prevent against dangerous twisting impacts. Multi-directional Impact Protection System, as it’s otherwise known, uses slip plane technology which allows the helmet to deflect and reduce rotational forces caused by certain kinds of impacts.
Enduro full-face
Curtis Keene races the 2013 Crankworx Enduro
© Mason Mashon/Red Bull Content Pool
These are a new breed of helmets that have roots in some older designs. The idea is the old chestnut of having the best of both worlds – the coverage of a full-face but the comfort and light weight of a half shell design. Some, like Giro’s Switchblade feature removable chin guards which can be removed in-between stages. Others, like Fox’s ProFrame, feature large cut-aways and increased venting to help channel air.
DH full-face
Loïc Bruni's World Champs edition lid
© Bartek Woliński
The ultimate in head protection is the full-on full-face which will be mandatory in most gravity-fuelled bike parks. Coverage is the obvious main billing here but manufacturers have made big strides in terms of comfort and wearability too.
MIPS protection has made its way into many of the big brands' offerings while Specialized have even manufactured a system which can be inflated inside the helmet to help push it off an injured riders head.
How to choose what's right for you
Luca Shaw with Uncle Sam
© Nathan Hughes
Getting the right crash hat is just like choosing anything else in mountain biking – it's about being honest with yourself about where and what you ride. Ride a 15-mile local loop with two genuine DH sections? Then chances are you don't want a full-on DH full-face.
For the majority of riders, the new school Enduro-style half-shell is more than enough helmet, which can accommodate goggles if you fancy a spot of racing. If you're lucky enough to live near a lift or uplift shuttle then a full-face helmet makes a lot more sense.
