Full face for XC?

wycombephil

Evening all

Now, softy Southern that I am, I keep seeing my mates doing faceplants on relatively benign XC trails and driving their visors into their noses and teeth through their lips (3 times this year) and its making me think that maybe a full face helmet would be a good idea.

But its not like I'm a downhiller or freerider (I wish!) so am I just being soft? Is old age making me sensible? Or is this what everyone else is thinking but are too ashamed to admit!

Your thoughts on this and any recommendations for a full face that doesn't get insanely hot would be good.

Cheers

schmako

It would be pretty harsh, climbs with a full face would be a no-go. I only use the full facer when downhilling/freeriding. Standard lid for any xc. Could check out the Met Parachute, although i've heard its a bit rubbish maybe?

andyturner28

I saw an XC lid with a guard that comes round the front, like the helmets ski racers use, or used to, as i didn't see anyone wearing them in the FIS Lake Louise events over the weekend. My 661 Full Comp is supposed to be lightweight for a full face and there is no way i could do XC wearing that. I couldn't be arsed to take it off riding back up the hill once and i almost passed out from heat exhaustion. Well got bloody hot anyway!

Andy.

jbford

Casco Viper MX Freeride / XC.

Not the prettiest helmet but they claim it's strong.

My fiancee has the MET Parachute and it seems good for XC. Downhill riding I think would really test it out though! :? :shock:

Splasher

Evans are doing these



for £60 delivered! Compare the protection this offers with the Met Parachute :roll:

andyturner28

That looks really nice. Bet it's still too hot for XC though, even in the depths of a British winter.

Andy.

Splasher

I've bought one for my freeride apprenticeship (I'm a mature student). Personally I use a 661 lid similar to a Giro Xen for XC and Trail centre riding.

rob cole

I've seen quite a few people riding in the Specialized Deviant helmet, even in the summer...usually people that have had a nasty previous experience with a face plant or head injury and want more protection

the Deviant in carbon fibre is one of the lightest full face helmets, and definitely the best ventilated...my mate says its actually too cold in the winter and resorts to blocking up the front vents with tape!!

Splasher

The Deviant CArbon is a thing of beauty but at £150 and 899g it doesn't compare in value terms to the standard deviant at £60 and 903g (medium size).

zero303

I'd suggest doing some reading up on crash technique and stick to a normal lid...

A common mistake when going over the bars is to try and put your arms down, thus you land face first and usually impale something. It's better to accept that you're going and try and roll over the bars usually landing on your bum or at least lower back albeit slightly more gently.

If you find yourself going over the bars a lot, you're probably doing something wrong so again, analyse your technique...

P-Jay

I've been using a Met Parachute for about a year now. Used to get a load of funny looks when I first started using it but you see them all the time at all the South Wales Trial Centres.

For any sort of face protection have the have it fitted really well at the top and back and have the chin strap done up reasonably tight to stop the chin bar just coming back and hitting you in the mushski.

They also go lower at the back of your head than most XC lids to protect the base of your skull, but it would be a 1 in a 100 shot to hit that part of your head before a normal lid would hit ground first.

Not really any warmer than a normal XC lid because it's virtually just a Xc lid with a removable chinguard. Does restrict airflow a little for me. I tend to take it off for long fireroad climbs and attach it to my Camelback.

IMHO it's doesn’t matter how good you are, sometimes you just get thrown off and you’re on the ground looking up before you can plan your commando style roll.

Not a DH lid though, use my D2 for that.

dave_hill

I think a lot of it comes down to your ability and the way that you ride. I'm going to really stick my neck out here and say that in over twenty years of MTBing I've only ever had one really bad smash that's resulted in a head injury, and not a serious one at that (slightly bruised cheekbone, though my contact lenses did pop out and I had to ring my dad to bring my specs so i could drive home!).

I've been in situations when I might have felt happier had I been wearing a full face lid but for general, everyday XC/All Mountain use I'm going to stick with my Giro Hex.

That said I'm definitely going to invest in a full face lid for trail centre shenanigans next year - too many close shaves this time round!

clas

my missus facepalnted at cwmcarn (ok she was on the freeride section but....)
two broken wrists and two units of blood a threeday stay in hospital and the worst long term bit for her was a mahoosive scar on her face that goes red when she exercises
cant be seen normally. so she and the youngest daughter now have full facers
I however dont as someone kindly pointed out my face looks like a mortar impact area anyway and I could only be improved by a face/ ground interface event. :roll:

dave_hill

clas wrote:

I could only be improved by a face/ ground interface event. :roll:

Is that like a face/ground/user interface incompatibility error?

Sir HC

I've owned a Giro Switchblade, the chin guard is a terrible idea, its full of sharp plastic and no support. So when you do land on your face, it buckles in and slices your face.

If you want a full face, buy a proper one. The chinguard is part of the helmet, not a flimsy bolt on affair.

I bought a Giro Xen, more coverage than a normal xc helmet. I've also got a fullfacer for downhill/4x/freeride.

dave_s

It's up to you, I've got a Fox Flux AM lid I tend to use most of the time but sometimes use a No Fear Prime Race Full Face helmet on a short ride I go on which has very rocky climbs and descents.

They do get hot on climbs but you feel alot more protected on steep rocky descents.
I certainly wouldn't wear one on a long ride though.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=16571
(I've got a black No Fear Prime Race helmet and can recommend it)