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Helmet recommendations

MALAMMALAM Posts: 22
edited January 2009 in MTB buying advice
Can anyone recommend any helmets? I mainly do XC, and the odd bit of trail riding. What are the best deals out there at the moment?
Jazz isn\'t dead, it just smells funny- Frank Zappa

Posts

  • scoob113scoob113 Posts: 80
    Well dunno about deals as such, but the Giro Hex I have is great - fulfils all my trail centre requrements and also handy for general commuting use and light.
    Fit was crucial though - it fits well and i guess I'd have spent more or less if another had been a better fit - so go check them out I'd say ....

    Good luck,
  • MALAMMALAM Posts: 22
    Sorry, I didn't mean best deals in the monetary sense...I've had a beer too many :lol:

    Cheers, I'll check out the Giro.
    Jazz isn\'t dead, it just smells funny- Frank Zappa
  • akcc05akcc05 Posts: 336
    i quite like the bell sweep xc, there is a red/titanium colour version with canadian maple leaf graphics on it. i think the rocky mountain pro team wears them. to me, they look quite cool but they may not float your boat.

    http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=15158
  • simply100simply100 Posts: 78
    fox flux is a nice comfortable helmet, similar to the giro hex or xen
    2007 SPECIALIZED FSR XC COMP - sold
    2008 CANNONDALE F6 - CUSTOM BUILD - sold
    2008 TREK EX 9.5 - sold
    2010 SPECIALIZED ALLEZ ELITE
    2011 On One 456
    more coming soon!
  • NorthwindNorthwind Posts: 14,675
    I just got a Hex for £35 a couple of weeks back, but it was a discount for old stock, £40 is about the standard (oe £35 plus £5 delivery :lol: ) which is a good buy. But in some ways I wish I'd got a Xen instead, they just feel and look that little bit nicer. I'm sure the Hex will fend exactly as well in a crash, though.

    It's more important to get one that fits, though- I love my Bell Faction, it's the most perfect fit you can imagine, but it boils my head when the temperature or pace rises. Helmets have so much adjustability that you can make anything "fit", ie stay on your head and not rattle, but that doesn't mean they fit right.
    Uncompromising extremist
  • Joe_PineapplesJoe_Pineapples Posts: 1,718
    Don't get a Fox Flux. They may look pretty cool, but they are about as reliable as a clingfilm condom..

    Mine broke when I was setting it up for my head straight out of the box, my mates one a few weeks later and a third a month or so after that.
    All three were replaced under warranty and I was told that there had been "one or two problems with an initial batch" and that "it's all been sorted out now", but I wouldn't buy another. I'd go for something like the Giro Hex, or the Zen if you're feeling flush.

    Joe.
    '16 Radon Swoop 210
    '15 Radon Slide 9.0 HD
    '05 Rock Lobster Team TIG S.L.
    Restless Natives
  • andrewjosephandrewjoseph Posts: 2,165
    get the best helmet you can afford, that fits.

    it doesn't take much to damage your brain, and it doesn't grow back.
    --
    Burls Ti Tourer for Tarmac, Saracen aluminium full suss for trails
  • The Big CheeseThe Big Cheese Posts: 8,651 Forum Tart 2010
    I can recommend the Giro xen... quality bit of kit!!
  • Banned!Banned! Posts: 34
    MasterReplica_DarthVaderHelmet.jpg
  • BlackSpurBlackSpur Posts: 4,228
    andrewjoseph wrote:
    get the best helmet you can afford, that fits.

    it doesn't take much to damage your brain, and it doesn't grow back.

    The cheap ones adhere to the same safety standards as the expensive ones. More money does not bring more safety - helmets instead get lighter/better ventilated.
    "Melancholy is incompatible with bicycling." ~James E. Starrs
  • adtheincredibleadtheincredible Posts: 40
    Bell Variant. I got a brown camo one last September and I couldn't be happier. Cool styling and plenty of protection. Type it into the search bar and check out the review on here.
  • andrewjosephandrewjoseph Posts: 2,165
    BlackSpur wrote:
    andrewjoseph wrote:
    get the best helmet you can afford, that fits.

    it doesn't take much to damage your brain, and it doesn't grow back.

    The cheap ones adhere to the same safety standards as the expensive ones. More money does not bring more safety - helmets instead get lighter/better ventilated.

    not all safety standards are the same. apparently some are just saying that the helmet won't break if dropped from 1m. i.e. whilst carrying it to the car and you drop it. it says nothing about protecting you head in a 30mph impact.

    Casco helmets are tested to the highest standards of all cycle helmets (as far as i am aware). They are tested to the standards that casco uses for equestrian, rescue services etc.

    Check what your helmet is actually tested to.
    --
    Burls Ti Tourer for Tarmac, Saracen aluminium full suss for trails
  • .blitz.blitz Posts: 6,197
    MALAM wrote:
    Can anyone recommend any helmets? I mainly do XC, and the odd bit of trail riding. What are the best deals out there at the moment?
    Best thing I can say about my Giro Xen is that it is very comfortable and totally unobtrusive - until I connect with a low branch that is THWACK :lol:
  • ExeterSimonExeterSimon Posts: 830
    Do get a Fox Flux...if it feels right.

    Swapped from a Xen and never looked back. And never had any problems with it.
    Whyte 905 (2009)
    Trek 1.5 (2009)
    Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Comp (2007)
  • NorthwindNorthwind Posts: 14,675
    BlackSpur wrote:
    The cheap ones adhere to the same safety standards as the expensive ones. More money does not bring more safety - helmets instead get lighter/better ventilated.

    All helmets have to meet the safety standards, but some will exceed them, so they don't all offer identical protection. The trouble is, with the daft pass/fail standards you never know which really does offer best protection, since it's not price dependant. And the bicycle helmet standards aren't exactly onerous either, EN1078 is not a demanding target.
    Uncompromising extremist
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