Full face helmet, or Open face?

Cog Head

hi all,
im new to the MTB thing, and ive had my bike for a few weeks now and im loving it, and im getting quicker and quicker every time i go out, im even trying my luck on some jumps too, which brings me to helmets...
ive got no problems with wearing a full face as im used to wearing one on my ducati, but is a full face a bit over kill for someone of my skill level? or should the lack of skill be even more of a reason to get full face?

the only thing about the full face is if i go down to one of my local trails for a little spin after work, i think ill look a bit of a prat riding around like im gods gift to MTB'ing... when im clearly not. but with a full face, i get to keep my teeth when i decide to face plant a tree or anything else fun like that...

so, what do ya thinks? im looking to spend about £60

shx8000

Buy 2. Full face for lunacy and open for xc riding.
Riding xc in summer with a full face helmet is gonna be a tad warm. Riding without a helmet at all, makes you look a prize fool. If you can only afford 1, sell the Ducati

Cog Head

well, i cant afford 2 at the min, and the ducati is going soon to make room for a nice shiney aprilia : 8) so that wont really help at all!

i like this one from chain reaction cycles: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=48304

more back of the head protection... and it looks sh!t hot
any recomendations? its gotta look good tho, i might be crap at the minute, but i need to look like i have an inckling

shx8000

You really ought to try them on first. Not all helmets fit comfortably.
One of my mates gas an xc helmet, but it has a chin/jaw protector which can be fitted. Think it was made by specialised.

Raymondavalon

That 661 ReCon 2 is a great choice

I say both too, but if you're new to MTB'ing go for an open face to start as ma not be doing anything too ambitious or dangerous.
Also a FF is hot in summer, so if you opt for an FF helmet first you will cook under that lid on a hot summer's day

GPierotti

Go open face to start with you'll know when you need a full face. Your teeth should be safe as if your about to faceplant natural reaction is hands first so they'll be fine. a couple of mm of plastic infront of your face aint going to be a miracle solution to protection but it might help.
The recons are a good buy i reckon, going to upgrade to one myself soon.

Wildhighlander

I've been wearing a full face for a few months now since I cracked my cheekbone off a rock at the back end of last summer.

I wear a Met Parachute. It's well vented so you don't cook in it when it's hot, and it doesn't look too bad either !

Only thing could be the price - think I paid about £100 for mine.

diy

The crash risk of mtb vs motorbike are a bit different, so you are less likely to be sliding down the tarmac on your face or back unconscious with huge amounts of heat and friction being transferred to your unprotected face or head e.g. a 50+mph slide

Having said that there is exactly the same roll off risk of an open face motorbike lid. Worth looking at MTB oriented lids with occipital bone protection as this at least reduce the roll off risk, even if you have the face plant risk.

As with motorbiking Scaphoid bone and clavacle fracture is the main thing due going a over t.

dan shard

I went full face last year after smashing my previous helmet hitting a tree flat out. If Id hit it face first Id look like the elephant man now, so I opted for FF. in my experience on a hot day (all two of them we get) it does get a 'bit' warm, not horrendous just a bit warm.

There are a few good halfway house helmets like this one
http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalo ... DUQ8wIwAg#

Possibly a bit pricey but if you look around Im sure you'll find one cheaper

Cog Head

one thing ive learnt to abide by the saying, "sweat wipes off, scars dont" but again thats from motorbiking background, but i still think it applies, but i can also see the hindrance of being cooked to death with a FF on a blazing hot day.
but i will mostly be riding evenings and weekends, so madness will only happen at the weekends, and the evenings are generally a bit cooler, so heat is a little less of a problem.

im going to go for a ride over to halfrauds tomorrow and try some lids on, and if i see one i like, i might wear it home... via a bit of woodland i like.

that MET Parachute Helmet looks quite a good compromise, but as you said, its a bit pricey. but im swaying towards an open face lid

dan shard

just another point of note, youd probably get a lot more for your money if you try a few that you like on from a decent bike shop (not halfrauds) then buy it on line from chainreactioncycles or similar (obviously pay by paypal to avoid the credit card problem) They have some great deals on, and you can often get the same helmet but last years colour scheme for less than half price.

Obviously its completely your choice though

Cog Head

yeah, i know halfrauds is a bit limited, but i dont know if theres any bike shops near to me (Tamworth, Near Birmingham) to go have a look at some.

what's the deal with the credit card problems?

bluechair84

Another +potato for open face first of all, full face when you are tackling the sort of things you can't stop yourself with your arms on.

And the Met is definately a trade off don't forget. It's not a proper full facer, but I think the chin guard is detachable too so you get your open facer with a bit more protection when you need.

dan shard

Some fraudulent activity that they still havent got to the bottom of. A few on here have experienced it recently. confined to credit cards afaik

Muttly1981

I had a skate helmet at first but then moved onto a XC helmet which has been brillient and i mostly use that for riding but bought a full face at christmas as i was getting a little more daring when jumping etc. Normally i'd use my XC helmet at Llandegla but took a mate who had no helmet so let him use that and i took the fullface, after one run on the free ride section i stacked it big time on the first tabletop after the bridge leaving me with a pretty battered knee, thumb and three gouges on the chin peice on my fullface. If i had worn my XC helmet i'm pretty confident i'd have broken my jaw and left some nice scars. Ok it may be overkill having a fulface at a trail center but i'd rather walk away from a crash with my face intact than a trip to the hospital

dan shard

Muttly1981 wrote:

I had a skate helmet at first but then moved onto a XC helmet which has been brillient and i mostly use that for riding but bought a full face at christmas as i was getting a little more daring when jumping etc. Normally i'd use my XC helmet at Llandegla but took a mate who had no helmet so let him use that and i took the fullface, after one run on the free ride section i stacked it big time on the first tabletop after the bridge leaving me with a pretty battered knee, thumb and three gouges on the chin peice on my fullface. If i had worn my XC helmet i'm pretty confident i'd have broken my jaw and left some nice scars. Ok it may be overkill having a fulface at a trail center but i'd rather walk away from a crash with my face intact than a trip to the hospital

+1

Cog Head

this is the reason im thinking about a FF lid, the benefits seem to outweigh the bad points, but as most people seem to suggest, i think i should start off with an open face and try not to land on my face, for a bit anyways

miss notax

shx8000 wrote:

Buy 2. Full face for lunacy and open for xc riding.

This!!

Just moving from xc to lunacy so have just invested in a full face too... Probably overkill, but I want to minimise the risks of knocking all my teeth out or other such delights :?

nicklouse

miss notax wrote:

shx8000 wrote:

Buy 2. Full face for lunacy and open for xc riding.

This!!

Just moving from xc to lunacy so have just invested in a full face too... Probably overkill, but I want to minimise the risks of knocking all my teeth out or other such delights :?

but as the FF gets so sweaty you will be getting a second one for when the first is just too sweaty to put on.

Cog Head

nicklouse wrote:

miss notax wrote:

shx8000 wrote:

Buy 2. Full face for lunacy and open for xc riding.

This!!

Just moving from xc to lunacy so have just invested in a full face too... Probably overkill, but I want to minimise the risks of knocking all my teeth out or other such delights :?

but as the FF gets so sweaty you will be getting a second one for when the first is just too sweaty to put on.

Nahhh... just pull the pads out and top your water bottle up :shock:

nicklouse

most FF dont have quite so replaceable pads.

Cog Head

well that sucks! id have thought they theyd be most needed in the FF, something to bare in mind when im buying i spose

dan shard

Mine does, and its a fairly cheap 661.

Dirtydog11

Muttly1981 wrote:

I had a skate helmet at first but then moved onto a XC helmet which has been brillient and i mostly use that for riding but bought a full face at christmas as i was getting a little more daring when jumping etc. Normally i'd use my XC helmet at Llandegla but took a mate who had no helmet so let him use that and i took the fullface, after one run on the free ride section i stacked it big time on the first tabletop after the bridge leaving me with a pretty battered knee, thumb and three gouges on the chin peice on my fullface. If i had worn my XC helmet i'm pretty confident i'd have broken my jaw and left some nice scars. Ok it may be overkill having a fulface at a trail center but i'd rather walk away from a crash with my face intact than a trip to the hospital

+1 I think that ^ proves it's not overkill.

IMO full face on Llandeglas freeride/skills areas is definitely the sensible option. I've just ordered a full face specifically for those sections. Landing on my face from several feet in the air at 20+ MPH is something I'd like to avoid at all costs. The thing with with Mountain biking is, it's not a case of if it happens its a case of when it happens!

dan shard

The thing with with Mountain biking is, it's not a case of if it happens its a case of when it happens![/quote]

lol never a truer word...

Cog Head

well i went a wonder over to the chase earlier on me bike, got there about 2, and they where closed... :evil:

Kaise

i hevent ventured in to FF yet as i dont want to come across as "all the gear no idea" like a few guys i know, i've face planed a few times but, touch wood (pun fully intended), i havent had any major injuries.

This could be an option though


:shock:

fisgard792

we're planning to do the fort bill 'red run' in a few weeks.

bikers i have spoke to, that have done this run, have all used full face helmets

i am not sure i would get the full use out of a FF, fort bill red is about as technical as i would do, but a lot more of it in one run, however, i recognise the validity of the points raised, so as a compromise, has anybody used a Met parachute helmet

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=45391

Northwind

In summer, for XC I'd rather ride with no helmet at all than ride in a full face. For DH etc it's different but I reckon for general use you're more likely to have an accident caused by boiling your brain, than you are to have an accident where wearing a full face makes a difference.

fisgard792 wrote:

we're planning to do the fort bill 'red run' in a few weeks.

bikers i have spoke to, that have done this run, have all used full face helmets

I didn't (*). I would now that I own one though. Don't feel you need it- it's an XC trail, kind of- but there'd be no shame in it, and the heat shouldn't be such an issue as you don't need to pedal as strongly as for normal XC trails (you'll still be working, don't doubt it!)

It's fairly high consequence- lots of riding over massive rocks with sometimes some decent distance to fall too... There's not many places I'd like to fall off on the main line up on aonach mor. And also it's not easy, in fact it's a lot blacker than most black routes I've ridden. But it's not more dangerous than Laggan or Dalbeattie black for instance. It's ace though, I love it.

(* then again I didn't wear a full face for the world cup route either, so it's possible I'm a moron)

lochussie

The Met is very good for long up (put it on your pack, not too heavy) and then long down riding (eg the Switchbacks AM hol I bought it for). I feel a lot more protected on the gnarr, and even on easier stuff you never know when you might faceplant at 30mph. Have a mate who would be ugly if it wasn't for his. Having said that, I hardly ever wear mine these days as most stuff is continually undulating and I don't like it on that.