new Fullfacer

hainman

looking into buying a Fullfacer and seen a few i like, the 661 evo wired,the Urge monaco or the Bluegrass brave helmet,
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/blue ... -prod80028
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/661- ... -prod72427
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/661- ... -prod72427
anyone use or used any of these and could give some info to how good or bad they are

cheers
Craig

rockmonkeysc

Fit varies a lot and is very important for protection. You need to try some.
Basically the more you spend the lighter and better lined they are. Light weight helps reduce risk of neck injuries.
Personally I really like the Urge Down-o-matic but it fits me really well.

Tom Barton

I've got a 661 job that a couple of years old (I cant remember the name of it off the top of my head sorry - it was in the £60 - £80 price range though.

I never tried it on - I just bought the right size from online - Its been perfectly comfortable given that's its only used for silly days out at places light cwmcarn.

If you can get away with trying a few on down your LBS it will give you an idea of what brands etc might be the best for you.

Also - The weight of the helmet has little bearing on the risk of neck injuries a couple of hundred grams is not significant when considered that human heads can vary in weight and there is no evidence to suggest certain head weight people are at higher risk of neck injury than others - A lighter helmet will be more comfortable only, advanced materials may offer greater impact absorption as well but all helmets must meet safety standards of course. Lighter construction is more expensive to achieve the same (or indeed greater) levels of protection. The best way to reduce neck injuries is to use a brace if you really feel you need that level of protection as neck injuries in MTBing are generally caused by whiplash effects of falling or bashing into things as you stack it.

rockmonkeysc

Weight of the helmet does have an affect on neck injuries. When your getting thrown down the trail less weight on your head means less forces on your neck. I used to use a cheap Bell Drop and in high speed crashes it really felt like my head was getting thrown around, it has never felt as bad with a lighter helmet.
There is quite a difference in weight between a cheap 661 and a light helmet like a Troy Lee D3 or even a Urge Down o matic.
You only wear a full face helmet for the most dangerous, fast riding where crashes tend to be big so its worth spending a bit more on a quality helmet.

hainman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHpwqsNxat8
this is some of the local stuff i ride plus trail centres ,do you think a FF is over the top for this stuff??

rockmonkeysc

That's just xc, I wouldn't use a full face for that. I would only use one for downhill or freeride.

Tom Barton

Rockmonkey - I disagree wholeheartedly here. Your making a statement that has no proof other than your own subjective experience. The way in which you fell on different occasions could also be different. The other factors in the comfort could have been fit, the securing system or the level of internal padding. I've had offs in my £60 FF 661 lid and not noticed discernibly greater strain on my neck than with my regular trail lid. In fact the whole experience was somewhat better for the superior helmet!!

The 100 or so grams difference in these lids is not significant enough to make a major difference to the chances of sustaining a proper serious neck injury. Your right in as much as a more expensive lid will be made of better materials that absorb impacts better and harder outer casings that will resist penetrating damage from mother nature's rock gardens better. Few helmet manufacturers claim their lid can protect necks - check the websites because they can't prove it. A neck brace fitted to a FF help, yes, and those new fancy helmets with the scalp like outer surface also prevent the helmet catching on roads to reduce rotational and whiplash type injuries and the resultant fractured cervical vertebrae (cant remember the brand names sorry) but that's it!

So to the OP - a £60 FF lid will work absolutely fine - they all have to meet safety standards, don't be put off by our debate - comfort is the main factor - more pricey lids are primarily, more comfortable. And as for the vid - you decide if you need a FF!