[slyfink]

So... I've been thinking about this whole "enduro" helmets trend a bit. They are being marketed as safer because the offer greater coverage of the back of the head. I am skeptical of this claim. As far as I know, they have to pass the same tests as other lighter, better ventilated "traditional" mountain bike helmets. Granted, this might mean that the tests haven't adapted to "the new realities of trail riding", but again, I'm skeptical.

I've actually had an accident where more rear coverage might have helped. Might being the operative term. Because the more I think about it, the less I'm sure. I was riding the Lost Lake trails at Whistler one time, and noticed a big rock that looked like it would have a nice view. So I started climbing it but stalled half way up. I hit the brakes and basically fell backwards doing a wheelie into the abyss. I fell about 4 feet down on my back, and my head whipped back against a stump. One of the roots essentially tore my ear open. Luckily, the health clinic is at the bottom of the trails, so it was a quick rip back to get sewn back together.

Anyways, for a while I kept thinking these new enduro helmets might have saved my ear. But then in thinking about it some more, I'm not so sure. the root essentially came from below and pushed my helmet up and uncovered my ear. That got me thinking about the basis for claiming these new helmets are safer. Any hit to the back of the head that far down will be coming from an awkward direction, which is likely to push the helmet out of the way anyways isn't it?

So, am I trading lightness and ventilation for unproven marketing claims of better safety when I buy these helmets?

anyone else had these thoughts?

 

[stoney]

Weight and ventilation is a negligible difference for more coverage. Are you in need of saving the weight to race? If no, why not provide more coverage?

 

[jonKranked]

Weight and ventilation is a negligible difference for more coverage. Are you in need of saving the weight to race? If no, why not provide more coverage?

This.

also, TL;DR shut up and buy because ENDURRROOOOOOOO

 

[dan-o]

The extended coverage of my A1 has saved me several times. Never going back to xc lids.

 

[SkaredShtles]

 

[jonKranked]

The extended coverage of my A1 has saved me several times. Never going back to xc lids.

i had a fox flux even before enduro was enduro. agreed, never going back. i even use it for riding my road / XC bike. even when its' 90°+. not sure what these claims of them having inferior ventilation are about.

 

[vinnycactus]

 

[Adventurous]

I just purchased a Bell Stoker 2 with MIPS for this riding season. Not sure if that is considered "enduro" as I have never tried wearing it with goggles, but it fits much better than the traditional XC lid I had before. The only way I can try to explain it is the XC lid felt like it was resting on my head while the "enduro" helmet feels like it is an extension of my head. For that reason it has much less perceptible weight. As to ventilation, I can't say I've noticed a difference.

 

[slyfink]

Weight and ventilation is a negligible difference for more coverage. Are you in need of saving the weight to race? If no, why not provide more coverage?

see that's just it... Who says more coverage = moar safer? I would think having a cooler head would be safer than extended coverage that accomplishes nothing. Especially when they all pass the same safety standards.

 

[Pesqueeb]

i had a fox flux even before enduro was enduro. agreed, never going back. i even use it for riding my road / XC bike. even when its' 90°+. not sure what these claims of them having inferior ventilation are about.

I have the exact same helmet, agree 100%. Moar coverage, moar betterer.

 

[stoney]

see that's just it... Who says more coverage = moar safer? I would think having a cooler head would be safer than extended coverage that accomplishes nothing. Especially when they all pass the same safety standards.

Having seen one person die due to a hit at the base of the skull and a friend do the same, I can only recommend the coverage.

 

[Pesqueeb]

see that's just it... Who says more coverage = moar safer? I would think having a cooler head would be safer than extended coverage that accomplishes nothing. Especially when they all pass the same safety standards.

It's not coincidence that DH'ers and motorcycle racers were full face helmets.

 

[Da Peach]

I'd consider getting a version of the Bell Super with the removeable chin bar.

I like the idea, but they don't fit my head at all. There are some corners where I'm thanking the FSM for not washing out the front wheel and bashing my teeth out on that boulder,tree, stump, etc... I just grazed.

I've got the IXS "enduro" helmet. It's a lot like the Giro Hex. I'd like the idea of a clip on chin guard on something with a similar fit. I can't climb with a full face. I overheat and blow up pretty much instantly.

 

[Nick]

yea, I'm old, but this was the tops on protection back in my old BMX days ... openface moto lids.

Ventilation? Pffftt, it's a 60 second sprint. Suck it up, princess.

 

[profro]

The extended coverage of my A1 has saved me several times. Never going back to xc lids.

How did you quantify this?

This sounds like the "my Leatt saved my life" claims that if true we have been hiding the near 100% death rate of people not wearing Leatts.

 

[Pesqueeb]

yea, I'm old, but this was the tops on protection back in my old BMX days ... openface moto lids.

Ventilation? Pffftt, it's a 60 second sprint. Suck it up, princess.

Anoxia = teh new EPO.

 

[StiHacka]

I bought the Bell Super 2 with the chin bar when it was on sale for $120-ish. I have yet to wear the chin bar for the purpose I bought it for - attempting moar risky chunky/droppy technical spots with my dentist skills. It's just too inconvenient to carry it around just for the case.

One more comment on the Super 2 - it comes with two plastic pieces that make it a torture device for my head. Once removed, the helmet is a perfect fit, the coverage is great and the ventilation is better than many XC lids.

 

[stoney]

How did you quantify this?

This sounds like the "my Leatt saved my life" claims that if true we have been hiding the near 100% death rate of people not wearing Leatts.

Dent damage on previously uncovered areas, I am assuming.

 

[Pesqueeb]

 

[slyfink]

It's not coincidence that DH'ers and motorcycle racers were full face helmets.

But that's my point. Those helmets are tested to different standards. to the best of my knowledge, the extended coverage enduro lids would not pass the DH test (what is it, ASTM 1992 or something?)

 

[jonKranked]

But that's my point. Those helmets are tested to different standards. to the best of my knowledge, the extended coverage enduro lids would not pass the DH test (what is it, ASTM 1992 or something?)

ASTM for DH (full face) helmets is ASTM F1952.

the one part of it they can't pass by nature is the chinbar test, for obvious reasons.

 

[jonKranked]

for other nerds that are interested:

http://www.astm.org/Standards/F1952.htm

 

[JustMtnB44]

I had the original Giro Xen, but after 10 years it was time to retire it. I picked up the Urge Endur-o-Matic a couple years back, and then last year got a Troy Lee A1 as well.

The only way I can try to explain it is the XC lid felt like it was resting on my head while the "enduro" helmet feels like it is an extension of my head. For that reason it has much less perceptible weight. As to ventilation, I can't say I've noticed a difference.

This is a good way to describe it. I hate helmets that feel like they are just sitting on top of my head, which most XC helmets do. All of the 'enduro' style helmets just fit better and feel so much more secure to me. The two helmets that I have now don't vent quite as well as other helmets I've had, but when moving it's not really an issue.

see that's just it... Who says more coverage = moar safer? I would think having a cooler head would be safer than extended coverage that accomplishes nothing. Especially when they all pass the same safety standards.

I think more coverage is always moar safer, even if it is not reflected in standardized tests. When you crash and hit the ground, the position of you head with respect to impact points on the ground has limitless combinations that can't be accounted for in testing, so having more helmet area between your head and the ground can't be a bad thing.

 

[dan-o]

How did you quantify this?

This sounds like the "my Leatt saved my life" claims that if true we have been hiding the near 100% death rate of people not wearing Leatts.

Direct impacts on an area my past helmets didn't cover, in this case, the base of the skull that would be the last place you'd think would take a hit. Until it does.

Not a TLD plug, just a statement that I will only use helmets with more coverage than an pure xc lid provides.
To be honest the helmet is hotter, and heavier, than I'd like but sweat's free.
I've had several TBI's and can't fuck around anymore.

 

[Kevin]

I love my A1.
Dont care about the ventilation bs and even wear it for XC on my trailbike just because the colors match.

 

[dan-o]

But that's my point. Those helmets are tested to different standards. to the best of my knowledge, the extended coverage enduro lids would not pass the DH test (what is it, ASTM 1992 or something?)

I don't DH in my enduro helmet, bro.
Lifts/shuttles = DH full face, 1/2 shells for trail only.

 

[stoney]

I don't DH in my enduro helmet, bro.
Lifts/shuttles = DH full face, 1/2 shells for trail only.

This. I've actually started wearing my enduro/trail/whatever name helmet when I ride road. Protection is protection.

 

[Westy]

This reminds me I need a new helmet. Was also thinking about the enderpo lid route. One thing I have noticed with my own bad crashes as well as from others, the sit on top of your head XC helmets tend to slide and rotate during a crash. I have ended up with bruises and road rash from the friction when it does this. Not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. That sliding may disipate energy that otherwise would be transferred to my head or neck. Seems like a lid with more coverage would limit the sliding.

 

[Da Peach]

This reminds me I need a new helmet. Was also thinking about the enderpo lid route. One thing I have noticed with my own bad crashes as well as from others, the sit on top of your head XC helmets tend to slide and rotate during a crash. I have ended up with bruises and road rash from the friction when it does this. Not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. That sliding may disipate energy that otherwise would be transferred to my head or neck. Seems like a lid with more coverage would limit the sliding.

That's where mips comes in.

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

i only wear a poc trabec on city rides... or long ass rides with few rock gardens and exposure.

dh runs/ exposed lines / epic unexplored goat paths.... fox v3 moto helmet all the way.
a few years ago I had a friend tumble down quite a lot on a cliff, only to wake up after 40 days in ICU. his d2 helmet bottomed out really bad on several places.
I even busted my lip open on a previous v3 when I did an endo to faceplant at 20mph... that was my moment of conversion.

now its moto or nothing. I dont really care about the extra pound of the lack of ventilation; going back home in one piece is top priority.

 

[Westy]

That's where mips comes in.

Good to know. Sorry to say I thought MIPS was an electronic sensor. I stopped paying attention to new bike gear years ago when there was a new standard every week.

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

Part 1, guy doing down, superman style..

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

Clenching to rock

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

Tiny yellow speck on lower left, is the bike tumbling down a few hundred yards, whille guy is still cletched to the rock.

 

[HAB]

Good to know. Sorry to say I thought MIPS was an electronic sensor. I stopped paying attention to new bike gear years ago when there was a new standard every week.

One thing to note with MIPS helmets is that they kind of suck if you like using helmet mounted lights or (I assume, I don't have one) GoPros. The float that's built into the MIPS system makes them feel really floppy when you stick some extra weight on top.

I love love love my Smith Forefront. It's really light, the coverage is good, and it vents pretty well. Because of the construction (much of the protection comes from what looks like stacks of drinking straws glued together instead of normal closed cell foam), it doesn't have as good airflow as a normal helmet at really high speed, but I find that it vents as well, if not better than most when you're not going very fast, i.e. climbing. Which honestly is when I want good ventilation in my helmet anyway.

 

[HAB]

But that's my point. Those helmets are tested to different standards. to the best of my knowledge, the extended coverage enduro lids would not pass the DH test (what is it, ASTM 1992 or something?)

Standards are not a perfect test of protection.

• The fact that two helmets both pass does not mean that one can't be more protective than the other.
• The standard is only as good as the test criteria that define it. I did read some of the helmet standards a while back, and IIRC they mostly just tested for impacts to the top of the head. It may be the case that two helmets protect equally well to this area, but because one offers more coverage, it's still more protective in certain scenarios that the test criteria don't cover.

 

[OGRipper]

There's no way to be totally safe but I'll take a little extra coverage, thanks.

BTW, in case any of you are like me and gave up on Giro helmets in the past because they "just don't fit my head", try it now. I always thought Giro were to short fore and aft relative to width, but the new Montaro fits me better than anything, including the A-1. Good features too.

 

[canadmos]

Besides impacts, one thing I like about enderpo helmets is that they have smaller vent holes. I've lost count how many times I've been stabbed in the top of the head by branches and twigs. It happened much more when I used an XC helmet back in the day.

My hydration pack also no longer smashes my skull directly, should I forget to do up the waste belt.

Plus they just feel better on my head for some reason. I road for years in a skate style helmet because it was all that fit me.

I think of the video that Pesqueeb posted and this one... Had this guy had an XC helmet on, I'm skeptical if he would have got up from that hit to the bottom of his skull.

http://www.pinkbike.com/video/420690/#top

It only takes one knock...

 

[Da Peach]

Good to know. Sorry to say I thought MIPS was an electronic sensor. I stopped paying attention to new bike gear years ago when there was a new standard every week.

Understandable. Also, MIPS definitely alter the fit of a helmet (vs the non MIPS version of the same helmet), so worth making damn sure it fits before buying.

 

[Serial Midget]

I don't know if my helmet is enduro. the deciding factor for buying it was the fit at the back of the head and that has nothing to do with the extra cranial coverage. My biggest problem with helmets in the past has been the ability to get a snug AND comfortable fit that does not slide forward with a head lamp attached to it. I would think a go pro would sit just as nicely. The helmet is hotter than a regular one, I seldom wear it JRA but have it handy if rocks and speed are involved. View media item 2797View media item 2798View media item 2799