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MTB specific helmet?

Old 03-01-22, 11:16 AM
  #1  
rosefarts
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MTB specific helmet?

I have a perfectly fine road helmet. I’ve worn it for the last couple years and it’s been fine. I neither love it or hate it. I have a Molteni or Cinelli hat under it at all times and the sun doesn’t bother me.

I’m going to attempt to change my game up regarding the MTB. Picking up a new bike this week. Also planning on flat pedals for the first time in 30 years.

So back to this helmet thing. Is this an MTB Velominati thing? Like skiing in jeans or something equally horrific? Is there an advantage? Should I get a stylish new bucket? Does it matter?
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Old 03-01-22, 12:04 PM
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I think its unnecessary for general riding and XC ish riding --- i use a road helmet most of the time. ----- so do most top XC pros (not that i am one )

Most "MTB helmets" really just look like road helmets with a visor tacked on anyway

Exception for me --- i have a Bell "Enduro" helmet that has more coverage for the back of my head that i like a lot if i am riding on more aggressive trails that is very similar to the below picture . It is pretty hot in the summertime though ---- and anytime i am on a lift assisted bike park, i use a full face . Being an MX'er too, i have a plethora of full face motocross lids, but i actually prefer a DH cycling specific Fox helmet for the weight savings over a motorcycle helmet




--- Coupe of pics of the pros wearing "normal" helmets . Granted , these arent normal humans, and we should keep in mind to dress for the crash and not just the good times, -- but i dont have any issues just wearing my general use helmets with no visors when riding at XC ish speeds (for me that is 10mph or les)



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Old 03-01-22, 01:28 PM
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I like a helmet that comes down in the back to protect the back of my head.
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Old 03-01-22, 01:44 PM
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Many MTB helmets that look like they come down farther in the back of the head actually don't. They just come up higher on the sides.
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Old 03-01-22, 01:57 PM
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fwiw - I didn't start falling off my bike until I got a MTB. I have found that the falls can be pretty weird. a google search yielded some info about features & benefits of MTB specific helmets. but I'd be interested in hearing from experienced MTBers too. especially after paying $10K+ on my teeth, the past 2 years

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Old 03-01-22, 01:59 PM
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I wanted a Trek MIPS helmet, and asked their CS about them. The guy I talked to said he wore a road model for XC, so I saved my wife $100 or so with a road model and have been happy with it, although it hasn't been crash tested.
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Old 03-01-22, 10:38 PM
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There are mtb helmets and then there are mtb helmets.
many of the cheaper/older styles are your general road helmet with a visor. The more progressive (usually a bit higher price) have much more specific features, such as adjustable visors, various liner adjustments, possible ear and temple protection, and some do offer more back of the head protection. MTB helmet protection leans more to protecting object penetration, like rock or a branch nub on a log. Road helmets are very aligned to not just blunt impact, the the better ones help mitigate the effect of sliding forces at road speeds... Now some of that is certainly in mtb, but you also have to think about sharp rock or branches projecting thru vents...., etc.
That said its better ride with a helmet, than not. And better to have one which fits really well. A road helmet without visor certainly works.
I think another important consideration is having more than one helmet, more than two even... I have 6 and don;t think I'm over equipped.
A couple very road, a couple road which are specific to very sunny, long rides (with foldup visors), a couple of mtb helmets.
if you only have one helmet, and planning on venturing significantly into mtb-offroad riding; it would be worthwhile to have another helmet and make it mtb. You might end up liking it more.
... If I'm riding late in the day (from my house) 99% of rides must lead East from my house. (West means I must ride on an divided hwy with car and commercial truck/semi traffic at 70+ mph)
Invariably the ride home is West and with a setting sun directly in your eyes. Literally, without some sun shade/visor, visibility is ZERO - guaranteed mishap and injury. So a late ride always has me using a helmet with a visor, which I can tilt down enough to block the sun and still see where I'm heading...
Ride On
Yuri
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Old 03-02-22, 07:21 AM
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
fwiw - I didn't start falling off my bike until I got a MTB. I have found that the falls can be pretty weird. a google search yielded some info about features & benefits of MTB specific helmets. but I'd be interested in hearing from experienced MTBers too. especially after paying $10K+ on my teeth, the past 2 years
I am dubious that any helmet that is comfortable to pedal in all day is going to be more protective in a MTB version than a Road version. I really don't see why Road helmets would be any less protective, as you are generally going faster on the road than on the trail, and speed is what really determines how hard you hit. If there is some evidence out there to the contrary, I'd be interested in seeing it. We can hypothesize about what sorts of protection are more important in road vs mtb, but again, I would like to see some evidence that this is actually how the different helmets are designed and tested.

And short of going full face, they are doing nothing extra to protect your teeth.

Of course, there are some MTB helmets that really do offer more protection. These are going to be less comfortable to do a bunch of pedaling in. If I found myself doing much shuttling or lift-served riding I would get a DH helmet (and some protective armor).

I wear an MTB helmet because I like the visor and they look slightly less dorky IMO.
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Old 03-02-22, 07:42 AM
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Originally Posted by Kapusta
I wear an MTB helmet because I like the visor and they look slightly less dorky IMO.
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Old 03-02-22, 08:07 AM
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Slight digression: going from all road riding (with clip-in pedals, probably) to flats on MTB trails, better spend some time getting used to the flat pedals before doing technical trail riding. Got my first MTB in 1985, and, like a lot of road bike friends who got MTBs around that time, I smacked the front of my lower leg with a pedal a few times because of a foot slip on the other pedal. Very painful, blood, scars.
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Old 03-02-22, 08:21 AM
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Originally Posted by Kapusta
Many MTB helmets that look like they come down farther in the back of the head actually don't. They just come up higher on the sides.
I have a Giro MTB helmet. It comes down farther on the back of my head than my Specialized road bike helmets. I don't find it uncomfortable to wear for all day rides.
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Old 03-02-22, 08:36 AM
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Originally Posted by prj71
I have a Giro MTB helmet. It comes down farther on the back of my head than my Specialized road bike helmets. I don't find it uncomfortable to wear for all day rides.
I have two Giro MTB Helmets (an old Xen and a new Montaro) and neither come down in the back farther than my ancient Bell Road helmet. They just come down less on the sides.
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Old 03-02-22, 08:42 AM
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I have this one...

https://www.giro.com/p/source-mips-b...500000098.html

Back of it comes down further than this one...

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/pr...=323361-162030

When I wear the Specialized helmet I can touch the back of my head. With the Giro Helmet I can't.
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Old 03-02-22, 11:33 AM
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Originally Posted by Trakhak
Slight digression: going from all road riding (with clip-in pedals, probably) to flats on MTB trails, better spend some time getting used to the flat pedals before doing technical trail riding. Got my first MTB in 1985, and, like a lot of road bike friends who got MTBs around that time, I smacked the front of my lower leg with a pedal a few times because of a foot slip on the other pedal. Very painful, blood, scars.
I was 14 when I went clipless. Onza HO ti. That was 1993. I’ve rarely looked back.

More recently I’ve been bombing an XC geo bike and a gravel bike into places for an MTB. A long and slack hardtail is the natural extension of that. I did get some 5.10’s and some devilish looking pedals. So much of what I’ve been riding has been me balancing my feet on pedals without clipping in. I expect this to be better.

I’ll probably get some light shin guards too.
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Old 03-02-22, 01:00 PM
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I have a Giro Fixture seems like MTB specific helmets have larger vent holes for more air to get to your head. I've ridden both seemed like a regular roadie helmet got hotter specially when moving slower. I'd guess to say that road helmets cool better with speed than mtb helmets. my helmet also has more protection for the back of the head than my older helmet I once had. I actually am on the second Fixture first one I had saved my head in a crash so I replaced it soon after. the recent model has MIPS. not sure if thats worth they hype or not. Seems like what is on helmets these days anyhow.
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Old 03-04-22, 09:52 AM
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I got this Schwinn "Excursion" helmet because it looked like it had more room for winter head coverings, meaning more of a "pocket" for the head & hat. instead of my summer helmet that really just sat at the top of my head. it has worked out quite nicely as a winter oriented helmet. It was pretty darn affordable. visors help keep those skinny tree branches from whipping your face & eyes, tho I usually wear eye protection as well


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Old 03-05-22, 08:36 PM
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I'm not a hardcore rider anymore and I purchased the Exclusky MTB helmet off of amazon. It seemed to get decent reviews.
It fits me well and covers the rear of my head. I like the visor too.

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Old 03-07-22, 04:08 PM
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My Bontrager Rally has some sort of "WaveCel" technology that collapses.
From their marketing: WaveCel is a collapsible cellular structure that lines the inside of the helmet. This Bontrager-exclusive technology disrupts the safety standards the industry has accepted for over 30 years.

I fortunately have not tested it yet.

Bontrager Rally WaveCel
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Old 03-08-22, 09:18 AM
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So as far as technology goes, wave cell or mips or whatever, I’m not asking about that since it’s just as available on a road helmet as MTB.

My riding is cross country based with extra effort on cleanly handling the obstacles. I can’t use the word “send” since as a rock climber, I’ve been using that word since before today’s best riders were born. It’s cross sport cultural appropriation . But you get the idea.

Is there any data about rear head injuries on the mountain bike? Coverage sounds great, unless it doesn’t need covered.
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Old 03-08-22, 09:28 AM
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Originally Posted by rosefarts
So as far as technology goes, wave cell or mips or whatever, I’m not asking about that since it’s just as available on a road helmet as MTB.

My riding is cross country based with extra effort on cleanly handling the obstacles. I can’t use the word “send” since as a rock climber, I’ve been using that word since before today’s best riders were born. It’s cross sport cultural appropriation . But you get the idea.

Is there any data about rear head injuries on the mountain bike? Coverage sounds great, unless it doesn’t need covered.
Probably no data available other than anecdotal. I've personally witnessed people falling off the bike and the back of their helmet hitting the ground. Which is why I made the move to a helmet that has more coverage on the back of my head.
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Old 04-23-22, 05:18 PM
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I'm by no means an expert but I've gotten my kids POC MTB helmets once I started taking them off the trail and on the dirt. There is quite a bit more coverage on MTB on the back and on the sides compared to the road one plus some intrusion protection.. Once I saw them take some low speed tumbles within inches of some nicely sized boulders I could clearly see that if they hit it the sides of their heads would not be protected by their road helmets. To me road ones are built for speed and the scenario where you'd be hitting something with the lower side of your head or back of your head as a primary point of impact is pretty remote. Once off the gravel trail it's much more likely and even walking pace tumbles they took trying to navigate 6 inch standing water puddles looked pretty sketchy if they hit those rocks. There is a tool for every job I guess.
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Old 04-26-22, 11:28 PM
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In the bay area seems like about 50% or more of the mnt bikers use a full face helmet. I just bought a mountain bike and I am still just using my road helmet.
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Old 04-27-22, 02:43 PM
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Originally Posted by sean.hwy
In the bay area seems like about 50% or more of the mnt bikers use a full face helmet. I just bought a mountain bike and I am still just using my road helmet.
You're using a road helmet on a MTB in the bay area? Aren't you afraid someone might see you?
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Old 04-27-22, 02:53 PM
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Originally Posted by Darth Lefty
You're using a road helmet on a MTB in the bay area? Aren't you afraid someone might see you?
OMG that's funny you should say that. Out of my bike friends I am the one you want in the photo so you look better. I never seem to be able to match put/ together the "look".
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