With the growth in popularity of enduro or all mountain riding, brands are creating versatile helmets that give you lightweight breathability when pedaling up, but then deliver maximum protection when bombing down that ridge. At Eurobike last week, Lazer, Uvex, and Bell showed off their all-mountain helmets with detachable chin bars . For long climbs, remove the chin bar and stow it in your pack. And when it’s time for more aggressive riding, you can quickly lock it on, no tools required.
Some mountain biking days– Deer Valley is a great example — involve a bit of fun on technical downhill trails in an otherwise XC focused ride. While I am probably not going to go out for a 100% lift served day and hence don’t need a full face helmet, I would appreciate that extra bit of coverage when I wanted to try some of the more technical descents. And it’s self-evident that any enduro racer or regular all-mountain rider will love these new helmets.
The Uvex Jakkyl Hde (pictured top) features a half shell helmet for uphill riding that transforms into an ultimate full face helmet in ten seconds via an attachable chin guard — no tools required. The helmet weighs just 630 grams and the integrated 360 degree BOA system keeps it secure on your head both uphill and downhill.
When you are not in full face mode, the visor lifts up to store your goggles underneath. Fourteen different ventilation channels provide good airflow to keep you cool when you are working hard pedaling uphill. The Uvex Jakkyl Hde helmet is available in two shell sizes: 52-57 cm and 56-61 cm.
A removable chin bar makes the new Bell Super 3R suited to the all-mountain experience. For long climbs, remove the chin bar and stow it in your pack. And when it’s time for more aggressive riding, you can quickly lock it on, no tools required.
With this new all-mountain helmet, Bell added the Float Fit system (an easy-to-turn rubber overmolded dial for adjustments) and dramatically improved the fit and comfort by revising the shape both inside and out. Other trail-specific features include a detachable visor that accommodates both sunglasses and goggles, a breakaway action camera mount, and ventilation chambers that direct cool air over your head. Not to mention MIPS rotational impact system for added protection in certain impacts.
And finally, Lazer also gets into the removable chin bar helmet game with the new Revolution FF helmet. This all-mountain helmet is more of a 3-in-1 helmet as it doesn’t exactly covert easily mid-ride. You can can wear it as a normal mountain bike helmet, add the ear pads, or add the chin guard — the ear covers easily snap into place, but the chin bar uses three small screws.
The Revolution FF features a new adjustable visor, which enables you to stow your goggles and a safety mounting system on the top of the helmet offers crash-tested action camera or light attachment