Hey Folks... I am in between half shell lids and I could use some recommendations. I searched for active threads on the forums here and most of them seemed out dated... so here goes.
I would like to get a 2023 what helmets are people using and which ones are worth looking at thread going. This isn't limited to half shells... If you don't mind, tell us what lid or lids your currently using, your general sizing constraints, what works, what doesn't and what your next helmet will be.
I'll start. I've got a 58cm head, on the round side of football (sideways stewie). I am a voracious head sweater... It's almost unbelievable how much sweat comes from my head, onto my glasses. I tend to use either a halo head band or a sweatbuster in my helmets, but it is hard finding one that can accommodate either without changing the fit.
Currently I have the following:
-Smith Forefront 2 - this has been my go-to lid for many years, I am now on my second one. I find that it has most of the features I'm looking for such as; ample coverage, glasses storage, good adjustability, good fit adjustment system. There are some draw backs such as: Does not fit well with a halo headband or sweat buster, the retention system is slightly uncomfortable at the back, especially until the rubber grippers break in and soften up. I do find that I have to crank it down pretty tight to keep it in place. Over time, the finish on mine has failed due to my caustic sweat, and the mips liner starts cracking somewhere into year two.
-Troy Lee A3 Mips - I bought this as a replacement to my Forefront 2 and while it seemed comfortable, the long term durability has been terrible. What i like; it has good compatibility with different performance sun glasses shapes, seems to have pretty full/decent coverage for a half shell, general comfort is good, full cover liner allows you to trim parts to fit, neoprene sweat gutter was neat at first. What I don't like: plastic visor screws seem to strip/break even though I am not touching them, the neoprene sweat gutter adhesive comes off after two rides and renders it useless, the TLD liners do what they always do and start separating quickly and need replacing, the overall look is more of an on-top of your head instead of around your head like a hat. I thought this would be my Smith forefront 2 replacement, and it's not.
As for light weight full faces:
-Fox Proframe RS - I love the features on this helmet, and the build quality is nice. But it's not the end all-be all light weight full face for me. Pros: Aesthetic looks great, retention system is really high quality, visor system is great, weight is within target for how sturdy it feels, appropriate chin bar length/distance so it's not in my face. Cons: the liner is very complicated and it's incompatible with any sort of seat buster or something similar. The retention system can provide hot spots for certain head shapes and it seems to need to be tight af to stop the helmet from moving around. There is also a small bit of foam, directly above the adjuster anchoring point in back, that I had to trim as it was creating a hot spot. The google port is a little too small on top, and it forces you to have the helmet in an exact spot in order to fit well with goggles... it always feels like it's 1cm off of where it wants to be.
-IXS Trigger FF Mips - This thing is awesome for light duty trail riding where you want to have something more then a half shell, but you still need to climb. Pros: extremely light (650g in M), very comfortable fit with decent adjustment and can accommodate additional or different liners (sweatbuster) and includes a click retention system ilo just a neck roll, overall good coverage and has an appropriate sized chin bar to keep it out of my grill. Cons: definitely not as sturdy as a real full face, seems like it could have a bit lower and/or more substantial neck coverage, visor system works really well, but it's a bit of a pita to move it up/down to stow goggles, seems like it could/should cost just a bit less.
At any rate, what helmets are you using and which ones would you suggest checking out in 2023 and beyond?
I've got a big noggin, it measures around 62 so I'm always looking for the biggest helmets in the shop to try on. Most helmets feel like they are pushing in on my forehead and the rolls on the back of my head push it down when I'm riding. The Troy Lee A3 Mips was my choice when I was on the helmet hunt a year ago. I agree about the sweat gutter, it works well for awhile then if fails. When the second one failed, I used some 1/8" thin double sided tape (looks like the iCraft brand on Amazon) and it has held great since.
The TLD helmet replaced a Giro Montaro Mips that was very comfortable. Giro helmets seems to fit me well and I have no real reason to have not bought a second one to replace the old one.
Other helmets that were in the running were the Smith you mentioned, a Bontrager that I can't remember the model of, and a Specialized Ambush.
If head sweat is your problem, me, the Oakley helmet with the built in Halo type thing is great. I really like my Oakley even though it's on the heavy side. As lame as the glasses holder on the back of the helmet is, it works wells and helps me not get sweat on the glasses during climbs.
I'm looking for folks that have tried the new Bluegrass Core Full Face: https://www.vitalmtb.com/product/guide/full-face-helmets/bluegrass/vang…
I want a lightweight full face that is actually safe(Virginia Tech Rating) and breathable, see sweating issues.
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