[Closed] Are full face helmets becoming more mainstream?

I'm starting to notice much more people riding in the peaks with the removal chin guard type helmets

Some people value their teeth and facial features more than others it seems.

Very trendy now obviously. Perceived image of being a hardcore moutain biker.

Blame enduro i reckon.

There is a guy in town who commutes wearing one on a BSO.

Threads about people wearing full face helmets seem to have become less mainstream recently.

Nice to see again as I miss the times when we had one every week.

Thing is, back in the day, a typical full facer was heavy, hot, expensive and claustrophobic to wear, so you didn't unless you really needed too (ie doing DH)

Today, not only are Full facers a lot cheaper, but the modern enduro style 'cross over' helmets with detachable chin guards are wearable on all day XC rides, so people do!

The fullfaces have got a lot better for this sort of thing- my Urge was one of the most trail-worthy helmets when it came out but pedalling in it still sucked- but the newer Parachute and Proframe and the like, and especially the convertible ones, change that a lot. So people who would have liked to do it before but were put off by the practicality might now find it a more viable option.

I'm not sure it's actually much more popular- there was a wee spell a while back when a lot of people were riding around with cheap 661s on their camelbaks, for maximum protection (I remember seeing a dude at kirroughtree, riding around mcmoab with no helmet on and a fullface on his back...) That seemed to die off a bit, on account of it was incredibly daft.

I was the victim of a hit and run about 7 years ago whilst on my bike.

I woke up in an MRI scanner, which was disconcerting to say the least.

I'd fractured the bottom rear of my skull and still suffer the effects to this day.

Three days ago I went to buy a new helmet. Deliberated for ages over the cost of a Super 3R.

Ultimately I came to the conclusion that no protection can possibly be enough protection. How can I value £200 on components over £200 on the safety of my head?

So full-face it was (with a removable chinguard). Rode Llandegla full-face in the heat on Saturday and it was surprisingly cool.

The new Fox full face enduro one looks the bollocks - think it will replace my DH lid as well my trail helmet - for all but pure xc duties.

Yeah, quite tempted to pick one of those up- I don't really like fullface, I just wear it for dh and even then not always (riding up innerleithen doesn't make the descent any different from bussing up after all) but I can see me using a Proframe or similar for a lot more- less downhilly uplifts like BPW, alpy trail riding.

[img] [/img]

Endurobrollie.

I have had a Bell Super 2r for abour 18 months when I first got it detached the chin guard for climbs but not long after stopped bothering to detach it because it didn't bother me on the climbs. I've done a few ride in 30 degrees heat and it was still fine.

I've tried the MET Parachute, Bell Super 2r, Giro Switchblade and Fox Proframe. If I needed a new one tomorrow it would be the Fox.

I rocked up at a pub in Bakewell today wearing my Super 2r - had just done a DH section, so had the chin guard on. I probably looked a bit of a **** (nowt new there then). I looked more of a **** last summer though, when I fell off on an innocuous piece of trail, concussed myself and broke my jaw, on my own in the woods. I'd have been unscathed, had I been wearing it then

Saw 2 guys with fullfacers at Swinley today - why not? It is teh gnaaar!!

I'm amazed everyone else without got out alive.

I have seen a couple of people riding round town in them lately, they could have been en-route to do some radness at the BMX track I suppose...

And saw a couple of (IMO) unnecessary FF lids being worn at swinley on Saturday morning, again they could have been utter pinners...

But in answer to the OP's question, no I don't thinks they're "mainstream" I think they've always been some people's idea of "bonus risk compensation"... You'll still look like a bit of a dick wearing one if the situation doesn't really call for it...

Some people over-assess risk, then over-compensate accordingly...

You'll still look like a bit of a dick wearing one if the situation doesn't really call for it...

Where as I'm of the opinion that you should train at trail centres in the kit that you are going to race in....or at least hit good descents in.

The Fox seems to be so well ventilated, I don't see why you wouldn't ride in one for anything but gravel riding.

I must admit, I see the guys in the full facers at places like Swinley and think why? But then again face first into a tree at 30mph hurts just as much at Swinley as it does in the Alps.

Where as I'm of the opinion that you should train at trail centres in the kit that you are going to race in....or at least hit good descents in.

See I'm not sure we are quite talking about the same people here... Many of the riders I see trundling about in FF lids don't look like they're training for a season of #Enduro or DH racing... And they're not wearing minimal FF lids with vents or removable chin guards, good old fashioned full fat DH lids...

But sure, if you are training for something Enduroey that needs you to be able to dance with heat stroke for several hours in lots of kit, including a FF lid, then that's a fair enough reason I suppose...

Part of it is the re-designation of "XC" rides as "trail/enduro" rides, which means that wearing "enduro/DH" paraphernalia for them is fine.

Wear whatever. Here in Hong Kong the climate is [i]far[/i] too disgustingly hot and sticky to be wearing or carrying much clobber for about 2/3rds of the year, so my full protective gear comes out only when I've got an uplift. The rest of the time it's an XC lid only and not doing anything too daft.

🙂

See I'm not sure we are quite talking about the same people here... Many of the riders I see trundling about in FF lids don't look like they're training for a season of #Enduro or DH racing..

A very PC way of putting it. I'm guessing it's a risk thing for a lot of these people. Watching some of them wobble around, i'd probably be head to toe in armour too.

Having tried the new Fox lid, it does ventilate well, better than my D3, but not even close to the A1, which is still hot anyway. No way i'd wear one unless I had to (or felt the need to).

And saw a couple of (IMO) unnecessary FF lids being worn at swinley on Saturday morning, again they could have been utter pinners...

Hmm, yep but I saw a bunch or two with no helmets at all Sunday as well as quite a few with FF.

Out of the two [u]the ones without helmets[/u] seem to have the most restricted vision ... or perhaps just a feeling on invulnerability.

In my experience those with FF helmets don't push UP the more downhill or stop for a bit of a chat round a blind corner with their bikes across the trail.

A whole bunch of mostly no-helmet's were on the "New trail feature" and one had an interesting riding style of putting the front brake on in front of the small drop-off ... I have to presume he was planning a front flip /sarcasm (why else would you stick the brakes on before a drop off) but it didn't work out and he hit a tree though he was lucky and didn't hurt himself... then his buddies all (mainly without any helmets) stood around blocking the trail for 10 minutes whilst other riders had to come round the corner and stop ....

Perhaps they just wanted to stop my 7yr old showing them how trivial the new feature is???

Another bunch of "no helmeters" were pushing up the actual trail (not along side but the actual trail) on Red 25 ... and me, the 7yr old and 3 "FF helmeters" had to wait ... and even then you have no idea if they decided to suddenly stop in the middle round the blind bend..

Frankly I have no problem with people wearing FF helmets .... I don't wear one but I don't have any issues with 90% of those that do...[b] whereas 90% of the "no helmet" crowd are just complete ass-hats[/b] who not only have no regard for THEIR safety but usually illustrate they have no regard for anyone elses either.

The met parachute is very well vented, I've worn mine for EWS tweedlove etc, get a bit sweaty but the extra protection is worth it imho
Certainly a world apart from my old gyro remedy
Not much sweatier than an A1

The Fox seems to be so well ventilated, I don't see why you wouldn't ride in one for anything but gravel riding.

I have tried one and I felt it was still pretty restrictive in terms of air flow and "catching breath" I only wear a full face on uplift days. I really struggle to catch a satisfying breath with any kind of restricted airflow and find them quite claustrophobic. The new fox looks great in the flesh, but for the money its not significantly different from other options.

it is in line with general safety trend isn't it. See also ski/snowboard helmets, hand sanitiser and not letting kids climb trees

On the subject of full-facers being unneccessary and/or dickish, is that not exactly the same thing which held back other bits of armour from wider acceptance, but then a tipping point was reached and we all started wearing them?

I felt very sheepish when I first started rocking knee-pads for merely trail centre red/black type stuff. But now they're ubiquitous. Then elbows followed. Will full face follow?

Awesome thread.... very STW this is turning out to be 🙂

We were at GT yesterday and while we saw a few nobbers (was it you all parked in a group blocking the exit, fast exit too, at the end of Hush Hush?), no FF's.

But if you want/need to wear one, please do.

Spotted a few yesterday and have no problem with the choice of headgea. But the head scratcher was there were some that didn't have knee or elbow pads. There's a lot is going to interface with the ground before your face hits!

When does a ride warrent a FF?? When you land on your face? In my experience it could be anytime!

Offs don't always happen when you'd expect and sometimes the 'silly' ones can be the worst.

OP said some didn't look to be ridding 'gnarly off piste'...don't know about others but I ride sometime Blues can be just as dangerous...take Degla for example...the Blue is so so fast and you could as easily take a nasty tumble there at speed as you would anywhere else on the trail!

PS...don't run one yet for Trail ridding but think I will some with me newer light weight breathable generation.

I have been to Thetford with a Full face before as I had no idea what the trails were like.

Their description of the Beast sounded pretty hardcore.

It was ok, I didn't need the FF I wouldn't wear it to a place like that.

I sometimes were a pie case to my local most of the time a Full face, my confidence and ability to walk away increase somewhat.

my kid wears one just for sitting on rocks

[img] [/img]

I generally wear my parachute if I'm out without Lewis but I'll put my half shell on when I'm with him as I'm not going full endure.

The new fox helmet looks hot and although lewis has a super2R I wouldn't trust the chin bar for myself.

Haters gonna hate subject, I think. I'm a huge fan of the ('new') Parachute.

My first took many hits in the Basque including a comedy scraping myself off my bike when I didn't see the second low branch and stood back up. It got retired after that week, but certainly did its job. I didn't find it overly sweaty or that it restricted breathing for climbing. It did complicate drinking from a camelbak but not impossibly. Drinking from a bottle or eating with it on were out obviously. I was fine strapping it on at the start of the morning and keeping it on til lunch, then again in the afternoon. I guess some people are just sweatier than others.

I've bought another and really have no problem wearing it as a general MTB lid around the Peaks. If I messed myself up badly, life would suddenly become very complicated, hence I take what I see as reasonable precaution. They are expensive in the UK.

I wear knee pads for most Trail riding esp if I don't know the place but might dispense if I do know somewhere well and assess it as a low risk. I'm very lax about elbows, I don't really like elbow pads tbh. I would wear a standard xc lid for commute/general riding etc, tootling along the Monsal trail or whatever in a FF would be silly!

howsyourdad1 - Member
it is in line with general safety trend isn't it. See also ski/snowboard helmets, hand sanitiser and not letting kids climb trees

Does depend on your outlook and possibly job. I'm anal about hand sanitizer at work, but I work in a hospital. If I worked in an office I wouldn't see the point.

crimsondynamo - Member

On the subject of full-facers being unneccessary and/or dickish, is that not exactly the same thing which held back other bits of armour from wider acceptance, but then a tipping point was reached and we all started wearing them?

I think it's the same process but not necessarily the same outcome. With knee pads it seemed to be a mix of acceptance and practicality, just the same as fullface- there used to be few really practical all-day knee pads. But it's been a really slow process that, people who've never worn them still think they're chafey or restrict your pedalling (and people who decide to try knee pads often get suckered into buying minimal ones for the same reason).

@poah, is that Comrie's perfect sitting-on-rock?

@poah, is that Comrie's perfect sitting-on-rock?

yes it is.

I fell off on the black down twice within 30s only wearing a half shell. will teach me to abandon my child at the picnic area I suppose ha ha ha ha

So, I've had too many close calls. Three crashes in 2 years where I have been lucky not to do serious damage to my facw/ head all 3 still resulted in cuts to my face. I'm buying a new full face before I ride. The thing is I regularly ride trails where a lot of people are on dh bikes with ff helmets etc. I don't think I'm going much slower on my 6 inch bike with an open face helmet either. Some of the trails we ride are far harder than the dh tracks at fod etc.

I'm currently of work with a cut up lip, chin and nose and a right hand an wrist that I can't use at all.

I'll wear whatever it takes to keep me safe from now on.

EDIT - I forgot to I add, I also don't care whether others want to judge me either.

It's all about your own risk assessment innit?.

I'm quite happy to wear open face helmet and minimalist pads (despite Northy opining on them on a daily basis but others have different experiences/opinions/priorities. I try not to judge the guy riding blue or red routes with FF and body armour, as I don't know his situation. Could have health issues, could be self employed or could just fall off regularly.

Blaming enduro Nairnster? Get over yourself.

Offs don't always happen when you'd expect and sometimes the 'silly' ones can be the worst

Cedric Gracia springs to mind, that has to be one of the worst things if seen, for such an innocuous Pootle with your mates ride

Warning, graphic femoral arterial injury content

https://m.pinkbike.com/news/Video-CGs-Bloody-Crash.html

I see more of them about around the Peak, and agree that they are becoming more mainstream. As noted, individuals make their own risk assessment and their is more choice nowadays for what to buy, which is a good thing. When I was first ridding around the Peak it was on a rigid bike, and if i wanted a full facer I would have probably needed motorbike helmet, and coming from this probably influences the fact I just wear a pretty standard xc lid. Outside of the more extremes of the sport one person's xc is anothers trail shredding etc etc but if you are happy and comfortable in the gear you ride all is good to me.

Criticising people's choice of protection is a total dick move. Why do people do this?

FWIW I wear an open face and knee pads for pretty much everything in the UK.

Have seen more around Cannock now the season's started but still rare away from the tourist trails

It's an awkward decision really since so much of it is fairly undemanding climbing interspersed by occasional 10s of seconds of potential doom. Although a lot more people are incorporating Stile Cop where a FF makes absolute sense.

Also an increasing number of people with two helmets, one strapped to their pack depending on where they are.

Criticising people's choice of protection is a total dick move. Why do people do this?

Isn't it? I don't know why people do it either, wear what you want

Having lost one tooth and chipped others in an innocuous crash on relatively undemanding terrain, I can attest to the value of a FF. As mentioned in a previous post the old style FF helmets where/are heavy and restrict breathing too much to be a practical option for anything other than downhill.

The new generation of "light" FF with detachable chinguards are a different beast. I bought the Bell Super 2R on the basis that I could run it with the chinguard in the pack, to be attached only when required. In truth, more often than not I couldn't be arsed, but then found that in actual fact it is so easy to pedal, climb etc with the chinguard on that I don't bother any more, I just ride it as a FF the whole time.

As mentioned above I don't get people who feel that it is some form of fashion choice. Same as with kneepads and elbow pads. I wear both. Why? Because I've fallen off without them and it hurts like hell. I've fallen off with them and it doesn't. It's a no brainer. Same with the new FFs. If you can wear one and be comfortable pedalling, climbing etc I don't see why you wouldn't. Given the choice I'd rather retain the rest of my teeth and as said above, it's often crashes in the most innocuous areas that pan out the worst for you..

I wear Shin/Knee pads on 97.5% of my rides, as a result of person experience, I insist my kids do too. The kids I coach, I also advise to wear them, some of them turn up in FF. A mate who is a dentist at a Childrens hospital, surprise surpise, always wears FF as does his son. I don't judge anyone for their chosen level of protection. If they turn up with Velociraptors however, I shall point and laugh.

I dunno if Mark 90's remembers me smacking my mush on the handrail of a bridge crossing the Nene, and then losing a tooth in a saveloy on that evenings drinking sesh..
£300 of your English earth pounds to have that badboy nailed back in, so I can well understand why that dentist and his lad ride FF

i didn't really answer the original question. I think they are becoming more mainstream, due to the improvements in weight etc. I wouldnt consider wearing any of my old ff helmets for an xc ride, but they were aall designed for dh use.

Criticising people's choice of protection is a total dick move. Why do people do this?

Oh please, they can file the appropriate [i]"hurt feeling form"[/i] if the opinion of some interweb-nobody really matters to them...

As other's have already said, yes maybe the various storm troopers observed at the UK's trail centres this weekend have circumstances which somehow dictate they need the ultimate level of facial protection... It's their business and nobody's going to tell them what to wear...

FWIW I have taken my FF lid with me to places like Aston Hill, BPW, Cwmcarn, etc but much of the UK (including about 98% of Swinley) doesn't really require it [u]in my opinion[/u], which should probably be disregarded...

Don't misunderstand, I'm not pointing and laughing at all FF users when I encounter them IRL.
I'm a pleasant, affable chap whatever your attire, I'll be nice, give you a tube if you have a flat and all the rest of it...
I'll just be quietly judging you in my head, that's all... 😉

After breaking my jaw about 6 weeks ago, I had no choice but buy a full-face if I wanted to keep riding off-road, as the risk of falling and breaking again has quite bad consequences. In it's current state, it will take 6 months to heal properly.

The Switchblade had just appeared on the market, so went with one of those. It felt slightly over-the-top at first, but I was just happy to be riding. Now I don't feel too awkward wearing it, and if I see others in full-face riding up and down hill, they look 'normal' to me....so yes, perhaps things are changing...thanks to technological improvements to some degree.

I'm now the owner of a selection from my old 661 DH lid to a Met Parachute that didn't quite fit right and now I have a very enduro fluro Giro Switchblade, I'm going to see how the switchblade goes down here in winter, the chin bar takes less than a minute to fit and wouldn't go amiss on some of the trails around here. Our local new trails now include the EWS stages, mate went up to do the rocky one this weekend in his open faced lid and really didn't like it so much rock out there.

I'd probably take one out in places like the lakes too where the trails are some of the top end technical stuff and anything that involves a lift up.

As other's have already said, yes maybe the various storm troopers observed at the UK's trail centres this weekend have circumstances which somehow dictate they need the ultimate level of facial protection... It's their business and nobody's going to tell them what to wear...

FWIW I have taken my FF lid with me to places like Aston Hill, BPW, Cwmcarn, etc but much of the UK (including about 98% of Swinley) doesn't really require it in my opinion, which should probably be disregarded...

Don't misunderstand, I'm not pointing and laughing at all FF users when I encounter them IRL.
I'm a pleasant, affable chap whatever your attire, I'll be nice, give you a tube if you have a flat and all the rest of it...
I'll just be quietly judging you in my head, that's all...

Thing is you don't need a FF until that split second BEFORE your face smashes into something hard.

Your face hitting a tree at 20-30 mph its irrelevant as to the technical grade of the trail.... and the reason you do might be completely out of your control like a wheel collapse or tyre...

Last weekend I was cheerfully riding a non technical section (@Swinley) (only red as its joining 2 reds) following the kid and not paying attention and the font wheel just went into rut, OTB and head hits a tree... but not damaged (even helmet seems uncracked)

Weirdly a twig managed to go between tyre and rim and a whole load of muck, pine needles and couldn't get the damned thing to hold pressure but some nice bloke lent me a tube ... (I'm sure he was quietly judging who goes out without a tube) ... but I've ridden the same place well over 100 times..

Gotta be a 100:1 chance that a twig would do what it did...

If anything it's the non technical where I'm going faster and not paying attention and trees to hit that perhaps a FF might be a good idea. Not that I'm going to buy one... but enough not to laugh if others are wearing one.

Dan Atherton was just messing about on his jumps...

[img] [/img]

I'm with nickc, wear what you're comfortable with. Out of interest, I'd like to hear from anyone who's crashed wearing a full face lid and thought 'thank **** I was wearing that' and those that suffered nasty injuries [i]despite[/i] wearing a FF. For balance you understand.

Watty,

many years ago, i knocked myself out on my dh bike. I the jaw protection was caved in. I couldnt eat properly for weeks, and had a stiff neck for a long time. I dread to think how bad it would have been without a full face. I should have learned from that

Out of interest, I'd like to hear from anyone who's crashed wearing a full face lid and thought 'thank **** I was wearing that' and those that suffered nasty injuries despite wearing a FF. For balance you understand.

could be self employed

This is a good point. I'm self employed and simply can't afford to be injured for any length of time. If bubble wrap wasn't so sweaty then I'd consider making a suit from it.

have tried one and I felt it was still pretty restrictive in terms of air flow and "catching breath" I only wear a full face on uplift days. I really struggle to catch a satisfying breath with any kind of restricted airflow and find them quite claustrophobic. The new fox looks great in the flesh, but for the money its not significantly different from other options.

Joking right? Just tried one on. The chinbar is loads better vented than my Bell Super 2R and the top is at least as well vented as an A1.

Cant say for sure until I ride in one - but it felt like it would be the best vented full facer on the market..

Tom_W1987 - Member

Joking right? Just tried one on. The chinbar is loads better vented than my Bell Super 2R and the top is at least as well vented as an A1.

To be fair, I own buckets that are as well vented as an A1

Interesting

I was thinking it was the opposite. I rarely ever wear a full face now as spend so much time pedalling up on a 160 mm rather than pushing up with a DH bike even though riding the same trails. Full faces only really come out for us when we are either a) on a bus b) sessioning short sections or c) doing very long ups and then very rocky/tough descents

There is always compromise in everything we do and I always make an assessment of whether I want to wear knee pads (most times), a full face (sometimes), gloves (not always), or body armour (never anymore, and I never wear a neck brace now either)

I guess maybe there is so much cross over between the types of trail riding now that you are seeing cross over of protection. Does anyone even really consider whether they ride xc/dh/enduro, I'm betting not, I'm betting most times, there is a bit of everything in a ride. So those who used to ride DH all the time maybe see less full faces, and those who never went with the 'bike big and push' thing are moving toward the lightweight full faces as they ride those DH trails.

Either way it's cool - ultimately it's surely up to the rider.

Opposite for me Bunny, came from more of a DH background - so used to full facers and pretty much happy to ride all day in one of the new enduro type designs.

I find them brilliant, after years of breathing in my own carbon dioxide and burps.

I broke my jaw* a few years ago, it wasn't very nice, and I don't want to do it again! So that's why I tend to wear my full face on any rides where it's practical to do so.

More generally, people are riding much more difficult/steep trails faster than they used to on bikes which are much more capable. I think that, on average, the risk as increased and it's only logical that riders would want better protection.

Also, proper full faces are much better/more vented/lighter. I'll definitely be getting a fox proframe when I can afford it. The Met Parachute doesn't fit me (too short, doesn't cover my chin properly). I'm not really interested in convertible helmets without downhill certified chin bars.

*fell off the road bike, it was a bit unlucky.

The judgemental thing is a two way street though.

I'm sure I'm not alone in judging myself more harshly than i judge others. I smashed my knees up a couple of times before i eventually bought knee pads.

For some reason i was happy to be technically inept and short on courage without wearing pads, but the moment armour was donned i felt that i would be upping the ante. i.e I would attract higher expections both internally from within myself, and externally to the outside world.

They aren't for me personally, or my mincing style of riding but if more people are wearing them I guess that has to be a good thing.

Bell super and a normal ixs lid here . Wear the super at races and inners and the normal lid everywhere else .
When I bought the full face every time I went out in the normal lid I was very aware that if I had a big off and lost my teeth then I would feel even worse as my full face was sitting at home in the garage unused so there is part of me that thinks if you have spent the money you might as well wear it

Watty - Member
I'm with nickc, wear what you're comfortable with. Out of interest, I'd like to hear from anyone who's crashed wearing a full face lid and thought 'thank **** I was wearing that' and those that suffered nasty injuries despite wearing a FF. For balance you understand.

Think that was the day I landed hard on the Patriot on the skills section, and snapped the saddle

Normal hat plus I bought a POC Cortex when Canyon were doing them silly cheap. I've worn it three times around the quarries on Portland where I scare myself and once elsewhere totally safe but it's the only helmet that has a gopro mount.
I felt silly. But safe as I couldn't hear the s****s.

The first time I wore my full face I almost broke my neck on GBU at FOD. I'm doubtful a normal helmet would have stayed in one piece after the first big hit and managed to protect me as I bounced down the hill.

I only normally wear it for uplift days though I did wear it for a winter XC ride once to keep my ears warm! I'd wear it more in the winter if I could mount my helmet light on it.

Regarding other protection, last year I had a nasty off an innocuous bit of singletrack and my knee left a dent in my hardtail's top tube. That'll teach me to not always wear knee pads!

Joking right? Just tried one on.

He said he'd tried one.

Not "tried one on"

I presumed he'd ridden in it, as I've never had a problem "catching breath" while stood in a shop.

It has a massive gaping hole all along the chinbar - I'm not sure you could make a chinbar on a helmet any more ventilated! 😀 Maybe with some 60mm pc intake fans 😀

I'm considering the Giro Switchblade for my next lid. The detachable chin guard looks like a great idea.

The switchblade is a nice lid but a little hot if your only moving slowly even without the chinbar.
Great as an open face for techy trail where you want more protection but still be able to breath normally.

Chuck Morris - Member
I'm considering the Giro Switchblade for my next lid.

Wearing it feels like a good FF lid, but the vents and the MIPS keeps it cooler, the ear covers are not as bad as it seems. 1 dry day and 1 very wet day so far...