[Closed] Full face for trail riding

Personal preference I’d say. I’ve had the same thoughts myself though. Whatever gives you confidence to ride the way you want to.

I use my Bell full face when it's very rocky, like Coed y brenin, then my poc open face one for when it's more woody trails etc.

Have a convertible bell super 2 that I have bastardised into a chin-cam helmet. More often than not now I have the chin piece on to record bland MTB rides. Personal preference I guess like said above

Have a Bell Super DH.
I put the chin piece on whenever I'm trying new stuff, doing winch and plummet or shuttle days. Have climbed 1000m a month ago in full face mode, no big deal.

I only remove the chin for commuting, short familiar trails with no big features or for very long days when the open face is useful for eat and drink with the helmet on

They're too hot and horrible for climbing in IMO But then I also think a normal helmet is too hot and horrible to climb in. Bearable on an ebike in the snow.

Wearing a full face helmet can also act like blinkers for some less socially skilled/spacially aware riders. Affecting common sense and trail ettiquete.

bottom line as always is wear what you want. Try not to be a dick.

Bell super 2r here. Had it a couple of years and never used it without the chin bar.

I was particularly glad of that last year when pootling along some woody single-track, hit a hidden branch and went chin first into a tree.

Admittedly I too find normal trail helmets hot as hell so I think I’d have to work on my fitness before riding full face.

The other problem I’ve found about putting on a full face lid is it has the same effect as when I used to ride motorbikes in full leathers as opposed to a jeans and jacket, ie a slightly delusional sense of invincibility.

Think I’m getting old, bloody hate the 40’s. never even used to question it.

I would look into getting a convertible, the Bell 3R or DH, Giro Switchblade etc. That's what I would do if I didn't have a helmet and was buying a new one.

Wearing a full face helmet can also act like blinkers for some less socially skilled/spacially aware riders. Affecting common sense and trail ettiquete.

I bought a proframe to replace a cheap 661 full face and the field of vision is much wider, really reduced the blinkered view I had when riding.

I wouldn’t but if it makes you feel better and keeps you doing what you enjoy why not?

The other problem I’ve found about putting on a full face lid is it has the same effect as when I used to ride motorbikes in full leathers as opposed to a jeans and jacket, ie a slightly delusional sense of invincibility.

+1

Same with full body armour. It lets you crash with relatively little consequence right up untill you have a stack that would have resulted in more than superficial injuries and you get scraped off the trail with broken bones.

I'd rather ride at 9/10ths in a roadie lid than 10/10ths in a full face and spend time in a cast!

Caveat: I have a full face but no longer have a bike that really justifies it even if I do silly speed on a rigid fat bike......

going for a full face like the Fox Proframe or the Troy Lee one

The Proframe is very popular around Cannock. There's a Giro one as well.

can't say I've seen people stopping to mop their brows or take them off at stops they seem pretty good tbh

In a normal lid, I can stop at the top of a climb, press the helmet against my forehead and create a stunning mobile version of Niagra Falls anyway. So I’m under no illusion that I won’t be hotter in a full face. Just think might have to suck it up and crack on.

I bought a proframe to replace a cheap 661 full face and the field of vision is much wider, really reduced the blinkered view I had when riding.

If only it was the reduced width of field of vision alone that caused the issue 😉

It's your head. Wear whatever helmet you want. If a full face will give you a bit more confidence and allow you to enjoy the ride more then wear it and have fun.

I bought a proframe for events and riding down hills really fast where I'm likely to come off, I find it just as comfortable as the o'neal trail helmet. Loads of vents. Which is nice.

I own a Giro switchblade and don’t wear it as often as I should
I bought one because I had a belter of a crash which resulted in smashing my eye socket and cheek bone
And that was in a full DH full facer
If I wasn’t wearing that I would be seriously in the sh1t
And I crashed on a kinda XC local loop I’ve rode for years,but has slowed me right down on flat out straight trails and most of my mates won’t ride this line full comital either
I know it was a freak accident but it was still a belter of a hit and could have seen me in coma where not for the DH lid
The switchblade I think is DH certified so was my thinking in buying it instead of the bell super or met parachute

Wear what gives you the most enjoyment from your ride.

I intermittently wore a full facer on my local trails. I got a few snide comments and they were hot so I stopped wearing them.

I now notice about 70% of the riders I meet are wearing full face helmets. It seems to have become more of the norm when trail riding.

i've just had to buy a full face for a coaching session, cant see me wearing it often, as others have said i sweat enough in a regular helmet, on all but the coldest days...

i'll unlikely wear it for regular trails, as i dont feel the need, i also do not want to think, i wish i had that helmet on, after face planting.
therefore special occasions, coaching sessions and a trip to bpw, antur stiniog

i guess it depends on how you ride, how fast, how much air, and big jumps, and the terrain

I ride in a full face all the time now. I don't buy the 'prefer to hold something back with an open face rather than ride at 10/10ths in a full face' - sometimes you have a big crash when you're not even trying or riding anything technical.

As an example of this, my biggest accident was one day when last summer when I was riding some middling difficulty trails (probably equivalent to the reds at BPW). It was hot and I thought I'd just wear my open face, as I knew the trails well and they aren't massively hard. Had a big off somewhere innocuous and smashed my face into the ground.

I don't find my full face to be too hot most of the year - it's only really sweaty over 20 degrees. A ProFrame or similar is a fair bit cooler.

JP

a handy review on pinkbike now of enduro enduroing helmets

As others have said, wear what you want.

But don't forget, its your skills that will save you from crashing (most of the time). The helmet is what affects the result of the crash.

You can **** your head on a tree while out for a slow, flat bimble in your local woods.

I usually take both lids and just bob on which ever I feel like riding in at the time, sometimes I'll push myself more and ride with more confidence when I've got my full face lid on, may look over the top to some people but if they don't need one...well good for them!, I'm not them.
Only thing is you get less air flow, so end up panting like a dog on the climbs!

I decided to not wear my goggles freeriding in the woods last week behind my house. Caught a branch under my eye. Still got the bruise.

You should have warned the offending tree you were 'dropping in' to give it a chance to clear your line.

Personally, it's no from me. I have a D3 from when I raced a lot more DH, which I used for an enduro when I had to use a FF, which resulted in biblical levels of sweat.

I then bought a Proframe, in an attempt to reduce sweating, and whilst it is better, there is no way i'm wearing it for trail riding. It's still unpleasant.

I guess I'm in a minority, judging from this thread, but I'd say, if you are wearing a full face then it isn't trail riding. Trail riding, for me at least, is about the ups as much as the downs. Once you start to think of a ride as being all about the downs then you are into enduro territory, I reckon. But really, who cares? It's all just riding, whatever you call it. If a full face lid increases your enjoyment then knock yourself out (or don't).

I bought the proframe for gravity enduros & riskier trail riding. It was still very hot and it cracked without having a big impact. Back on trail lids again now.

I have a Leatt full face with detachable chin guard. I never take the chin guard off, it doesn't get that hot. Recommended.

Whatever gives you confidence to ride the way you want to.

Depends. OP says he’s getting older. Personally at 45 I am being more careful. Bones break easier and recovery takes much longer, or doesn’t happen.

Of course it is all relative though

Since ending up like this (plus concussion), riding on my own. I was riding fast, but it wasn't really technical, or rocky (apart from the one my face found). I now wear one all the time - Bell Super 2R.

*edit - no idea why it's ended up sideways

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Wow! Not wearing a full face helmet made you bald!!!!

I have a Leatt full face with detachable chin guard. I never take the chin guard off, it doesn’t get that hot. Recommended.

I've recently got one too, the DBX 3.0

It's nowhere near as heavy as the full downhill helmets which I felt were over the top for the riding I do. I've only worn it in the winter so far but it's not overly hot and is well vented.

I've seen a few negative comments on here about it (mostly looks and "not really a proper full face helmet") but it works for me.