661 Recon Helmet

Six Six One Recon helmet - keenly priced and cool

Price: £69.99

Tested: Four months

661 have been doing their full face and dirt jump helmets for a long while, but the Recon is their entry into the world of cross country lids. Well, it’s actually pitched as an ‘all mountain’ lid, the back of the helmet descending further down your head than the more XC biased helmets out there.

That gives it a less racy and more casual look as well as offering greater protection. The matte finish, hard plastic outer in-moulded to the protective foam has resisted scuffs and knocks nicely and I like the understated stripy black camo finish, although a white version is available.

Up front there’s a non-adjustable but removable visor, which has stayed put nicely while I’ve been using it, a refreshing change from some floppy peaked helmets I’ve used.

The fit can be adjusted quickly and easily at the back using the ‘Detox Fit’ thumb ratchets which do the job effectively and secured the helmet well, although they do seem to sit a bit high on the posterior of my skull rather than nestling underneath. Whether that’s a bad thing or not really depends whether you like tightening your helmet down until your eyes bulge out (like me) or if you’re happy with a looser fit.

As with most helmets, how comfortable the fit is depends on the shape of your noggin, but the Recon seems to suit a rounder head, the fit being a bit slack on the sides on my head. Still, it’s a comfy enough place to be, the removable and washable liner pads offering good support, the full width brow doing a great job of keeping sweat out of the eyes and being resistant to wetting out.

Where the Recon really scores points is on ventilation, weight and price. Thanks to the 18 vents the helmet is peppered with, airflow is very good and at 318g for the small/medium helmet I used, it’s lighter than most of the considerably more expensive ‘all mountain’ competition.