Any recommendations of what's good or not for a DH helmet for a 7 year old (~52cm head size ish). Ideally I'd want well ventilated, light and cheap but the usual "pick 2" rule probably applies...
I'm certainly reluctant to go to heavy and I'm not even sure I'm going to get one at all but I'd be interested in thoughts on what's potentially out there.
We got a xxs sized 661 helmet a few years ago from CRC and it's been great. Think it was only about £35 at the time. Probably more now though....
Bell sanction for little sizes at a light weight and low cost.
Also have a look at the Kali Zoka.
This is definitely the pick 2 rule... I got a TLD stage for my seven year old daughter recently, it was a swap for her Bell Super 3R full face. The 3R was great but having just got the stage myself, I thought she would love it too. Light helmet, superb venting and my daughter loves it. She claims it hardly feels like she is wearing a helmet anymore! The only one of these helmets that ever appears to be on sale is the smallest in pink and black, which is what I got. Good news, the pink on ours is red to my eyes, so fine for a boy too! 🙂
661 Reset goes quite small (there’s a 3 year old near me with one),I think down to XXS.
Leatt do a junior DH helmet that is DH certified and the same weight as the bell that looks pretty good.
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/leatt-mtb-10-helmet-dh-junior
We have used bell mentioned above and urge drift, really light and good for kids sizes. They both have Urge now and love them. I rate them, quite a few tumbles and no brain damage yet..
We ended up sacrificing the ventilation bit... We have an old 661 youth DH. It's ok on weight, not on ventilation. However it fits well, protects well and doesn't have a chin bar so far out it looks like it would snap the wearer's neck in a tumble.
Which reminds me, I need to bin it - it's done 7 years and two kids.