[Closed] Full Facer for trail riding?

I really doubt it. Best bet is a piss pot or the new fashion enduro helmets which offer more coverage at the back of the head.

How about the Urge Archienduro, that sounds like what you're looking for.

Archi-enduro is probably the best bet but it'll still be horrible (the down-o-matic is also excellently vented, and it's still brutal for climbing in)

I was talking to a chap today and he was wearing on of the new style enduro lids and tbh it looked rather neat and quite protective.Looked like the fit was far more comfortable. 😕

I have been thinking about this. I think it will only be a matter of time before someone makes a light well vented full face/trail helmet as bikes are getting faster and trails more to technical. I would prefer a full face from a protection point of view.

Met Parachute

3-

2-

1-

Runs and hides...

Spec Deviant. Briill & fab

Why ? Is you really ugly ?

Met Parachute... Some folks deride them, I've seen one in action and it did a superb job. But it's not supposed to offer the same protection as a real full face

+1 for met parachute, not as hardcore as a full face, saved my bro in law from losing his face when he hit rockslabs a couple of years back.

as helmets go though... the parachute is easily the stupidest looking helmet available. Yes I do think there are some helmets that look OK.

as helmets go though... the parachute is easily the stupidest looking helmet available. Yes I do think there are some helmets that look OK.

Why ? Is you really ugly ?

I hit the floor just over 2 weeks ago and shattered my jaw in 3 places, so permanently titanium plated jaw and my parents are now sticking to the guns of the fact i should be riding with a full facer (i respect their opinion and at least wanted to find out if it was possible)

Thanks for everyones suggestions, Ill have a look through them.. either way I need a new helmet as the old one has an enormous crack where it saved my life.

The Met parachute is by far the best choice for you,I wear mine all the time and I think they look quite good

and it's still brutal for climbing in

Take it off, strap it across your chest- using each strap looped under each arm of your backpack.

If its a long climb its madness to wear a helmet. Its not a faff either considering the time spent spinning up.

The parachute has been discontinued. I have a whole load of dental work going on and am thinking its time to protect my face a bit more!

That said, a DH full face is overkill for my riding so something like the parachute would have been spot on I'd imagine.

That is a real shame, some days I wanted to put mine back on with the hope of seeing some STW's haterz out and about 🙂

After that the carbon deviant is a fair bit heavier and more of a light DH rather than a tough/heavy trail lid (yep I know that space is thin) Not tried any of the others about.

Does such a thing exist as a full facer that is light/breathable etc enough for wearing for all trail riding

Not yet.

am I dreaming?

Fraid so.

I'd also think about how you ended up landing on your face? (Hope you're recovering ok, sounds painful!) Was it just bad luck or did you get something wrong on the technique front? It's easy to over-rotate on gnarly stuff when you get tense.

That said, a DH full face is overkill

Why worry what others think? No one is going to pay your bills. If I see someone in a full face on a regular trail but wearing xc kit/xc bike I think 'ah I know why'.

If I see someone in a DH helmet, pj's top etc on a regular trail I think 'hes going to bust some moves for us' or hes a knob.

Its obvious- to anyone who it isn't - they don't matter to you.

hes a knob.

You riding hebden tonight?

so permanently titanium plated jaw

Kudos for going to such lengths just to shave a few grammes. 😉

Protection is a personal thing. Don't worry about the opinion of randomers. A friend has a parachute, from memory the chin guard comes off so climb up with it as a normal lid and just put the guard on before pointing downwards?

Does such a thing exist as a full facer that is light/breathable etc enough for wearing for all trail riding

Might also want to look at Cratoni

It's unfortunate that sometimes these things have to be decided in hindsight I guess.
Occasional towpath forays without a lid are a thing of the past for me, having smashed my lid, not my head at Cannock on woodwork two years ago.
Earlier this year I bought a Bell Drop f/f lid in Halfrauds sale (£25 bargain)as a just in case because it was cheap. I wore it this week for the first time when we rode a one off at Antur Stiniog and to be honest I'd not have ridden it in my trail lid.
Now,I'm not about to start wearing it on rides in Wyre, but then, I've not smashed my face in and I have always been ugly.
If it lets you ride either confidently, or as a parental "smoother", then why not ?
To be blunt I'd think about carting it strapped on your pack on the claimbs and wear an xc lid, then swap them round on the downs.
Biggest downer for a f/f lid is probably that no one can see your grin ! But then it's your ride, not theirs.

I'd also think about how you ended up landing on your face? (Hope you're recovering ok, sounds painful!) Was it just bad luck or did you get something wrong on the technique front? It's easy to over-rotate on gnarly stuff when you get tense.

I would LOVE to know what I did wrong, unfortunately when going 30mph on your regular natural forest, ride it 5 days a week, route and hitting the floor you tend to have some blank spots in your memory!

Far as I knew I was riding in forest next minute that I'm aware of I'm already on the phone to 999 trying to explain to them where I am. I only know for sure where it happened as a few hours later I had a brief flash of it and my OH went back a few days later and recovered one of my front teeth, roots n all!

I was there last night brant as I had to rush over to Hudds.

Seen a bloke on a old R reg 500cc scrambler bike locally? I had a good nosey, its seen better days but boy its bloody nice.

Now,I'm not about to start wearing it on rides in Wyre, but then, I've not smashed my face in and I have always been ugly.

Keep an eye out for my two other missing front teeth and it's the wyre to blame!

One of these?

http://www.cratoni.de/en/bike-helmets/1291794700_mr/c-maniac.html

Casco Viper.

[img] [/img]

Whilst I don't use mine for UK trail riding some of my pals do.

I wear mine in Europe (Alps ect) and its light, great airflow and you can hear things going on around you. Chin guard is removable.

[img] [/img]

Seems like a big gap in the market for something like this... I sweat buckets in any lid, to the point that my hair is wet through after about 20 minutes riding. So everything is too hot.

hora - Member

Take it off, strap it across your chest- using each strap looped under each arm of your backpack.

For every climb? No thanks.

Thing about this approach is that sooner or later, you find a techy bit mid-climb or a very short descent. Can you be bothered putting it on, taking it off, every time? I wouldn't. We watched a guy ride round McMoab with a full face on his back, interesting.

A helmet you're wearing will offer more protection than the one on your camelbak. And you're never more likely to crash than when you've boiled your head.

When I need a new lid again I'm going to have a look at the Cratoni. Any views etc would be great. Pity the graphics are abit pap.

And you're never more likely to crash than when you've boiled your head

There, you've said it yourself. When its really a humid day in Summer and its a long ride you are more likely to lose concentration if you overheat. A 20min climb will help you cool- remember most heat loss is through your head...

I strap it to my front, across my camelbak straps. I don't get this middle-aged obsession with must wear everthing everywhere 100% of the time. If we are that obsessed then we shouldn't really ride anything vaguely technical.

Yes - you can come off on non-technical JRA stuff but then thats freak. A mate had to have his ankle fused after putting a foot wrong on the stairs at home. Should we install a lift, but then the doors need to be safe and etc etc etc etc.

hora - Member

A 20min climb will help you cool

[img] https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRcixeSgeZOb02SnLX1_NWFwpIoh0V1pBLbpidB_K1367GuGPuH9A [/img]

How about a 1 minute climb in a 20 minute descent? Or a 1 minute descent in a 20 minute climb? Or a traverse that's 10 1 minute climbs and 1 minute descents?

GolfChick - Member

Why ? Is you really ugly ?

I hit the floor just over 2 weeks ago and shattered my jaw in 3 places, so permanently titanium plated jaw(

It happens my eldest decked it in Barcelona a few years ago and now has a Ti plate in her wrist, there is nothing you can do to protect against that and the chances of it happening again are less than winning the lottery so just buy a really good helmet.

How about a 1 minute climb in a 20 minute descent?

Holds Northwinds hand = The answer there is keep your helmet on.

Or a 1 minute descent in a 20 minute climb?

1min descent always equals helmet on.

Do you understand the concept of a long drawn-out climb that I was giving an example on? Its not hard drawn-out concept now is it. At no point did I say 'a long climb with a descent in' did I? 🙄

hora - Member

Do you understand the concept of a long drawn-out climb that I was giving an example on?

I did. I also understand that a 20 minute climb isn't cooling, helmet on or off, unless you're barely moving.

Did you understand that I was talking about all climbing and you came back with a limited example as if it was of relevance to all climbing?

No you amended/edited and added onto my example.

so permanently titanium plated jaw

Kudos for going to such lengths just to shave a few grammes.

She bought a titanium head cap bolt to match!

Try wearing a buff under helmet of course even on a hot day.

A few years one of my friends crashed with a Met Parachute on and the chin guard bent inwards and cut his chin... would probably have been worse without the guard though as he landed on his face in a rock garden

He now wears a Specialized Deviant even when the rest of us are riding normal lids. He is the fastest of us and has a habit of pushing a bit harder on the descents riding closer to his limits.

He broke his Deviant when he hit a tree during an Enduro race a few weeks ago and promptly bought another.

If you think you need it wear it, who cares what others think.

I've got a Specialized Deviant that I use alps trips and the odd spot of uplift/downhill. It's well vented for a full facer, but it is stuffier/hotter when compared to an open face helmet when used for uphills. Thats said, you can take it off for the climbs and use it when you need it on the descents.

Specialized Deviant in carbon too. Thats got to be a good compromise?

The only issue for the OP's intended use is the Deviant mkI looks more XC than the newer/superseded mkII which now looks more freeridey?

I'm not fussed particularly what they look like or what others think and I know ow it was a fairly freak accident as I ride the same spot at the same speed hundreds of times but do I want to risk the same happening again on a lottery like chance.... Not particularly, I can't really recommend a liquid diet!

remember most heat loss is through your head...

This is beaulux. same heat lost through head skin as any other skin.

The finding came from a US army study which found that marines wearing cold weather clothing and no hat lost 25% of their body heat through their heads - the only bit without insulation. Almost surprising it wasn't more.

Any good?

I have no experience of these by the way, just a quick lunchtime nose on CRC!

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=73031

edit: depending on the size of your head how about this?

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=70486

GolfChick - Member
I ride the same spot at the same speed hundreds of times

It happens as I said, I've come off in some stupid places that I've ridden 1000s of times. Twice I've face planted and got away with scrapes but not sure a full face for XC is the answer, I think you were on that occasion just unlucky.

Sounds mad but also look at how you fall?

I always roll - always. I took, protect my head in every fall that I've had (numerous).

I've got a carbon spesh deviant and its still very hot on climbs. I agree with Northwind, the times that I've tried to use it for XC stuff I've found myself riding down stuff with it still on my back, which is not the desired place for it.

Me and the missus each got a Cratoni Shakedown from CRC in their sale just after Chrimbo... I was reasonably impressed (OK for £50, £80 seems less good! Some on Amazon for £52) but a) don't expect 'proper' full face protection from the chin guard section, it's a lot flexier (Still would help a lot in a face first dismount however) and b) (for my head at least) the fit without the lower part fitted was terrible - I just didn't fill enough of the 'pot' and it has no adjustment (cheek pads held it in place with lower section fitted).

Mine went back as I didn't see much benefit over a down-o-matic. The OH kept hers as any more would be overkill for her riding at the moment (but she's yet to actually use it [mutters about fair weather riders]!!)

We both have regular XC lids for less challenging riding though so not sure if these lids would work as your only option. Definitely looks less robocop than the parachute.

HTH.