I bought a carbon THE helmet at the weekend and in closely examining it, as you do with such things, we discovered that it is just a single layer of carbon over a fibreglass base.

I happened to be sitting in a friend’s garden who makes carbon hi-tech typa stuff and he said they could have done a much better job. In fact, the only way they could get the difference to 100g (lighter for the carbon one 😉 ) was to make the ‘composite’ one artificially heavier.

I was under the impression that the carbon one was ‘carbon fibre’ – ie with no juicy (fibreglass) bits and the ‘composite’ was juice plus bits.

I got it for an extraordinarily good price (its all in the contacts Rodney), so I am not that fussed really. Just thought I would float this one out there.

*sits in the dark wearing cool looking helmet and goggles

Pretty sure I’ve seen in the adverts that those lids are carbon over fiberglass, and I think the 661 carbon lids are the same, but I could be wrong there.

Quite a few “carbon” seatposts are a cosmetic carbon film stuck on top of an aluminium post.

Same with cheaper carbon handlebars.

bars too.

I like the xc lids with carbon effect printed ‘flashes’. Tres cool.

Ironically I actually wanted an ‘Ink’ but ended up getting the Colosseum on Mrs Flamejob’s advice that the Ink ‘doesn’t look like something you would wear’

I had a good google around and didn’t see any mention of it being carbon over fibreglass.

I want one of those THE lids and was umming and aahing about carbon or composite – I think you’ve just made my mind up 🙂

Job done then 🙂

As an aside: What are you supposed to do with goggles when you are fed up with them being on your face?….. or are you supposed to make the goggles/glasses decision before that point? I’ve never worn goggles on a bicycle.

people tend to either stick them round their neck, or what I do is put the googles on backwards with the lens side round the back of the helmet and the strap up under the visor

Honda’s Billy Mackenzie models the accepted method of wearing goggles in this year’s World MX Championship.