So, I am taking the plunge and have bought my 1st proper freeride/dh bike. Intense Slopestyle 6.6, 1.5 inch Lyrics, short stem, wide bars, 203mm rotors etc. Quite a contrast to my usual XC/road orientated bikes. I will be using it mainly in the Alps and a lot on uplift slopes rather than 'ride to the top and down again'.

I feel confident that a more aggressive and capable bike coupled with more gnarly terrain will also result in more crashes, at higher speeds, and on steeper terrain than I am used to. So I am considering a full face helmet, but have a few questions:

1) Is it really necessary?

2) If the answer is yes, what is good? A Troy Lee D2 seems to be the best but is seriously expensive. A THE One seems pretty good value, but are they any good? What is a Giro Remedy like? How about 661? Any good deals out there?

3) Is there much difference between ski goggles and downhill goggles? I have a decent pair of ski goggles and don't want the extra expense if I can avoid it.

I use a MX helmet by Thor with Thor goggles – cheap and good IMO. Slightly heavier than DH stuff but cheaper and more protective I think.

nice choice of bike
I have a THE ONE and it looks very nice, not sure if it works and don't aim to find out but they are VERY popular on the uplift truck – mainly becuase they're similar to the TLD D2 without the price tag
whether I wear my full face depends on the terrain and the speed I'll be riding – DH courses, rocks, trees and speed = full face
goggles differ in that ski ones have more tech in them and are therefore more expensive, whilst MX-type ones are pretty simple with cheap replaceable lenses

1) Yes. It might not be "really neccessary" if you're a riding god, but I'm not and I love my full face helmet.

2) You need to try them on, even more so than you do with normal helmets.

3) Try it out and let us know!

And post a pic of your bike!

I am not a riding god unfortunately, and I can foresee that whatever helmet I end up wearing is going to get well used! Nor am I a male model and there isn't much to protect in the way of looks, but I don't fancy a smashed face.

I am just not sure how hot they are to wear as none seem to be that well vented. I am going to be quite hot enough trying to control the bike downhill without adding more sweat from a bucket lid.

I also don't want overkill, but most FR/DH pictures you see seem to be of people in full face helmets, and I guess there must be a good reason!

Bike pic to follow in a couple of weeks once it's all built up. I am committing a fashion fax-par and fitting a triple rather than a double with bash ring, as I already have the parts from another bike but that may change.

Your brain has its own hard protective shell. Your face doesn't. Pretty obvious really.

Fair comment. Think I am sold, but any recommendations? Agree that fit is key, but beyond that, what should I be looking for?

I used to use a MX helmet when I raced. Bit heavier but a bit more protection IMO.
Best bet is to go and try a few on and see what you think. I wear glasses which is a bit of a pain getting a good goggle and helmet fit.
Things you should look out for is visibility, fit (obviously), strap retention (d rings?), looks, weight and at a price you can afford.
And pics of your bike please. Love Intense bikes.

Price is a tricky one. Protection is one area where I don't mind spending a bit if it's worth it but I think that the D2 is probably a bit too much for my needs.

You mentioned D rings. Do they not have the usual snap fit /clip arrangement that you find on 'normal' bike helmets?

I'll post piccies once it's finished. Can't wait!

Some helmets which have D rings have the snap fit on the strap to stop it flying about. My Lazer one does. I prefer the security of D rings as I have seen motorcycle helmets come off with the seatbelt type fittings.

Yes, get one. No point having that bike if you're not gonna thrash it.

Try lots on, get the one that fits. That's all that matters.

Fit is far more important than regular lids, as they don't have roc-loc type things at the back to accomodate different heads, and they need to fit right all over. You *really* need to try them on.

When you try them on, do it up fairly loose and shake your head about lots – the lid shouldn't move about too much.

Beyond fit there's not a lot really, I find the fit by far and away the biggest difference between them. Removable liner is nice though.

I went from not wearing a helmet for 20+ years to an open face, then to a full face (my reasoning being that if your gonna wear a helmet – you may as well protect as much of your head as possible). Feels odd and claustraphobic at first but you soon get used to it. Another thing I noticed was getting out of breath quicker, but thats down to not getting the same volume of fresh air into your lungs.

I bought 2 of these a few weeks ago (I don't have two heads – one was for my son too). Haven't crashed yet, but It feels good and is fairly light. Most of all though, special price my friend (£60).

You'd really need to try them on, especially if it's your first fullfacer. Surprisingly my son's (aged eight) fits me too.

Good range of colours and sizes can be found here

Preference for helmets is personal , when racing motorbikes off road i always went open face i hated the heat build up, inferior downward vision and reduction of hearing, Troy Lee do make an open face helmet for MTB riding although there is little demand for them as for DH racing they cannot be used, I have seen some free riders wearing them, many who ride all mountain stylee rigs also ride DH events will have to have full face helmets which is why you see so many wearing them.

Although MX helmets may be stronger cheaper, because of the forces when decking a motorbike they have to be a lot stronger to deal with abrasion and impact, this is not as critical with mtb helmets so they can make helmets with better venting keeping you cooler, they tend to be less bulky and more trimmed which means they do not feel quite as much the dumbell strapped to your head a mx fullface does. Troy Lee and The are popular, I have a Remedy which is good well vented and I believe is the std issue helmet at most Whistler Bike Hire Centres (which is why many riders over there choose not to buy them). Specialized are popular I have always been surprised at how good the pricepoint is for Bell Helmets given their Motorbike Helmets used to be about the most expensive you could get. The Bell designs were not that stylish and you rarely see them but with the Athertons and CG wearing them they should not be ignored. I do however agree with Curly68 about helmet locks D rings are better , buckles are ok but you have to make double sure they are clipped up before you pedal off.

Goggles there are 2 problems with ski goggles. Traditionally they are made to wear on a bare head, because of the way the strap connects to the frame if you wore them with a helmet they would not rest on the face but would sit stretched across the opening of the helmet creating all kinds of comfort, vision, and misting problems. If you have a pair of ski goggles built for a helmet, the lenses are usually high grade for sun management, only have to contend with snow flakes and drops of water hitting them. MX goggles have to deal with roost from wheels which contains mud rock and grit which can both damage the lens and your face. A mx goggle with a few pairs of clear lenses is the better option unless you can afford to toss away scratched ski lenses like tissue paper.

Would I wear an MX helmet on a MTB .. no way, without spending a fortune, they are hot and heavy and beside Elbry Sandland wears one which is sufficient of an un-endorsement for me

Thanks, very comprehensive. The fact that you can buy multipacks of lenses and tear-off strips for bike/mx goggles was a bit of a giveaway that maybe they are going to get more abuse than ski goggles are made for. And it looks like I can get a set of entry level Oakley goggles for £20, which seems worth it to protect £140 ski goggles.

I tried on a THE One helmet and there seems to be some good deals about on the more lary designs (Vegas and Electric), but they do seem a bit 'dudey' for me. I guess it reflects the market.

I have a 661 similar to the above that I'm thinking of selling. Can let you have sizes and photos if you wish? I simply don't ride the big bike enough to warrant it really…

The plain design of the Remedy as well as the fit and venting is what sold it to me. Specialized also to subtle well. I would avoid tear offs they are for racing, look pretentious elsewhere and create litter. However riding in slop and rain a lot lenses that support smith's Roll Off system can be worthwhile however buy off mx suppliers they sell enough units and the market is competitive so prices are lower than in mtb world

I'm a real big fan of the 661 Evolution helmets. They are reasonably light, very comfortable and very well priced. I'm on my second 1 now, the first one died in a huge head on crash with a very solid tree and it did its job very very well. Do not be tempted by the semi fullface helmets like the sepecialized Deviant, I've seen the result of someone crashing with one of them and all that was left was the straps! The rest had shattered and dissappeared.

I have a 661 from crc for 50 smokes, bought it for last years alps session. Do not regret it in any way.

+ve effects: Protected my head and face on multiple times. Its white so I didn't get hot, the whiteness made me easier to pick out at a distance so my mates new when they had finally got rid of me. Was very comfortable after the third time of sending various models back to CRC. Very light, didnt notice it.

-ve effects: Made me feel less vulnerable so I was more mental than usual contributing to more crashes.(although secretly that's a positive but I am trying to to be sensible and PC, this is STW after all). Made a bigger dent in my wallet than my previous lid.

THE's are good but at this years prices not that far behind a D2. Remedy is good but a bit goldfish bowl, never thought much of the 661 offerings.

my next lid will probably be a POC Cortex if they start making them in proper sizes.

I've always used 661 full facers when I'm in Canada. They are reasonably comfortable, light, well vented and cheap. I had a couple of spills, one which involved a two point landing of shoulder and head. Had to go to Vancouver hospital for the shoulder (no armour) but my head was fine. I would definately recommend 661 lids.

+1 for the goldfish bowl comment on the Giro Remedy,plus not that well vented imho.
I replaced it with a Spesh Deviant which I found fis better,plus is very well vented.Used it for 2 weeks in Whistler last August in temperatures that were in the mid to high 90's most days,& didn't get the hot,claustrophobic feeling that I almost invariably got with the Remedy.Also,the Spesh has the d ring fastening,whereas the Remedy has the standard xc type plastic click fit buckle.

Ref goggles,i've got some £30 oakleys,with clear lenses,& some £4.99 ski goggles from Aldi(!) with yellow lenses.Took both sets to Whistler,& always wore the Aldi's,they just felt more comfortable tbh.

i have a 661 MX helmet. Kevlar/ carbon composite layered for low weight and controlled compression and fracture. Very nice, very comfy.

I found it difficult to get XXL mtb full face helmets, so MX was the only option. Came with d-ring fastening too, which i feel is more secure.

i got one of those 661 evolutions (same as the pic in the post above) a couple of weeks ago from CRC; really light, fit is spot on and it feels quite well vented for a full face too. it's definitely more important to get the perfect fit but at CRC's prices for that model, i figured i'd order the size that should fit then send it back if it felt wrong. it didn't.

Apologies for the hijack but Solarider, do you have a Seven frame for sale?
I was told you might.Long shot and sorry if this proves to be wrong.

ccopeATlongroadDOTacDOTuk

Get one. I always wear one if I'm riding DH stuff in the alps. You'll be getting uplifts or lifts up anyway so there's no downside.

I've a Giro Remedy, does the job, and quite comfy. Troy Lee's look better. If you're not in a rush, import one from the States / Canada. I believe it'll be zero duty rated (certainly zero VAT rated) as it's safety gear.

I went through the same transition this year when we emmigrated to Canada, I decided to get into downhilling as all the bike parks are around me, I went to the shop and tried some on but I know I'm a Giro man{xc downhill and snowboarding helmets are all giro} so I got a remedy
and to give you a taster of your bike heres mine as I went for a slopestyle too{old model}, it feels so balanced its amazing especially when you leave the ground

Thanks for the advice all.

deserter – that gives me some inspiration! I couldn't decide between works and red and went for red in the end.

Think I have decided on a THE One Carbon. A few good deals to be had right now, so I'll just have to put up with the not-so-subtle designs available. Night Vegas seems to be the favorite. Seems to make perfect sense.

I've always used Bell Bellistic helmets, rang my bell after making a total Horlicks of the bridge at the bottom of Le Pleney in Morzine, wrote off the helmet, but I was ok.I have bought another, and I do think they are good value.
But, as mentioned above, the fit varies with the make , so try before you buy.

Sounds like you are only just starting out riding this kinda stuff. I would highly recommend you get a full facer and if you feel the need, an armour jacket.

Personally the minimum I will ride dh/uplift in is a full facer and knee pads. Sometimes wear a back support if I feel the risk of crashing is high.

Fit is most important for a lid. I used a bell drop as it has passed the dh full facer standard and is built to a good quality. I would avoid troy lee as they have quality control issues, (the inner polystyrene can come unbonded from the outer shell). Goggles are cheap, probably worth buying some mx goggles so you don't end up damaging your expensive ski pair. Smiths are around £10 if you hunt around.

oh yeah I wear a body suit {short sleeved}and kneepads when at the proper parks, or just knee pads and a back brace on the not so bad places

if not used to flats I'd get the knee pads with shin pads personally

So, definitely not SPDs? I have never ridden with anything else. Blimey, I'll be reading MBUK and talking like a teenager next!

got a cheap low range 661 fullface and Spy Mx googles for next to nothing online.Does the job well.
Fit is most important for the full facer and then googles that work well with the helmet (although this later point may or may not be an issue)

people use spd's aswell, I like flats and have them on all my bikes, I like to feel the pedals rather than be attatched to them

Cant be bothered reading all of that but go for a full face they give you loads of confidence as well as the expected protection.

The D2 is one of the best but they have just brought out the D3 so you might get some deals on the D2 a mate of mine loves his D2 and wouldn't wear anything else. I have a Bell Drop and I find it really comfortable and it was a really good price. Some of the Pros on the world cup circuit wear them and it meets the new(ish) DH safety standard so I am not worred about it being cheap and crap.

EDIT: The drop doesn't have D loops which is one of the reasons I got it. They are fiddly especially with gloves on and just a pain in the arse if you are only riding your local short DH track. I ride with and without SPD's it just depends what mood I am in. One thing I would say about SPD's is get platform ones and get the DX shoes because sometimes you just cant clip in and with that combo you will have at least some control.

Good move on the THE Carbon – that's what I have and was going to recommend. I wear knee pads (661s) for XC and arsing around in the woods on jumps and things, and Dianese knee/shin pads for DH. I've done a couple of seasons DHing in the Alps and would not trust myself not to wear full body armour (again Dianese).

I have a The One Helmet which is FAB
But I would say OK for Uplift days.
I was looking at the Giro Remedy also has a all round helmet
as the vent holes are fully open as oppossed to the The One
as the padding covers the holes inside so can
get very hot inside.
Regarding knee and shin pads I use the Troy Lee
Two part pads and are very comfortable and dont notice they
are on.