Mrs. Xiphon’s wanting to be a bit more padded up, than her normal XC lid – so I need to find a DH helmet for her.

Any suggestions on a women-friendly DH lid?

She’s got quite a small head, so XS or S would be the expected size?

Specialized Deviant is nice and light but I felt it a little too narrow when getting on and off, although felt fine once in place. I use a small T.H.E. – a little heavier (although they do a carbon version too) but feels fine in use and certainly not too heavy to stick in my backpack for rides to and from the trails.

Is she riding DH? I wouldn’t wear mine for XC, its just too sweaty on the climbs. Abroad its great, had 3 or 4 big stacks and didn’t even get concussion, but in the UK I’d stick with XC style lids.

As Spoony said; a DH lid for riding trails is horrible. You just end up cooking. It’s fine if you’re doing lift assisted riding in the Alps and there’s a bit of along before you go down, but not for anything else.

If she wants to feel better protected, then have a look at the new POC trail helmets that are coming out. It’s called the Trabec:

i think its teh face protection she wants, no?

I think the new poc helmet is £160 😯

Have a look at the met parachute or even better if you can find a giro switchblade, but this one is gone for good.
As all the others have said, you can’t really pedal in a full face. But if it’s really what she want I strongly recommend you go and try several to make sure you get her one that fits.

I use my fullface for both DH and trail atm ’cause my XC lid is borked. It’s actually no where near as much bother as I was expecting (would be in the summer, no doubt). I do take it off for long non-techy climbs though.

I’ve got a very small head and have an xs/x carbon Troy Lee D2. It’s light, hard wearing, way more comfortable than any other helmet I have ever used…but was very costly (I’d prolly not have had the guts to buy one if it hadn’t have been a holiday emergency!).

I have also used the MET parachute in the past. Well four of them…they do protect the face somewhat, but aren’t very hard wearing for crashing IMHO. And the MET crash replacement scheme is a total rip off. It would have cost more to get the helmet on replacement than a new one from Rutland Cycling!

Yes, it’s for DH – she’s already got an XC lid – sorry, should have made that clear in the first post 🙂

She’s getting some body armour for her birthday, as she wants to experience pointing her bike downhill a bit more often…

My Mrs uses a D2 in XS/S due to having a pea head.

It’s due for replacement now & she wants a D3 as they seem to fit her head best.

You need to get her to try on whats available & see what fits, then get that.

I use a carbon Specialized Deviant

I got a rad T.H.E, it fits well and is by far the coolest looking helmet on the market

Has she tried Zovirax?

Xiphon – you know you could also get her, if you can find one, a women’s specific DH course/day. Having spent quite a lot of time on general DH day uplifts, events, races etc, they can get a bit ‘testosterone fuelled’ and I’m not surprised if that puts off a lot of women. One of my best DH riding buddies is a woman mind and she’s way more ‘on it’ than her husband 😀 to the point that he’s the one telling her to back off he’s the one pussying out of things!

Littlebunnygirl – you’d be a great candidate for organising something! You should get the women together and block book the Cwmdown or Forest of Dean uplift for a day.

In fact why not approach Daryl/Simon and suggest it as something they promote, maybe even get one of the Elite ladies to be there? It would be about time that there was a more concerted effort to bring more women into the DH side of things.

It’s what fits her head that’s best. Try a few on and see.

I wear small in most XC lids and have a small 661 evolution, also THE’s lids in small fit me – but best to try on.

Like geetee’s idea of a block booked uplift too!

Yes, I’ve looked into courses, but that’s something for the future. I think Dirt Diva’s or something springs to mind. Can’t remember exactly though.
She’s already competant on a bike, to a level I would consider sufficient to start learning DH riding skills.

Anyone been on a DH skills course, with zero DH skills to start with? Is it worth teaching her the basics first?

Not a girl but,………….

This has saved the need for dental work a few times. Venting’s good, reasonably light. Chinguard, though removable, is pretty sturdy and gives a bit more protection than similar offerings.
Casco Viper

Anyone been on a DH skills course, with zero DH skills to start with? Is it worth teaching her the basics first?

I haven’t been on a course but I did make the transition from riding regular trails to riding proper DH about five years ago and I remember it being a very marked transition.

For the majority of people, if all you’ve done before is ride trails, even in the high places like the Lakes or Highlands, then the first time you get onto a fully fledged DH course it can be really quite intimidating.

I distinctly remember thinking ‘oh my God, this is a whole other ball game now’ and even though I’d been riding moutain bikes for over 15 years before that, it was like having to learn stuff all over again.

It’s just such a shift in your parameters, the speeds you attain, the steepness of the terrain, the roots the rocks, the mud etc, everything is magnified tenfold and suddenly you’re confronted with ground that your immediate reaction to is ‘I cannot possible ride down that’.

But it is also hugely exciting and while I don’t think you need a course, I do think anyone making the transition would get a huge amount out of it.

If it’s not going to be a course, then starting off on a course that’s relatively tame/safe or rideable at lower speeds is the best way forward. Forest of Dead and Cwmcarn spring to mind in South Wales. Not sure what the equivalent venues would be further north.

Fortunately, we live quite near the lakes – so finding a steep hill to session/learn on is not a problem. I think it’s probably safer to practise on these trails, than a full on DH course (which is intimidating!)

It’s a strange thought though, trying to work out ‘how’ to teach someone skills you have learned yourself without anybody showing you how to do it….

In the future, we’ll go for a weekend at FoD or Cwmcarn – same locations I had in mind already.

It’s a strange thought though, trying to work out ‘how’ to teach someone skills you have learned yourself without anybody showing you how to do it….

Around here you find that a lot of rides you hook up with people who might not know the area so well, so you end up showing them some trails and then you gauge where they’re at in their riding and if you might be able to help them with some informal coaching. You have to be quite sensitive about it but judge it right and it’s very rewarding.

I’ve been doing it a little here and there and apart from being hugely motivational to help someone else in a sport you love, you also learn an enormous amount about your own riding and capabilities.

Being asked to teach someone what you know tacitly (rather than explicitly) forces you to really think about what it is that you’re doing and the more ‘aware’ you become of that (there is a term in Learning & Development called ‘conscious competence’) the more you’re able to hone and refine your own skills.

The opposite of conscious competence is naturally unconscious competence. That’s OK but in order to progress a latent or tacit skill, you need to be able to consciously engage with what you’re dong right.

Consequently coaching or teaching someone else is one of the best ways to really move your own skill forward.

I think I’m fortunate enough to have married someone who gains bike skills very quickly – 10 mins around the carpark, and she was converted to SPDs…. clips in/out without thinking….. I on the other hand took months of falling in bushes to re-wire my brain. I was very jealous!

We’ll see what the next year brings us – I may well end up getting my ass whooped before too long.

Well if she really wants a DH helmet the best you can do is bring her to a LBS with a good selection and make her try them all so she can make her own mind up. For DH helmet, fit is very important, much for than fro regular XC lid (there is no roc-loc or similar to accommodate for a large spread in sizing). Then I would try to buy her the lightest of the helmet (but remember fit comes first) as it would get the strain on her neck muscle less important.
I and Mrs juan both use a Dainese splash DH helmet and we are both very happy about it. But once again what fits somebody might not fit your miss 😉
Oh did I mention fit is really important 😉

If I were to choose a helmet purely on look, the giro ZOMBIE helmet would get my vote 😀

Littlebunnygirl – you’d be a great candidate for organising something! You should get the women together and block book the Cwmdown or Forest of Dean uplift for a day.

In fact why not approach Daryl/Simon and suggest it as something they promote, maybe even get one of the Elite ladies to be there? It would be about time that there was a more concerted effort to bring more women into the DH side of things

Erm 😯

*collapses under pressure*

I’m not sure I’m the right girl for the job as I don’t really know STW or the female members that well! Still, if others are interested I’ll look into it and make some enquiries. 🙂

Fit is very important. But secondly you need to get a jersey to match before ordering OBVIOUSLY 🙄

I bought a 661 Evolution New Wave – it’s beautiful :-)Seriously though the protection is ace.

I had a real problem trying to get a fullface for my son (small 9 at the time), luckily my LBS got a few in for me to try. Ended up with an MX one in the end as the pure-DH ones just didn’t go small enough.

A very small helmet:

My elder two were easier and fitted small base 661’s.

tbh You need to try, no different to motorbike helmets.

Also take a look at the newer neck-braces.

+1 Diane on the matchingness. I have an o’neals which I got cheap in morzine when I got brave in the les gets bike park 🙂

Fit is so important though, I have an average size head on and had to try 7/8 helmets before I found one that I was comfortable and would match my bike 🙂

My Specialized Deviant does have adjusters at the back so it fits my head, also has lots of vents

Thanks for the ideas folks, much appreciated!

I think a trip down to the LBS is in order, to try on some helmets for size. Lid sounds like an xmas pressie to me, as she’s getting body armour for her b’day (in a weeks time)

And now for the compulsory “What bike does she ride?” post… small Patriot LT, with the essential pink ingredients.

(white brake lines, pink flats and a dual ring chain device to be added)

Alphabet – Member

It’s what fits her head that’s best. Try a few on and see.

Is the correct and only answer

That Patriot is cool 8)

dh, xc etc.. skills are all mtb skills btw 🙂