TLD Flowline vs A3?

Utterly destroyed my old Fox at the forest of dean last week (and typing this two fingered, bust my shoulder and both hands!), and found these both feel great and are also easy to find wih good discounts… Just wondered if anyone has tried both and has a recommend?

The A3 has some nice features, it’s a little smaller but also heavier (I think because of the dual density foam), looks more vnted but apparently the flowline is better than it looks for airflow. TBH Im not a massive fan of the fidlock buckle, flowline gets it on the se model but the standard clip is just fine imo. The A3 just basically feels more quality overall (and seems easier to stick glasses through the top of!). Both have mips.

Flowline can be had in some colours for £40! A3 basically starts from £100 in limited colours. Pretty happy with either price tbf, especially after such a big impact, but the Flowline still feels like a really nice, uncheap helmet rather than cheaping out, I feel like I’d be equally happpy smashng either off a tree

Quite tempted to just nab the Flowline at the price, any better ideas? (not really looking for 3rd options, the fit on these two were excellent)

PS,

View post on imgur.com

View post on imgur.com

I’ve had a £40 Flowline and sent it back, fit was fine but the front profile is massive. Might not matter to you but I hated the way it looked. I have an A3 now which is just really high quality and a perfect fit for me. I like the fidlock buckle though and on an ebike so venting not as important. Come from a smashed up A2 and the A3 is noticeably more stable

All that said the Flowline is amazing value at £40 and does seem a very good lid

seems easier to stick glasses through the top of!

That could be enough to swing it for me.

I took a look at the Virginia Tech ratings and all score well though I was surprised to see the Flowline SE scores worse than the plain old Flowline

https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicycle-helmet-ratings.html

and more gory details of the crash that did for the Fox please, seem to remember you spannered yourself at Dirtfarm on last year’s holiday

Really like my Flowline. Feels like a better quality A1 which I also love. The Flowline fits exactly the same as the A1.

Thanks folks, thinking I will jump on a £40 one and just see how it goes, it’s good to have a spare and at that price it’s not much risk! (tragically the best colours are more expensive, I want the flouro yellow or the mandarin but I do quite like the cheesy gold)

davosaurusrex
Full Member

I’ve had a £40 Flowline and sent it back, fit was fine but the front profile is massive. Might not matter to you but I hated the way it looked.

I am very skinny and yep it did seem bulky, and I don’t think it’s just a visual trick. Though I can’t see it when it’s on, I’m definitely a believer that small is better in an impact, less leverage etc.

Rubber_Buccaneer
Full Member

I took a look at the Virginia Tech ratings and all score well though I was surprised to see the Flowline SE scores worse than the plain old Flowline

Yeah, apparently this is the dual density foam at play, the SE and A3 both have it… apparently it doesn’t play too well with VT’s test. But I think the overall result is still basically “all 3 are very good”.

Rubber_Buccaneer
Full Member

and more gory details of the crash that did for the Fox please, seem to remember you spannered yourself at Dirtfarm on last year’s holiday

LOL yep good memory, though tht was 2 years ago, last year was relatively painless! Not going to make friday fails this time though :(

Don’t actually remember how it started but I’m pretty sure I just washed out the front real fast, in a pretty innocuous but fast corner on sheepskull at the forest of dean. Went straight in, punched the ground with both hands, then probably clattered the head straight after. That switched me off for a little bit, apparently I did a sort of Grand Theft Auto physics engine fail ragdoll down the trail for a bit, then I woke up again just before I stopped moving with the other side of my head scraping along the ground! Weirdly not a scratch or bruise from the shoulders down, the arms and noggin took the whole thing. A wee scrape on the head but apart from 5 minutes of being really spun out, no ill effects, not even a headache or sore neck, just a couple of seconds of memory loss and a couple of seconds max of being completely out.

Very lucky I think, epsecially since that old Fox was really made as a trail helmet, and my mates were just behind. (tbh the Fox was also pretty old, arguably too old, but it did good work- I stocked up on these when they were discontinued, the last one lasted years, this one about 4 months!) Even the breaks are fairly minor.

Day 1, run 2, of a 6 day holiday but hey, all the uplift venues were cool about refunds and credits and it was nice to actually explore the forest of dean for once! Now to see if I can heal up enough for the gt7 in a couple of weeks. But first it’d be good to be able to open a jar or do up my trousers :)

Day 1, run 2, of a 6 day holiday

Doh, I’d have felt pretty sorry for myself if I’d done that.  Can’t begin to guess where you came a cropper but don’t remember many comfy places to crash on Sheepskull.  Heal up soon