This is my first year doing lift-served downhill mountain biking, so I spent a fair amount of time researching and trying on different armor to keep me all in one piece. Here’s what I ended up with.
Helmet
Between my wife and I we own 4 full-face helmets.
I ride with a Troy Lee Designs D2
full-face helmet. Super comfortable, very nice looking, and supposedly good for protection (I won’t know for sure until I try it, though!). There’s a newer D3 model out, which looks quite different – wider and more squared off at the bottom. The D3 is designed to work with a neck brace, which is my complaint about the D2 – it’s too low-profile to work well with a brace. My head is able to flex a long way before the rim of the helmet comes in contact with the brace. For maximum protection, the helmet rim and the brace should be quite close to each other. If you’re not riding with a brace, or if you have bulkier shoulders / a shorter neck than me (I’m a skinny long-necked geek) then the D2 could be a good choice. Fits large – I’m a 60cm head, so usually an XL, but with the Troy Lee D2 I’m a M/L.
My wife rides with a Giro Cipher
. I think this may be the perfect helmet. It has a good rim shape to work with the neck brace, isn’t too bulky but is very comfortable, doesn’t cost an outrageous amount, and has cool colors!
It also works well with a neck brace, due to its flat bottom rim.
I tried a Bell Transfer 9
, which was on sale for $99, but the helmet was just too huge and bulky. This is of course partly due to my giant noggin, but the helmet seems to have a lot of bulk for its size. Otherwise, it gets good reviews and is reasonably priced. The Full 9
is the higher-end version of this helmet, and comes in an optional carbon shell.
For non lift-served riding, I use a SixSixOne Comp
. It’s nice and lightweight, reasonably well ventilated, and costs less than $100. I don’t feel that it has enough protection for DH riding, but it’s perfect for the local trails and jumps.
