THE HELMET THREAD

[Cerbera]

41 minutes ago, Paul A said:

Cutting corners scorpion, huh?!

Nope, mine is not like that - rigid at both ends and only a little flex in the centre. Not that I will be going very near 70 kph anyway !

I mean obviously they are cutting some corners so they can make a high quality helmet for 200 odd quid instead of 700, but hopefully they haven't chopped anything that detracts from safety. Presumably not or it wouldn't have passed all the latest standards.

Edited February 23, 2023 by Cerbera

[2disbetter]

Just now, Cerbera said:

Nope, mine is not like that - rigid at both ends AND in the centre.

Ok, but was is the purpose of the Apex? Is it supposed to diffuse wind better or something? 

 

[Cerbera]

5 minutes ago, 2disbetter said:

Ok, but was is the purpose of the Apex? Is it supposed to diffuse wind better or something? 

 

For me it's glare - keeping the low sun out of my eyes... another thing that can lay a TSG pass low, which doesn't have the peak. I have seen 2 or 3 videos now where they specifically call out the peak as NOT affecting airflow or catching the wind, even at very high speeds. Nobody has mentioned vibration, but I will watch out for it in the first test ride... there is quite a blow on today, so might be a good time to see, not that I enjoy windy riding up high on that wheel !

Edited February 23, 2023 by Cerbera

[2disbetter]

25 minutes ago, Cerbera said:

not that I enjoy windy riding up high on that wheel !

Easily understood. Wind and EUCs is not terribly fun at any time usually. Still, I'm interested in your findings on your first ride with it. 

[DragonFZ]

42 minutes ago, 2disbetter said:

The visor thing (the white thing above the visor I mean) on the ADX-2... is it adjustable? What is the purpose of that? I think I am going to get a similar helmet because while I just got a TSG, I really do wonder how much that helmet will protect me in a crash.

Any gear is better than no gear. However, I would rank TSG below any name brand MTB Full Face helmets, base on chin bar clearance to my face. I've 7 helmets and have 4 in rotation base on best comfort/protection in a given weather conditions. I think I can replace my TSG with the LS2 Subverter for use in similar weather condition... still testing

[Cerbera]

7 minutes ago, DragonFZ said:

The visor thing (the white thing above the visor I mean) on the ADX-2... is it adjustable?

I'd say not. It is removable, and moves with the other surfaces as you raise and lower the outer visor and front flip up, so it is never in the way, but it doesn't have any play when locked into position, and there is only one position it locks in. Another advantage of it, now I come to think of it makes it very easy to attach helmet mirror, especially one of the chunkier ones that Dawn and Marty et al favour...

Edited February 23, 2023 by Cerbera

[Cerbera]

Before I leave the house with it I have worn the ADX-2 while I work for half an hour. It fogs up really incredibly easily (and unfix-ably when no airflow to clear it!) without the pinlock installed ! So I can see that needs to go in before first ride... and that's the next challenge - my pinlock doesn't look anything like the pinlocks in the videos I've seen on the subject ! Will it fit ?! 

Yes it will ! And perfectly sorts the fog problem ! Yay ! Only a test ride awaits !

Edited February 23, 2023 by Cerbera

[Cerbera]

Well first ride with the ADX-2... 1 hour into town and back as darkness fell, with light drizzle all the way, and moderately busy traffic / pedestrian areas.

Did a supermarket shop, some higher speed runs on the mostly empty cycle path behind it, then wheeled off home before it got too dark.

And that was an unusual experience, not all of it very enjoyable I have to say. Good points and bad points, bad ones first, because they stuck in memory more !

Bad points

• Visibility is massively reduced from what I am used in the TSG - I have to look about and move my neck and head a lot more to get enough situational awareness.
• All that looking about has strained my neck because I am unused to the weight of it.
• After only 1 hour I came back with a headache, which has never happened before with even very long TSG rides.
• I felt boxed in and isolated from the world and my wheel, and felt I couldn't hear as much as I wanted to of traffic noise.
• I badly missed my mirrors
• The pinlock does indeed keep the outer visor utterly fog-free, even when fully closed and in rain, but the same cannot be said for the inner shade - once that gets fogged it stays fogged, and there is no way to unfog it without removing the whole helmet !! That is perhaps the biggest downside I found apart from the weight and reduced visibility, which are almost deal-breakers for me. My neck still hurts now, and I've been out of it 15 minutes !! The headache is passing.
• The peak is annoying, and I think it needs to go ! Unlike in the review above, it didn't vibrate at all for me, but it did direct the middling windflow in the low 30 kph range weirdly, and I didn't want to go much faster. Now, it was a windy day, and a lot of that was crosswind, which massively destabilizes the top-heavy Master, but I think the peak was possibly not helping with whatever angle my head was naturally at, which I suspect is different to the angle it's at when on a motorbike. I will remove it for next ride as it also restricted visibility even more. So, only windless, sunny days for that I reckon.
• I was the correct temperature out riding (11C) but when I got to the shop, even though I flipped the lid all the time I was indoors I was horribly hot and uncomfortable, mainly from the helmet. Got a bit sweaty in there after a while - was glad I was wearing my ninja lycra hood under it to protect the lining.
• Although flipping the front to talk to people meant they could hear me clearly, and me them, with the lid down I might as well be listening and speaking to a wall. Even with front visor up (but lid still down) I had to ask people to repeat themselves several times and REALLY concentrate to be able to hear them properly.
• But I could drink tea without removing my helmet so at least my 'Britishness' was appeased.
• All the bad points above exacerbated in the dark. Not enjoyable TBH. Very hard to look down wearing this - can barely read Masters display.
• Negatively affects look-ahead because the weight of it tends to pull your head down, such that you have to lift it again to see far distance. Didn't enjoy that.
• Amplifies your own breathing and bassify's your speaking voice by about 20 dB - you do sound like a radio DJ speaking in this when the lid is closed. If you are out of breath for any reason (walking a wheel uphill for example) that is quite distracting, and obfuscates situational noises you should be aware of and contributes to the overall feeling of claustrophobia wearing this.

Good points

• The safety standards obviously, and the overall construction quality, which is high, despite this not being so expensive as helmets go. The padding is rather plush and luxurious, and certainly snug, to the point where I hope it loosens with time a bit and stops giving me a headache by compressing my skull !
• All levers, visors and closures are firm, solid, and absolute in their behaviour, and stay where put - nothing wobbles out of place or drops down unintentionally even with quite bumpy terrain.
• You get better visibility with the outer visor down, because even at its highest position it is still slightly in your eyeline.
• You do get a nice quiet ride, the world outside seems a few miles away, which is both calming yet discomforting. I can hear the wheel beeps, and EUC World voice announcements, even with the lid closed, but only quite quietly. Traffic on the other hand makes MUCH less noise, so I can't hear it as clearly, and my directional cues about where it is coming from are broken. But that is also quite nice if you enjoy isolation from all the general ruckus of a busy town centre.
• You do feel very secure and 'tucked-in' wearing the ADX-2. Some might call it 'claustrophobic'. I did a bit !
• The closure is the ratchet sort, but a kind of 'Pro' version of it that is very much stiffer and more positive than others I have tried. Much easier than the TSG's D-ring with gloves on, and also much tighter around the neck and feels more padded and more secure than TSGs.
• This helmet has the emergency cheek pad release system so ambulance crews can get it off your head without straining your neck. I didn't test that !
• It does a lovely job of keeping your head warm and dry even in icy winds and rain. Thanks to its chin and neck-hugging airbreak material not much in the way of cold air makes it into the helmet, unlike the TSG which is a wind catching / amplifying cavern IME !!
• Wind noise is quiet, muted (ie has no top end, frequency-wise) and constant. None of the weird ghostly wind noises you get with the TSG, just a low, subdued background hum of it...

So, not a massively enjoyable ride today - excess wind made the speedy bits deeply uncomfortable and not very speedy, but it was a useful one, in that it showed me what that helmet is going to be like under difficult conditions. I hate to say it, but after the first ride, I 100% prefer to ride in the TSG, but know I am not as safe in it, so must persevere with this one or one like it...

Edited February 24, 2023 by Cerbera

[Paul A]

28 minutes ago, Cerbera said:

so must persevere with this one

 

Sportsbike UK

[Clem604]

I was looking at the AGV K3 SV to use with my TSG Pass and Fox Proframe helmet throughout the year but I haven't yet pulled the trigger on it. I have a round, melon shaped head so many MC helmets I've tried simply put too much pressure on my temples. It doesn't help that I also wear glasses

Edited February 23, 2023 by Clem604

[Cerbera]

Thanks, @Paul A but no, I don't necessarily think it needs to go back. Or at least not yet...

None of the problems I have with it are intrinsic to that helmet, rather MC helmets in general, and I suspect I will find mainly identical criticisms with any modular MC lid.

I think I just have to get used to it, and resist the (currently rather strong) urge to go back to the TSG and damn the risk. I feel free in that helmet. In the new one I am a prisoner in a padded cell looking out of a letterbox !

Edited February 23, 2023 by Cerbera

[Clem604]

5 minutes ago, Cerbera said:

go back to the TSG and damn the risk.

This is where I'm at currently but I still might pick up a MC helmet to have more options. Everyone has the freedom to choose the amount of risk they are willing to expose themselves to and this is no different. As much as I value brain protection I value spacial awareness as well. This is a compromise that I am willing to live with.

Edited February 23, 2023 by Clem604

[Paul A]

34 minutes ago, Cerbera said:

couldn't hear as much as I wanted to of traffic noise

 

Would a helmet communications set, with the microphone positioned outside, help?

[Cerbera]

1 minute ago, Paul A said:

 

Would a helmet communications set, with the microphone positioned outside, help?

Yes, and that was going to be part of my Mandalorian voice box plan - mic to my ears so I can clearly hear people, and mic inside going to a speaker so they can hear me.

[Paul A]

Might be easier to put on glasses, after the helmet is on.

[Cerbera]

23 minutes ago, Paul A said:

Might be easier to put on glasses, after the helmet is on.

Indeed - that was one thing I forgot to try so far, and was how I used to ride with the TSG; visor sometimes open (when going slow), but shades under it to keep the insects and wind out of my eyes. It's SUCH a shame that the aviator style shades on the AX-2 fog up like they do - I would much prefer that to having to wear shades as well. It's not minor, incremental fogging either; a single breath in the wrong direction insta-opaques the whole inner visor ! Instant blindness ! Suprised they didn't flag that in the tests to be honest...nobody has mentioned it in any reviews I have seen either, yet I would call that a fairly major flaw, especially if you are new to the helmet and still have to grab about to feel for the riser switch whilst blind and still in motion !

Edited February 23, 2023 by Cerbera

[Paul A]

3 minutes ago, Cerbera said:

visor sometimes open

 

Would eliminate internal fogging problem.

[Cerbera]

Just now, Paul A said:

 

Would eliminate internal fogging problem.

Yes indeed - if I crack the outer visor inner one tends to fog up less, but still does a bit. Takes a very long time to clear again, and sometimes I couldn't get it to clear at all, so ended up raising it again to get my eyesight back !

[Paul A]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/304396904225?hash=item46df782721:g:vw4AAOSwC3lhimIh&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA4FXrAyixozO6zp8Mstv2%2FdMu%2FiFQ4AApLpUY16DZsJBiotSPRfI7mtW0LH5v2HxRPMgGLHVHENg4xKaYx3C72%2F1Xl6ltsRC6iy%2FHE4tK4XvKOhC363Hbs6tAmUhBcBon6yF7VLK%2FtnoyvbPGx5htCuUkfWvY0%2B64MCyMyYgJgxYiW7mRMxZpitogpw9ZHAzSeIGnduBLyNtVgTXOcGxGHqheI6ISncH2BUmfv3On53HoCyTzX63uztKNDyLduyFGPyKJwlBa6WY9ZXggCwuu%2FLjv81Beu3e2GCHmNggUEIpn|tkp%3ABFBM8MaN_M9h

Wearing a cycling helmet liner/skull cap may help.

Easy to wash and dry.

[Clem604]

@Cerbera If the weight of the helmet is an issue, have you considered a non-modular MC helmet? A non-modular should be lighter but you do give up the benefits of course. I'm currently considering a few helmets that aren't the lightest but also not the heaviest :

AGV K3 SV
Icon Airflite (with MIPS!)

Bell Qualifier DLX (also with MIPS)

Edited February 23, 2023 by Clem604

[Cerbera]

Just now, Paul A said:

Wearing a cycling helmet liner/skull cap may help.

Easy to wash and dry.

...may help what specifically ?! I already have the ninja lycra balaclava on, which isn't adding much in the way of heat, but is stopping me sweating all over the helmet when I am too hot !

[Cerbera]

6 minutes ago, Clem604 said:

have you considered a non-modular MC helmet?

I have, but get real cognitive dissonance about that. One (admittedly small) part of wanting to upgrade from the TSG was to get an opening lid for all the times when I just want a quick swig of drink without half de-gearing to do it. Also, people were struggling to hear me through the TSG pass.

Yes, non modular is lighter, but I can't drink tea (or do crafty smokings), or do clear communications without taking it all off ! It's a real dilemma !!  I suspect if my neck has to deal with it often enough, it will resist, but then improve to cope with it, much as my leg muscles have done in the step up (quite literally!) from MS3 to Master !!

Edited February 23, 2023 by Cerbera

[Paul A]

Skull cap for comfort, less sweat into the helmet's internal liner, perhaps a de-facto MIPs?

Easier to wash a skull cap regularly, reduce frequency of washing for helmet's internal liner.

[Cerbera]

Just now, Paul A said:

Skull cap for comfort, less sweat into the helmet's internal liner, perhaps a de-facto MIPs?

Easier to wash a skull cap regularly, reduce frequency of washing for helmet's internal liner.

Agreed, but superfluous if you already have the ninja hoodie

[Paul A]

Not sure sun visors are desirable.

In the video that Dawn made, in which she was describing some of her crashes......she recounted the occasion when she was sliding, face down, with her visor scraping furiously against the road.

She stated that it is much more preferable to slide, as it is much more stable......than tumbling in an uncontrolled manner, and breaking bones.

Hence, the sliders on gloves, knee and elbow pucks, sliders on boots, etc.

 

A sun visor on a helmet seems to present large snagging points.

It disrupts the smooth, spherical shape of a helmet.

Perhaps the sun visor is designed to easily break off upon impact.