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MTB Helmets

Wearing a helmet while on the bike is highly recommended, no matter what type of cycling you do. Mountain biking, by nature a risky sport, is one type of riding where this is absolutely crucial. Ask any serious mountain biker if they ever ride without a helmet, and the answer will be an emphatic “no”.

There’s a helmet out there for every type of mountain biking, so navigating this vast selection is a lot easier if you know what you’re looking for. Below you’ll find a short guide to mountain bike helmets to help you choose.

Different types of mountain biking helmets

Mountain biking has numerous sub-categories and most leading manufacturers offer helmets designed for each of these different disciplines. Let’s have a look at the different types of helmets available:

Half-shell/open helmets for general riding/cross country

If you’re doing cross-country or moderate trail riding, a half-shell open helmet is probably the best way to go. To the untrained eye, these helmets look quite like those worn by road riders but have one or two key differences: they’re bulkier at the back of the head, protecting you in the event of a backwards fall. They also usually come equipped with a visor to protect you from the sun, rain or mud whereas a visor isn’t sodesirable feature on a racing bike helmet, which is designed with a ‘heads down’ position in mind.

Open-faced helmets for enduro and more aggressive trail riding

For aggressive trail or enduro use, a greater level of protection is required. Open-face enduro helmets are heavier than xc (cross country) helmets, featuring even greater protection at the back of the head and more reinforcement. A retention system is also used to stop the helmet moving around. You’ll also notice that such helmets have less ventilation ports, minimising the chance of sharp objects hurting your head.

Full-face mountain bike helmets

For aggressive enduro or downhill use, many riders opt for a full-face helmet that offers superior protection in the case of a bad fall. These helmets protect the head, chin and face. Naturally, such helmets are heavier and offer less ventilation, although manufacturers are constantly working to improve on this.

Convertible enduro/downhill helmets

For riders looking for great protection without compromising on versatility, there are also downhill helmets available with removable chin bars. This gives you the protection of a full-face helmet for downhill sections, with the option of removing the chin bar and converting the helmet to open-face for cooler, more comfortable climbing.

BMX & dirt helmets

Dirt-jump/BMX helmets are domed, hard-shell helmets that offer enough protection for trick riding at bmx parks/pump tracks and also work well as commuting helmets. Unfortunately, they’re heavier, bulkier and offer poor ventilation, meaning your head can quickly get sweaty wearing one. Such helmets are not really recommended for proper mounting biking.

Choosing the right mountain biking helmet

Think about what kind of riding you want to do. There’s no point buying a full-face downhill helmet if you want to do relaxed summer trail riding. Likewise, you’ll be seriously underprepared at the downhill track with an inadequate helmet. Many of today’s helmets also feature cool features such as mounts for action cameras, MIPS (a new technology designed to lessen rotational forces resulting from impacts) and a dedicated glasses garage.

As always, read the product description and specifications carefully when choosing a helmet. Measureyour head circumference and make sure the helmet is big enough. Likewise, also check the weight of the helmet – the last thing you want is a cumbersome, heavy helmet when doing long off-road tours.

A helmet for every mountain biker at bikester.co.uk

Here at bikester we have a helmet for every occasion. Risk disappointment at your local bike shop and browse our huge selection today – enjoy our hassle-free shipping, 100-day money-back guarantee and friendly customer service.