Those days are not forgotten yet when the most fearsome riders with the roughest of the tricks up their sleeves only wore full face mtb helmets as the helmets were heavy, rugged, not comfortable, and bulky. Usually, the riders pedaling to the top of the mountain did not prefer to wear such helmets for these drawbacks. Lighter and safer full face MTB helmets are available now.
From that point of bulky helmets, the time has changed a lot now, and mountain bike technology has improved. Now, riders can easily find features offered in bike parks on a local track too. So with improved facilities for mountain riding daily more significant risks now require better protection for almost anybody, from a local riders to the professionals.
For the time being, the helmet companies made sure that the rising improvement of the bike technology is met by the proper standards of the helmet too, which resulted in a helmet industry providing the lightest and safest helmets ever.
Compared to the mountain helmets of the previous generation, current models are much lighter and more comfortable. These models are superior while comparing the ventilation system and the vent cutouts in the chin bar. Mainly depending on the trial and enduro-focused full-face mountain bike helmets ensure features like lightweight construction, high ventilation, and safety protection.
A couple of inquiries should be cleared before everything, and a set of questions always arise regarding the comparison of full-face mountain bike helmets to open-face helmets. People have always seemed concerned about the weight comparison and the burly look of these helmets. To be fair and honest, a full-face mountain bike may not be the lightest compared to the open-face helmets, but it indeed gives you the best protection of a full face.
The protection safeguard and weight compatibility have made these helmets more popular at cross country races. So, if everything is set up to this point, let’s research some of the best and most OK mountain bike full-face helmets.
Buying Guide of Full Face MTB Helmet:
There are a lot of factors behind a safe and satisfactory mountain bike helmet. Over the years, technological improvements have made helmets lighter and safer than ever. Better still, you have to look for a few things to get your mind focused on a particular type of helmet. Let’s get forward to clarify basic requirements to buy a perfect full-face MTB helmet for you.
Protection assurance process of Full Face MTB Helmet
An outer layer and inner layer made of eps foam comprise a mountain bike helmet. The polycarbonate layer protects the inner layer with eps foam to skid in the event of a crash rather than catching or whipping your neck around. During a collision, the eps foam absorbs the force of impact by crushing or breaking its structure. The design crashing process protects the brain from concussion.
Ensuring a Proper Fit with Full Face MTB Helmet
Ensuring proper fit is a rule of thumb while considering a new helmet. It’s a bit tough to acquire the perfect size online, but the user manual information will help you out with each corner’s size chart and measurement. We often find incidents like a particular model fitting specific people as almost every head shape differs from each other.
Trying a helmet before buying is the key to avoid size mismatching. Or, if you are using online platforms, find one with a perfect return policy. Sometimes, e-commerce websites use a solid return policy to exchange products without any extra cost.
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Now lets find out some of the best Mountain Bike full face Helmet for your safe and comfortable ride.
Leatt DBX 4.0
Leatt DBX 4.0 is an Amazing piece of lightweight helmet that rules all the factors associated with a mountain bike helmet with a solid feel around your head. This piece is not the most lightweight design compared with the TLD stage, yet it is one of our best picks considering the design and safety protection level.
Weight and Ventilation Check
850 grams of weight for a mountain bike full-face helmet is not the best weight consideration, but the balanced ventilation is comparably quite excellent in its own right. The smaller vents allow less airflow than the Fox Proframe or Troy Lee Designs Stage, but the construction is just perfect for your rough ride.
Safety Check
Leatt’s turbine technology makes the Leatt DBX 4.0 a shiny, comfortable, lightweight full-face helmet that is well known for better protection and comfort. In terms of safety and security, it is one of the best picks. Padded stripes and magnetic Fidlock ensure a perfectly comfortable fit around your head.
- Interior Padding
The interior padding and the overall construction provide a full-on downhill helmet feel. The EPO soft foam allows complete protection for the head while ensuring maximum absorption of low G impacts. In an extension to that, more rigid EPS foam takes care of the rest. In terms of eye protection, the Leatt DBX 4.0 has the drawback of not featuring an adjustable visor.
- Turbine Helmet Technology
Leatt DBX 4.0 comes with the latest Turbine Technology. Flexible rotating pads perfectly placed throughout DBX makes it rotate without exerting the rotational force on the head. Leatt made it pretty clear that Turbine tech reduces 30% of the head impact at concussion level and deducts 40% of the rotational acceleration to the head and brain.
Pros of Leatt DBX 4.0:
- Padded stripes
- Magnetic Fidlock
- Dual-layer of EPS and EPO foam
- Turbine Tech
Cons:
- No adjustable visor
- Slightly Heavier
Fox Proframe MIPS Full Face MTB Helmet
Fox company has delivered almost everything perfectly for every action sport. Changing the trend of hard-charging downhill to Proframe helmets, Fox has ensured plenty of comfortable factors bringing full-face helmets suitable for all the trails.
Weight and Ventilation Check
The 735 grams of program MIPS is slightly heavier than the TLD stage helmets. Still, the overall construction can be considered as an ultralight fox full-face helmet with a better ventilation system. The 24 vents have ensured a great ventilation system which includes a massive cutout in the chin bar to maintain the proper airflow.
Safety Check
To avoid G impacts, the Fox Proframe comes with a dual-density EPS foam liner. In addition to that, the MIPS anti-rotational insert allows superior comfort while riding. You might not feel that the foam is the best of the class, but they are not skimpy either.
The Fox Proframe does not come up with a complex construction or various mix of technology. Still, the innovative combination of the material and design structure makes it a cost-effective and lightweight full-face helmet.
A comfortable design is the main priority of this helmet which has no mouth guard for the chin bar, but from my point of view, that will not be a deal-breaker for most.
Eye Protection
Fox Proframe MIPS comes with a fixed visor leaving enough space to adjust extra goggles for your precious eye. Unlike the TLD stage straps, this helmet features a magnetic Fidlock buckle attached to well-padded straps that ensures proper comfort to your ears.
Moreover, Fox Proframe may not have many unique features up its sleeve. Still, the lightweight, protective design with a proper ventilation system is quite unmatched among other full-face mountain bike helmets, which is the main reason to become one of our best picks.
Pros:
- Good Ventilation System
- Ultra-lightweight
- Dual-density EPS foam liner
Cons:
- No adjustable visor
Troy Lee Designs Stage MIPS mountain bike helmet
One of the best ventilation impliable lightest helmets in our review is the Troy Lee Designs Stage. The attached visor, comfortable design, the lightweight structure has made it an attractive choice for the riders of all trails.
Weight and Ventilation Check
Indeed, 690 grams of weight makes the Troy Lee Designs Stage the lightest full-face mountain bike helmet on the market.
On the other hand, 25 perfectly placed vents all over the helmet create a perfect ventilation system. Massive vents in the chin bar and ventilation gap over the ears create a balanced breathing out system in the helmet to keep you cool during the ride.
Moreover, the ventilation system and the overall weight consideration makes it a great choice compared to the other available helmet in the market.
Safety Check
The TLD stage features softer EPP foam in the interior case. Along with that, the combination of a more rigid EPS liner and softer EPP ensures necessary protection for your brain against any concussions in case of low G impacts.
Additionally, the MIPS insert is a unique feature that makes TLD stage a high-end full-face mountain bike helmet. Unlike Leatt’s turbine technology, the MIPS insert does not come with any weight penalty, ensuring a lightweight structure for this helmet with better protection.
No pad in the stripes might feel a bit annoying on your ears on longer rides, but the magnetic flock will ensure a comfortable fit.
Eye Protection
Eye protection is the best part of the TLD stage helmets as it comes with an adjustable visor, unlike the Proframe or Leatt DBX 4.0. The adjustable bill allows you to stash a pair of goggles under for a long summer ride or even a hot mountain climb. This visor adjustment steps up the level of the TLD stage while adding almost 0 weight to the whole structure.
Pros of Troy Lee Designs Stage MIPS:
- Great Ventilation
- MIPS technology
- Highly adjustable visor
Cons:
- Non-removable mouthpiece
- Less-safety pads
Bell Super DH Convertible MTB helmet
Now we all have heard about the famous designs of Bell, and their lightweight designs have skyrocketed popularity. The Bell Super DH Convertible helmet is the successor of Bell Super 2R and Super 3R. It is one of the best picks for you as a convertible full-face MTB helmet.
Weight and Ventilation Check
Convertible helmets are not best for the lightweight category, but the Bell Super DH is not obscenely heavier. But you can easily lose some weight by removing the chin bar. Bell Super DH is a full face MTB helmet removable chin guard. Chin bar attachment makes the overall weight of the helmet 896 grams, which is only 100g heavier than an average ultra-lightweight full-face helmet. The open-face mode in Super DH weighs close to 487 grams, allowing you a 2 in 1 facility.
Bell Super DH has 19 standard ports with an additional two on the brow and four in the chin bar to enable a proper ventilation system. In an open face mode, this one is cool as the airiest open face helmets. The brow ports allow you to keep your goggles fog-free. Nonetheless, you are wearing them or have them stashed under the visor.
Safety Check of Bell Super DH Adult mountain bike helmet
The Bell Super DH has a clamp on the rear side of the helmet and one on each side to wrap around the chin bar perfectly. Downhill certification of the helmets clarifies the safety issues of both modes of the Bell Super DH. it doesn’t matter whether you are using open face mode or full-face mode. It will always give you a solid feel.
Bell’s super strength lies within the body structure due to Bell’s own innovative MIPS spherical technology. MIPS Spherical is one of the most impressive features available for the mountain bike helmet. This technology features two separate shells containing the outer layer made of denser EPS foam, and softer EPP foam forming the inner shell.
- Shell Construction
Each shell associated with the helmet has a smooth polishing, and yellow rubber bands connect both shells. The structure allows the inner shell to move freely within the outer shell in the event of a collision. The dissipated rotational impacts absorb the impact of all varieties, especially G impacts during a collision.
Moreover, the additional layer of Bell Super DH ensures outstanding safety against all crash events. On the other hand, exceptional coverage in open face mode makes it the best pick among all.
Fitting
The float fit retention system allows an adjustable rubber dial that wraps around your head to provide a comfortable tight fitting. Compared to the Float fit retention system used in the Bell Super 3R and Sixer, the Float Fit DH uses ample space, which is a considerable improvement to ensure a comfortable fit.
Particular cut to the straps on the ear section avoids an annoying feel to the ears. The chin strap comes with a single adjustment on one side, enabling it to be more accessible to buckle up. The magnetic Fidlock system holds everything together to ensure a fantastic fitting. Based on the additional features, this one is a great full face MTB helmet.
Eye Protection
An extremely adjustable visor attached to the Bell Super DH is another unique feature to protect your eyes. You can adjust it to the up and down for long enough to avoid direct sun rays or rain. It has enough space to stash your goggles, and it perfectly works with sunglasses too. In addition to all of that, the X-static and XT-2 static liner restrict sweat from falling into your eyes directly.
Moreover, unique features and lightweight construction make it an unbeatable choice as a convertible mountain bike helmet. The Bell Super DH is well ventilated, properly balanced, and the safety features are good enough to make it a good competitor for our top picks.
Pros:
- Lightweight
- Good ventilation
- Rock-solid safety features
- Float Fit retention system
If you are finished up to this point, then I guess you have at least a design or two on your mind. You can choose anyone from our top picks, or you can use the buying guide to make up your mind. Remember that fit is the key to a comfortable ride, and safety is always the best priority.