Mavic Notch Helmet
A guy in a banana just yelled “Nice helmet!” at me. I am not quite sure how a banana became a good judge of safety gear but I am guessing that the banana was appreciative of the yellow hue of my new bone dome. Yes this particular Mavic Notch helmet is very yellow.
Is it possible for something to be more banana yellow than a banana itself?
It maybe isn’t the colour I would pick from the options on offer, the black is very stealth for instance and the white version is quite stylish, but the colour doesn’t detract from what is a comfortable and light helmet. As for the Banana, well you see some interesting characters around the course when you race in the Test of Metal.
Fuller coverage than a XC helmet but not quite as much as the Bell Super or POC Trabec. If you like wearing goggles they sit comfortably under the front of the helmet.
Mavic has gone in with two feet into the Enduro world, especially since it sponsors some of the fastest men and women in this growing race discipline, such as Jérome Clementz and Anne-Caroline Chausson. The Notch is part of the Crossmax range which also features the hydration pack and pedals that we have already reviewed. Given the Enduro slant on the design this helmet features all that you would expect for this genre that just so happen to be good for us regular Joes that aren’t necessarily getting our race on but like to ride “with purpose” when we are out.
The visor is fixed in position and keeps those front air vents unobstructed.
So what is on that want list? Fuller coverage over a cross country style helmet is first up and the Notch has that, coming down near the temples, over the ears and then down the back. It doesn’t have as much coverage as maybe the Bell Super or the POC Trabec but it is pretty close. We want that coverage but we also don’t want to sweat buckets, so ventilation is next up. The Notch is pretty good with large vents to let the air flow in and as I alluded to above, I raced in this helmet and it does vent my head steam much better than the POC Trabec I was riding previously.
The simple dial tightens up the helmet around the back of the head. Can you remember when helmets didn’t have these? I can’t imagine having a helmet without them now.
Fit is probably the most important thing and the Notch has a rounder fit, suiting those with a more uniformly spherical head, like Charlie Brown. The adjustment around the back of the skull is via a dial and although the assembly looks fragile, in use it doesn’t seems to be. Straps are straight forward and easily adjusted into position. The peak is fixed in one position, though that position seems spot on to me so that hasn’t been a concern. Also the vents at the front are nicely spaced to take your riding glasses when not needed, holding them firmly in place. Oh and for the goggle wearing crowd, it plays well with my goggles too.
Large vents help this helmet feel cooler when busting a gut on a climb.
On first trying the helmet on, my size being a medium, it fit well. I tightened up the adjustment at the back, got the straps set up and off I rode. The helmet feels light on the head and I really didn’t notice it at all, well until I caught a glimpse of the colour in a car window. No strange pressure points, not too hot and a pretty stylish looking helmet (in the Black or White option for me). You can’t really give a helmet better praise than not noticing it when it’s on your head.
The price on the Notch is pretty competitive coming in at $114 CAD and available at MEC. While it doesn’t feature some of the more advanced safety options like the MIPS system on the POC Trabec that Cam recently tested, it is well made and fits nicely. If you are on a budget then it’s worth a look.
Feelin’ that yellow?
Comments
S.K.
9 years, 5 months ago
really good Helmet, but after a handwash of the padding, all the edges of the padding get loose…..and the fact that they not put in a extra-padding , you have to buy a new…. (sorry for my english)
Reply
OldManBike
9 years, 5 months ago
This is a helmet industry review, not a helmet user review. The helmet industry wants to talk about colors and style and light and ventilated. Fluffy. More and more users want to know about safety. And, yes, you do talk about coverage, but then it's the "You can’t really give a helmet better praise than not noticing it when it’s on your head" ad-speak, and by the end I haven't learned a thing about whether this helmet is just meeting a certification or whether it actually is doing something to reduce concussions and other typical MTB head injuries.
Maybe it's not fair to single you out, the shortcomings of this review are nothing unusual, for reasons you guys yourselves have acknowledged. But you're NSMB not Outside Mag, and I was hoping for better here.
Reply
Jonathan Harris
9 years, 5 months ago
I will take that one on the chin. My review after all. I will say that I am an engineer by training and I know that it isn't for me to make comment on the safety of this helmet over others. It passes all the codes and current requirements of a bicycle helmet yes…. Does it go beyond that to offer protection from conclusions such as the MIPS system, no. That is an active area of research and I am sure that we will see helmet standards change in the future to reflect the findings.
As a user I reported in what I could about the helmet without taking it into a lab and that's what you read there.
Reply
OldManBike
9 years, 5 months ago
Sure, I get all that. But the fact that you didn't know anything about safety features of this helmet *is the story. This helmet is party-like-it's-2009, light weight! big vents! bright colors! and you just ate it up uncritically. Think about how much more you're able to say about the safety features of a Super 2R or a Trabec or an Avana or a dozen other current peer helmets.
The only safety feature you mentioned was "fuller coverage," and you missed there too. The back of the helmet sits at the top of the ear, the temple at the eyebrow. Can you find another enduro-marketed helmet out today like it? It's much closer to a Giro Atmos than a TLD A1. My 4-year-old Spesh road lid has *more coverage. Enduro coverage? It's a styrofoam yamaka.
Anyway. Half of this is just me being pissed about the stupid ebike review. I appreciate your response, and I'm done giving you a hard time now.
Reply
walleater
9 years, 5 months ago
Just out of interest, I just put my Notch on and it comes down around 1/2 way down my ear at the back and 1/2″ - 1″ above my eyebrows with the top of my head gently touching the top of the helmet. I don't feel the need for moar coverage, and I've crashed on it pretty hard…. Other helmets mentioned are either a different design, are least twice the price, or both, It's a fairly normal helmet at a fairly normal price, and looks tasteful (in black…..). I'm not really seeing what the big deal is.
Reply
Poo Stance
9 years, 5 months ago
Trabec isn't anything really special unless your talking about the 2″ thick foam, or the Race or MIPS versions.
FYI it does look like it has slightly more coverage than my Atmos lid
Reply
walleater
9 years, 5 months ago
I've got one too and really like it, partly at least because it fits. Weirdly though I thought I had a long head, as my previous helmet that I put up with for around three years was always applying pressure to my forehead. Regardless, try before you buy as always (and don't buy a helmet for $40 from a supplier clearout just because it's super cheap like I did previously ha…).
Reply
kain0m
9 years, 5 months ago
Bought it earlier this year, it is a great helmet. Good ventilation and a comfortable fit on my wider-than-normal head. I've also tried the bell super and found the Mavic to be more comfortable.
Reply
Please log in to leave a comment.