In response to the topic at hand and leaning on my personal experience and general observation... Maybe people are moving back away from fullfaces because there is no perfect-enough option out there yet for people to commit to and then never look back, after having tried one or two and still been left wanting. And if there is, these lids are too expensive and too uncommon to be able to try them all until you arrive at your own personal goldilocks. I tried out the enduro IXS fullface and it was lightweight but the fit and general feel/construction wasn´t as great as I was hoping so I returned it and kept looking until I arrived at the Leatt 4.0 Enduro. The Fox Proframe and the TLD Stage look great, and the Stage fit my head really well and comfortably when I tried one on in the store, but you dont know until you´ve lived with them, and then you are still left with a full face only, for better or worse. Worse if you stop using it.
Popping the chinbar off my Leatt is Awesome for the climbs and rolling terrain in hot/warm/whatever weather, and putting it back on is equally as Awesome for the descents. Climbing and general riding in rolling terrain with the chinbar on is not terrible, but it is undeniably cooler and more comfortable with it off. That has proved to me enough that I value the option, and may influence whether or not I would commit to using a dedicated lighter weight fullface like a TLD Stage.
I think my Ideal helmet would be a convertible Fox Dropframe. I have the Dropframe and it´s one of my favorite helmets ever, even if its got some minor room for improvement. It extends low in the back, utilizes a pad fit, is completely stable on my head which is crucial for mounting a light, runs cool and is not at all heavy feeling, and has no over-the-ear echo/muffle/hot/claustrophobic effect. It disappears on my head, with no adjustment necessary. If the drop-ear pieces were made sturdier so it could support a removable chinbar it would be damn close to perfect for me, and could probably stand as my only helmet for all trail riding. That design would also make the chinbar small enough that storing it would be substantially easier than the longer one on the Leatt and many of the other options, and could probably go somewhere on the bike without issue or interference. I know the Giro switchblade is close to that, but they don´t fit my head well enough, and they rely on a dial to squeeze your head to hold it in place.
Jan. 12, 2022, 10:08 a.m. - Metacomet
In response to the topic at hand and leaning on my personal experience and general observation... Maybe people are moving back away from fullfaces because there is no perfect-enough option out there yet for people to commit to and then never look back, after having tried one or two and still been left wanting. And if there is, these lids are too expensive and too uncommon to be able to try them all until you arrive at your own personal goldilocks. I tried out the enduro IXS fullface and it was lightweight but the fit and general feel/construction wasn´t as great as I was hoping so I returned it and kept looking until I arrived at the Leatt 4.0 Enduro. The Fox Proframe and the TLD Stage look great, and the Stage fit my head really well and comfortably when I tried one on in the store, but you dont know until you´ve lived with them, and then you are still left with a full face only, for better or worse. Worse if you stop using it. Popping the chinbar off my Leatt is Awesome for the climbs and rolling terrain in hot/warm/whatever weather, and putting it back on is equally as Awesome for the descents. Climbing and general riding in rolling terrain with the chinbar on is not terrible, but it is undeniably cooler and more comfortable with it off. That has proved to me enough that I value the option, and may influence whether or not I would commit to using a dedicated lighter weight fullface like a TLD Stage. I think my Ideal helmet would be a convertible Fox Dropframe. I have the Dropframe and it´s one of my favorite helmets ever, even if its got some minor room for improvement. It extends low in the back, utilizes a pad fit, is completely stable on my head which is crucial for mounting a light, runs cool and is not at all heavy feeling, and has no over-the-ear echo/muffle/hot/claustrophobic effect. It disappears on my head, with no adjustment necessary. If the drop-ear pieces were made sturdier so it could support a removable chinbar it would be damn close to perfect for me, and could probably stand as my only helmet for all trail riding. That design would also make the chinbar small enough that storing it would be substantially easier than the longer one on the Leatt and many of the other options, and could probably go somewhere on the bike without issue or interference. I know the Giro switchblade is close to that, but they don´t fit my head well enough, and they rely on a dial to squeeze your head to hold it in place.