full face helmets, when do you know?

All the different brands fit differently. Try a bunch, and buy the one that fits best. It may be cheap, or it may cost a bit more… don't use price or paintjobs as the deciding factor.

Once you figure out what fits you best, you can watch for sales later.

so many of you actually hit your face! :eek2: the guy who wrote about the better riders are right, a lot of the best guys i see make it all look effortless and they seem well within their limits. looks like i'll be forking it over for some full face protection while i'm exploring the boundaries, thanks for the input.

Thanks. Which helmets have the best ventilation in your opinion? I've been looking at the Specialized Deviant online and I'm enticed by the vents.

All the different brands fit differently. Try a bunch, and buy the one that fits best. It may be cheap, or it may cost a bit more… don't use price or paintjobs as the deciding factor.

Once you figure out what fits you best, you can watch for sales later.

Take Z's advice, spend a day to visit all your local stores, try on all the different brands and figure out which fits the best, then worry about ventilation, weight to cost ratio, etc

Even XC on the shore can result in expensice orthodontics, it all happens in a split second. I was lucky i got a second chance, a very close call with a face plant 2 cm from a rock. I still shudder a little to think what might have been.

good luck

……..looks like i'll be forking it over for some full face protection while i'm exploring the boundaries, thanks for the input.

i'm neither handsome nor do i have great teeth but my stone chiselled body makes up for it….plus i'm married so who cares right? anyway i think you made a good choice. i was in the same boat years ago and just came across a full face for cheap so i couldn't turn down the deal. long story short, it wasn't the big stunts that got me. skinnies got me once or twice, then a small step down jump that i've hit hundreds of times and can do it in my sleep just came up and bit me one day. slammed my head down hard on the side and i know that the full face saved me face around my orbital.

then this past summer was the worst crash and it was near the end of pipeline. came down no problem made it through all the difficult sections then the trail started to flatten out and open up so i went into cruise control along the plank, got ready for the roll out only to loose my grip as i rolled down and went otb and slammed hard onto my head and what not. the lower side of my helmet had some serious impact marks.

oh and happy new year beotches!

so many of you actually hit your face! :eek2: ….

It is not a question of IF but of WHEN.
Only thing you need for a faceplant is a front wheel washing out from under you on a speedy section of trail and, well, it could happen.

Personally I wear my full face any time I think my wheels may leave the ground,even when it's very hot out.I learned the hard way.One hot August day in '09 I was jumping on The Gate at the Woodlot,jumps Ive hit a hundred times before.Because of the heat I was wearing my skater lid.I was riding a new bike,still feeling it out.On the run in just as I was approaching take off i went to throw in a peddle and my chain slipped into granny,I slipped a peddle and crashed hard.I landed face first into the case log.Shattered cheek bone,broken nose,broken jaw,and really fucked up my smile.I spent the next month eating only whatever I could sip off the end of a teaspoon.A very skilled plastic surgeon was able to make me look pretty good after but I still have a titanium plate and some screwws that hold my jaw together.GET THE FULLFACE!!

I probably wouldn't have my teeth if I didn't have my full face. Just going along a fairly easy bit of trail on the burke, slid out on a root or something, and endoed right into the base of a tree. Cracked the full face, but I was fine.

Personally I wear my full face any time I think my wheels may leave the ground,even when it's very hot out.I learned the hard way.One hot August day in '09 I was jumping on The Gate at the Woodlot,jumps Ive hit a hundred times before.Because of the heat I was wearing my skater lid.I was riding a new bike,still feeling it out.On the run in just as I was approaching take off i went to throw in a peddle and my chain slipped into granny,I slipped a peddle and crashed hard.I landed face first into the case log.Shattered cheek bone,broken nose,broken jaw,and really fucked up my smile.I spent the next month eating only whatever I could sip off the end of a teaspoon.A very skilled plastic surgeon was able to make me look pretty good after but I still have a titanium plate and some screwws that hold my jaw together.GET THE FULLFACE!!

Theres still somethin a bit buggered about your look, more surgery right??

hehe sorry bud, saw the chance so I took it.

OP get a bloody full face

I find my specialized deviant to be great for ventilation, weight and comfort.

I usually suggest to people that they budget for the highest end helmet ($500ish) and then buy the one that fits the best. If you it turns out that you can get away with the $110 job from Bell, you can invest the rest in lessons/other gear. If it's the fancy carbon one that works for you, then you've got the money for it.

I would hesitate to buy online as you can't really try it on.

In 2010 I spent one single day out on my bike without a fullface.

In 2010 I spent one evening in the hospital getting stitches in my face.

For 2011 I think I will be keeping the fullface on at all times.

As much as a fullface can be hot or an inconvenience at times a small cut on your face could lead to 2-3 hours wait time in the hospital to get stitches, and that's assuming all you have is a little cut. Always invest the money and get the right one!

Back in the day I went over the bars on a moto-X bike, I landed face 1st ,the bike ran over my head leaving a knobby tire print up the back and over the top of a full face helmet ,chipped the gelcoat [HTML_REMOVED] collapsed the foam in the mouth piece area so it was half the thickness of new

I got knocked out, bad concussion, headaches for days,3 days in hospitol, fucked my back and neck for a very long time but other than a few very minor scratches on my face from the sawdust trail NO jaw/face/teeth/eye injuries of any kind …I am sold on FF

When I worked in a bike store I used to sell a lot of FF helmets to parents coming in looking for an x-mas present for little johny …I told em to think of it as insurance for that 6K orthodotics job

It seems about once a year i have a mishap that leaves me thankful for my FF helmet. Use one.

It sounds like you are all making smart choices with gear.

When I first starting riding at the Shed, I just was just ripping it up on a shitty $300 Iron Horse and a street helmet. Once I decided to start hitting drops, jumps and (more) techy DH, there was no question about getting a FF.

A Giro Remedy fit me the best, so that's what I went with. I tried on a Troy Lee, but they are too expensive for my tastes and I'm not too keen on their looks either. Matte Black, that's all I want. The Giro Remedy that I have is very solid and battle tested. I've landed directly on head twice (teeter totter skinny and rolling a drop [HTML_REMOVED]don't do that), skidded out on my face, crashed into trees and grazed rocks. It has protected me very well every time. Like it has been said, it's not really if, but when. Protect your noggin.

As for other helmets, I tried on a Specialized Deviant. Yes, they are lighter and provide more ventilation, but they also have less padding and less structure in general. Considering the crashes that I've been in, I'm happy that I've not crash tested one. However, it may be an excellent helmet. I'd be curious to hear from some people who have unfortunately tested them out.

Theres still somethin a bit buggered about your look, more surgery right??

hehe sorry bud, saw the chance so I took it.

OP get a bloody full face

Ya,it still freaks me out every time i see him. Looks like the joker from batman;) Get a full face,and go by fit,there all a little different.