Top Mountain Bike Helmets – Our Picks:
Looking to buy the best mountain bike helmet? Look no further, since we have plenty of options that will be worth your money.
Read on, since this is your chance to know about the best mountain bike helmets right now.
Now that you know all about the best entry-level mountain bikes available you have to get around the best mountain bike helmets.
Even so, please bear in mind that the whole MTB scene goes much further. Here you will be able to know where to buy your helmet online and also to discover and know a bit more about all things MTB helmets.
Right below you will be able to find out all you need to know about the best helmets.
There will be options of the best bike helmets, whether open, cross-country, endure and all-around the best MTB helmets currently available.
1. Demon Podium Full Face
Available in two colors, black and white, and from size S to XL, this Full Face Demon Podium is delivered with an EPS foam liner, allowing it to fit your head shape.
This only means that it will be very comfortable. Its shell is made from a tough injection-molded thermal resin polycarbonate and is also CPSC certified.
It’s an all-around helmet that can be worn for BMX, Downhill, and MTB. Moreover, it’s Demon Dirt team-inspired graphics to add a bit of style to your ride.
You should not worry about sweating as the inner liner is removable and washing-machine-proof. For last but not least, it displays 13 airflow vents and it weighs 2lbs. 2oz.
2. Bell Full-9
If you are planning to ride the extra mile, this helmet is for you. Bell has deep roots when it comes to motocross, and yet again, it is another sport and/or hobby that overlaps with MTB and related sports.
This one, in particular, is inspired by award-winning helmetS but built specifically for MTB. This could easily grab the number one spot.
Fool you not, but this Bell meets all demanding ASTM Downhill Mountain Bike Racing standards a well as CPSC and CE bike safety references.
Even if made for biking, at its toughest level, this helmet is delivered with Eject Helmet Removal System and magnetic cheek pads.
To keep you even more entertained while on the tracks, the Full-9 also features Soundtrax built-in speaker pockets and audio cable routing as well as an integrated camera mount.
It is built using a lightweight carbon shell and with a Flying Bridge Visor ™. What else can you ask for?
3. Fox Head Flight Sport Trail
CHECK PRICE ON AMAZONIf you are just starting your riding journey, just like I did a few years back, I am pretty sure that you will not be jumping from valley to valley. Hence, this simple yet effective MTB helmet should be just fine.
Even if considered cheap when compared to others, this Fox was designed with the dirt jump enthusiast in mind.
It is delivered with an EPS core as well as an ABS exterior, allowing you to stay protected and remain light on the go.
After looking at the pictures, you may think it is not ventilated, but you are wrong as it comes with 8 Big Bore vents.
As mentioned right above, it was designed with the dirt jump enthusiast in mind, nevertheless, you can wear it during your casual Sunday ride. It is also available in four different colors.
4. Bell Nomad Helmet
On the other hand, if you have already some hours and kilometers of riding, but you still feel that you do not want to spend too much, this Bell Nomad should be your go-to option.
This MTB helmet displays a Rear Detox ratchet retention system as well as a deeper rear profile of the shell.
Those features help you to be sure your top part is more covered than what you would expect. It also has twenty ventilation ports for increased airflow and breathability altogether worth a removable visor.
Some reviews state that this helmet can withstand quite a lot of wear in harsh conditions and that it looks very good when on, exceeding all expected quality concerns for a cheaper one.
5. Exclusky MTB Helmet
I understand that you want to ride with style. We all go through that phase. On that note, I may have good news for you.
This helmet is designed to resemble the head of a python. It also displays on the background a pattern of snake scales.
All of this is apart from being available in a handful of colorways. Don’t worry, this is not just another pretty item as its high-density EPS foam will make sure you remain comfortable when riding.
This one comes further equipped with a LED lamp at the back all together with a snap-on and removable visor for protection making it appropriate for the road and the mountains.
Further comfort is given due to its velvet pads that will aid your perspiration inside of the helmet.
6. Bell Sanction
Riding styles may change from person to person, I get that, so you might prefer to wear a full-face helmet. It may happen due to a lot of different reasons.
Due to those many different reasons, you prefer to wear full-face headgear. Normally, such accessories are associated with considerably high price tags. Not in this case.
The Bell Sanction is available in 7 different colorways and weighs just under 1kg. Its hand-laminated fiberglass shell and adjustable visor make this helmet in particular top-notch.
Apart from being CPSC Bicycle certified, its design is super-bike inspired and specifically made with the younger riders in mind, so bear in mind that its sizing may run small.
7. Kask Helmet
This Kask helmet is most probably the lightest on your list, weighing only 2 pounds. If you like to ride light and free, this option is for you.
Sure, it may be slightly more expensive than all other similar helmets, but you get what you pay for, do you not?
Its In-Mould technology and RSR 8 rotation adjustment system allow you to have the perfect fit while its body is made from polyfoam.
Its shell is made of polycarbonate while displaying 21 ventilation openings. In my opinion, the black and yellow-ish colorway looks pretty sleek as well.
8. Smith Optics Forefront MIPS
I have no doubts that all the helmets that I have described above and the ones I will still mention are great.
However, this Smith stands out the most. Available in 7 different colors, it is built using Koroyd – a polymer that can be recycled for use in future products.
Its tubular core construction combines with EPS to create a system of Aerocore materials, increasing aerodynamics.
This can only mean that you may achieve greater speeds downhill. Moreover, Koroyd absorbs up to 30% more energy from an impact, hence, even if lightweight, it still protects you like no other.
Moreover, it comes equipped with a 360 VaporFit retention system and minimal X-Static padding which allows the helmet to be suspended off your head, constantly evacuating hot hair.
It fully integrates with your sunglasses, goggles, light, and POV camera. You can’t get anything better than this.
9. Bell Sanction Helmet
We have previously mentioned a few Bell helmets. With a motocross DNA put into its built, this one features over brow ventilation.
To make it simple, it ushers the cool air over the head via three ports on the brow.
Moreover, it displays a specially designed bridge as well as removable magnetic cheek pads, which allow you to easily remove them in case of a crash. But that is the harshest of all options.
You may just remove them to wash and/or dry after your ride.
I am not a fan of riding with music on, however, this helmet is delivered with Magnefusion Sountrax, making sure your ride is as smooth as your chosen song.
Apart from being shipped with two camera mounts (one for GoPro and one for Contour), the Eject Helmet Removal System allows for the piece to be removed with ease from a rider’s head, reducing possible injuries.
For last but not least, the Bell Full 9 Full Face Carbon Emblem is available from size XS to 2XL.
10. Demon United Bike Helmet
I know we all start somewhere. I have said it before. This is all about assuming that you will start by buying a great helmet for your rides (unless you need and want to impress all of your fellow riders).
The Demon United grabs the spot as one of the best mountain bike helmets. It is for sure one of the best options for a less amount of money, allowing you to have that extra protection.
This is a great-looking helmet and a very safe one too. Simple yet effective, this is a great option for any beginner.
Mountain Bike Helmets:
It is somewhat an essential item made to fit men, women, and kids that fully contribute to your much-needed protection.
Let’s not forget how much sport and/or hobby is associated with harsh and rocky terrain conditions.
I know it is not always the case, although, and without trying to sound like your mother, protection is rather important.
Even if it may sound obvious, the helmet shall protect you in case of falling down or in case of a crash.
It may save your life, believe it or not, by preventing you from a potentially serious head injury.
They are delivered in a huge variety of sizes, colors, shapes, and styles, but they all have one final function at the end: to protect you.
The real importance of a helmet:
Accessories are important, as in, they may improve your ride on all levels, or in this case, protect you while riding. Food for thought, right?
A bike helmet is a priceless (you know what I mean, right?) item that everyone, literally everyone, should wear when mountain biking.
You are no longer learning how to do wheelies on your porch, even if you should have been wearing one from the very start.
The truth about MTB helmets:
Genuinely, statistics prove that most fatal injuries and fractures that have happened when riding a bike were due to extensive and primary damages to the head.
I am not trying to scare you or to make you leave your new bike aside. Even knowing that no firm regulations have gone through regarding this.
Still, it is better to make it a number-one habit. It is like making sure you put on your seatbelt as soon as you get into a car.
I have written before about how healthy MTB can be, but it should be done with a few must-dos in mind.
Your helmet should be one of them. It does not matter if you are a beginner or a pro-Downhiller – all facts are still applied. Just to make sure, keep that in mind.
Don’t you think that just because you wear a pretty expensive carbon fiber helmet that you will be 100% safe?
What I mean is that there is no 100% full-proof way of doing this, bad things can happen either way. I have mentioned before: always check your breaks!
Safety, just as biking, is a very broad term, but there’s always room for slightly more protection, within reason.
Sure, you can always ride your bike wearing a 16th Century armor, but you know how that would come out, would you not?
Moreover, and as expected, different helmets are applied to different proposes.
One may be used for Downhill while the other may be used for Cross Country. Some others are all-around MTB headgear.
MTB Helmets specifics
Generally speaking, road helmets do not have a visor while MTB’s do. I tend to agree that goggles or visors may reduce your angular vision, but sometimes there’s no other option.
Out on the trails on a rainy day, some dirt and mud may be all over your face. But we shall get to that in just a second.
Ultimately, technology has developed so much that mountain bike helmets are better suitable and secure than ever.
I have to agree that specific head accessories are crawling up in price, but that is no reason to complain, in all honesty.
It may look outrageous that a helmet with more venting and less structure is pricier but think about the design and the certified safety.
In my opinion, investing in something that may prevent me from actually dying is something I am truly willing to do.
I should add that some helmets might allow you to go faster as well. All of this happens due to a revolution when it comes to design and aerodynamics.
Some of them are longer (to protect an important part of your head) and are also designed to keep you fresh (as in, not hot).
But I am not saying that you do not look cool with one on, no judging here). I would rather stay alive than die in style. Pardon my language, but there is no other way to say it.
MTB Helmet parts
A so-called “normal” helmet has two main parts: a hard outer shell and a softer inner liner. Nevertheless, there are a few features that you may want to check before buying one.
One of them is called EPS (Expanding Polystyrene) and can be found at the heart of every decent one. As expected, it is lightweight, cheap and it compresses during impact, absorbing energy.
On that note, since we are on the go towards protection systems, you should look out for something dubbed MIPS.
MIPS stands for Multi-directional Impact Protection System. It may sound complicated, but it is not.
This uses an extra plastic layer that is closer to your scalp. This means that it may skid over the inner shell when there is an impact.
To make it simple, even if all of this may add a few extra bucks to your helmet. It will help reduce rotational brain injuries.
Sure, it may inhibit ventilation, but it is all a matter of option and riding style. Any item, for all that matters, should perfectly fit you.
That goes from socks to jackets. No head is the same, so certain gear comes equipped with a device that allows you to tailor the size and fit of your helmet.
For last but not least, apart from all the materials that can be used for its construction, most if not all shells are delivered with a toggle with a close-up feature that goes under your chin.
What is the point of wearing a helmet, and it does not matter how much you paid for it if after the first jump it is going to fall off your head?
Trust me, I have seen things during my MTB “career” that you would not believe, hence saying this.
Real and ultimate protection:
From the point where I shall direct you to the best mountain biking helmets available now, I must emphasize that the helmet is the single most important piece of equipment that you must own.
I know it is still neglected by quite a few riders, but that is not an example to follow. Believe me.
Even pro-riders fall, that is just how the world works. You may break a bone or something, but as soon as you are healed and ready for another one, you shall get on to your bike.
Think about how the smallest of head injuries may keep you away from riding a bike ever again. Helmets save lives, as simple as that.
So, there you go: this is my list of some of the top MTB helmets available to buy. I looked into safety (more than anything else), but I also like to look cool while riding.
Remember, using a helmet is almost like wearing one more piece of clothing while you’re riding. It always has to be in there, once you start. For your sake and everyone else. Ride on.
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