6D ATB-1 Helmet - Review
6D's new ATB-1 full face weighs 1358 grams in borrows the company's ODS technology that they pioneered in their moto helmets.
The 6D name probably rings a bell for anyone who follows Supercross racing, and the ATB-1 is the company's first entry into the world of mountain bikes. It employs the same Omni-Directional Suspension (ODS) technology found in their moto lids, with the design said to protect against impacts by better isolating the head compared to a more traditional design. The helmet's ODS system - more on how it works below - is hidden from view underneath a carbon fiber shell that is different from their moto lid in that it features added ventilation and a different chin bar. The former is to allow for maximum air flow despite the slower speeds of a mountain bike, and that latter is to increase field of vision for the rider.
Details include steel mesh over the vent openings and shear-away screws that allow the visor to breakaway if it gets caught on anything. Intake vents along the brow are said to allow air to travel between the two shells and exit at the rear of the helmet.
What is ODS and how does it work? It's not just the straight-on impacts that are said to present the most danger to racers, with angular acceleration due to impacts from a shallower angle also playing a major role in causing serious head injuries. This is where the ODS system is said to come into play due to its ability to better isolate the head by way of separating the helmet's inner and outer EPS shells with a number of strategically placed rubber dampers. The layout is basically a sort of in-helmet suspension that lets the inner and outer EPS foam shells shift independently of each another in a shearing motion. 6D also says that the hourglass shape of the rubber dampers and the inserts that they fit into on each side of the two shells produces a ''rapidly escalating spring rate under compressive load'' that further helps the rider's cause, meaning that it isn't just a matter of putting random bumpers in between the two shells. Even the ATB-1's visor has been penned with safety in mind - it mounts via breakaway screws that should allow it to snap off before it causes any serious damage to the rider in a worst-case scenario where it might catch on the ground or a tree.
The ODS system is basically a number of hourglass shaped rubber dampers that allow the two shells to shear relative to each other, a motion the 6D says can go a long way to preventing head injuries.
The two-shell system is also claimed to allow air to pass between the shells and escape better than if it relied solely on more traditional channels as you'd find with a single shell. There are still a number of standard vents on the ATB-1, but the air gap between the shell is claimed to actually work to flush hot air out to be replaced with cooler air that is forced into the same gap. The entire inside of the helmet can be removed, either for cleaning or if you need to pull out the cheek pads without moving a rider's head, and 6D says that it's compatible with all of the major neck braces on the market.
6D says that the gap between the two shells allows hot air to be channeled out of the helmet to be replaced by cooler air rushing in from up front.
At $725 USD the ATB-1 is not an inexpensive item and 6D founder Bob Weber readily admits that they're not trying to compete price-wise with any existing helmets already on the market, but rather just design and manufacture the safest full face that they possibly can. And all that safety adds up to 1358 grams for a medium sized ATB-1, which makes it one of the heavier non-DOT approved helmets out there. It will be interesting to see if riders look past the price and weight numbers in the name of protection, or if both of those figures are too high. www.6dhelmets.com
Pinkbike's Take
 | You'll be well aware that 6D has packed a load of features into their new ATB-1 helmet if you've managed to make it through all the tech jargon above, but the truth is that there's only two things that really matter here: fit and safety. I can comment on the former, having worn the helmet extensively throughout the summer, but not purposely smashing my head into large and immovable objects such as trees and rocks will keep me from weighing in the latter. That said, the helmet exceeding the ASTM F-1952-10 and CPSC 16 CFR 1203 safety standards, as well as their convincing breakdown of how the ODS technology functions, is enough to win me over when it comes to protecting my noggin. I don't really have much to grumble about when it comes to fit and day to day use, and while my test helmet felt a touch snug for a medium compared to other options on the market, I found it to be quite comfortable once everything seemed to settle in. That means that I couldn't feel any hotspots or weird places where excess pressure was being applied, and I'd say that the shape is more neutral and round than anything that some riders would find strange. However, it did feel a bit warmer than I would have preferred, despite 6D's claims that the two shell design allows hot air to exit easily. Then again, it isn't like one should expect to feel cool and breezy while wearing a full face, right? No, they all seem pretty hot. I used a pair of goggles from 100% with the ATB-1, and while I admit that I don't often wear a neck brace (cue never ending neck brace argument in the comment section below), I did check the helmet's fit with a Leatt DBX that I keep around. Both the goggles and the brace mated well with it, and there doesn't seem to be anything to complain about when on the subject of compatibility, especially when you consider how adjustable most braces are these days. The helmet's 1358 gram weight might be off-putting to some, although I have to say that it didn't feel heavier on my head than any other full face that I've worn in the past. Some are surely going to grumble about the steel D-ring strap enclosure that can be tricky to get right with gloves on, but it's been proven that a D-ring closure is far more secure than cheesy plastic clips, so my vote goes to D-rings. My only real complaint boils down to the ATB-1's external dimensions... this thing looks huge compared to a standard mountain bike full face, something that's a byproduct of the ODS design and the extra space it requires. I don't think that I've ever been called a bobblehead before I started wearing the 6D helmet, but the tally went from zero to a few hundred after donning it in Whistler for a few days. The rather bright neon colour of our 'Attack Graphic' test sample didn't exactly help matters, and I knew that the name-calling was justified when I got a glimpse of myself in a shop window with it on. However, I feel like any gains in safety that may come from the ODS system are worth my lowered self esteem, so I'll keep rocking the ATB-1 regardless of what complete strangers may be yelling at me from the chairlift. - Mike Levy |
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Bottom line: without solid evidence that this system is superior to other systems on the market in resisting concussion injuries due to rotational acceleration, I see no reason at all to pay both more in a financial sense and a weight sense (which is itself a not insignificant contributing factor to concussions). Find the hard data and I'll rethink it, but for now this helmet makes no sense.
Unfortunately it is more costly to manufacture therefore everyone thinks its a ripoff? Yet people pay over a $1000 for carbon rims, which is hardly an ideal material to make DH mtn bike rims out of.
The project he was working on was attempting use ballistic gel (D30,VPD,) etc in helmets to help absorb impact related shocks.
He said at present, most helmets do nothing to reduce concussion, and only stop traumatic injuries. He also said that empirically there is no evidence to support the claim that mouthguards' like "shockdoctor" ones reduce concussion.
I mentioned this particular helmet to him, and its potential to reduce rotational movement, which he said was good, but he also stated that the larger the helmet is, the more weight and leverage there is behind the force causing concussion.
food for thought
So, there is data on this exact subject. We know roughly what the human brain can take before concussion and black out, we know what the helmets are doing in terms of reducing the force, and we can test it fairly well, if not perfectly as real world is a bit of a crazy place.
Soooooooo, yeah, it's not that companies cannot collect the data, it's more that doing so might reveal their system isn't doing that much at all. In a game where you'll hear dozens of people crying out "WELL WHAT IS YOUR HEAD WORTH!!?!?!" the biggest price tag is often take as the best price tag. Hype comes and goes, and there's been so many silly helmet "innovations." I'll definitely wait until someone verifies this tech.
Also it's worth noting that you have more free movements between your head and the foam than this helmet has movement between frames. It's kinda... not really doing anything, while putting more leverage against your head. I'll stay away from this one and stick to tested and proven helmets.
Furthermore, while you're correct that we cannot accurately test it in a lab, it's because of the variables at play, not the lack of understanding of these variables. We know the directional forces, and how they interact, as well as we know how the tendons and ligaments in our legs work, and what can damage what. To this end, we most certainly can get empirical data about knee injury and otherwise.
Not trying to make you feel silly or anything, but you are incorrect, fullstop. Furthermore, you posted this in contention to the previous poster noting that the larger helmet shell will cause more leverage against one's neck. We fully understand this in many ways. We know that the longer a lever, the more leverage. We know that having leverage against your neck is a bad thing in a crash, so therefore it is easy to say that a larger helmet has some downsides to it. This is not an unknown lurking, this is something we are aware of, and we feel is bad.
So you're telling me I'm "incorrect, fullstop" and that kneebraces have no benefit whatsoever? Please, reel in your nerd ego and turn down the patronize knob. Ive been through a few knee injuries and i can tell you a brace does have a benefit, especially in the early stages of rehab as it provides alot of proprioceptive assistance, which is majorly disrupted by the injury and surgery.
Do you admit an MX helmet is wider than an MTB helmet on the norm? Great. Now if you can explain to me how that negates my point that larger helmets have more leverage against them, that would be great. I made no claim of a ten foot span, I only claimed it is bigger and that is a downside. Either you are implying you disagree with this, or you are rewording what I am stating to make it a different argument, which is intellectually dishonest.
You're clearly grasping at straws to seem credible at this point. You claimed we have no data for mouthguard and knee protection, I have said you are incorrect. You are now changing the framing of what you said in order to not be incorrect. Sometimes, you just need to grow up, realize you said something incorrect, learn from it, and move on. Don't be willfully ignorant.
Also, why would you contest and make incredulous comments about my point of leverage if you had no point against it? Obviously you had something you wanted to say, and implied a point. I'm not putting words in your post, I'm responding to the stupid shit you've been posting. I apologize that you're utterly blind to it, but I assure you, it is there.
I could care less about patonizing you at this point, I'm just not a fan of people bullshitting about what I am and am not doing. I am not putting words in your mouth. I am not changing the discussion. I am not dragging this out for some entertainment value. I am telling you that you made a mistake, and have turned into an arse since being told you made a mistake.
Either way, I'll be moving along now. It's clear you're inept and are just here to disagree with people for no real reason. I hope you are able to converse with other people at an intellectual level sometime without degrading into whatever it is you currently are.
I wouldn't call being reasonable with your finances a defiant act.
FYI I wouldn't spend that much on that helmet either.
www.flyracing.com/product/snow/outerwear/helmets/kinetic-pro-cold-weather-helmet/716/speed-hi-visblack
Yeah.. that made me wince. :Shudder:
The price is up there but they may be on to something. Have you people actually ever seen what the area around your brain looks like?
www.pinkbike.com/photo/15930648
www.pinkbike.com/photo/15930647
the size difference vs the better protection, I know which tribal drum I will beat from now on.
I think being heavy is a significant drawback. I would rather take MIPS, light, vented and a neck brace for the same price.