THE Industries Arcus Helmet - Review
The Arcus is a new addition to THE Industries' lineup for 2015, and the company took a value-minded approach to their fresh trail helmet that results in an impressive $49.99 USD retail price. As with a lot of newer style lids, the Arcus has protection that extends lower down at the back of the head than what a more traditional helmet offers, and it also features more aggressive styling that matches up to what a lot of riders are looking for these days. There are twenty three vents in total, with four large openings at the front being combined with smaller exhaust ports out back, which is also where you'll find an adjustable retention band that can be positioned at three different heights. What's not adjustable, though, is the visor, which is held in place with two push-pins on each side.
Total weight is a very respectable 330 grams for a small / medium (54-58cm), or 335 grams for the large / extra-large (58-62cm) size. The Arcus also carries the standard CPSC/CE, EN 1078, AS/NZ 2063 certification. Colour options include the red / black pictured here, as well as black / purple, black / pink, black / grey, black / green, and black / blue. www.the-industries.com
![THE Industries Arcus review test]()
![THE Industries Arcus review test]()
![THE Industries Arcus review test]()
![THE Industries Arcus review test]()
![THE Industries Arcus review test]()
![THE Industries Arcus review test]()
Pinkbike’s Take:
Total weight is a very respectable 330 grams for a small / medium (54-58cm), or 335 grams for the large / extra-large (58-62cm) size. The Arcus also carries the standard CPSC/CE, EN 1078, AS/NZ 2063 certification. Colour options include the red / black pictured here, as well as black / purple, black / pink, black / grey, black / green, and black / blue. www.the-industries.com
Pinkbike’s Take:
 | Call 'em what you whatever you want, but the current crop of enduro / trail / half-shell helmets all follow the same design ethos: more protection, especially at the back of the head, and a little more style than what you'll see from a cross-country lid. They're also likely to keep your head warmer than a traditional, better vented helmet, no matter what the company is telling you, while weighing more than most slimmer helmets as well. Those are the tradeoffs, which many riders are more than happy to make nowadays, and you certainly can't fault anyone for choosing more protection regardless of a small weight penalty and a bit sweatier brow. All of the above pretty much sums up the Arcus: there's more protection, but it's certainly warmer and less airy than a cross-country helmet. That said, it does feel breezier than TLD's A1 or Smith's Forefront while being slightly lighter than the former and a touch heavier than the latter. Truth be told, I find all of these so-called trail helmets to be relatively warm, but that's the price you pay for the added protection. Besides, fit is what really counts, and it's like THE took a scan of my noggin before they made the mould for the Arcus. There are absolutely no hotspots, with even pressure applied all around my head, and I'd go so far as to say that the Arcus could be the best fitting helmet that I've ever worn. It also manages to keep from rotating back and forth on my head without the adjustable retention band needing to be cranked down to the point where you might be worried about staying conscious. I do have a couple of complaints with THE's value-priced lid. First and most annoyingly, the dial for the adjustable retention band sometimes refused to back off, which made on the fly adjustments tricky. I could get it to loosen, but only by first tightening it an extra click or two and then reversing. Much less of a deal breaker for me is the non-adjustable visor that doesn't push up high enough to fit goggles underneath it when you don't need them on your face. I can't remember the last time I combined goggles and a half-shell helmet, but this is something that an enduro racer might want to note. Also, the visor is held on by four push-pins, two on each side, and it took all of three days before I managed to break one of the pins off. So why would you spend three times (or more) what the Arcus costs for a trail helmet? To be honest, I'm not sure that I would. Yes, its retention band is a bit finicky, and the visor attachment does show THE's compromise at the manufacturing level for lower costs, but the Arcus just fits so damn well and feels better vented than its much more expensive competition. And don't forget that it's just as safe - it needs to pass the same standardized tests as any other helmet. It's not perfect, but for $49.99 it is damn impressive. - Mike Levy |
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We also wanted to mention that We offer the Arcus in a complete kit for $120usd ! That's 25% off just for buying a full kit!
The complete kit includes:
Kit Includes:
Arcus Helmet
Rays Jersey ( short or long sleeve)
Tek2 Shorts
Hex Gloves
Check it out here: www.the-industries.com/complete-kits/arcus-full-kit
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T.H.E. ---->> Protection for The Hardcore Enthusiast