Bell, 7mesh, Chris King - Eurobike 2014

New Helmets From Bell

The capabilities of today's mountain bikes continue to increase, which means that many of us are now riding trails that were once only tackled on DH sleds with full body armor aboard light all-mountain bikes clad only in a half shell and knee pads. Bell saw the need to offer a helmet for riders who sought additional protection compared to that provided by a half shell helmet, but who didn't want to carry around the weight of a traditional DH full face. That's where the Super 2R comes in. Based off of the extended coverage Super helmet that was released last year, the new helmet has a removable chin guard that attaches with three clips, two at the side and one at the back. Parallels will no doubt be drawn between this new offering and the Giro Switchblade of years past, but the chin bar on the Super 2R is much better integrated with the rest of the helmet, a good deal wider, and doesn't require any tools to remove. There's also a breakaway helmet camera mount, and the visor has enough vertical movement to allow goggles to fit underneath it when they're not in use.

The world of helmet standards is a complicated, and sometimes confusing one, and although the Super 2R is CPSC and CE EN1078 certified, it hasn't received the ASTM F1952 endorsement. That's likely due to the ventilation and construction of the upper shell of the helmet more than anything, since the ASTM F 1952 standard (a standard that half shell helmets can also be certified to) requires a higher level of impact protection and penetration resistance. Available in three sizes (S, M, L) and six colors, the Super 2R weighs a claimed 694 grams. There will also be MIPS equipped versions of the helmet, an upgrade that will add $20 to the base model's $200 USD asking price.


Bell also introduced the new Full Flex and Reflex helmets, designed for usage during activities where there's a high chance of hitting the ground - think slopestyle, dirt jump or skate park riding. Constructed with a segmented Expanded Polyproplene (EPP) liner, the helmets are certified for both cycling and skate usage, and meet or exceed the multi-impact ASTM F1492-08 standard. The over-the-ear styling of the Full Flex gave Bell room to add in speaker pockets for riders who want to ride with a musical accompaniment. The Full Flex ($100 USD) is available in black or white, and the Reflex ($65) will be offered in five colors.

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7mesh Makes Their European Debut

Based out of Squamish, British Columbia, 7mesh knows a thing or two about riding in adverse weather conditions, and they've also partnered with Gore in order to have access to the company's line of waterproof and technical fabrics. The Revolution Jacket ($450) is part of their 7 Day collection, and is built to handle everything from quick spins out the back door to multi-day (or week) epics. Constructed with GORE TEX Pro fabric, the Revolution is meant to be tough but light, weighing in at a claimed 270 grams. Niceties include a detachable hood that's designed to be worn under the helmet when in use, along with pit and forearm zips for ventilation.

7mesh's Glidepath short ($140 USD) is a simple overshort, made from a light and quick drying two-way stretch nylon. A cam strap is in place on the side to fine tune the fit of the short, and there are two hand pockets plus two zippered pockets that are angled towards the front of the short to prevent riders from sitting on the items stored in them.

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Limited Edition Colors, Hubs For Leftys, and New Headset Tech From Chris King

'Sour Apple' is the latest limited edition color from Chris King. The color will be available on the Portland, Oregon, based company's headsets, hubs, and bottom brackets from now until May 15, 2015. Chris King also introduced a hub that's compatible with Cannondale's Lefty single-sided suspension forks, which use a 25mm thru axle secured with a bolt on the driveside.

Chris King began producing headsets in 1976, and since that time have continued to tweak and refine the original design to keep up with the constantly changing bike technology and standards. The latest refinement is called GripLock, a system that uses two wedges, one inside of the other, instead of the traditional single preload wedge configuration that's used to snug up the headset. The idea behind this new design is to make the system less likely to come loose during the hard impacts that arise when riding in rough terrain, and to relieve some of the stress a single ring can place on a steerer tube. This stress isn't a huge factor with aluminum steerer tubes, but with carbon steerers becoming more common it has a greater significance. The Griplock design will be now be part of all InSet and NoThreadSet headsets, and upgrade kits will also be offered for riders with the previous style.


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