Embarrassed about full Face helmet?

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Embarrassed about full Face helmet?
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flag Bongofisj
Posted: Aug 18, 2018 at 1:37 Quote
Hi all,

My first post here so be gentle with me haha.

I've really got into MTB in the last 3 months and 2 weeks ago got the calibre bossnut Evo full suspension MTB.

I ride aroundy local woods and country trails but want to start going to proper mountain bike trails around me. I'm 32 and work full time with a mortgage and children so not injuring myself is also a main priority.

I would like to wear a full Face helmet while trying out trials and I'll m not a very confident rider at the moment.

But would I look daft with a full Face riding slowly round trials or is it ok to do so?
flag JonnyTheWeasel
Posted: Aug 18, 2018 at 2:00 Quote
You can do what you want. However if you're slowly riding around and mostly pedalling, you're probably going to get too hot in FF. Take a look at Bell helmets where you can remove the jaw piece.
flag BarneyStinson
Posted: Aug 18, 2018 at 2:03 Quote
There are always some people on the trails wearing full face helmets, and a few in full body armour.

Personally, I think that if you’re pedalling up it’s probably overkill, not to mention pretty uncomfortable.

For me, I keep my full face for uplift days.
flag toby9843
Posted: Aug 18, 2018 at 2:05 Quote
Bongofisj wrote:
Hi all,

My first post here so be gentle with me haha.

I've really got into MTB in the last 3 months and 2 weeks ago got the calibre bossnut Evo full suspension MTB.

I ride aroundy local woods and country trails but want to start going to proper mountain bike trails around me. I'm 32 and work full time with a mortgage and children so not injuring myself is also a main priority.

I would like to wear a full Face helmet while trying out trials and I'll m not a very confident rider at the moment.

But would I look daft with a full Face riding slowly round trials or is it ok to do so?

Hey there,

No one in the mountain bike community is going to laugh at you for wearing a full face lid mate. Everyone knows the value of protecting the goods right! You shouldn't feel embarrassed at all and as a bonus, once you get more confident and start shredding you'll not need to upgrade!
Jonny is right, check out Bell and Giro who both make really good full face helmets where the jaw part can be removed, excent bit of kit. Bell have released a DH rated version which looks very impressive. Also have a look at MET's parachute helmet, Fox's proframe and Troy Lee Designs are releasing a full face later this year that's designed to be all day wearable.
Some might seem pricey but you can't value your head and face enough mate and buy good once and you'll be set.
Go for it and happy riding!
flag BarneyStinson
Posted: Aug 18, 2018 at 2:05 Quote
Also I’d make the point that if you’re riding stuff that’s way outside your limits (as some newbies seem to do) then if you crash a full face may not make much difference anyway.
flag Bongofisj
Posted: Aug 18, 2018 at 2:18 Quote
Well I'm going to try and do it properly so start off on some trails and riding any jumps and maybe trying a couple of small ones. I just don't want to look like an idiot. I obviously won't wear it for riding around my woods etc etc. But still I personally don't know why it would be silly because you can come off a bike at 5 mph and if you got your head it's still going to cause problems.

I've road motorbikes a lot of my life and still don't know why on a motorbike it's normal to be fully kitted up and ride 10-30mph but it seems a bit weird on a MTB. :/
flag toby9843
Posted: Aug 18, 2018 at 2:26 Quote
Bongofisj wrote:
Well I'm going to try and do it properly so start off on some trails and riding any jumps and maybe trying a couple of small ones. I just don't want to look like an idiot. I obviously won't wear it for riding around my woods etc etc. But still I personally don't know why it would be silly because you can come off a bike at 5 mph and if you got your head it's still going to cause problems.

I've road motorbikes a lot of my life and still don't know why on a motorbike it's normal to be fully kitted up and ride 10-30mph but it seems a bit weird on a MTB. :/

Agreed. I had a 25 mph crash on my motorbike and my helmet showed that my face would've taken a whack.

Go for a full face with removable chin bar as suggested and that way you can ride around the woods with it on, then when you want to try something a bit harder you can go full face in seconds.

Win/Win all round.
flag Davschall
Posted: Aug 18, 2018 at 9:35 Quote
I feel ya, I moved over to mtb from moto and rode my moto helmet at first(partially for safety and partially cause it was all I had)...definitely got quite a few comments on it...but who cares? People are dumb, and say stupid shit.
I will say the first time I rode my 3/4 lid, it was the best thing ever. Could definitely breathe better and felt more comfortable. Ive found that with pretty much all trail falls, I can kinda tuck and roll or just avoid my face in general. A convertable sounds pretty good...ive had a tough time trusting them but i think bell sorted out the issues from the first version. Do what feels the most comfortable for you, anyone who pokes fun doesn't have to pay your dental bills...
flag Davec85
FL
Posted: Aug 18, 2018 at 10:02 Quote
Wear whatever you feel you need to wear to feel safe on the trails, don't worry about what anyone else thinks. Full face helmets get very warm, which is the only reason I don't wear mine all the time even though it is a super DH with removable chin bar. Wear as much protection as you are comfortable wearing, you can never be too protected in my opinion.
flag Losifer
Posted: Aug 18, 2018 at 10:10 Quote
Well, I was struck by a hit-and-run driver a bit less than two years ago and my face was destroyed. 8 surgeries later, and I use a Bell Super 2R with the chin bar installed most of the time. I pretty much only take the chin bar off for long climbs or on a couple of the mellower trails that I ride on my rigid singlespeed.
Riding in a full face is definitely hotter, so it helps to have the ability to remove the chin bar.
I think you're better off using the protective gear that helps you feel comfortable with the inherent risks of riding off road, others' opinions of you be damned.
Personally, if the bone structure of my face was still strong, I wouldn't be using the full face- but I've been mountain biking for more than 25 years, my local terrain is relatively tame, and I don't take big lines.

Los
flag Honduh2000
Posted: Aug 18, 2018 at 11:48 Quote
I wear a fox proframe full face for like 90% of my trail riding. I feel more at ease knowing I have that extra layer of protection. And as far as riding cross country with it, I do the whole summer. You just sweat like ALOT from your head, but it’s just sweat. The airflow is there, but you just have to squeeze your head against the helmet frequently to drain the sweat. Do what you want man and don’t give a crap about what other people will think.
flag thesmokingman
Posted: Aug 18, 2018 at 12:31 Quote
You can get that Giro Switchback or was it Switchblade, with the removable chin protector. That way you can remove it when you're feeling self conscious or conditions don't call for FF... I dunno. Options!
flag gnarnaimo
O+ FL
Posted: Aug 18, 2018 at 13:02 Quote
BarneyStinson wrote:
Also I’d make the point that if you’re riding stuff that’s way outside your limits (as some newbies seem to do) then if you crash a full face may not make much difference anyway.

This doesn't make any sense. If your pushing your limits or riding outside if your limits more protection and/or body armour should definitely be recommended.
flag lewiscraik
O+ FL
Posted: Aug 20, 2018 at 5:08 Quote
My best mate OTB'd breaking his jaw on a mellow blue trail as a newbie. A full face would have saved helped.

As such I am keen to get a light/all day full face helmet. Unfortunately I haven't been able to try many on.
flag Rusettipasta
FL
Posted: Aug 21, 2018 at 4:58 Quote
The Met Parachute is easily light enough to do all day rides in (unless for the hottest days of the year) and probably the other helmets in the same category (Proframe, Bell Super and Giro Switchblade) will do the job as well.

If I ride familiar trails and know that I won't be pushing myself to break any PRs, I dont really feel the need to have a full-face. However, when I ride with someone who's faster than I am or know that I'll be trying out some feature I haven't done before I definitely prefer the Parachute. Just gives a bit of extra security knowing that if I faceplant it's probably not the end of the world (or my jaw).

edit: when I was starting out with an mtb (and riding with a basic trail lid), I had a couple of close calls with OTBs, where I actually hit my face on the ground but it was soft enough for me to escape unharmed. I cringe thinking what would've happened in those if I'd slammed on some rocks instead of cushy loam. Bought the Parachute pretty soon after the second one.
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