Tonight Troy Lee Designs hosted a party to launch their all new D3 helmet. We hustled our buns off to be the first people to have it, so here you go Pinkbike.com, the first look at the all new TLD D3 Helmet.
Click here for info and photos on the D3...Changes from the D2 to the D3:- Added EPS foam for more protection. Approximately 1/4 inch more all around.
- Added more vents for air flow. The D2 features 8 vents, the D3 has 20.
- Aerodynamics have been increased for less wind resistance.
- All screws, bolts, and buckles are Titanium.
- 3 years in development.
- Only 100 grams heavier than the D2.
- Is going to cost $450 American.
- Released in October 2009.
Photos:Front View
Side View 1
Side View 2
Top View 1
Top View 2
Front View
Side View 1
Side View 2
Rear View 1
Rear View 2
Front View
Top Shot 1
Top Shot 2
Rear Shot 1
Rear Shot 2
Grill
Top Shot 1
Top Shot 2
Rear Shot 1
Rear Shot 2
Front View
Side View 1
Side View 2
Back View
Removable Cheek Pads
Internal Design
Troy Lee Designs.com
Come to Whistler, EVERYONE is wearing those TLD Carbons ... remember, it's more important to LOOK good than to BE good.
sick paint jobs, but lose a couple logos for perfection.
www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=552407&id=54782609986
Personally i think the D3 is going to stike the void between functionallity and aesthetics (Shouldnt Matter, but it does to most)
Well done Troy, looks a nice lid..Just please dont charge us £500 uk for the pleasure.
The D3 has dual density EPS foam, its not simply that its thicker. This is very effective, because it means that it has two stages of protection, one stage that has a lower density, thus crushes more easily which prevents concussions and smaller injury, and then the second stage is for higher speed impacts to prevent the foam from bottoming out. This is the closest anyone has gotten to a perfect helmet, you see loads of people riding DOT helmets, well the way that i see this is almost mixing the DOT kind of security with the light weight non DOT helmet, and only 100g heavier, dont complain about the weight, for so much more protection and ventilation it only weighs 100g more than a skimpy (what it looks like now) d2. Of course it will cost alot, 3 years of R&D, well of course that will cost alot, but they are also pushing the whole industry further as their competition will have to try and match these new technologies. About the paint....they have done better in the past and i hope they do a Palmer edition because his D2 model looks amazing!
Its not as simple as what looks cooler....you only get one head
i liek it
thats are ugly design, but cool paints !!!
- you do realise Steve Peat will get a new helmet for every race right!? who else can afford $450 every time they go down hard?
100grams heavier, that is lame.
1/4" thicker EPS shell, that is good, I hope it is on the sides where it is lacking in the D2.
20 vents? Helmets don't need a lot of vents they need the right vents.
The more vents you have the less EPS shell you have. Unless the vents are small, in which case they don't vent well when you are waiting for you hommie to get down the trail. In other words, when you are stopped. Basically all helmets vent well when you are moving. So, more vent isn't always good.
The other reason which is more important is the more vents you have the less EPS shell you have. Which means the EPS shell that is there has to be harder to displace the energy from a crash. The EPS testing has to displace under 250 Gs of force. A nice thick soft EPS shell can take the spike of the impact and smooth it out nicely. Either high speed or low speed. An EPS shell that has less material still have to test under 250Gs and so the EPS shell is made harder to meet that requirement. This means at high speed impacts (over 20mph or so) the helmet will displace the energy of the impact well and will reduce the impact for your brain. At lower speeds impacts there isn't enough force and your brain ends up smashed against your skull causing injury. Which is why XC helmets with all those vents are so freaking dangerous. ... anyways....
I'd really like to see the impact test results on the new EPS shell at low speeds and high speeds. We dont all bomb down the hill like Sam.
The other thing, look at how high the back of the helmet is. Totally exposing your most important vertebrae. I'm sure with a Leatte brace the helmet will have a lot of mobility, but if you aren't wearing one there is just so much being exposed.
Because loud paint jobs sell helmets, this will be a hit.
Titanium hardware? Come on, aluminum is lighter and strong enough, they're only using Ti because of the "bling" factor. To get all the rich kids to say OMFG THIS HAS TI I WANT IT.
не може преко леба погача!!
Folk moaned for an update because the D2 was getting more expensive and not evolving, personally I would wear a D2 for the rest of eternity as it fits well and does the job, and of course it wont cease to now that this is available.
I'm dreading findiing out the £GBP price of this, but of course they'll still sell?
anyone else out there?
F That.
Have fun paying 500+ canadian for something that makes you look like you spent 400 dollars too much.
Seriously? Counting grams on safety gear?
So you guys are whining about weight when TLD has fixed what was wrong with their old helmets... being too slim on the side and back of your head, where there wasn't as much padding. This is like disability insurance when it comes to smacking your head, the more protection, the lesser chance you have to worry about head injuries.
Here was the complaint about the D2.
" The EPS liner in the D2 is very thick at the forehead, the top of the head, and the upper back of the head. The EPS liner thins out considerably, in relation to the top, along the sides and botton back of the head. This means that a good hit to the could cause considerable damage compared to a hit at the forehead, top or upper back part of the head. Compared to a DOT/Snell helmet, or a helmet with thicker EPS liner all around, the D2’s ability to displace impact energy from side impacts might not be as great. The trade of here is a lower profile helmet.
"
And after reading and looking at this article again it looks like TLD stepped it up, despite the minor weight increase.
there mingin =/