6D ATS-1 HELMET

TESTED BY: Boothy MILES: 1,000 TIME: 3 Months PRICE: £699.99 WEB: www.6dhelmets.co.uk

How many years have helmets been designed the way they have – with a hard outer shell, a polystyrene liner and foam cheek pads? Ages. Well 6D have decided there’s a better way of doing it, and developed and patented an omnidirectional suspension system using elastomeric isolation dampers. It means there are loads of little rubbery bungs holding two EPS liners apart, allowing the helmet carcass to sheer, squash and stretch in all directions, just the right amount to minimise the shock to your head and brain. That’s the idea, anyway. Whilst I was confident the new technology would do its utmost to keep me safe in a crash, my days of crash testing products are (hopefully) over, but I did do a bunch of road and track miles with the 6D to get a good idea of what it was like. First of all it’s a comfortable helmet – the medium fitted my head nicely and was a snug fit all the way round. Despite the carbon fibre shell, it’s not the lightest helmet on the planet, but when it’s on your head it feels as light as anything else out there. The field of vision is fantastic, which makes a massive difference on the road, so the visor gets nine of ten – it loses a point for the seal at the top, which leaked ever so slightly when I got caught in a massive downpour (but it was torrential, and I have been told that adjusting the baseplate would cure this). At very high speed it tended to be a bit buffety and without earplugs the wind noise was a bit of a nuisance, but not horrendous. It does feel like a premium helmet, but that’s exactly what the price tag is. If you fancy something different, why not try one on for size?