Leatt DBX 1.0 MTN £54.99
The DBX 1.0 MTN feels cone-shaped, internally. This reduction in volume is caused by Leatt’s in-house rotational protection system called 360° Turbine Technology, which is claimed to do a similar job to MIPS. The ‘turbines’ are soft rubberised doughnuts, which are made from an energy-absorbing material and can rotate in the event of a crash. Because they’re quite bulky, we found they created hotspots on our testers’ heads, which, combined with the reduction in volume, made the lid uncomfortable to wear.
With the vertically-adjustable retention system set to its deepest position, the helmet still felt fairly ‘perched’ on our heads but didn’t bounce or wobble around. It also felt pretty light. Six forward-facing air intakes mean that ventilation is generally good, although because there aren’t a huge number of vents in total (only 14), the DBX 1.0 did get quite hot on slower climbs. The padding is fairly soft and comfortable, but didn’t hold a huge amount of perspiration before it became saturated, causing sweat to drip down our brows. While we didn’t find that eyewear interfered with the lid, the breakaway peak doesn’t adjust up high enough for you to park goggles on the front. The outer shell doesn’t fully wrap around the rim of the helmet as you’d expect at this price, leaving the EPS foam exposed and easy to damage. www.hotlines-uk.com