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TRAIL HELMET
Designed for all-round riding, these have an outer shell that drops lower over the back of your head than on a road or cross-country lid to provide more coverage and protection. This may be the most affordable type of MTB helmet, but that doesn’t mean you have to scrimp on safety. The Fox Mainframe MIPS comes with a Multi-directional Impact Protection System liner, which uses slip-plane technology in a bid to better protect you from awkward, angled impacts – impressive for just under £80. You also get removable, washable padding and an easy-toadjust retention cradle. As with all the helmets here, it’s crucial to pick the right size. The Mainframe comes in S, M and L, and five colours.
Fox Mainframe MIPS, £79.99
PREMIUM TRAIL HELMET
These lids take the basic trail helmet template and pack in extra features. Like the Mainframe, the Fox Speedframe Pro comes with a MIPS layer, designed to help protect your brain from angular blows, but it ups the ante with a dualdensity, injection-moulded Varizorb EPS foam liner, engineered to spread crash forces over a wider area. Other details include an upgraded 360 Fit adjustment system, a three-position peak (the highest of which allows room for goggles to be stowed underneath), loads of vents and a magnetic FidLock buckle to make getting it on and off that bit easier. It comes in three sizes and eight colours. There’s also a slightly more basic Speedframe MIPS, for £40 less.
Fox Speedframe Pro, £149.99
EXTENDED-COVERAGE HELMET
If you like the open feel of a trail helmet but yearn for a bit of extra protection when getting wild at the bike park or riding tricky off-piste lines, a lid like the Fox Dropframe Pro could be the one for you. The extended rear drops right down to the top of your neck, completely covering the back of your head, while also wrapping around the sides to shield your ears and temples. A MIPS liner and dual-density Varizorb liner bolster the helmet’s safety credentials that bit further. And thanks to eight hefty vents and seven exhaust ports, the Dropframe Pro shouldn’t get too sweaty either. There are four sizes to choose from (S, M, L, XL) and two colours.
Fox Dropframe Pro, £180
Buying a new helmet should be easy, but the sheer number of different styles on offer can leave you bewildered. With help from Fox, we dig into the detail and cut through the confusion to give you the lowdown on each type of lid and what type of riding they’re best suited for FULL-FACE TRAIL HELMET
For those who are heavily into enduro riding and racing, a lightweight full-face like the Fox Proframe offers a lot of the protection of a full-on downhill helmet (and meets DH safety standards – something to look out for) but its lighter build and 24 large vents should help prevent you from overheating when pedalling between trails or stages. There’s no retention cradle to tailor the fit but it comes in four sizes and Fox include different pad thicknesses in the box so you can get it feeling just right. The Proframe employs MIPS and Varizorb tech to help protect your head. A quick-to-use FidLock magnetic buckle is a nice finishing touch.
Fox Proframe £230
FULL-FACE DOWNHILL HELMET
Want the best possible protection for riding downhill as fast as you can? A DH helmet is the way to go. Claimed to be the safest full-face on the market, the latest Fox Rampage Pro Carbon includes their dual-density Varizorb liner and a MIPS slip-plane. Then there’s the lightweight but tough carbon fibre outer shell, a peak that’s been cunningly engineered to break off in the event of a crash, and a super-secure double D-ring closure. Strategically-positioned vents and channelling should help to keep your head cool as you plan your line, but if you do sweat, the RPC uses moisture-wicking, antimicrobial X-Static padding, which can be taken out to be washed. Sizing ranges from S to XL.
Fox Rampage Pro Carbon MIPS £460
THE REAR SUSPENSION IS SO FLUID AND SMOOTH IT’ S EASY TO HAMMER THROUGH ANYTHING AN END UR O BIKE WOULD