ENDURO HELMETS

FOX DROPFRAME GIRO SWITCHBLADE

£180

SPECIFICATION Weight: 391g • Sizes: S, M, L, XL • Contact: foxracing.co.uk

£269.99 SPECIFICATION Weight: 971g • Sizes: S, M, L • Contact: giro.co.uk

The Fox Dropframe is a halfway house between a full face and half shell. It doesn’t have a chin bar but there’s increased coverage at the side of the jaw, over the ear and back of the neck. It’s a distinctive design but it’s also incredibly lightweight for a helmet with this level of protection.

We encountered the Varizorb EPS construction on the test winning Speedframe 18 months ago. Basically, it sandwiches together two types of closed-cell foam – one dark, the other light. They’re joined internally with a sort of zigzag border which, when compressed, dissipates impact energy more effectively. To offset those brain-damaging rotational forces, the helmet also features a low profile MIPS liner.

Surprisingly, there’s no retention device in this helmet, but to be honest we never missed it because it’s so stable – it literally doesn’t move even on the roughest descents. It’s also incredibly comfortable and, unlike the Giro

The Giro Switchblade is a convertible helmet with a clip-in chin bar, allowing you to wear it either as a full face or a 3/4 like the Fox Dropframe. In an ideal world you get to the bottom of a downhill run, reach up, flick two buttons on the chin bar, it pops off and you stash it in your backpack and pedal off to the next stage without breaking stride.

However, the reality is different - removing the chin bar is not a smooth operation because the secondary tabs get stuck in the housing. Putting the helmet on is equally tricky – it’s a tight squeeze to get your ears past the cheek pads and the motorbike-style D-ring strap is fiddly. The helmet also has a lot of secondary padding and we kept pulling the pads out when taking it on and off.

It is a really plush helmet, and it feels super secure but it’s also not the coolest - if you’re racing or just charging it can get pretty hot. Like all Giro helmets, it does feature in-mould construction and comes with a MIPS liner Roc Loc retention device. The

Switchblade, is easy to put on because you can pull the side extensions apart, so you don’t catch your ears. To secure the helmet there’s a short chin strap with a magnetic Fidlock SNAP closure, which is less fiddly than the D-ring on the Giro Switchblade.

With 15 vents, the Dropframe ventilation is excellent. The neck can get a bit sweaty but this helmet is definitely our choice for winter rides. If we have one gripe it’s the lack of an adjustable visor.

This one included is fixed high up, so you can’t see it but there’s not quite enough room to park a set of goggles cleanly.

Some helmets fit like a glove and are nice to wear – this problem with that is we also had to loosen the dial right off to get the helmet on.

The Switchblade has an adjustable visor and it’s nice to see spares included. Strap management is good too and there’s a bag to store it in.

You’d think the stealth black would make this helmet look sleek but compared to the Troy Lee Designs Stage and Fox Dropframe, it looks and feels huge. Due to the weight and size the Switchblade is not going anywhere but those mechanical parts do add weight. We really like that this helmet is convertible – you’re getting two helmets for the price of one – but getting the chin bar on and off is is one of them. It’s also super lightweight, provides unrestricted visibility but with a significant increase in protection over a regular open face.

Fully recommended and our test winner. not as smooth as other convertible helmets we’ve tested. The Switchblade undercuts the Leatt and

Troy Lee on price but

that’s about it.