When do you don your full face helmet?

[JoeBlow]

I own a Bell Super DH convertible helmet but only recently felt that I was riding fast/competently enough to warrant wearing it in full face mode. I've developed the habit of riding Blue, Red and single dot routes in half face and putting the chin guard on when I go onto the two dot downhills. Is this a logical approach? What do you do?

Al

 

[Paulquattro]

Im not a fan of the dentist so i wear mine always.

 

[Gary]

Only on uplifted rides.
I wouldn't wear a convertable or super light enduro full face helmet at all

 

[Mteam]

Only if I'm not pedalling to the top will I wear a full face

 

[JoeBlow]

I would be interested to know the logic of peoples decisions particularly when it comes to balancing the practicalities of each. "Only on uplifted rides" for example seems a sensible and easy decision but I find riding up, even on an EMTB, with a FF far too warm and I end up hanging it off the handlebars which seems to defeat the point.

Al

 

[Gary]

I would be interested to know the logic of peoples decisions particularly when it comes to balancing the practicalities of each. "Only on uplifted rides" for example seems a sensible and easy decision but I find riding up, even on an EMTB, with a FF far too warm and I end up hanging it off the handlebars which seems to defeat the point.

Al

I don't wear a helmet at all on climbs. I hang it from my stem/bars. I just don't like wearing helmets at all.
Only wearing one while doing uplifted riding is not just because of the extra heat wearing a full face creates. Let's face it if riding an Ebike we don't sweat nearly as much as we do without a motor.
I prefer the full field of vision a normal (non-ful face) helmet. it's way safer without a chinguard blocking your line of sight below your front wheel. Especially when jumping and spotting landings.
As for convertible and lightweight airy enduro helmets. I just think they're too much of a compromise over a proper full face helmet and a lot of them offer noobs a false sense of protection.

But yeah. No one should choose what level of protection to wear on their bike based on what others think.

 

[JoeBlow]

It's seems to be the middle ground where it gets difficult to decide, unfortunately that's where I am . If I were competently riding black black runs I would probably also wear some chest and back protection. If I were only riding Blues I would just wear open face and knee pads. As it is my compromise seems reasonable. I'm not looking for affirmation but rather expressing an interest in what others are doing.

 

[Gary]

Yeah. I don't wear knee pads if I'm not uplifting either. I just find them all hot, uncomfortable and restrictive.
many natural trails around here are more difficult than graded trails and DH tracks. but you can hurt yourself just as badly on a blue graded trail as a world cup DH track

 

[JoeBlow]

I know that's why the logic interests me. On a couple of occasions when I have fallen it's been on fairly benign ground and simply down to a temporary loss of concentration. For me it's either gnarly and slow or easy and fast. I don't do gnarly and fast at the same time. Either could result in injury so that suggests that we should really all be wearing FF all of the time. That strikes me as the "logical" thing to do.

 

[JoeBlow]

Buy the best protection within your budget. Most of the time you will think you have wasted your money but when shit happens on a green, blue, or black run you will appreciate it, Its like insurance. Cheers

But that is the logic that I simply do not get. If that was the case we would all wear everything available all of the time. I simply do not believe that a serious MTBr would wear such gear on a green family trail for example but your logic suggests we should.

 

[Gary]

Either could result in injury so that suggests that we should really all be wearing FF all of the time. That strikes me as the "logical" thing to do.

The logical thing to do is to simply risk assess, use common sense and make an informed decision.
Same as any other activity

 

[JoeBlow]

The logical thing to do is to simply risk assess, use common sense and make an informed decision.
Same as any other activity

Absolutely. If you read my OP that's exactly what I have done. I'm simply interested in other peoples thought processes with regard to this issue.

 

[Gary]

Yeah. so long as you can also think for yourself... or who knows, instead of your speedos you could end up unwittingly wearing a full face helmet and body armour on a sand covered beach

 

[steve_sordy]

I accept that I can fall off on even the easiest of trails, and have done so either though lack of focus or some other moving object getting in the way. But I don't wear my full get up just in case. I feel comfortable with my knee/shin guards because I get a lot of brambles and nettles and I'm Ok with my elbow guards (shoulder injuries). I wear a Bell Super 3 without the chin guard (didn't buy one) because it is a very good trail helmet and it has saved me a few times; the previous one got broken clean through. I wear my full face and other armour when I feel out of my comfort zone. An example would be going to Bike Park Wales, or the Alps.

The only safety gear I wear when going out for a tootle around the village is my helmet and gloves. If on a bike, I always wear a helmet.

 

[JoeBlow]

Even on the "easy" blue trails Steve?

Al

 

[Doomanic]

I had a convertible helmet and after the first couple of rides didn’t bother to take it off so when it was time to replace it I bought a Fox Proframe which is a far superior helmet to the Giro Switchblade it replaced. I only wear the Fox if I’m riding Park, otherwise I wear an On One Enduro helmet. I buy them when they’re on sale for a tenner and always have a couple of new ones kicking about so I have no qualms chucking it in the bin after an off.

 

[Zimmerframe]

but my cup is armored and sends an immediate message to my lady friends if there’s any detected trauma.

It's amazing how electronics have advance and they can build something like that into such a tiny item now.

 

[Zimmerframe]

 

[RickBullotta]

Only wear my 661 full face for enduro races and serious bike park days. POC Tectal the rest of the time.

 

[KenX]

Pretty much wear my Proframe only in the park, don't uplift tho (€€€) so clip it to my backpack on the way up.
There are a couple of faster rides I do round here where I'll wear it too.......

 

[JoeBlow]

Pretty much wear my Proframe only in the park, don't uplift tho (€€€) so clip it to my backpack on the way up.
There are a couple of faster rides I do round here where I'll wear it too.......

I see you live in Briancon, you lucky man. I looked at a couple of houses in Vallorcine but could not persuade my wife to move. Trad climbing, sport climbing, waterfall climbing, alpine climbing and skiing. All the things I love and have participated in over the years What's the MTBing like?

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

I put mine on when I know I will be at greater risk of crashing.. bikeparks, steep slippery trails etc.

 

[Banktramp]

I wear a FF all the time, you never know or pick when to crash. Wear what makes you feel comfortable and confident ??

 

[Zimmerframe]

I think what you have to remember is that accidents, being accidents, happen when you don't expect them. I actually think I have more accidents when I decide to take it easy and dawdle along, you either relax too much, let your body position go (as a relative newby I still have to think about these things). My last off happened because I'd decided to go easy and was braking somewhere I'd normally be going flat out.

The first time I wore my Smiths Mainline I only wore it because I was going for a "proper" ride after escorting the OH at the time out on a young horse for familiarisation. Some moron came past the other way at 110kph on a country road missed us by mm's , scared the horse which panicked, leapt in the air, span round knocked me off and jumped on my head. It fecked the helmet and I had a pretty sore head, but if I'd not had it on I'd be dead.

Fortunately, a lot of the gear we can buy now to protect ourselves isn't hot or restrictive and most of the time you don't know you have it on.

A recent example of an accident when you don't expect an accident from a more experienced rider.

 

[steve_sordy]

Even on the "easy" blue trails Steve?

Al

Yes. There is always something that can catch me out. One rider knocked me off from behind a couple of years ago. Besides a blue trail by the very perception of its "easiness" has hazards, especially if it is new to me. I lost my posing ego a long time ago, too many injuries, too many broken helmets.

 

[JoeBlow]

So you would wear a FF on the family trail at FOD. I don't believe you

 

[steve_sordy]

So you would wear a FF on the family trail at FOD. I don't believe you

We might be talking at cross purposes. I would wear whatever I had on that day. If I had taken my FF because I was going to ride something out of my comfort zone it would not bother me one bit to later that day ride a green trail or a canal towpath wearing the FF.

I don't know the family trail at FOD, is it a blue? In any case I wouldn't set off somewhere to ride a trail without having checked out the trails from either the 'net or from someone who has been. I would make a decision then whether to take a FF or not.

But if I was on my bike, I would wear a helmet (pretty much any bike helmet if I didn't have my own with me).

 

[JoeBlow]

Sorry Steve not directed at you but still interested in following the logic. Especially by those saying when the trail gets more challenging. If accidents can happen at any time the logic says you should wear FF on every ride which very few do. Family trail at FOD is green, if it gets a grade at all. I suppose I'm playing devils advocate with regard to the arguments being presented.

 

[Gary]

Not sure why you're so wrapped up in "the logic"
any logic applied is entirely personal. ie. Stop worrying abouit other folk's views.
I don't wear a helmet at all if riding with my Girlfriend or daughter. whether it's local or round Glentress Black.
If I'm riding with faster mates I usually take an XC lid with me and strap it to my bars until the 4 or 5 decent descents but don't put it on in the freeride/jump park. on an uplift day I wear a full face.
This is probably close to an extreme view for this site. Steve and the other full face all the time guys are the opposite end.
None of us are wrong with our "logic"

 

[JoeBlow]

I'm simply curious, not "wrapped up" as you put it. I thought this type of discussion is what the forum is all about. I'm bored at the moment and find it interesting. If you are not interested you could simply ignore it rather than pour cold water on the debate and, to be blunt be slightly confrontational.