MX style helmet + goggles, what to look for

[Rprecision]

I am wanting to switch to a MX style.

Without turning this into a brand war, what should I look for?

I want something light and comfortable.

Also as a side question, do folks get two sets of Goggles one tinted the other not or..........One for bright clear days other for snowy ?

Thanks

 

[big E]

I just got a Fly Racing Trophy helmet and 509 Sinister goggles. This was my first weekend to ride with them. Temps were -5 with big winds. I had a couple of small leaks that I had to get used to how to seal off. Once I had it all down this was one of the best investments that I have made in gear so far.

 

[grubbn]

Iv got a ONE industries mc style helmet. The fit is great w/lots of venting, not too expensive either. My goggles are smith phenom turbo fan series. The goggles i think are the most important purchase. The smith goggles are expensive but if you dont want to fog up there's nothing better. IMO

 

[blackcloud2k]

I have a 661 carbon fiber helmet I use for a brain bucket and it is really light. As far as goggles find the best ones that fit your face inside your helmet. There are tons of helmets out there so find what works for you. As far as goggles go though some goggles will fit in and around your helmet but wont seal around your face depending on how big of a mellon you have atop you. So I would say take your helmet to the optics store with you and find a good set of goggles that fit for you. I personally use oakley and anon goggles because I get them at cost. As far as lenses go I carry two sets of goggles with me everytime I ride. A set of goggles for bright days and a snowy/flat light set. Things change to quick out there not to have both....

 

[grubbn]

I have a 661 carbon fiber helmet I use for a brain bucket and it is really light. As far as goggles find the best ones that fit your face inside your helmet. There are tons of helmets out there so find what works for you. As far as goggles go though some goggles will fit in and around your helmet but wont seal around your face depending on how big of a mellon you have atop you. So I would say take your helmet to the optics store with you and find a good set of goggles that fit for you. I personally use oakley and anon goggles because I get them at cost. As far as lenses go I carry two sets of goggles with me everytime I ride. A set of goggles for bright days and a snowy/flat light set. Things change to quick out there not to have both....

Great advice!!

 

[live2ride]

I have Scott Goggles and have not had a problem 1 with fogging. They have the nose piece that you can put on if your helmet doesnt have a breath deflector. I have a fly helmet and don't have a leak 1 around the goggles. Like what was said above, find what feels good for you and find the goggle that fits the best with that helmet. I noticed the front piece on the HJC is longer than my Fly, and the Thor is longer yet.

 

[907RYDR]

Just ride with a SKIN helmet and always two pairs of googles - Dragon/Scott. Always good to carry an extra set, you just never know !!

 

[CoyoteGirl]

Duplicate post:

One thing I learned when working at the dealership is some of the more expensive helmets will make their shells to fit only 2 sizes of foam. So say xs/s, another for m/l and then another for xl/xxl. And then you get the Arias who each helmet is it's true size.

Then some of the cheaper helmets will use the same shell for all sizes and just use varying thicknesses of liner to make the "size".

At the time I was like "so??" hahaha I have been paying attention to how helmets fit people and paying attention to how well their goggles fit to. What I seem to be finding is that some of the less expensive helmets on smaller heads hold the goggles further off the face (due to thicker padding) and allow more fogging!!!

Now, like I said, this is an observation. We'll be putting it to the test soon, one of the guys that has this "thick foam" issue is buying a new helmet with this in mind to see if it could be truly the problem. Guinee pig.

While they are still dot and snell approved and that extra foam feels good (but will also fail faster in the long run) this might be something extra to look at.

And I already had 3 pairs of Scott goggles and knew I wanted a new 661 mountain bike helmet (mx style, good safety rating and LIGHT) so I took my goggles with me to the store to try my helmet on. GREAT fit.

I carry 2 sets of Scotts on the hill, amber and rose colors for varying conditions.

 

[blackcloud2k]

Duplicate post:

One thing I learned when working at the dealership is some of the more expensive helmets will make their shells to fit only 2 sizes of foam. So say xs/s, another for m/l and then another for xl/xxl. And then you get the Arias who each helmet is it's true size.

Then some of the cheaper helmets will use the same shell for all sizes and just use varying thicknesses of liner to make the "size".

At the time I was like "so??" hahaha I have been paying attention to how helmets fit people and paying attention to how well their goggles fit to. What I seem to be finding is that some of the less expensive helmets on smaller heads hold the goggles further off the face (due to thicker padding) and allow more fogging!!!

Now, like I said, this is an observation. We'll be putting it to the test soon, one of the guys that has this "thick foam" issue is buying a new helmet with this in mind to see if it could be truly the problem. Guinee pig.

While they are still dot and snell approved and that extra foam feels good (but will also fail faster in the long run) this might be something extra to look at.

And I already had 3 pairs of Scott goggles and knew I wanted a new 661 mountain bike helmet (mx style, good safety rating and LIGHT) so I took my goggles with me to the store to try my helmet on. GREAT fit.

I carry 2 sets of Scotts on the hill, amber and rose colors for varying conditions.

Yep thats why I have my 661 for downhill racing. I get a new helmet about every year or every 1.5 years. When you wear a helmet almost year around you have to look into durability like you stated and I have found the 661's to hold up really well and the nose cone doesn't stick out to far which I like.

 

[boondocker97]

661 and Troy Lee helmets have closer chin bars on them. Fox have longer chin bars. Look into SMX optics for goggles. There are a few of us running them now and they seem to be working really well. Alot of their lenses are chrome on the outside, but they are orange-brown when you look through them. I like that color in all conditions.

 

[summ8rmk]

It's best to fit the helmet to the googles. In the store put on the helmet and goggles and then check both sides of the goggles to see if you have skin exposed. Myself I like the Scott turbo flow 89x and the 509 sinister goggles because they have the nose guard. The nose guard protects you from the cold wind and roost from the sled in front of you. I also prefer the yellow (not orange)tint lenses for all conditions bright, cloudy, snowing, fog, and night. As far as the helmet goes the legth of the mouth guard and face hole vary alot from one brand to another. My helmet is a Ski-doo large (not sure who makes it) and the above mentioned goggls fit perfect on the sides and there is almost 2 in. between my nose guard on my goggles and the front of the mouth guard(lots of fresh air to breath). my mothers helmet a small (its a cheaper brand) with same scott goggles there is almost 1 in. of skin exposed on both sides( that with -5 deg. temps equals frostbite) and the nose guard is in front of her mouth guard( not letting the goggles fit as tight against the face and causing them to fog). My mother bought a new helmet to fit her Scott goggles, I believe it's a HJC the mouth guard is about 1 in. past the nose guard on the goggles now(lets in more air to breath and lets the goggles fit tight against her face) and the gap on the side of the goggles to the helmet is less than 1/4 of an in. she is now much happier and warmer.
I allways cary a spare set of goggles just in case they fog up really bad. Sorry its so long winded but I would hate to see you get a bad fitting set and hate the MX/goggle setup. One more thing, If you plan on going faster than 80 MPH and look up just a little bit the wind will grab your visor and whip your head around a bit.

 

[svensdream]

helmates are a very important thing not to buy a cheap one, make sure the padding comes forward towards your cheeks, many cheap helmates don't and many peaple have suffered broken jaws because it allows the helmate to spin on your head. My best advice is to wear the helmate around the store for about 10 minutes, because it might develope pinch points, so try another one.
I wear a shoie and its the best that I have worn, but they are expensive. always get one that is snell approved

 

[2fast4uall]

head gear

I use MX helmet ( Answer). I pack 2 pairs of goggles in the amber tints. I use Motcross style Quick straps ( hook/button on one side and velcro on the other). Your goggles will never fog up as long as when you stop moving you flick the velcro side off and let it hang. when you roll out grab the strap and paste it to your helmet and your off. The second pair is for back up and I have a spot under my hood I rigged up to hold and dry them if needed. don't store them in the can area trust me. Don't use those phoney nose deflector type things It will be a sure bet to p--s you off due to fogging directlly into you goggles. I recomend the silky, cotton thin balaclava all the time, as your helmet will slide on and off with ease and you can adjust the front to cover mount /nose if conditions are a little colder.
cheers

 

[sdobbs20]

have a low dollar gmax helmet with 509 sinisters. easily the 2 of those things combined are the best investments i've ever made for sledding. the goggles cover all of my face and don't leave any bare skin exposed to direct wind. with my small head(helmet size is medium) it is a squeeze for the frame of the goggles to get in but it's not a big deal at all, and plus, i'd rather have them squeeze so it covers my face all the way!

i have orange tinted lens but barely notice it and it seems clear to me. also have an extra pair of older goggles that i use to ride with in my pack just incase i need to switch.

 

[rmk 700]

one industries mx work great

 

[big E]

Coyotegirl that is a great observation, but with my xxl head I just never thought much about it. LOL

 

[Meatman]

i picked up a set of habervision goggles a couple years ago when they were first introduced....the lenses are incredible and they dont fog up when riding. just my .02

 

[i_got_wings]

I have had good luck with Fly, One, and my current Shift helmets. They all seem relatively light, offer great protection, and look good. Some things I like to look for are wrap around cheek pads (like stated before, helmet shouldn't want to spin around), removeable liner (I'm a sweaty bastard), raised roost guard on the chin bar, and a Snell rating. I seem to keep around the $150 range when buying helmets. Too cheap and they don't fit me right, and I'm too cheap to buy a $300 helmet.

For goggles, I like the Thor Hero goggles the best out of what I have. I have Spy, Thor, and Boille. I tried the 509s but they are TINY! The Spy work good but have a small lense, same for the Boille. I have a pair of Thor Enemy "sand" goggle that I thought I would try since they use the same lense as my other pair but the coarse foam lets too much moisture inside the lense and they freeze on the inside of the lense.

For lense color, I preferred the rose color of the Boille's but they got scratched and Thor doesn't offer that color. So I now use blue. The yellow are too bright for most days. The blue are bright enough for the overcast/cloudy days but block enough light to work good on the sunny days.

 

[akmclean]

I didnt see anyone mention this (but I didnt read every post).

I think, hands down, the best way to prevent fogging is to get the right nosepiece setup that will push your breath down through and out the bottom of your helmet, instead of letting it come up through the nose area.

I have an HJC helmet, and they make a velcro attachmet that fits right in there and does a great job. The problem is it makes your helemet harder to get on, and after about 5 rides the foam started to fall apart from rubbing on my nose.

I just bought one of those big goofy no-fog masks, so Ill give that a try this weekend.

I guess my point is you will be hating life if you are dealing with foggy goggles.

 

[cjgodden]

Try on different brands, heads are different shape and different companys make the insides different shape. Say like the hjc helmet hurts my forehead but the Fly ratrod that I have now fits perfect and there are no pressure points.