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First MTB Helmet


HighRider

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Hi everyone,

 

I am finally buying my first MTB this morning, hopefully it is still in the shop. Could someone perhaps advise on a helmet for me?

 

I know you cant go cheap and expect good quality but I dont have a lot of money left after buying the bike as I still need riding pants, gloves etc.

 

My riding will consist of only gravel/trails/single track and I know this will sound strange but the helmet doesn't need to be for a hardcore rider doing massive drops and jumps etc, the more I progress the more I will look at upgrading my gear etc.

 

I would prefer to buy it from a physical shop (Cape Town Northern suburbs) but that's not a must, can always just borrow a helmet in the mean time.

 

Thanks in advance and hope everyone has a nice day.

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Enjoy the new bike.

Any helmet from Bell, Giro, Lazer or Rudy Project will be fine.

Make sure it fits snug without fastening the chin strap.

Thank you for the suggestions, will do some research on the different makes.
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Above all the opinions...it's all about the fit.

 

Check for crash warranty, ease of access to replace parts / liner and read as many reviews as possible.

 

Happy trail riding

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Hi everyone,

 

I am finally buying my first MTB this morning, hopefully it is still in the shop. Could someone perhaps advise on a helmet for me?

 

I know you cant go cheap and expect good quality but I dont have a lot of money left after buying the bike as I still need riding pants, gloves etc.

 

My riding will consist of only gravel/trails/single track and I know this will sound strange but the helmet doesn't need to be for a hardcore rider doing massive drops and jumps etc, the more I progress the more I will look at upgrading my gear etc.

 

I would prefer to buy it from a physical shop (Cape Town Northern suburbs) but that's not a must, can always just borrow a helmet in the mean time.

 

Thanks in advance and hope everyone has a nice day.

Hi, welcome to MTB'ing.

 

You dont need to spend a fortune on a good helmet. Higher priced helmets are not necessarily safer as a lot of the extra costs does not go for the safety aspects of it. Just get a certified one. I got a few good years from a Bell helmet. The lower end Scott helmets are also good. But it has to sit properly. A very good helmet does not help if it is a poor fit.

 

For your comment on type of riding. The places where I have seen the worst crashes is where you wont expect it, like smooth singletracks or jeep tracks. Friend of mine was in hospital for two days after tumbling on the hill at Wolwespruit, on probably the smoothest easiest piece of flat trail there is...... I still give him grief about it :whistling: :whistling:.

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You don't mention how much money is left over from the purchase and how much you have for a helmet.

 

There is a saying, a $5 helmet for a $5 head. Having said that, you don't have to spend thousands on a fancy helmet.

 

Get one from a reputable store (not a supermarket) and get a reputable brand (such as the ones mentioned above). There are plenty of others not mentioned.

 

Most good helmets have some kind of safety certification. Just make sure that the one you buy has that certification and you should be fine.

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Oh, I now have a Marvel helmet with a built in rear light, got is very cheap from the CWC stand at the CTCT expo in 2018.

 

Edit:  It was like 300 bucks.

Edited by Super Sywurm
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Hi everyone,

 

I am finally buying my first MTB this morning, hopefully it is still in the shop. Could someone perhaps advise on a helmet for me?

 

I know you cant go cheap and expect good quality but I dont have a lot of money left after buying the bike as I still need riding pants, gloves etc.

 

My riding will consist of only gravel/trails/single track and I know this will sound strange but the helmet doesn't need to be for a hardcore rider doing massive drops and jumps etc, the more I progress the more I will look at upgrading my gear etc.

 

I would prefer to buy it from a physical shop (Cape Town Northern suburbs) but that's not a must, can always just borrow a helmet in the mean time.

 

Thanks in advance and hope everyone has a nice day.

 

Welcome to cycling. 

 

now, to clear up a common misconception. Let go of the notion that a helmet is not so important since you will only ride on non-technical bits.

 

I have had a few offs which resulted in black outs, headaches and severe concussion requiring hospitalisation. 

 

None of which happened remotely close to anything technical.

 

Rather ride in a ontie, but don't skimp on THE most important part of your cycling kit, namely a helmet.  I cannot overstress how important a proper helmet is. Brain damage caused by concussion is not a fun thing to endure. I have broken bones in the past, but my concussion was by far the worst injury I've suffered through.

 

As an example that is not even cycling related go see why Pat Lambie eventually had to hang up his rugby togs, thanks to CJ Stander.

 

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Oh, I now have a Marvel helmet with a built in rear light, got is very cheap from the CWC stand at the CTCT expo in 2018.

 

Edit:  It was like 300 bucks.

That rear light was a laugh, one day I opened my boot and got the biggest freight of my life with a red light flashing deep in the boot. Turns out something had bumped it and turned it on. Thought there was a warning light in the boot of the car going off!

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That rear light was a laugh, one day I opened my boot and got the biggest freight of my life with a red light flashing deep in the boot. Turns out something had bumped it and turned it on. Thought there was a warning light in the boot of the car going off!

Haha, I can imagine. Sometimes I forget to put it off. When I go into my garage later...redight district!!!

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Thank you all for the suggestions, really appreciate it. Just to clear up the comment regarding the budget etc. I was not going to buy a R50 helmet but I also cant spend R2000 on one, I think my wording was just incorrect.

 

I will be looking at all of the different helmets mentioned here as well as the ratings and make a decision from there.

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