# The difference between a road and MTB helmet?



## Joel. (Aug 16, 2009)

Is there any difference? I'm in the market for a new helmet and road helmets look better to me. They look like they have better ventilation and that is what I need coming into summer here in Australia.


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

A visor .


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## rkj__ (Feb 29, 2004)

+1 visor.


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## tkavan01 (Jun 1, 2004)

i've been riding for the last 6 years with a road helmet, until two weeks ago, i bought a mtn bike helmet, and man it is like night and day with the visor, of course i live in the desert so the sun is brutal here


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## nickwm21 (Aug 15, 2007)

i would bet they are the same as crash rating goes. Hitting a tree at 30mph is the same whether it is on dirt or pavement. Visors are key. Not only do they provide sun protection but they keep tree branches from hitting yo face


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

nickwm21 said:


> ...they keep tree branches from hitting yo face


sure, if you count the visor breaking off and smashing you in the face instead into the above statement.

I nailed a low-lying branch about the size of my arm on a night ride a month and a half ago...about 2wks before my Hawaii vacation.

The branch hit the visor of my helmet, broke the visor off the helmet, and then smashed the visor into my face. bloodied my face a fair bit (primarily from my nose, but also in my mouth. my face broke the branch (it was dead).

I will not use a visor on my helmet anymore. The visor did more damage to my face than the branch did.


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## nickwm21 (Aug 15, 2007)

Nailing a branch "the size of your arm" is going to smash your face regardless of visor or not. Thats more like a tree limb than a branch.. Why didn't you duck?


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## grandsalmon (Oct 24, 2005)

There are always the exceptions. I have shoe-goo'd my visor helmets for many years, and extra measure. Since then, the visor has prevented FULL facial contact in many a crash, saving: lost teeth, fully broken noses, punctured eyes... keeping less-serious from the very serious. I can see where an "exceptor" will say the visor should rip off more freely, thus preventing a whipped neck- but this has never happened. It _has prevented_ serious face blows and scraps. Also, when riding in the rain you can tilt the head down and keep the water from shooting in your eyes.

Visor me, helmet always.

.


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## Trail Ninja (Sep 25, 2008)

nickwm21 said:


> Nailing a branch "the size of your arm" is going to smash your face regardless of visor or not. Thats more like a tree limb than a branch.. Why didn't you duck?


I bet he didn't see it because of the visor.


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## bcdale (Jun 26, 2010)

I remember adding one of those coolmax or coolhead visors to a giro airblast in the 90s. Was all the rage in the mtb magazines with that damn $350 troy lee paintjob with the flaming duck head on the sides. But they included 2 decals if you didn't want to shell out the cash for custom. Still ended up ruining a few helmets trying to paint it to match the damn visor. Company since went out of business.


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## Joel. (Aug 16, 2009)

Thanks for the replies everyone.
Looks like I will probably end up with a road helmet. I took the visor off my current helmet after two rides. I couldn't stand it.


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## Ken in KC (Jan 12, 2004)

*Really?*



grandsalmon said:


> There are always the exceptions. I have shoe-goo'd my visor helmets for many years, and extra measure. Since then, the visor has prevented FULL facial contact in many a crash, saving: lost teeth, fully broken noses, punctured eyes... keeping less-serious from the very serious. I can see where an "exceptor" will say the visor should rip off more freely, thus preventing a whipped neck- but this has never happened. It _has prevented_ serious face blows and scraps. Also, when riding in the rain you can tilt the head down and keep the water from shooting in your eyes.
> 
> Visor me, helmet always.
> 
> .


Let me get this straight. A small bit of pliable plastic has protected you from blunt trama that had enough force to knock out teeth and break bones and knocking through (much more protective) glasses?

It also has magical extension properties that allow it to cover your face and protect you from abrasions and scrapes?

Visor or no visor = Personal preference.

Your description of the visor as an essential safety device is a stretch.


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## grandsalmon (Oct 24, 2005)

Yes, really, thus the additional 'gluing" down of the visor, and type selected. It ain't always an all or nothing situation.
Oh yea, once again- really. Why would I bullcrap the events? Serves no purpose, except wasting my time writing this reply to nothing said as essential, only experiential.


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## theMeat (Jan 5, 2010)

when it rains, one gets mud on it, one gets wet


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## roxnroots (Aug 12, 2010)

Visor's good for keeping some sun out and, if you see them in time, to "visor down" to let small branches hit and slide up and over the helmet. Once rode in a driving downpour and maybe it kept a little rain out too, but not much. Other than that its just a light chunk of plastic up there. I don't see why having one would be that much of a problem and it is one more thing that clearly separates us from roadies.


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## o0obruceleeo0o (Jul 19, 2010)

NateHawk said:


> sure, if you count the visor breaking off and smashing you in the face instead into the above statement.
> 
> I nailed a low-lying branch about the size of my arm on a night ride a month and a half ago...about 2wks before my Hawaii vacation.
> 
> ...


Personally, I will just try to avoid hitting branches regardless of what type of helmet i'm wearing . I like the visor.


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## XJEric (Apr 18, 2015)

Eye protection people! Clear lenses if you like. But always have eye protection. A good pair of Oakley M Frames will save eyes and yes to some extent your cheeks and nose. ESS sells a set that comes with 2 pair. Clear and smoke. That way you don't have to spend 10 minutes switching (and probably scratching) lenses during you ride. 
For the skeptical person on how much a little bit of plastic can protect, it's amazing how much it helps. It's flexible and spreads the impact over a larger area thus reducing the trauma to any one particular part of your face. Visors for me.


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## RS VR6 (Mar 29, 2007)

A typical "XC" helmet will be like a road helmet with a snap on visor of sorts. Lightweight with plenty of holes for ventilation. Then you will have your all mountain or trail helmet, which will have more coverage on the back of the head and be a bit heavier. Buy according to your needs.


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## primoz (Jun 7, 2006)

Visor is one thing you notice first, but main thing is ventilation. Road helmets are made for speed that is most common on road, and that's around 30-40km/h, while mtb helmets are made for speed that's most common on mtb, and that means slow climbs at low speed (sometimes under 10km/h). This requires different ventilation setup. For high speed, you don't need ventilation holes on top of helmet, as there's enough air flow through helmet, and most (or actually all nowadays) road helmets have just intake holes on front and air goes through helmet and through exit holes on back.
Mtb helmets are different, as there's not enough speed for air flow going this way, and when you are slowly climbing steep uphills hot air is going out vertical, so mtb helmets have whole bunch of holes on top of the helmet.
So basically that's main difference between mtb and road helmet. Visor is just cosmetic thing, which, except for few people who saved from blunt trauma :lol: doesn't have much functionality, except it can actually make some sore neck when you ride xc bike with a bit more aggressive position.... that's why all my helmets are without visor


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## gmcttr (Oct 7, 2006)

primoz said:


> .......This requires different ventilation setup. For high speed, you don't need ventilation holes on top of helmet, as there's enough air flow through helmet, and most (or actually all nowadays) road helmets have just intake holes on front and air goes through helmet and through exit holes on back....


Hmmmm...with the exception of a few aero helmets, almost all of the road helmets seem to have holes on top. In fact, if anything, they tend to have more and larger holes than MTB helmets.


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## EABiker (Jun 24, 2004)

Visors look cooler; that's why mountain bikers are cooler than roadies!


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## primoz (Jun 7, 2006)

gmcttr said:


> Hmmmm...with the exception of a few aero helmets, almost all of the road helmets seem to have holes on top. In fact, if anything, they tend to have more and larger holes than MTB helmets.


Road helmets have vents on front part of the helmet, not on top. MTB helmets have them similarly on front (pointing air flow around head toward back exit vents) plus few on top back side of helmet pointing out, letting hot air go vertical up and out of helmet.
Hope this photos will work... Check back side of Met Stradivarius (road):
https://www.updatemyshop.co.uk/alfjones/1169154871_original_1.jpg
And same place of Met Veleno (MTB):
https://www.mtbtr.com/uploads/974Z2.JPG
I hope this explains what I meant.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

primoz said:


> Road helmets have vents on front part of the helmet, not on top.


Huh?


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## gmcttr (Oct 7, 2006)

primoz said:


> ...Hope this photos will work... Check back side of Met Stradivarius (road):
> https://www.updatemyshop.co.uk/alfjones/1169154871_original_1.jpg
> And same place of Met Veleno (MTB):
> https://www.mtbtr.com/uploads/974Z2.JPG
> I hope this explains what I meant.


You're looking a a single brand. Compare them all and get back to us.


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

there is no difference but it depends

some helmets are hot buckets, some are light and airy, and everything in between

some are full face


but there is no real diff, and visors SUCK in tight woods

I use helmets marketed as road or mtb, what matters is how well it fits and stays put


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

XJEric said:


> Eye protection people! Clear lenses if you like. But always have eye protection. A good pair of Oakley M Frames will save eyes and yes to some extent your cheeks and nose. ESS sells a set that comes with 2 pair. Clear and smoke. That way you don't have to spend 10 minutes switching (and probably scratching) lenses during you ride.
> For the skeptical person on how much a little bit of plastic can protect, it's amazing how much it helps. It's flexible and spreads the impact over a larger area thus reducing the trauma to any one particular part of your face. Visors for me.


oakley, really ? a ten buck pair of tinted UV safety glasses from h-depot does just a good as expensive oakleys. blocks UV, lighten up shadows, BB gun can't penetrate it

I stick with the 30 dollar tifosi yellow or autotints. save the wasted coin for the marketing gurus at Oakley, for other bike stuff


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## XJEric (Apr 18, 2015)

Oakley, yes. I'll trust my eyes and face to glasses that stop 12 gauge. But there are some others like ESS that are a little cheaper. You really do get what you pay for. I used to go the cheap route because I was always losing them, but I got to the point where I was breaking them instead of losing them. 10 or 12 pairs a year at $10 a pop is the same price as a good pair of Oakley or Arnettes or whatever your personal flavor is.. but hey your eyes man.


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## 83stumpjumper (Feb 14, 2011)

I wear a Bell V1 helmet that's probably between 25 and 30 years old. Pretty sure it was the first mountain bike specific helmet since it has a camo paint design. I find it has good ventilation, and is comfortable when worn with a sweat band.

Now for all of you about to tell me I'm crazy to wear a helmet that old, I'm not. There is no damage to the hard shell or the Styrofoam liner, and the straps and buckle are solid. It's in perfect condition. Read this and you'll hopefully understand Update: Helmets Proven to Perform for Decades I bought it off Ebay a few years ago, and it's been great. It has no visor, and that's never been a problem.


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## TiGeo (Jul 31, 2008)

Nothing...oh ok...the visor to look more "aggro"....ahahhaahah

I used the same for both up until this year (I didn't use the visor that it came with) but have recently picked up a more full-coverage POC helmet for off road. You could ride that on road too, but its a lot hotter. (to me). Road helmets are following this patch and getting to be larger/more full-coverage and I will likely get one of the newer school road helmets next year. Hard to argue with more helmet.


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## crconsulting (Apr 11, 2004)

Joel. said:


> road helmets look better to me. They look like they have better ventilation and that is what I need coming into summer here


Agree, for a XC style helmet in the heat, that some of the road helmets seem to vent better.

I also like the MIPS technology and have always liked the fit of Giro helmets. The E2 was my favorite XC helmet which is long out of production.

Unfortunately, Giro is lacking in their selection of MIPS helmets for MTB specific, XC style, helmets.

The Savant MIPS fit the bill perfectly except it didn't have a visor which comes in handy to keep the sun out of your eyes in the heat.

I ended up getting an E2 Visor using 3M VHB double sided tape, which holds the visor as well as anything from the factory, and ended up with the perfect helmet for my needs.










The E2 visor vents also line up well. Giro really should make this helmet with a visor option.


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## justwan naride (Oct 13, 2008)

I'm definitely pro visor for mtb. Not only it helps when the sun is at certain angles, it makes riding in the rain more tolerable, plus it saved my good looks once when I faceplanted into the ground. 

Coupled with riding glasses it's a good amount of face protection.


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