Strengths: Light Weight
Good fit but...(see below)
Well vented (I live in the tropics)
Doesn't block peripheral vision
Gives confidence in the rough
Weaknesses: ...a little tight around the ears for me. (other than that, overall size is good)
Bottom Line:
I had been looking at one of these for some time and do not regret getting this. To some, it may look overkill but trouble can happen at any speed. So far, I have yet to take a hit to the face, but if I did, I will be more confident that I will be sufficiently protected. I now ride more aggressively and am pleased with the overall performance of the Parachute.
Considering that it protects your lower face, I say, worth every penny!
Some of my friends were initially making fun of me, but now, half of them want one when I leave them behind on a technical downhill!
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Submitted by
Lee
a Weekend Warrior
Date Reviewed: June 11, 2012
Strengths: It's fairly light for the extra protection you get ! Looks great when it's on and turns you into billy big balls when your wearing it
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
Love this helmet it saved my teeth and my skull ! Had a pretty high speed crash into a big wooden post that appeared from nowhere on a tight bend !! The face protecter did its job really well had some deep scratches all along the left hand side ! As for the helmet part that cracked all the way through just above my left eye ! I did get knocked out for a while and I got a massive lump on my bonce but it did it job and did it job well ! I would recomend this helmet to anyone ! It looks cool and well worth the money
Strengths: So much more protection than most XC/AM helmets. It is just as cool to wear as any helmet i have owned and it gives you just a bit more confidence in the rough stuff.
Weaknesses: None yet, fits well and seems to be durable. peripheral vision is good and airflow is excellent.
Bottom Line:
This helmet is expensive but your front teeth are priceless. Why wouldn't all XC and AM helmets have face protection like this? If this helmet ever has to sacrifice its life for my face, I would order another one in a heartbeat.
Submitted by
cguella
a Cross Country Rider
from Charlotte, NC
Date Reviewed: September 20, 2011
Strengths: This design is awesome!
Weaknesses: Not available in US. Supposed to not be sold into the US.
Bottom Line:
From Met Helmets via email: ‘Each MET helmet conforms to the safety standard applicable in the country where it is sold. Because there are different safety standards in different parts of the world, a helmet sold in Australia or America for instance does not necessarily conform to the European Standard and vice versa. For this reason we strongly recommend that you do not buy a helmet outside your home country. Please also note that MET helmets are not available in the USA and in some other areas of the world’.
Submitted by
pominoz
a Weekend Warrior
from Canberra, Australia
Date Reviewed: August 30, 2011
Strengths: Unique helmet that adds reasonable additional protection without being significantly heavier or hotter than a standard vented open face helmet. Good fit for me and stays in place in a crash.
Weaknesses: The internal pads wear out after 9-12 months but, meh, just replace them.
Bottom Line:
Good helmet and I wonder why more people riding off-road don't wear them. Additional protection from branches along tree-lined singletrack and useful side and front face protection in a crash. Don't bother buying one if you only land on the top or back of your head...a standard helmet will do. ;O)
Similar Products Used: There are no similar products.
Bike Setup: Pivot Mach5 XT
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Submitted by
clydecrash
a Cross Country Rider
from Tucson, AZ, USA
Date Reviewed: August 22, 2011
Strengths: Good head coverage. Fairly light. Vents keep it almost as cool as an open face.
Weaknesses: Expensive for what you get. Fair fitting. I needed to put in other pads to get it to fit well.
Bottom Line:
Only XC full-face helmet around. Needed a full-face for cross country, which it does well. Fitting is not good, but doable with pads from other helmets. Buckles do not seem to hold well, but easily adjusted. Very expensive for what you get, though.
Only game around, so will buy another when necessary (after one crash since it is a one-crash xc helmet).
Similar Products Used: Real full-faces (e.g., Giro Remedy). Fox Flux.
Bike Setup: From xc hardtail to fr fully.
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Submitted by
Keplerbuns
a Weekend Warrior
from Mansfield
Date Reviewed: January 9, 2011
Strengths: Well vented, good fit.
Weaknesses: Internal pads wear out fairly quick
Bottom Line:
I've had one of these since they first arrived in the shops, I shan't lie I bought it cos I thought it looked cool and less like the normal potty shapes on offer. Since then though I've bought other helmets all of the potty variety, Hex, Xen and Flux, relegating this to my winter helmet, but I have to say whenever I put this on I push a little harder and for me that's why we do what we do.
Submitted by
merc350
a Weekend Warrior
from Huddersfield West Yorkshire
Date Reviewed: November 21, 2010
Strengths: Don't listen to the negatives this helmet does what it says on the tin. I KNOW!!
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
I don't normally write reviews but have seen some negatives for this helmet on the forums as there is a video of a guy with some plastic sticking out of his face.
IGNORE IT
If you are an agressive xc rider/ AM rider buy one of these helmets.
Riding yesterday at Lee Quarry which is a very technical set of trails in the UK Coming down the easiest part at the end and not knowing the route well tried to jump a 6ft foot ditch that i didnt know was there at 25+ mph. Result bike stops and i continued for a long way before landing head, shoulder and face first. Damage? face and head none, helmet deep scratches and smashed. Brusied ribs and shoulder and arm. I am a medic and if i wasn't wearing this helmet (and fox body armour) i would have had broken collar bone, shattered elbow and broken arm. broken ribs and severe concussion/ fractured skull/ smashed eye socket and broken nose.
Morale to the story? Buy this helmet (i have just ordered a new one). If you ride aggressively consider body armour, if you have an off it will save your neck..
Strengths: Good at protecting up to moderate crashes, which is about 100% of what I inflict on myself.
Weaknesses: cloth stuff comes off after a while. I do a bit of doctoring for the pads. Blocks vision when road biking when I look back for cars. Two bolts up front rusted. They should have used stainless steel.
Bottom Line:
Saved my face 10 times at least. I hit 2 tree trucks pretty hard and it deflected both of them without hurting my pretty face. The rest were endos, and it completely protected my face, jaw and teeth. In all my crashes (mountain bike) the side of the helmet never hit my face on impact. It also deflects branches. I will not ride without this helmet. I've just started using it on the road only because I want it to reduce the initial impact in case of a fall. I imagine a hard hit on asphalt will destroy the chin guard.
Similar Products Used: Used Specialized deviant for 1 year. Met is a little cooler, but not as stout.
Bike Setup: 2010 Niner RIP
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Submitted by
grapeshot
a Cross Country Rider
from Peebles
Date Reviewed: June 28, 2010
Strengths: High quality construction, good fit, very well vented, attractive design
Weaknesses: pads too thin, product finish not as high as similarly priced competitors
Bottom Line:
I've got this to ease me though my growing confidence with trail-centre riding. I've ridden XC for years, and only ever stacked at low speeds, and as I push myself to ever better times at my local TC, I can see an 'off' on the horizon.
The Met makes a good impression. Having researched the helmet thoroughly on the internet (I was unable to find any proof of ANY injury directly caused by the helmet's design), I was interested to see the infamous face protector in the flesh, so to speak. It's actually a much better design than I'd expected, as indeed is the entire helmet. This isn't some gimmicky afterthought: it's an entire, unified system.
The lid is made from thicker-than-normal polystyrene, covered in a light plastic shell. It offers excellent head coverage, especially at the back. The face protector is a substantial and well engineered object, entirely integrated into the overall design. It covers the side of the head and ears very well and leaves plenty of room for unhampered breathing. The inside of the face protector is foam lined down to the corners of the mouth. The foam is fairly thin, but feels about right for it's intended use. The front of the face protector has no foam lining, a design that's in keeping with most proper full face helmets. The entire helmet feels very strong and very protective. In my view, it would take a very significant impact to cause a failure in the face protector.
When viewed as an entire object,(face protector attached) the helmet is very attractive. It's distinctive without being 'dorky' and it certainly looks like it's worth the asking price. With the protector removed, the lid, while still remaining an excellent and highly protective device, looks like a $50 product. There's a lot of naked polystyrene on show, and there's a fair amount of plastic moulding 'flash' on the seams. Compared to my Spesh, Giro and Lazer helmets, (especially my excellent Xen), there's no real comparison in terms of presentation and 'finish'. That said, with the face protector back in place, the Met can sit proudly next to the very best XC lids.
The fitting system is very good (especially the straps), and this helmet is one of the few to achieve a good fit for me out of the box. Having said that, the pads are too thin in my opinion (in the same way that the Xen's are too thick) so I did what I've always done with new helmets, regardless of cost ( I never buy cheap), and cobbled together a new set from my extensive collection of spares. In fact, it's required the least amount of modifications to get it right of any helmet I've owned. Roll on the day when I don't have to change a thing however...
On the bike the helmet performed superbly. I haven't crash tested it yet (thank God) but there's plenty of postings about this aspect of the helmet on the net . My main concern was overheating. I race my usual routes against a GPS opponent, so I'm always pushing to beat my last best time. I defeated my previous best wearing the Met. The day was one of the hottest so far of this summer, and I didn't feel any significant difference compared to the Xen. Indeed, the Met was better on the down as the venting allowed increased airflow. Noticeably so in fact. I also found it extremely easy to breath in the helmet. While I was able to hear myself gasping on the way up(!) at no point was I re-breathing my own air and I never felt claustrophobic. The period of adjustment to a 'closed face' helmet was very quick in fact. That was both a relief and a surprise! The helmet also stayed firmly secure on my head during the very rocky down sections.
Overall then, I'd say that this helmet is the perfect compromise between an XC lid and a full face. It isn't going to offer anything like the sort of protection of a full facer, and you shouldn't wear it for any sort of Downhill racing, but it'll certainly offer protection in a low to medium speed crash on an aggressive Cross Country ride. It doesn't hamper you on hard-pushed ascents (and I really push), and it won't shake loose on the decent, regardless of how rough it gets.
For moving up a level in aggressive XC, this is currently the best option out there.
Submitted by
conifer0
a Weekend Warrior
from Grand Junction, CO
Date Reviewed: May 10, 2010
Strengths: Additional protection. Does exactly what it's designed to do. Air flow is really good considering how much more coverage it has. Stays put and doesn't bounce around. Lightweight.
Weaknesses: A little tight on my ears but to be fair my ears do stick out a bit. Harder than a normal hat to get on. Certain glasses might be a problem. Takes a lot longer than a normal helmet to get just right. Hotter than a normal helmet but I'm old enough to remember when nobody wanted to wear helmets at all because they were too hot! Now it's hard to find someone who doesn't wear one.
Bottom Line:
First of all, This is NOT a downhill helmet! It is additional protection over a regular helmet. Second, unless you want to contribute to your dentists retirement plan, BUY THIS HELMET. I read a lot of reviews on this helmet before I ordered it, because you cant buy it in the US. Mostly positive reviews about how it saved someone's face or teeth or jaw. Well, I'm adding to those reviews. It just saved me a scarred face and possibly a broken jaw. I was riding a rocky ledge that I've ridden quite a few times through the years, and next thing I knew, my head was bouncing off the rock that I was body-slammed into. I thought that I had hit the side of my face but I really wasn't sure because there wasn't any pain. So, I took off the helmet and was amazed at the deep scratches in the plastic chin guard. From the tip all the way back to where my ear is. No scratches or impacts on the normal helmet area at all! So if I would have had a regular helmet, there would have been blood on the rocks, and I might have been out-cold. As it was, I dusted off my jersey, checked my ride for damage, and headed on down the trail to finish my ride. After this, I won't wear a standard helmet on a Mtn ride again. BTW - When I took off my jersey, my shoulder and chest had red impact marks all over! I hit hard!
Similar Products Used: Bell Drop (Too Hot for everyday rides)
Bike Setup: Specialized Stump Jumper FSR S-Works
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Submitted by
Pascal Lessard
a Weekend Warrior
from Montrea, Quebec, Canada
Date Reviewed: September 27, 2009
Strengths: Very comfortable! You feel really safe and helps you go faster and faster. It’s light and looks really awesome and evil! I don’t get it why other companies don’t make similar helmets. Too bad, this is one is awesome and all you Enduro, freeride and extreme all mountain riders should wear one….that way you will keep your teethes and low dental bills!
Similar Products Used: None. It's unique and thats too bad for all the other companies
Bike Setup: Doesn’t matter, only the way you ride that counts...ok 2009 amazing stumpy epic comp with a few add-ons and mods.
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Submitted by
mefistofeles
a Weekend Warrior
from Diamond Bar,CA., United States of America
Date Reviewed: September 18, 2009
Strengths: The helmet truly is a light well ventilated full face helmet.
Weaknesses: The sizing is a bit tight. I bought the large and had to strip out the helmet lining in order to make it fit. Riding with glasses can be quite difficult with this helmet. I paid a fortune for this helmet $180 and they discounted it a week later by $40!
Bottom Line:
As per the last reviewers comments this is a full face helmet so it the ventilation and ergonomic properties will not be different from an open face helmet.
However taking that into mind I think this as astounding helmet for what the type of riding that I mainly do, urban nighttime riding. I've tried riding with a "proper" full face helmet (Giro Remedy) at night and during the day, and it's certainly doable but man after two or four miles it's simply too much you'll find yourself drenched in sweat.
The Met Parachute on the other hand has proven to be an excellent "compromise" helmet that provides full face protection and good venting. My first ride was an 18 mile urban ride and I worked quite well.
However the second ride was much tougher it was a 23 mile ride with a group of fixed gear riders on my cyclocross bike. Of course we flying down the straights but there were also a few very harsh and steep climbs. At no time did I feel that the Met Parachute was an undue burden or that I could have gone much faster without it.
So far this helmet has proven to be a great helmet that hasn't let me down while riding with a group of very fast riders. Although most of riding was done at night it still feels far more comfortable and cooler than a full face helmet under similar circumstances.
Submitted by
g3rG
a Weekend Warrior
from Arizona, USA
Date Reviewed: September 11, 2009
Strengths: Unique design, with a bit more face protection. Decent fit to my head shape (i.e. not round)
Weaknesses: Poor ventilation, very poor padding, obnoxious strap mounts, routes sweat into eyes. Personal taste, but to me the glossy black version looks like something from the kids aisle at the local mega-discount store.
Bottom Line:
Overall very disappointing. I like the chin bar, and it is a nice styling concept, but functionally it is well below my expectations. Although there are lots of cooling holes, they do not have inside passages to allow air to flow through the helmet. If air can't flow out, it can't flow in. The pads are decoration at best, and the center rib presses on the apex of my head. The straps are mounted to points up inside the helmet (typical of much cheaper helmets) making it a fight to get them in the right place, and they are never comfortable. The headband is cheap hard plastic, and the overmold shell only covers the outermost surfaces. The only thing that adds value beyond bargain basement helmets is the chin bar.
Bike Setup: Giant Reign-X, e150, Hammerschmidt, Saint
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Erik
a Cross Country Rider
from UK
Date Reviewed: April 30, 2009
Strengths: Lightish & good for helmet mounted tubular lights. Well ventilated - even for hot summer riding and not claustrophobic in the slightest. The chin & cheek protection doesn't look like much, but it definitely works... Excellent protection for the side of the head too, lower down than most helmets.
Weaknesses: Bit of a snug fit over the ears. I'd recommend a Buff to help it ease on & off in the winter. The small amount of padding on the internals starts to come adrift after a years use or so. (same as most well used helmets I guess)
Bottom Line:
There's almost nothing else like it out there. A fullish face helmet for a slightly mad cross country rider who needs another 2" travel... I broke my wrist a couple of weeks ago by attaching myself to some large boulders after a bad landing (at night) but also used my cheek & jaw to help stop. No damage to face, a decent few gouges out of the helmet chin guard. Best helmet I've owned & I'm up for another one when I'm able to ride again.
