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Now that I'm feeling just a bit better, I thought I'd post a quick little crash review of the Urge Archi-Enduro helmet... Urge Archi-Enduro Helmet | Hucknroll.com
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With the popularity of enduro-style events really exploding around here, this helmet seemed like an ideal piece of equipment. Indeed, it was exceptionally comfortable, well-ventilated, and light. I wouldn't - and didn't - wear it for DH-gnarly stuff, but for enduro & Super-D races, as well as jumpy-flowy trails that required pedaling to access (read: Arcylon), it seemed THE solution to decent protection and relative comfort. It was also compatible with a Leatt...which turned out to be a very good thing.
To cut to the chase, I overshot - waaaaaaaay overshot - the landing on the 2nd wood kicker jump on Arcylon (after the super high-speed, super awesome left sweeping high bermed corner). So much so that I landed less than a bike length from the roller jump that immediately follows it. With nonexistent setup for the slightly-lippy roller, I got bucked - actually, make that catapulted - OTB into the high-side bank on the left.
(FYI, I love Arcylon - even lent a little assistance building it - and have probably no less than a hundred runs down it, so it's not something unfamiliar or uncomfortable for me. Indeed, perhaps I was a little too comfortable...)
...I landed on my face. Right on my face. No hands out to break the fall (probably a good thing), no initial shoulder digger beforehand (also probably good). This was the absolute definition of a faceplant. Textbook.
The good: the helmet did prevent me from breaking my jaw. I also suffered only a minor concussion, rather than being knocked out.
The bad (a picture is worth a thousand words...): the chin bar design.
Before surgery-
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After-
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Basically, the chin bar flexed/folded under impact, and the open face port/low-profile chin bar design allowed the helmet to act like a giant scoop. Good thing my Leatt stopped my head from tucking under...I'm absolutely certain that wouldn't have turned out well. The underside of my jaw was very bruised from contact with the Leatt platform, but it worked like it was designed. Fantastically.
The outside damage is actually healing quite well. Besides permanently missing a piece of my upper lip, there'll be little scaring. By the luck of the draw, I ended up having one of the best hand and face plastic surgeons in the state do the emergency surgery.
The inside of my mouth is where the worst of the damage is. The impact actually tore all the tissue inside my mouth off my jawbone, from chin tip to jaw hinge on the left side, exposing the bone (sorry, no pics of that...thankfully....). I have a mouth full of stitches, which sucks only slightly less than being on a liquid-only diet for at least two weeks.
There was a bit o' bad luck involved in this crash in that I happened to land on either a random stick or a piece of brush that had been cut down. As the helmet turned my head into a giant scoop, and the chin bar flexed (allowing my face to dig in), the stick/piece of brush had it's way with my mouth in a bad way.
Anyhow, I just wanted to give everyone a first-hand crash report on this helmet, as its appeal would seem pretty high in non full-on DH applications. IMHO the chin bar design is fatally flawed in the case of a crash where you want face protection the most.
...Super bummed that I'm now offline for some early-season Canyons fun, but unless I have issues with infection, I should be back on-trail in about a month. Sporting a "real" full-face helmet at all times for the remainder of the season. I get a little dizzy just thinking about if I hit my face again anytime soon...
Cheers!
With the popularity of enduro-style events really exploding around here, this helmet seemed like an ideal piece of equipment. Indeed, it was exceptionally comfortable, well-ventilated, and light. I wouldn't - and didn't - wear it for DH-gnarly stuff, but for enduro & Super-D races, as well as jumpy-flowy trails that required pedaling to access (read: Arcylon), it seemed THE solution to decent protection and relative comfort. It was also compatible with a Leatt...which turned out to be a very good thing.
To cut to the chase, I overshot - waaaaaaaay overshot - the landing on the 2nd wood kicker jump on Arcylon (after the super high-speed, super awesome left sweeping high bermed corner). So much so that I landed less than a bike length from the roller jump that immediately follows it. With nonexistent setup for the slightly-lippy roller, I got bucked - actually, make that catapulted - OTB into the high-side bank on the left.
(FYI, I love Arcylon - even lent a little assistance building it - and have probably no less than a hundred runs down it, so it's not something unfamiliar or uncomfortable for me. Indeed, perhaps I was a little too comfortable...)
...I landed on my face. Right on my face. No hands out to break the fall (probably a good thing), no initial shoulder digger beforehand (also probably good). This was the absolute definition of a faceplant. Textbook.
The good: the helmet did prevent me from breaking my jaw. I also suffered only a minor concussion, rather than being knocked out.
The bad (a picture is worth a thousand words...): the chin bar design.
Before surgery-
After-
Basically, the chin bar flexed/folded under impact, and the open face port/low-profile chin bar design allowed the helmet to act like a giant scoop. Good thing my Leatt stopped my head from tucking under...I'm absolutely certain that wouldn't have turned out well. The underside of my jaw was very bruised from contact with the Leatt platform, but it worked like it was designed. Fantastically.
The outside damage is actually healing quite well. Besides permanently missing a piece of my upper lip, there'll be little scaring. By the luck of the draw, I ended up having one of the best hand and face plastic surgeons in the state do the emergency surgery.
The inside of my mouth is where the worst of the damage is. The impact actually tore all the tissue inside my mouth off my jawbone, from chin tip to jaw hinge on the left side, exposing the bone (sorry, no pics of that...thankfully....). I have a mouth full of stitches, which sucks only slightly less than being on a liquid-only diet for at least two weeks.
There was a bit o' bad luck involved in this crash in that I happened to land on either a random stick or a piece of brush that had been cut down. As the helmet turned my head into a giant scoop, and the chin bar flexed (allowing my face to dig in), the stick/piece of brush had it's way with my mouth in a bad way.
Anyhow, I just wanted to give everyone a first-hand crash report on this helmet, as its appeal would seem pretty high in non full-on DH applications. IMHO the chin bar design is fatally flawed in the case of a crash where you want face protection the most.
...Super bummed that I'm now offline for some early-season Canyons fun, but unless I have issues with infection, I should be back on-trail in about a month. Sporting a "real" full-face helmet at all times for the remainder of the season. I get a little dizzy just thinking about if I hit my face again anytime soon...
Cheers!
I sent a note (with pictures) to the place I bought the helmet, and received a response right away. The person wanted my permission to forward all the information to Urge, and I said be all means. So, hopefully, Urge has at least seen how well the design protects in a real crash. Or, rather, how well is doesn't.
