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Smith Mainline helmet rant

16K views 30 replies 15 participants last post by  Rob-S  
#1 ·
I like the helmet. Good protection. Ventilation is decent. The colours are boring but whatever.

But the noise. Ugh... the constant knocking or squeeking sound you hear just turning your head! I know it's the mips liner rubbing against the inside of the helmet but man is it loud and distracting. So distracting that if my adhesive-felt-pieces trick doesn't work as a buffer between the liner and the shell, I'll have to switch helmets.
 
#2 · (Edited)
I stopped noticing the rub on mine after awhile. Not sure if it calmed down or if I just got used to it. It never really bothered me that much in the first place but I did notice it when it was new around a year ago or so


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#4 ·
I was really concerned about the noise before buying mine. I like Smith stuff - glasses, ski and mtb goggles, ski helmets, etc. so I was already pretty set on grabbing the Mainline helmet. In my research I found a ton of mentions of the MIPS noise and almost didn't buy it. First time I tried it on when I got it in the mail I could immediately notice the noise but decided to try it on the trail anyway.

My first downhill day with the new helmet ended and I thought "crap, I forgot to listen for the noise!" I guess I just never noticed on the trail at all. I can definitely hear it if I shake my head side to side but when riding I don't hear anything. That's surprising for me since I'm usually really weird about noises.
 
#5 ·
I don’t have a Smith helmet, but my Bell Super 3R is a squeaky MoFo as well. It’s worse with the chinbar on- I don’t know if it squeaks more, or I just hear it more because the sound gets trapped in there.

either way, I haven’t found a solution and man I feel you. A squeaky helmet is not awesome.
 
#6 ·
I'm gonna hit up this arts and crafts store and see if they have felt sheets with adhesive on the back. I'll line the whole MIPS liner with it and see what happens. I think it's in the rear of the helmet.

I'm weird about noises too... but I suppose when I'm riding down hill, I don't necessarily hear it because I'm too focused on not crashing.
 
#8 ·
Not sure what the deal is with the design but the Smith mips liners are held in with the regular rubber attachments. My half lid Smith Forefront 2 has the same system as the Mainline, but doesn't make noise. Ah well. I got my adhesive felt and gonna see if I can make it quiet.
 
#10 ·
I like the helmet. Good protection. Ventilation is decent. The colours are boring but whatever.

But the noise. Ugh... the constant knocking or squeeking sound you hear just turning your head! I know it's the mips liner rubbing against the inside of the helmet but man is it loud and distracting. So distracting that if my adhesive-felt-pieces trick doesn't work as a buffer between the liner and the shell, I'll have to switch helmets.
Have you found any full face, or convertibles to have better ventilation? I'm on the edge about buying one of these. Thanks!
 
#12 ·
Yeah I did put on that felt. It's now quiet although I have to remove some of it. The mips liner doesn't move as well as before, which defeats the whole point of having a helmet with mips. I have to try to leave some of the felt on the wear points only.
 
#14 ·
I have... it's not bad at all. I haven't tested any other full face enduro helmets but I found the Mainline was pretty easy to wear during hot temps while climbing. It's not as cool as a regular trail helmet but no where near as hot as a dedicated helmet like the TLD D3 it replaced.
 
#18 ·
Hello! Thanks for the infos in here.

I tried my new MainLine today, squeaky AF.

After reading a couple post here and there, I tried an old party cake candle and rubbed it between the mips liner and helmet foam/koroyoid. Seams so have solve the issue in the garage test for now. Ill try a bigger test and see if it holds true.

Cheers!
 
#30 ·
I like the helmet. Good protection. Ventilation is decent. The colours are boring but whatever.

But the noise. Ugh... the constant knocking or squeeking sound you hear just turning your head! I know it's the mips liner rubbing against the inside of the helmet but man is it loud and distracting. So distracting that if my adhesive-felt-pieces trick doesn't work as a buffer between the liner and the shell, I'll have to switch helmets.
Ha! I tried on a Smith Mainline in a bike shop and noticed that and it was one of the reasons I didn't buy one. I went with the IXS Trigger instead. I don't notice any noise in it.