Open Face Helmets

About Open Face Helmets

Open-face MTB helmets are a compromise. This guide helps you choose the right one by matching coverage, cooling, and stability to how and where you ride (and how you tend to crash).

1. Open-Face MTB Helmet Types & When to Use Them

2. Safety Standards, Certifications & Testing for Bicycle Helmets

• CPSC 16 CFR Part 1203 (United States): Baseline legal safety standard for bicycle helmets sold in the US. It is pass fail, not “best in class.”
  
• CPSC “extended head coverage” labelling: Some helmets are labelled to the CPSC standard as “Age 1 and Older (Extended Head Coverage).” In plain terms, that usually means more coverage lower on the head, which is exactly what many trail helmets aim for.
  
• EN 1078 (Europe and UK aligned standards): Common standard for pedal cycle helmets in Europe. It is also pass fail, and it does not guarantee the helmet is great, only that it cleared the bar.
  
• Regulation (EU) 2016/425 (PPE framework in the EU): Helmets sold as PPE in the EU sit under this regulatory umbrella. Standards like EN 1078 are used to demonstrate compliance.
  
• AS/NZS 2063 (Australia and New Zealand): The relevant bicycle and wheeled recreation helmet standard in those markets. If you ride there, match the label to the local requirement instead of assuming CPSC or EN covers you.
  
• ASTM F1952 (downhill mountain bike racing): A more demanding standard intended for Downhill racing conditions, with greater impact protection expectations than basic bicycle standards. Most open-face trail lids will not meet it.
  
• NTA 8776 (speed pedelec and ebike oriented): Dutch certification scheme tied to NTA 8776, aimed at higher speed impacts and typically more coverage than a traditional bicycle helmet standard implies. Useful if your “mountain biking” includes high-speed mixed traffic or fast commuting segments.
  
• Independent testing (Virginia Tech Bicycle Helmet Ratings): Virginia Tech rates many bicycle helmets using their STAR system, considering both linear acceleration and rotational velocity across multiple impact scenarios. It is one of the few public tools that helps separate “passes the minimum” from “reduces risk better than average.”
  
• Why the minimum standard is not the finish line: Certification proves the helmet met a defined test, in a defined lab setup. Real crashes are messier, angled, and usually involve your body doing something dumb. Use standards as a gate, then choose features and fit like they matter, because they do.
  

3. Open-Face MTB Helmet Features & Trade-Offs

4. Core Open-Face Helmet Designs Compared

• Option A: In-mould shell with EPS foam
  

• Ideal user: XC, trail, riders who care about weight and airflow.
  
• Strengths: Light, well-ventilated, usually more comfortable over long rides.
  
• Limitations: Less tolerant of daily abuse. Dents and edge chips happen, especially if the helmet lives loose in a gear bag.
  

• Option B: Hard shell (typically thicker outer shell)
  

• Ideal user: Dirt jump, pump track, skate park, anyone who treats helmets like disposable tools.
  
• Strengths: Better resistance to dings and scrapes from repeated contact and rough handling.
  
• Limitations: Heavier, warmer, often less ventilated. You notice it on long climbs.
  

• Hybrid: In-mould with reinforced lower shell coverage
  

• Ideal user: Trail riders who want the lighter feel but also destroy gear.
  
• Strengths: Better edge durability without going full hard shell.
  
• Limitations: More breathable, still not as abuse-proof as a true hard shell, and you can pay nearly the same weight penalty anyway.
  

5. Fit, Compatibility & Comfort for MTB Open-Face Helmets

• Fit is safety, not comfort fluff: If the helmet can rotate on your head, it can rotate off the part of your head that needs protection. A stable helmet is a safer helmet.
  
• Position check: Wear it level and low enough to protect the forehead. If it is perched high because “it feels airy,” you built a forehead target.
  
• Stability test: Buckle it, tighten the retention, then shake your head like you are disagreeing with a bad line choice. The helmet should move your scalp, not slide over it.
  
• Strap geometry matters: Straps should form a clean V around each ear, with no twists. Chin strap should be snug enough that opening your mouth pulls the helmet down slightly.
  
• Eyewear compatibility: Try it with your riding glasses. Some helmets create temple pressure that feels fine in the shop and turns into a migraine after an hour of chatter.
  
• Goggle reality: If you run goggles with an open face, check visor clearance and strap routing. Some helmets push goggles down your nose or lift the helmet at the rear, which wrecks both comfort and safety.
  
• Head shape is a silent deal breaker: Two helmets can be the same size and one will hot spot your forehead because the internal shape is wrong. If you feel a concentrated pressure point in the first minute, it will be unbearable in the first climb.
  
• Heat and sweat: More coverage usually means more heat. If you ride humid forests, prioritize vent layout and pad materials, not just vent count.
  
• Cold and wet: A thin skull cap can change fit. Try the helmet with the thickest thing you plan to wear under it so you do not accidentally size yourself into wobble season.
  

6. Open-Face MTB Helmet Care, Maintenance & Lifespan

• One real impact, one retirement: Replace any helmet that has been involved in a crash or shows damage. Damage to the energy-absorbing liner is not always visible.
  
• Post-ride inspection takes ten seconds: Look for shell cracks, compressed foam, loose retention hardware, and straps that are fraying or slipping. If the retention dial feels gritty or inconsistent, it is not “fine,” it is failing.
  
• Lifespan is not infinite: Even without a crash, UV exposure, sweat, and general abuse add up. A common rule of thumb is around five years for frequent use, sooner if the helmet lives in the sun or gets knocked around.
  
• Cleaning: Use mild soap and water. Rinse sweat out of pads, air dry, and do not cook it on a dashboard.
  
• Do not modify it: No drilling, no creative solvents, no mystery adhesives. The helmet was tested as built, not as your arts and crafts project.
  
• Pad replacement is not cosmetic: Worn pads change fit. Changed fit changes crash behaviour. If replacement pads are unavailable, that is an ownership cost you should factor in at purchase time.