UKC

For those who have both a road bike and an MTB (doesn't everyone), do you use the same helmet for both ?

Presumably not if you have a full face helmet, but is there any difference between an XC and a road lid apart from the peak/plastic visor bit ? And does that peak do much good (or bad) ? The only time I've noticed it being a pain on the road was coming down Wrynose pass recently and it slightly obscured my vision

In reply to Chris the Tall:

Sure do. I even use Deore XT spds on my road bike, so I can use the same shoes with both!!! Ooooooh, rebel!!!

In reply to Chris the Tall:

I found the peak being a bit of a pain when on the drops but it was a clip on one so problem solved.
Some MTB ones can be heavier duty with more protection on the back of the head but others I think are just about identical.

I use a road helmet for both.

In reply to Chris the Tall:

thought there was an official rule excluding mtb peaked helmets for road use..........?

In reply to Mountain Llama:

Yes there is indeed. I have one for CX and one for road.

In reply to Chris the Tall:

Yup, the peak on MTB helmets can be a PITA riding in drops. Other than that it's mostly just a styling thing.

In reply to Chris the Tall:

I have a road helmet for road and a mountain bike one with a peak for off-road, which I usually also use on the hybrid, as it's a bit more "casual" style.

Among other things, mountain bike ones tend to have smaller vents to stop penetration from rocks and twigs - a road helmet can generally be expected to hit a flatter, more uniform surface.

My old road helmet is a Bell Sweep R, which was developed with one of the pro road teams and got very good reviews. They also released a Sweep XC, the difference being it had a peak and cost another £10 - I saw one review of it in a mountain bike mag that panned it, concluding "it's a road helmet with a peak"!

In reply to Chris the Tall:

I have a road helmet, a half lid for cross country mtb (much more protection around the back of the head) and a full face for knarly stuff

In reply to Mountain Llama:


I'm quite happy to look like a mountain biker on a road bike (also use spds), don't want to look like I'm trying (even if I am)

Thanks for all the replies - anyone care to explain why it's important to have a peak when MTBing ?

In reply to Chris the Tall:


Keeps some flying mud out of your eyes? In Finland in winter I found it helped keep some snow off your glasses!

I remember when I went from a hybrid to a CX for my commuting bike - had to take the peak off my Bell Slant because I found it limited vision a lot when on hoods, and half blinded me on the drops.

In reply to Chris the Tall:


I thought it was just to act as a sun/rain blocker and the reason it aint on road helmets is the advantage of them are badly outweighed by the disadvantage of not being able to see when on the drops.