Bell Full-9 Mountain Bike Full Face Helmet [Rider Review]

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Having a proper fitting helmet can have a big impact on how a ride will go. Not only for the obvious protection but also having it be comfortable can help enjoy your ride even more. our friend Jon shares his experience with the Bell Full-9 Mountain Bike Full Face Helmet. Check it out!

Overview

My last full face helmet was the iXS Exult. It was light and we'll ventilated. I like that helmet a lot, but after a crash in Bentonville, Arkansas it was time for a replacement. The Exult was discontinued, so it was time for some shopping. I settled on the Bell Full-9 Full Face carbon helmet. The price was right at worldwide cyclery at less than $180. The red color scheme and the raw carbon really caught my eye, and seems to look fast just standing still. Putting the helmet on there few things I noticed right away. It is a very firm fit. I have a pretty large noggin, and it feels very planted once I put it on. The cheek pads are great and really hold the chin bar in place. The earbud slots are a great idea if you want to hear some tunes, I prefer to keep my ears on the trail for people around me and for bike noises. The face opening is wide enough to accommodate just about any kind of goggle, and offers unobstructed peripheral vision. The visor is also adjustable, but not quite enough to stow the goggles under it. Bell designed the visor to break away in the event of a crash, which is a nice touch. It is also equipped with an emergency release so that the helmet can be removed easily by medical technicians by pushing buttons on the side of the helmet to release the inner pads.

I would definitely recommend this helmet to anyone in the market for a good quality DH rated full face helmet.

The helmets chin bar is very compact, which I also like. In the event of a crash, I feel it is less leverage and rotational force on my neck, also it works quite well with my Leatt neck brace. The chin bar came with a piece of foam covering the breath vent, which I promptly removed. I would say it is a well designed helmet, overall. The helmet comes with a very nice travel bag, as well. One problem I have encountered is it is definitely not the best ventilated. This helmet can get hot. And the airflow is limited to just a few vents. Also the integrated camera top mount seems very cheap and likely to break.

Final Thoughts

I plan to use this helmet mostly for bike park riding where shuttles or lifts will be provided. I will also use it locally, here in Iowa City, Iowa for extra rowdy days, and possibly when the weather is cooler and winter riding, so the ventilation is not going to be an issue for me. Hope you find this review helpful. There are many choices for full face helmets, and the bell full9 is a no compromise maximum protection DH lid for no nonsense riders.