Met 5th Element
After around three years MTBing with my original helment, a Met Crackerjack, it was looking a little battered and worn but my major gripe was with my hot head ! At slow, speeds I often felt like my head was going to boil and I often ripped it off at the top of climbs to try and cool down. I visited a few bike shops to try on helmets from other manufacturer's but Met's just seem to fit me better than most. Favourable online reviews and magazine article's swung my attention towards the 5th Element, as it has a staggering 29 vents compared to just 14 on my Crackerjack.
Over the year it been robust and durable and the additional cooling it offers has been very welcome indeed. It's mostly comfortable although the forehead strap can sometimes dig in as the pads aren't billiant around the front. I've found that the retention system is good and tight although the chin strap can wiggle it'self loose after a days riding - which is no bigee as it's easily nipped back up. The large number of vents haven't compromised it's strength either - as tested on a recent trip to Cannock !
Encouragingly, all Met helmet's come with a 3 year warranty. Although the full UK retail price is £80, you'll now often find them available online for nearly 50% off - which makes it a really good deal. I paid in the region of £60 and would have no qualms buying another.
Over the year it been robust and durable and the additional cooling it offers has been very welcome indeed. It's mostly comfortable although the forehead strap can sometimes dig in as the pads aren't billiant around the front. I've found that the retention system is good and tight although the chin strap can wiggle it'self loose after a days riding - which is no bigee as it's easily nipped back up. The large number of vents haven't compromised it's strength either - as tested on a recent trip to Cannock !
Encouragingly, all Met helmet's come with a 3 year warranty. Although the full UK retail price is £80, you'll now often find them available online for nearly 50% off - which makes it a really good deal. I paid in the region of £60 and would have no qualms buying another.
2 Comments:
Farqui said...
Hehe, on the Met website I see that the Crackerjack is in the Youth category ! Perhaps more worringly, the 5th Element is in Competition...
Farqui said...
Oh yeah, my Crackerjack is still going strong as now it's used on my commutes. So it's had a solid amount of use (twice daily for much of it) over what's now close to 5 years of ownership.
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