Jarrel at McBike is planning on bringing in these and the more skate-styled BMX/DJ helmet this season, but Ckucke and I couldn’t wait to get our hands on them. Jeff had an unused size L/XL “lying around”, so I bought it off of him. That size was too big for Ckucke, so he got a S/M off of Backcountry.com. Like most current high-end MTB helmets, this is an in-mold EPS helmet with a removable visor and a rear retention system that keeps the helmet from rocking forward and backward on the head. My other current helmet is the Giro Xen, so I will compare it to that.
The Flux is bulky and square compared to the Xen. The thickness of the EPS is easily 120% of the foam in the Xen. It is a tight fit in my helmet bag. The ventilation holes are larger but less numerous, but the effect is probably equivalent. The coverage is very similar, including the rear of the head. The Flux is perceptibly heavier than the Xen.
The rear retention device is notable in that it does not interfere with the earpieces of glasses! This is accomplished by having the rigid side straps dogleg back, down, then back again – bypassing the area above the ears where the earpieces normally sit. The rear retention device on all my recent Giro helmets (Exodus, E2, and 2 Xens) conflicted with glasses. The only negative thing with the Fox retention device is the ratchet release knobs are difficult to use with the helmet on – you generally have to remove the helmet to loosen the retention device.
The visor is removable, but non-adjustable. The lack of adjustability isn’t an issue though – the visor is in the correct place. The best thing about having a fixed-position visor is that it doesn’t end up being bumped into the wrong position. My Xen visor is chronically in the “up” position where it doesn’t do much of anything. There‘s a little rear spoiler on the back that is probably supposed to help with airflow thru the venturi effect. It is pinned into the microshell with barbed pegs and is not designed to be removable.
The straps are fairly conventional down to the quick-release side adjusters and chin squeeze buckle. The rear strap runs through tight slots in the rear retention device, so initial set-up is a little time consuming. A thick logo-imprinted rubber sleeve is provided to control the spaghetti instead of the more common o-ring. Even down to this detail, the Flux seems to be designed around durability.
Through the half-dozen or so rides I’ve had this helmet on so far, I’ve really liked it. The glasses-compatibility is a definite plus! The MSRP considerably lower than all other top-end MTB helmets, but is still a bit high considering that it is made in the PRC (like most other helmets). The manufacturing quality is better than my last Xen. The fit of the spoiler is a bit rough and the application of the Fox logo decals amateurish, but the trimming of the microshell edges and the lineup of all the inmold components is good. The seams of my last Xen were shoddy, and a piece of foam was glued on where the internal plastic framework wasn’t covered properly during the molding process.
About $100 USD retail, $80 street.
Highly recommended – definitely will get another one.
Four out of four techno monkeys
Update here
0 Responses to “Fox Flux MTB Helmet”