Other Features
Safety is clearly the driving factor behind the 6D’s design, but the safest helmet in the world doesn’t do much good if it’s miserable to ride in. Fortunately, I actually find the 6D to be well put together and pretty comfortable.
The 6D has a dial adjust fitment system that’s pretty similar to that used in most other helmets on the market. It has a 3 position height adjustment, and with a bit of tweaking, it cradled my head really well and stayed put nicely on rough trails.
The straps are fantastic – they mount to the sides of the helmet so they lay nice and flat, and they still have an adjustment near the ear to get the fit right. The straps have a “Fidlock” magnetic buckle that I’m still on the fence about — on one hand, it’s easy to use, and especially when wearing gloves, it beats a traditional buckle. On the other hand, it kinda feels like it could pop open in a crash, which is obviously a concern.
The 6D’s visor is nicely adjustable, and it’s pretty big. I think the look of it matches the helmet well, but fans of smaller visors (or no visors) might not like how it looks.
Initially, I’d sort of assumed that the helmet’s design would make for crappy ventilation, but it actually does pretty well. It’s not the coolest helmet I’ve ever worn, but the venting gets the job done adequately – I’d call it fairly average in the category of “more protective helmets.”
The 6D manages sweat really well – the padding inside the helmet keeps everything comfortable, and an extra wide pad across the brow does a good job of keeping sweat out of my eyes.
Bottom Line
While there are a few aspects of the 6D’s safety offerings that can be speculated upon, based on my highly unscientific but nevertheless critical assessment, 6D makes a compelling case. I have a lot of helmets sitting in my garage, and some of them beat the 6D in terms of breathability, attaching gadgets to my head, or some other non-safety-related measure.
But if I’m going to take a huge crash that involves landing on my head, out of the all the helmets I’ve tried, the 6D would be the one I’m going to reach for. The safety features are simply above and beyond anything I’ve seen offered in any other helmet.
“he one safety concern I have about the 6D is that it’s noticeably larger and heavier than any other half shell helmet I’ve ever used.”
after seeing how huge they are compared to my smith forefront and tld a1 that also kept me away from giving 6d a try! Seems like it would be a little cumbersome to handle while riding!
I’m also a little skeptical about some huge promises of safety without proven data, in the end all helmets passed the required standards before reaching the market, yes you can say why not and go for it, I’d probably invest in one if wasn’t for how big they are in the current version!
All new tech to improve safety are welcome in my mind, and I will certainly keep my eyes on 6D as they move forward and improve!
Nice review, as usual, Noah. MIPS has failed to win my heart or mind. Love your comment about hair providing a decent slip plane.
I kind of agree with Marcel. I’m not quite sure the 6D concept is ready for prime time yet, but I suspect that version two will be impressive.
I do have a couple moto friends that swear by their 6D helmets, though.
I have the EVO of this helmet and if that is what you expect to be version 2, I confirm that it actually is better in many ways than the helmets I have used so far.
I have the XL and yes it is big, but so were all my helmets and the weight is not noticed when on the head, only on the kitchen scale.
Excellent helmet.
Not much bigger or maybe not bigger than my POC Tectal Race that I just crashed in and now have to wait a least one more month efore doctor think I can go ride bumpy trails again if I do not want to damage my brain more than it is. Less vented maybe but cannot comment before I actually have been using it.