First things first, we don’t reckon anyone can deny that this latest Fox lid is one of the best looking full face helmets that’s ever been made. We just love it from every angle. Of course once it’s on your head it’s only other people who are going to be able to see how good it looks, and you’ll be more concerned with how it feels to wear. And the very short answer to that is best summed up by the first thing that Josh Bryceland said to me about it…”fucking well comfy”. I couldn’t have put it better myself.

From the outset Fox were determined to make the most comfortable full face that has ever been made, and I reckon they’ve succeeded. We reckon their previous V3R lid held that title, but this one manages to go one step further whilst still retaining a ‘moto’ feel, and it’s also slimmer and generally less bulky. Comfort isn’t just down to padding though and Fox are aware of that too and so they’ve fitted no fewer than 17 vents, including a pile of big ones on the chin guard to aid breathing. You also get a wicking and vented liner and they’ve made the range of peripheral vision as wide as possible. Of course weight also plays a big part and thanks to the use of a full carbon shell the large one that we have in our hands weighs just 1174g. Yes that’s a fair bit off being the lightest around but crucially this one feels incredibly solid and that weight is easily low enough to avoid any of that wobbling feeling.

As I said just now this lid really does have a reassuring feel to it, so much so that this is the first MTB lid that Bryceland has felt comfortable wearing. Previously he’s always insisted on wearing a moto lid. The traditional double D-ring closure again helps give a feeling of utmost protection.

You also get a serious feeling of quality when you pick this lid up and then put it on, but then again you’d expect that from a lid that’s carrying a premium price tag. We really like some of the little details too, particularly the visor. As you’d expect this is adjustable (and is fixed in place with some high quality aluminium screws), but it’s really designed to be used in its most raised position where it neatly buts up against a shoulder in the helmet shell. It gives an amazing seamless look and we reckon it plays a big part in helping this lid look as good as it does.

If you hadn’t already guessed we like this lid a lot, and above you can see the full range of colours that it’s going to be available in. There will also be five sizes to choose from in order to get the perfect fit, and Fox haven’t cheated by just using different thickness padding as there are actually two different shell sizes and three different liners. It’s not the cheapest way to do things but it’s the best way. Hopefully this lid should be available to buy pretty soon, and for those of you looking for a slightly more affordable option it sounds as though a cheaper composite version is in the pipeline.

Price: £320.00
www.foxhead.com

[series]

Photos: Ben Winder