Quite what has taken Troy Lee so long to come out with a trail lid is still a bit of a mystery to us, especially as everyone has been crying out for one for years, but the wait is now over thanks to this new A1.

To be fair Troy Lee have apparently been working on this new lid for over three years! They didn’t just want stick some of their artwork on any old lid, they wanted to create something from the ground up that was Troy Lee through and through. A key thing that they wanted to make sure they avoided was just to produce a roadie lid with a peak on it. Utmost protection for the modern all-mountain/trail/enduro/whatever you want to call it rider was paramount, and to achieve that Troy Lee have well and truly gone for as much coverage as possible at the rear and sides. Despite all this coverage and exceeding all the relevant safety standards this new lid weighs in at just 320g.

Those we’ve spoken to who’ve been lucky enough to already try one out say that it definitely feels more ‘snug’ than a regular trail lid, like your head is actually in it rather than the lid being perched on top of your head. This might make you think that it’s going to be hot like a full face, but Troy Lee have chucked a whole load of big vents in (16 to be precise) and spent a lot of time making sure that they’re as efficient as possible. Because there is so much coverage at the rear Troy Lee have also had to develop their own unique adjustment system, and for a truly tailored fit you can set the height of this system to three different positions. Comfort is taken on yet another notch thanks to the use of very high quality ‘Nanowick’ lining that contains Coolmax, and the lid will be available in three different sizes so as to not leave everything down to the adjustment system.

Other details of the A1 include an adjustable visor which has a decent 25mm of adjustment and is attached via some suitably pimp aluminium bolts, a filament reinforced liner, and some neat little strap adjusters. Oh, and of course you can’t forget the fin at the back. As for when it will be available and how much it will cost, well, depending on where you live you might be lucky enough to get hold of one on the 4th of February, but by the sounds of it they’ll take a while longer to reach the UK. And as for pricing, that is still to be worked out for the UK but I can tell you that the limited edition Gold Metal Flake Cyclops will be on sale in the USA for $185 and the Black Cyclops version will be $165. So, not exactly cheap, but then again we never expected a Troy Lee trail lid to be that. We’d imagine that in the UK this lid will be POC kind of money, and by the sounds of it there will probably be more finish options available in the not too distant future. We’re sure there will be a few riders hoping for something a little more subtle!

Anyway, here’s a little video that gives you a bit more insight into what went into making this helmet a reality…

So what do you lot reckon? Are you already saving the pennies, or aren’t you fussed?

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