The Rally is one of two trail/all-mountain helmets in the Bontrager range (with the more expensive Lithos starting from £99.99) and comes in a standard or MIPS version. The helmets are priced well, starting at £69.99, making them under half the price of a lid from one of the premium brands. Are the features, finish and fit up to scratch and how do they compare to the likes of Troy Lee, Smith and Giro?

SHAPE

For more aggressive trail riding (and any riding where a full face helmet is not used) there will always be a compromise to how much of your head is covered. Improved protection is important and with riders wearing goggles to keep eyes clear, these need to sit well with helmet’s shape. A deeper all-round coverage is the key here with added protection on the lower rear part of the head a real essential. These helmets tend to weigh a touch more than an XC lid but the extra heft is reassuring both from a safety and longevity point of view.

The Rally scores well here, and although the weight at 461g (for a size large with MIPS) is on the higher side of things, there is a full in-molded shell that fully covers the external shell and under the rim/base. This is a lid that will take plenty of light scrapes (and knocks in the back of the van…) and still come back for more. The deep shape has no goggle retention clip but a silicone backed strap sits well with no problems. The peak adjusts over a huge range and when tilted fully up leaves a great area to park your goggles. A great detail that has won us over.

VENTILATION

Trail helmets like the Rally have often been a hot beast to ride in, especially in the summer months. Along with the additional weight helmets such as the much loved Giro Feature (which was launched back in 2011) really struggle with ventilation for riders who ‘run hot’. The Bontrager Rally bucks this trend with 22 vents along with a peak that doesn’t interfere with airflow. Padding is slim and quick drying rather than the bulky, spongy pads that many helmets use to aid fit and comfort.

FIT AND ADJUSTMENT

A helmet can be a great design and spec but it needs to fit well and this will be a very personal thing. All of us here at Dirt HQ have found the shape to be a winner. We have both the MIPS and the standard Rally lid on test and as with many helmets the MIPS equipped version can feel a touch different on the sizing, sometimes coming up a little smaller. The deeper fit of the Rally is great, and yes it does feel a touch heavier than some but the single-handed retention adjuster locks things into place and stays put. There are three sizes for the Rally covering head sizes from 51cm to 64cm.

The straps are fixed under the ear with a lightweight non-adjustable Y-strap, which seems to be the way things are going with many helmets. The straps sit flat to the face and stay adjusted.