MIPS Trail Helmet Roundup

The Helmets

Giro Feature MIPS

MSRP: $95

Blister’s Measured Weight (Medium): 352 g

I did a full review of the Feature a while back, but since then, I’ve spent a bunch more time in the helmet.

Giro helmets have always fit my oval-ish head well. It’s comfortable in all directions, and I don’t get any pressure points. The Feature has decent protection in the rear, but it sits a little higher on my head than some of the other helmets I looked at.

The head retention system on the Feature is Giro’s “In-Form” system, which works well and has held up well for me. In addition to the traditional cinching mechanism that uses a dial, it has three position of vertical adjustment. I comfortably ran it in the middle position.

The Feature is the hottest helmet of the five in our group — it doesn’t have too many vents, nor are the vents particularly large. It also scores low points for sweat management; a gap in the brow padding means sweat is pretty quick to drip into my eyes.

The Feature also doesn’t have any gadgets, although it does work fine with goggles. The Feature regains some ground in three specific areas: first, it has the best visor of the five helmets here. It’s big enough to be effective, yet easily adjustable for when you want it out of the way. Second, it has the best straps — they’re less adjustable, but they fit around my normal-sized ears just fine and they sit nice and flat against my head.

Third, and perhaps most importantly, the Feature is the least expensive helmet in the test, and is one of a very few MIPS helmets that come in under $100.

Lazer Oasiz MIPS

MSRP: $160

Blister’s Measured Weight (Medium): 398 g

Lazer has been in the helmet business for a long time, and was recently purchased by Shimano, so we may be seeing even more from Lazer in the future.

The Oasiz MIPS fits more like a cross country helmet — it feels like it sits on top of my head, rather than around it. I also find that it pressures my head a bit at the front, so it might work better for people with slightly more round heads. I also found that the head retention system didn’t adjust down as much as I would like — in its most extended position, it was still higher than most other helmet’s “middle” position. This meant that it felt like the Oasiz didn’t really cradle my head as well.

The Oasiz uses Lazer’s “Rollsys” adjustment system. Rather than a wheel or dial in the back on the helmet, the retention system uses small cables and dial on the top of the helmet. It’s fairly slick and it works well, but to some extent, it seems to be different purely for the sake of being different.

In terms of protection, the Lazer is in the same ballpark as most of the other helmets I’m talking about here. It offers more protection in the back than an XC lid, but it doesn’t come down quite as far as, for example, the Giro Feature. The Oasiz is the most angular helmet of the five, which might be a liability in a crash. The general consensus is that a smoother, more rounded helmet is preferable to minimize the potential for the helmet to violently snag on something as you skid your head across the ground.

The visor on the Oasiz is fine, but non-adjustable. The straps are cleanly routed and adjustable, although for some reason, Lazer decided to fix what wasn’t broken and uses a weird, magnetic buckle. It takes a bit of practice to close it, and since it has magnets in it, it’s fairly heavy and large. I actually found it kind of annoying to have a small weight swinging around under my chin. I also feel that there’s a potential for it to pop open in a violent crash.

The Oasiz is the most ventilated helmet of the five, and it also does a really good job of managing sweat. For uphill riding, the Oasiz wins top marks.

The Oasiz is also the clear winner on the gadget front – it has an integrated GoPro mount, and it comes with attachments for integrating lights.

Scott Vivo Plus MIPS

MSPR: $130

Blister’s Measured Weight (Medium): 346 g

Scott is probably a bit better known for their bikes, but they have a full line of helmets, too. The Vivo Plus fits my oval-ish head really well; until I tried on the Scott, Giro helmets had always fit me best. But the Vivo Plus is the new winner for me. So if you find Giro helmets to be comfortable, the Scott’s are worth checking out.

The Vivo Plus does a good job of sitting low on my head — I feel like it wraps around my head rather than just sitting on top of it, and it seems that it’d protect me a bit better because of that. The Vivo Plus has a somewhat square profile to it, without being angular in a way that concerns me from a protection standpoint. One complaint about MIPS systems that they don’t extend far enough down in the back to be effective, but the Vivo Plus is very good in this regard — the MIPS liner fully wraps around my head.

The retention system is Scott’s “MRAS2” system, which is a simple dial in the back. The retention system is more minimalist than most other brands, but I still find that it’s comfortable and works well. The system has three height adjustment positions, and I comfortably ran it in the middle spot.

The Vivo Plus doesn’t have as many vents as the Lazer, but the holes are bigger. This means that, while it’s fairly average in terms of airflow, it seems to do pretty well at low speeds. Sweat management is also pretty good — not groundbreaking, but I don’t have any complaints.

The visor on the Vivo Plus has two positions, but it uses little plastic snap fittings that’ll likely break if you’re adjusting it very often. Pick the position you like and leave it there. The straps are pretty straightforward, and are decently adjustable. While it worked fine for me, people with taller heads might find the straps to be too short though.

The Vivo Plus doesn’t have any integration for gadgets, but there is a big flat spot on top that’d work well for a GoPro mount. The shape also works fine with goggles.

NEXT:Smith Forefront, Sweet Protection Bushwhacker Carbon MIPS