When protecting yourself while mountain biking, most people (if not all), agree that it is the helmet which is the most important piece.
Sure, you can stack it and snap a bone or two, or scrape half of your skin off, but if you crack your melon, then high chances are that it's going to be much worse for you.
Different types of helmets are available for different types of riding, and if you do any kind of downhill or bike park riding, you are going to need a full face helmet.
There are much higher chances of crashing and hurting yourself with this type of riding, so the need is definitely warranted.
There are quite a few helmet manufacturers out there, which make many varying models of helmets, and most of them offer good protection.
The more popular brands like POC, Fox, Bell and Troy Lee Designs come to mind, but today we’re taking a look at the Zero Full Face helmet from Demon United.
Demon first released the Zero in 2014, and it came out with a lot of great features for the price.
They have made some small changes and tweaks since the initial release to make it slightly better, but for the most part, it’s still the same piece of hardware.
Demon also make some other great protective gear to accompany their helmets, but those reviews will have to wait for another day.
The Demon Zero helmet is surprisingly lightweight, coming in at 965 grams, and has a fiberglass shell - rather than plastic covering used by other helmet manufacturers.
The helmet comes in only a fraction heavier than a majority of the carbon fibre helmets available today. Depending on who you talk to, fibreglass can also be tougher in crashes than plastic, but keep in mind that is an opinion.
Feature-wise, the Zero helmet is spot on. The surface is covered in nice and wide ventilation openings to help keep you cool, which is great since the helmet is black.
In Summer (especially in Australia) this can kick it up a few degrees. Inside you will find a removable EPS liner that can both take quite a hefty impact, and you can wash it after sweating in it all day.
An adjustable visor with aluminium screws sits on the top, rather than plastic ones you see on other helmets.
The aluminium screws are used to make sure the visor stays nice and snug to the helmet without undoing.
If you use goggles while riding (like myself on most occasions), you will like the goggle groove that helps keep the strap in place on the helmet.
Also a great feature for music lovers, there are optional wired audio earpads (by Brain Teaser), or Bluetooth earpads (by BE Link) that can connect into your phone or MP3 player of choice,
allowing you to pipe your favourite artists right into your helmet, or with the Bluetooth earpads, answer any important calls while you ride.
I received one of these Zero helmets back in December, and have put it through some fairly extensive rides to see how it performed, including a few anticlimactic stacks.
Thankfully, I did not test falling on my head, so its capability and durability will not be reviewed.
The Zero helmet is both US CPSC certified, and Australian Standard AS2063 rated. Great news for anyone looking for a decent helmet on the cheap, but still wanting to ride in Aussie races!
The way it fits, the Zero is quite comfortable, and feels astoundingly light while wearing it. The front tip of the helmet is visible in front of you, but while riding it's not an issue.
The goggle groove is great for holding them in place, but it is noticeable that the opening is a little on the small size. This could potentially make it harder for larger goggles to fit.
The air vents do a magnificent job of keeping you cool and letting the air flow in and around your head, and you shouldn’t get too hot unless it's an absolute scorcher outside.
Having said that, I don't think any helmet will prevent you from cooking in those conditions.
The Zero uses a D shackle setup for the strap, rather than a clip or buckle like a majority of helmets use, so if you haven’t used this style of strap before, it will take a little getting used to.
There is a handy little button snap at the end of the strap though, this keeps the slack in the strap out of the way of things like chest cameras. A great feature for someone like myself!
Overall, the Demon United Zero is an amazing helmet for the price. It will set you back around $270 Australian to purchase it.
Considering the cost of other high grade helmets is still much higher than that, it’s still a very good deal! Colour-wise, you can have it in any colour you want, as long as you want it in black.
It is a fantastic looking helmet though, so you shan’t experience the feeling that you’re a bit dicky and everyone is laughing at you.
Final thoughts are, if you are in the market for a new helmet, and you don’t mind waiting on the delivery, give the Zero or one of their other models a look!
Review written by Jon Willis, aka Mtn_Bike_Geek
