[Tested] Endura MT500 MIPS Helmet

This Summer I’ve spent the majority of my pedal powered rides in the Endura MT500 MIPS helmet. As a relative newcomer to the world of mountain velocipede helmets, Endura has paired up with MIPS and Koroyd for uneaten protection on this new flagship trail lid. As my first wits in an Endura lid, what stood out most well-nigh this helmet was the oversized vents and impressively deep coverage over the occipital area. Read on to see how it fared in the long term…

Details

MIPS rotational protection
Koroyd impact protection
5 colors
3 sizes: S/M, M/L(tested), L/XL
Standard buckle
420 grams (our scale, M/L)
Goggle friendly
Removable Accessory/Light/Camera mount
Micro retread fit system
Crash replacement policy
$239.95 USD

As you can unmistakably see – big vents and extended coverage out when are a standout.

This helmet has wipe lines and a nice squint to it while nothing stands out as stuff wildly unconventional. Note the stealthy and minimalist whatsit mount in the part-way frame, above.

Out when there is a grippy section to help alimony goggle straps in place.

The retention system is willowy in its height between 3 positions as you can see above, left. The dial is easy to operate with one hand and there is a thin rubber layer on the contact side which helps alimony things well-appointed and grippy.

Koroyd is interesting stuff. It basically looks like a tuft of straws sandwiched together. The idea is that it helps with impact resistance while still permitting for plenty of air flow.

The strap system is what we’ve come to expect these days – a Y shaped harness with stock-still vise points in the front of the helmet, combined with a standard buckle.

The welding range of the visor on the MT500 MIPS is massive. It has increasingly than unbearable room for goggles if that’s your thing. The detents aren’t all that well-spoken but the hardware is sturdy, made from aluminum, and there isn’t any unwanted movement.

On the trail

Beginning with fit, the sizing was pretty spot on and accurate. Regardless of how most brands label things, if they offer 3 sizes I unchangingly end up wearing the middle one. Additionally, I didn’t notice any hot spots or odd shape to its overall profile. That said, if you can it’s unchangingly good to try a lid on in advance, as there is plenty of range in the profile of riders’ throne shapes and thus, many people have unrepealable preferences based on how each trademark tends to fit. Anecdotally, I finger like most riders would get withal well with the MT500’s shape. I appreciated all of the features and the padding is quite plush and soft to the touch. It seems to be distributed nicely throughout all the right places as well. Although I don’t personally wear goggles with half lids, I tried some and they work very nicely. On the topic of eyewear the stovepipe of two variegated pairs of glasses slipped in comfortably and didn’t interfere with the retention system as well.

Some thoughts on Koroyd and the vents…While I did find that the very generously sized openings kept things very tomfool I did find myself wanting to be worldly-wise to scratch the occasional itch through them and unfortunately the Koroyd layer prevented me from doing so. With that in mind, I don’t think that vents this large would be nearly as unscratched in the Koroyd’s sparsity as a stick could hands get though them in the event of a crash gone wrong, so that’s worth considering. All in all, this helmet runs very tomfool and keeps air flowing very nicely – expressly given how much coverage it offers. In terms of moisture management, I did wear this lid on a few days in deep Summer heat and it did an spanking-new job of keeping the sweat from running lanugo the front of my squatter or dripping into my eyewear.

Touching on some of the other features, I quite liked the visor. In wing to the massive range in height, it’s sturdy and fairly thick but moreover somewhat flexible, leading me to believe it would survive a few minor crashes without detonating. Put it this way – it doesn’t finger vitreous or fragile. When it came to the straps and retention system I had almost no complaints. I completely got withal with the retention system and found the straps and anchors to be very comfortable. However, as someone who has gotten spoiled by Fidlock buckles I did find myself wishing this helmet had one and given the MT500’s price point it could stand to have that spare premium feature. All told however, that’s a very short list of downsides.

Overall

In summary, I’m a big fan of Endura’s MT500 MIPS helmet. One of my favorite aspects was its very wholesale coverage – which definitely helps to instill conviction as we all protract to push trail bikes harder and harder these days. While it’s a bit nonflexible to quantify, it feels like it has a bit increasingly material than every other lid that I’ve used in this category. I haven’t had any bad crashes in it (knock wood!) but I finger very unscratched when wearing it. Comparatively speaking it is extremely well-appointed and runs very cool. Interestingly, when I went when to my TLD A3 – my prior favorite – it didn’t finger as well-appointed as the MT500 and I found myself preferring the shape and padding in the MT500. All told, I’d highly recommend this lid if you’re in the market for something new. Although Endura is a newcomer to the helmet world, they’re definitely doing it right.