Release and First Ride: Endura's New Helmet Range

Endura

The Brand New Helmet Range

Engineered by Brains, For Brains

Endura add new skid lids and new technology.

Heads. Quite important things really. Without them we wouldn’t even be around…or if we were, we’d be running around in circles like demented chickens and certainly not out riding our bikes.

Endura certainly value them. Which is why they not only apply all of their own engineering knowledge to them, but they also work very closely with key expert partners to make their helmets some of the best that are out there.

For 99.9% of the time, they need to look great, be comfortable and offer great ventilation and Endura have that well and truly covered, literally. For the other 0.01% of the time, and it’s an astronomically important 0.01% of the time, the helmet needs to provide the best possible protection it can, and here Endura can offer up the triple whammy of Endura x Mips® x Koroyd® in the latest versions of the MT500 and SingleTrack Helmets, plus a new Mips version of their Hummvee Plus Helmet.

Release and First Ride: Endura's New Helmet Range

Summer ‘22 marks a significant milestone for Endura helmets, already one of the brands fastest growing categories. The comprehensive range moves up to the next level with key styles re-invented and Mips technology introduced across a variety of price points. The SingleTrack,  Hummvee Plus, and the FS260-Pro Helmet will now all be available in two version: with or without Mips technology. As Endura’s flagship mountain bike helmet, the MT500 Helmet is only available in the full spec version with both Mips and Koroyd technologies. Furthermore, Endura boasts unique designs and exceptional tech across MTB, Road and Urban helmets ensures all types of riders are protected, in style, no matter what their wheel size, tyre tread or choice of terrain.

Ian Young, Endura Category Manager, says: “We’ve been producing great helmets and growing the range for many years but summer ‘22 sees a step change in Endura’s offer, both in terms of choice and technical safety features. The addition of Mips options and expanding our use of Koroyd technology demonstrates our goal of creating best in class product.”

Release and First Ride: Endura's New Helmet Range

John Thompson from Mips explains the main benefits of their technology: “A helmet is obviously meant to protect you from getting seriously  injured in a crash. Helmets are traditionally designed and tested to handle direct linear impacts, but most crashes don’t work like that. Most crashes involve falling at an angle. If you’re cycling on road or dirt at 10, 15, 20 mph or faster and you fall and hit the ground, there is a lot of moving energy. The angled impact of your helmet on the ground causes rotational motion. This motion can transfer forces to your head causing strain in the brain and potentially resulting in traumatic brain injury, like concussion or worse. The Mips safety system inside the helmet is engineered to allow for movement of the head inside the helmet on certain angled impacts, intended to help redirect rotational motion away from the head, with the purpose to help reduce the risk of brain injury.”

Release and First Ride: Endura's New Helmet Range

MT500 Helmet

Having looked after the head of MTB legend Danny MacAskill (and thousands of other mere mortals) the original MT500 is a hard act to follow but the 2022 update will not disappoint. Building on the success of its predecessor the model provides increased coverage and the addition of Mips technology makes it safer than ever. The full Koroyd core delivers unrivalled impact absorption and keeps the weight low and large vents keep your head cool when things heat up. An array of added features include an accessory mount and a light clip, a goggle strap gripper, a visor with broad range of adjustment and an eyewear dock to complete the package.

The MT500 Helmet comes with both Mips and Koroyd technologies, with a fit system fully integrated into the Mips layer. This provides a 360-degree flexible mount which conforms to different head shapes for an extremely comfortable, secure fit. There are 6 colorways offered, with a retail price of £169.99.

SingleTrack Helmet
There’s a clear spec upgrade on the new SingleTrack Helmet with the addition of the Koroyd panels, adding lightweight protection in around the side of the head, one of the most commonly impacted areas in crashes. The new styling features a peak that is much more integrated into the helmet design, following the lines of the large vents running over the head. Another new stand out feature is the TPR moulded goggle strap gripper on the rear of the helmet, which is shared with the MT500, as well as the increased head coverage, new fit system and strap slider.

The SingleTrack Helmet will be available in options with or without Mips, appealing to a wide range of MTB riders, and with 6 different colours in each option, including one with a graphic print. The MIPS-equipped version retails for £109.99, whereas the non-MIPS version comes in at £89.99.

Hummvee Plus Helmet

The new Hummvee Plus Helmet is a great all-rounder at an accessible price point. Offering excellent head coverage and a slightly less aggressive look than the basic Hummvee, this lid is at home in the mountains or on the city streets. The engineering of the Hummvee Plus Helmet has been carefully thought through to create a product that punches above its weight for its price point. Constructed with a single shell with a sculpted peak and clean lines, its finishing details follow the other new helmets with the updated fit system and new strap divider.

This helmet is also available in Mips and non-Mips options, in 5 colourways, one of which is a full grey camo, matching the new Hummvee prints. The MIPS version retails for £84.99, and the non-MIPS version retails for £64.99.

ABOUT ENDURA®

Endura was established in 1993 and has always been synonymous with inventive, bulletproof kit that relishes the stresses that any kind of biking subjects it to. From Mountain to Road, Gravel to Urban Commute and Triathlon, Endura has been engineering apparel and accessories with a philosophy of Renegade Progress for close on 30 years. Endura continues to defy convention and embrace the radical to create game-changing products.

From the first prototypes made on a kitchen table in Edinburgh, Endura has evolved into an admired global brand with a rack of game-changing and award-winning products.

The Endura Custom team is the whirring heart of Endura and manufactures clothing, at scale, in a cutting-edge production division that’s based at our headquarters in Scotland, just like it always has been.

Endura supports an incredible group of world class athletes who ride and race across the numerous disciplines that we create kit for.

THE WOLF’S FIRST IMPRESSION.

Words by Robert Johnston | Photos by McGuire Visuals

Endura put on a launch event for the media at Dolomiti Paganella Bikepark in Italy, where we’d have the chance to learn a little more about the helmet range before putting their newly updated MT500 flagship open face mountain bike helmet to the test on the trails. Though Endura is a Scottish brand, I’d yet to really connect with them to date, so it was to be the perfect opportunity to learn more about what is going on behind the scenes, meet the staff and discuss projects that you will hopefully see on the site in the future.

During the presentations from Endura, Koroyd and MIPS, I was educated on the design goals of the helmet and given some more insight into the benefits provided by the synergy of the two protective technologies. For Endura, passing the minimum protective standards that have been used to approve helmets for the last 25 years wasn’t good enough. Instead, they wanted to offer the pinnacle in brain protection, and so worked with Koroyd and MIPS to add the extra protective qualities that each of the systems produced. The results were then verified by supplying the new helmet to be tested by the now renowned Virginia Tech, as well as Folksam, who are both fighting the fight to improve the testing standards and general safety of the helmets we depend upon so much when it comes to keeping our brains safe. The updated MT500 helmet now passes the CPSC testing that allows it to be sold in the North American market, too (expected Apr ’23).

For those who aren’t familiar with Koroyd, it’s a protective system that consists of a network of thermally welded polymer tubes. With just a 0.6mm wall thickness, these polymer tubes are claimed to be the thinnest walled in the world, and produce a structure that is 95% air. Koroyd can replace a considerable quantity of the EPS foam used in a helmet for protection, with the tubes acting as crumple zones that deform instantly and consistently when impacted to absorb energy that would otherwise be transferred to the brain, regardless of the angle of impact. Replacing EPS foam with Koroyd can improve protection, reduce weight, and increase breathability – all good things in a mountain bike lid. For the MT500, Endura fitted a full Koroyd halo to utilize the full protective abilities of the tech, whereas their Singletrack model features a zonal system with Koroyd employed exclusively on the temples where around 64% of impacts are predicted to occur. Updated and increased usage of Koroyd in the new MT500 helmet has claimed to have improved ventilation by a whopping 26% over the outgoing model, which is quite impressive and should offer a much more comfortable lid for the hotter and harder effort days.

By now MIPS has become accepted – and expected – technology in the high(er) end helmets across a range of industries. Designed to mimic the protective qualities offered by the Cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds the brain, the low friction MIPS layer allows 10-15mm of rotation of the helmet around the head in an impact, which should reduce the rotational impact peak forces that can create the most harm to the brain in a crash. Found on all of the top 10 and 39 of the top 50 helmets rated by Virginia Tech, the benefits are clear, so it’s great to see Endura working together with MIPS to integrate the tech into their newest line of helmets. The MIPS system in this MT500 is built into the fit system, allowing for a 360 degree fit to improve comfort and security on the head compared with separate systems. Because of the interaction between the MIPS and Koroyd, the system features a substantial amount of webbing to ensure they slide across one another when a crash calls for it.

It’s clear that Endura has worked hard to cover all the bases with the MT500, from the cushy padded liner to achieving the 400g weight target, and I’m a fan of the looks of the helmet both in terms of the shape and the colorways on offer. The proof is in the shredding though, so I was excited to hit the trails of Dolomiti Paganella Bikepark to get a feel for how the MT500 stacks up against the competition. First impressions are key, so I was sure to put the helmet on immediately before I’d heard a single peep of the Endura presentation, and first impressions were good. Very good in fact. The 360 fit system combined with generous padding around the head, and a general shell shape that matched my average-shape skull well, produced a very comfortable environment for my head, free of any hints of a pressure point. The straps sat nicely flush to the side of my head, and there was ample room for a couple of different eyewear brands to sit neatly between the shell and my big ears without creating any discomfort. The standard chin buckle (opposed to a Fidlock system as is becoming increasingly popular), works just fine, but doesn’t quite match the ease of use of the Fidlock. Endura were happy to point out that this was a cost-saving measure they were confident in making, to focus the budget on areas of the helmet that make a bigger difference to the performance and safety.

On the trail, initial testing has suggested that the MT500 is a comfortable and secure lid that presents no reason to complain. It’s clearly well put together; acceptably light and reasonably well ventilated. That said, I’ve yet to give any considerable pedaling effort to really test the ventilation under duress, so I’m excited to get back to the home trails to see how it stacks up with the competition. If you’re in the market for a new helmet and the new MT500 is on your radar then as it stands I can’t recommend against it, but you’ll have to wait for the final verdict coming up in the long term review where I’ll give you the full low down after some real trail time.

You can head to the Endura website or one of their large network of European retailers to pick up an MT500, Singletrack or Hummvee Plus for yourself now. In the USA, the Mt500 will be for sale from April 2023 with a retail price of $240.

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