UNDER THE VISOR
Beneath that beautiful exterior lies a whole lot of time, energy and investment from the Fox Racing team. Mikey Rangel, Director of Marketing at Fox Racing says that, “Athletes are going faster but protection standards aren’t keeping up. Along with a desire to improve fit, reduce weight and address aerodynamics, we drew on our internal knowledge of protection standards by analyzing race data and applying other testing standards from the eBike and Moto disciplines. Our goal is to push the protection conversation forward with and for our athletes, knowing that positions us best for our consumers.”
So, what are some of those features and technology? One of our favorites is the use of Mips Integra Split. Fox uses tuned foam densities to improve performance against both high and low-speed impacts. The dual density layers are separated by a slip-plane to reduce rotational impact forces, a major factor in TBIs, (traumatic brain injury).
Extending forward of the main shell is a redesigned chin bar. One of the key points of contention for the Fox design team. The new Fox Rampage RS meets a combination of both the NTA-8876 e-Bike certification safety standards and the European helmet safety standards for motorcyclists (ECE 22.06) for the chin bar, which we are personally big fans of.
Why? Well, as mentioned above, Fox believes riders are going faster, trails are getting gnarlier and that means crashes are going to happen faster and harder than ever. Currently, e-Bike testing standards are the closest “cycling” focused tests that address the higher speeds riders are regularly hitting today. The ECE tests chin-bar impacts at higher speeds than ASTM 1952, and uses G-force instead of deflection for failure criteria.
By leveraging the integration of the ECE Moto safety standard, DH riders can have a bit more faith that they won’t be on a liquid diet for 6-8 weeks after a faceplant.
While moto-strength keeps your chin in check, the crown is tested to the e-Bike certification mentioned above. To meet this certification, the helmet is tested for impacts at higher rates of speed than the current standard specification for DH helmets, (ASTM F1952) and the failure threshold must be significantly lower than the current standard for DH helmets. By blending these two aspects of safety testing and certification, Fox believes they have created an incredibly safe downhill mountain bike helmet. And they’ve done all that while dropping 250 grams.
IS THE FOX RAMPARE RS COMFORTABLE?
Now, the safest helmet on earth won’t really be all that valuable if it isn’t comfortable. Since this is a paid, Dissected feature and not a long-term review we’ll reserve our endorsement until more of the crew have had sufficient time in the helmet, but Robert’s initial feedback is, “Hell yes it’s comfortable.” However, some sizing and tuning were required, so we’d suggest trying one on, if not, we’d recommend sizing up from your non-full face Fox helmet size. If you already have a Fox Rampage, keep your same size for the RS.
Fox offers six different sizes (XS to XXL), which is no doubt a costly endeavor but further solidifies their commitment to giving the rider the best fitting, therefore, the safest helmet possible.
COMFORT ENHANCING FEATURES | Ventilation was another focus of the design team. Rampage RS features impressive ventilation for a downhill full face helmet. An innovative air channeling inside the helmet features a dual vent channel on top and underneath the Mips Integra Split layer and helps move air from the front to the back. While the vents look small, they’re quite efficient.
Rider’s faces and heads are caressed by removable/washable ionic+ comfort liner and cheek pads. There is a different crown liner and cheek pads to fine tune the fit to your head shape.
ALSO INCLUDED | In case the price tag was unclear, the Fox Rampage RS helmet is a tier 1 premium product. However, for the price tag the user experience is impressive. The fit and finish are top notch, but the accessories help soften the blow to your wallet sort of like how EPS foam cushions your skull. It may just hurt a little less…
Included in the box is a clip-on mud visor, a neat GoPro mount that does not guarantee your GoPro will stay on during race runs (wink wink) thicker cheek pads and a second crown liner. There is also extra hardware and a premium helmet carrying case.
Available in two colors as of now, we suspect Fox will be adding more to the line but have not received a timeline or confirmation on that.
THE WOLF’S FIRST IMPRESSION
I tried the medium and large Rampage RS, coming from a Medium Proframe RS and Large Rampage Pro Carbon. The crown on the medium was on the tight side of good, but the cheeks were too tight with the thinner stock pads fitted. Moving up to the large, the Rampage RS felt good out of the box, and even better when the thicker crown padding was fitted to secure the fit further. As with every helmet, the best thing each rider can do is to get their heads inside a couple of sizes of the helmet to ensure they’re getting the best fit possible. The small size jumps thanks to six different helmet sizes is great to see from Fox, helping every rider have the chance to get their fit extra-dialed.
The best products are those which go about their job at one end of the spectrum – shouting out how good they are or silently going about their business without a thought. The Rampage RS falls into the latter camp, where its blend of comfort, low weight and good ventilation have let it do its thing without distracting me at all.
Immediately noticeable was the reduced weight of the Fox Rampage RS. Simply picking it up told me that this was a significantly lighter helmet than the RPC, which combined with the dialed fit to feel much closer to an enduro full face on the head. As downhill full faces go, the Fox Rampage RS is notably light and airy, yet the dialed fit and ample padding retain the cushy wrap-around confidence that any good downhill helmet should deliver. The increased padding and contact on the head combined with a more durable chin piece do create a slightly hotter and bulkier environment than the Proframe RS, no surprise there as they’re completely different beasts. That said, I’ve still been happy pedaling in Fox’s new top-tier downhill lid on fairly warm days. And I certainly can’t say that for the majority of downhill helmets I’ve tested, including the old Rampage RPC.
Thankfully I’ve managed to avoid putting the protective capabilities of the Rampage RS to the test, but I have absolute faith that it’ll do a stellar job should it ever be called into action. The price tag is a tough pill to swallow, but attention to detail helps to lubricate that pill on the way down. The details have been sweated, and the performance is truly excellent. As for the looks, I’m a fan of the updated shape. The colorways aren’t exactly how I’d choose – a full gloss raw carbon would be incredible judging by the rear panel on the helmet tested – but if you like it then you like it. And if there was ever a helmet to justify a custom paint job by a reputable custom painter, then the Rampage RS would fit the bill.
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