Schuberth Concent Helmet
Schuberth Concent Helmet
CW EVALUATION
One smart skid-lid
AMAZING DEVICE, THE MODERN FULLface helmet, absolutely your best de fense in the unhappy event of a faceplant. Damned inconvenient, though. How so?
Say you get hopelessly lost and have to seek directional salvation from an unsuspecting local. Notice how your muffled pleas from the faceport are easily misunderstood? Doesn’t help that you look like Mantis Boy from the Planet Zorg, either.
And then there’s the Tilt Helmet TwoStep you have to engage in should you need a gulp of water at a gas stop. Not to mention the creative photo-framing that occurs when you come across an enticing panorama, stop quickly, press Instamatic to helmet and guess at composition.
All of this is made much easier with a “flip-up” helmet, where the chinbar pivots out of the way. Crash protection of a full-face design, accessibility of an openface when desired. That’s the idea behind the German-made Schuberth Concept helmet. Press a button on the left side of the helmet and the chinbar/faceshield can be rotated upward, a simple onehanded operation.
DETAILS
Intersport Fashions West 15602 Mosher Ave. Tustin, CA 92780 888/311-5399 www.schuberth-usa.com Price..........$400
Ups Great for glasses-wearers Great for smokers Great for taking snapshots Great for asking directions
Downs ▼ People may take you for a four-eyed, chain-puffing shutterbug who doesn’t know his ass from the 1-10
Clever thinking abounds with the Concept. Composite fiberglass/carbon/kevlar construction keeps weight to a reasonable 3.8 pounds. A windtunnel-tested “spoiler” at the rear reduces lift at speed. The inner lining pops out easily for handwashing. The faceshield, in particular, is noteworthy. It ratchets open conventionally, but also can be pulled forward about an eighth-inch on its mounts. This socalled “city” position allows increased ventilation and shield-clearing in slow going. At speed, fogging is reduced by an anti-mist coating and a front vent that quite effectively directs air up the inside of the shield. Downside is that replacing the shield (a tool-less procedure) is a 50buck hit, not out of line, unfortunately, with competing premium helmet brands.
Now for the really trick bit. Because dark-tinted faceshields are all but outlawed in Europe (go figure), the Concept has a second, shorter blue-gray interior visor that hides between the liner and shell. A thumb-activated sliding bar on the helmet’s left side drops the visor to eye level in bright light. Neat. No more packing an extra shield if day and night riding are on the agenda.
Available in five solid colors (in sizes XS-XXL), the Concept is not the flashiest-looking helmet on the market, nor is it the cheapest. Noise level is on par with conventional one-piece designs-better than most flip-ups-but you won’t be throwing away your earplugs. And depending on the size and shape of your particular noggin, the Concept’s generous “front porch” can impart the dreaded fishbowl effect-small, flat faces seem exceedingly set back.
On the whole, though, very well done. At least one staffer has added a Concept to his touring kit. He likes the peace of mind of full-face protection, the advanced ventilation features and the ability to converse normally at rest stops. Convenient, very convenient.
