Review: MET Parachute helmet

Time tested:       8 races + a few winch & plummet rides
Cost (RRP):        £140

The redesigned MET Parachute came out around 18 months ago to fill a sort of void in head protection created by the rise of enduro racing.  Enduro stages can be almost as technical as downhill MTB runs and ridden at near enough the same speeds, but the fact you’ve got to pedal a 25 mile route to link them up, including hefty climbs, means that DH helmets are too heavy and hot to ride all day in.  On the flip side, trail helmets are good but literally leave you open to the potential for more severe injury in the event of a big stack.

So MET redesigned their original Parachute helmet, of which frankly looked shit and provided as much chin protection as a chocolate gum shield, and came up with a full face helmet certified to the same US standard as DH helmets but with loads more ventilation.  Perfect for enduro racing.

Last year, it was a requirement to wear a full face helmet to race in the UK Gravity Enduro Series and although I had a DH full facer, I just didn’t fancy riding miles and miles in it getting sweaty and uncomfortable.  Equally, I didn’t fancy carting around two helmets: a full face for the downs and a trail lid for the ups, not just because of the weight and faff, but because to me, racing downhill with a small rigid plastic shell strapped to your back had the potential to make a bad crash more serious.

My original intention was to get a Bell Super 2R with the detachable chin guard but after trying on both the medium and the large sizes, it just didn’t fit the shape of head well at all.  So I switched to plan B and got myself a MET Parachute in black/blue.  I first ordered the medium, which was too small for my noggin (I couldn’t even get my head in it!) so sent it back and got the large.

The helmet is secured on using a D-type buckle under the chin and a cinch dial at the back of the head, like on a typical trail helmet.  The D-buckle works as well as any other DH helmet and just as fiddly to do up with gloves on.  The cinch dial has lots of adjustment and is very easy to tighten up or loosen with gloves on.  The first time I used the helmet was the first round of the Enduro1 series at Forest of Dean and halfway round I started getting a headache.  I soon realised I’d just dialed the helmet up too tight and my big old head could only expand so far!

In use, the Parachute is really comfy to wear.  Although there were no really hot riding days last year, the UKGE rounds at Ae and Dyfi were long days with lots of climbing.  Inevitably, it is hotter than an open face helmet but not much more and I never felt too hot riding in it.  The chinbar with its ventilation ports allows plenty of fresh air to circulate so you never feel like your breathing in your own CO².  I’d dial the rear adjustment off on transition stages and then dial it back up for the downhill stages to account for ‘THE’ (Transition Head Expansion!), and whilst I never felt too hot in it, for long transitions, my cheeks would get quite warm from the cheek pads (two thicknesses supplied), so I would pop them out for some airflow and shove them in my pocket and pop them back in at the top which worked well.  There’s a silicon pad over your forehead which does a very good job of wicking sweat away from going down into your eyes, although as I tended to loosen the helmet for longer climbs, I did get a bit of stingy-eye syndrome sometimes…so a bit of a balancing act between ‘THE’ and stingy-eye syndrome is required!

The visor has a little bit of adjustment but not much; there’s not enough movement to be able to slide your goggles out of the way up on the brow of the helmet which would have been nice, but it’s flexible enough to bend or snap easily in the event of a face plant.  Speaking of goggles, there’s a little built-in clip on the back of the helmet to slide your goggle strap in for retention – not that that’s ever been a problem in my experience.

In addition, the helmet comes with a half-mesh carry bag to help stop it getting scratched in the back of your car and also comes with a Go-Pro mount if you’re into filming ‘sick edits’.

I’ve been very happy with the Parachute, the extra protection it provides over a trail lid is great with no real disadvantage found yet.  In some ways, I’d prefer to ride with it for most MTB rides as a result, but it would still feel overkill for trail riding and would probably result in some piss-take from riding mates – so maybe that is one downside!

Summary

+ Light and comfortable to wear all day

+ Certified DH helmet level of protection

+ Excellent adjustability

– Pricey for use as a second helmet.  The Bell Super 2R might be a better bet for all-round use…if it fits.

Dial adjustment lets you fine tune the fit

Good ventilation in the chin bar

Goggle retention clip on the rear