IRVINE, Calif. (BRAIN) — A fairly unusual helmet from Fox Racing, marketed for enduro and e-bike use, was the top-scoring helmet in Virginia Tech's latest bicycle helmet ratings. The university has been working with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety to test helmets using its own protocol. Its first ratings were released in 2018.
VT's test protocol, unlike CPSC and other standards, measures helmets' ability to mitigate rotational impacts. Helmets that use features designed for those kinds of impacts, including MIPS, Trek/Bontrager's WaveCel, and POC's Spin, filled out all the top spots in the most recent rankings. VT has now tested 99 helmet models.
Fox's $199 Dropframe Pro helmet uses MIPS and has an unusual design with protection wrapping around the ears, providing increased coverage for the ears, jaw, and back of the head. Kevin Franks, Fox's global brand director, said the Dropframe design was intended for riders seeking more protection than a typical open face helmet, but without a chin bar.
The Dropframe Pro received a 8.9 score from VT, where lower scores equate to better protection. The next lowest score was for the Lazer G1 MIPS, a road helmet that received a 9.2 score. They were among 37 models tested that received a five-star rating from VT. According to VT the five-star rating applies to the "best available" helmets on the market. Helmet models from Fox, Lazer, Bontrager, Troy Lee, Scott, Giro, Bell, POC, Specialized, Rudy Project, Louis Garneau, and Bern received five-star ratings.
