I was lucky enough to get my hands on a Fox Rampage Pro Carbon helmet for our recent trip to Spain. Given that I took a trip out the front door within three corners of Spanish riding it couldn’t have come at a better time!
Whilst this is a ‘First Ride’ for me – it isn’t for Wideopenmag. Rich Thomas, Jay Williamson and Laurie Greenland have been racing the British Downhill Series and World Cup races in the Rampage since it was released and absolutely love it. Rich scored a horrendously bad crash in Val Di Sole that wrote off his helmet but left his swede unscathed. That alone was enough to put the Rampage high on my list of products to put my trust in. I don’t have many remaining brain cells … so I’m keen to protect the few that are left as best I can!
First impressions? Slipping on the Rampage out in the Spanish sun one word sprung immediately into my well protected cranium – ‘Solid’. I’ve seen too many helmets land at WideopenHQ that feel light and flimsy. Light on the wallet and light on the head – they’ll ward off a light bump but are mostly just XC helmets with a lightweight and flexy chin-piece stuck on. The Rampage isn’t one of those – it’s tough, it’s solid and it’ll keep your mug in one piece. Most importantly it meets a heap of safety standards including ‘ASTM F1952‘ which is the “Standard Specification for Helmets Used for Downhill Mountain Bicycle Racing” and the British and Australian safety standards for cycle helmets.
Team rider Joe Parfitt in his new Rampage out in Spain. Jacob Gibbins photo.
I took exactly 3 corners and one rocky straight to test out the sturdiness of the Rampage. Flat on my ass in the Spanish dirt after a trip over the bars (on the first run of the first day of our trip) I was left with a hefty graze on the helmet’s chin piece and a swollen knee … but with my few remaining brain cells in tact. Despite kissing a rock I was able to finish my run and ride again the following day after a bit of ice, elevate, compress.
Fox claim to have put a lot of work into making the Rampage the most comfortable helmet known to man – and they’ve not done a bad job. It has deep cheek pads and a removable liner that’s made out of washable, wicking materials. The Rampage – at least for me – feels snug with a secure fit and no wobbling about that adds to the confidence. There’s 11 vents which offered plenty of air flow in the hot Spanish sun and the setup allows air to move freely throughout the helmet meaning I only felt hot and stuffy when shoving my bike up climbs when the sun was at its hottest.
A slight word of caution – there were a couple of moments when I felt that the matte black colour scheme did bake my brain a wee bit when the sun was beating down hard. If you’re in a hotter country you might like the lighter, whiter sun repellent scheme. I can’t ever see it being a problem in the UK though… You’ll also find matte black a bit trickier to keep clean than a shiny version, but that’s no biggy.
Team rider, UK Youth National Champion and BDS overall youth champion Laurie Greenland in his Rampage in Bristol. Jacob Gibbins photo.
Neck brace compatible? Personally I don’t wear a neck brace but team rider Laurie Greenland has spent 2013 in a Rampage and used both a Leatt and Atlas brace with zero problems. The design of the helmet offers loads of movement and no restricted flexibility.
Weight is obviously a big consideration and at around 1145g the Rampage tips in very respectably. It’s about the same as a Troy Lee Designs D3 which is around 1130 and about 200g lighter that a moto certified helmet. I’d happily strap the Rampage to my pack and ride an enduro with it – as our team rider Mark Scott will do in 2014 at the World Enduro Series.
And the money? At around £300 the Rampage is definitely a ‘premium’ priced product. There are cheaper helmets that meet the same safety standards (the One Atom is a particular budget favourite of ours) but I’m not sure there are many at all that provide such a complete package of weight, strength, comfort and style. What else is out there? The Troy Lee D3 is almost £100 more than the Fox, the Bell Full 9 is about the same price and the POC Cortex Mips is also about the same (albeit it a bit lighter).
The verdict then? After packing in a full week of gnarly, hot riding and one filthy crash I’m really happy to be wrapping my brains in the Rampage. It’s comfortable, it’s tough and it’s confidence inspiring – it also looks bloody brilliant. I’ve seen our team crash hard in the Rampage and I’ve tried it for myself – thumbs up.
