Troy Lee Designs have added yet another top-tier trail helmet to their line up in the form of the A3 trail helmet.
With the A1 and A2 firmly cemented as high quality, good looking and desirable helmets the A3 has a lot to live up to. Entering the game as Troy Lee Designs’ premium helmet offering, can it offer improved performance to justify the high price tag? Ben has been finding out.
Photos by Dave Price.
Key features:
- 5 Star Virginia Tech safety rating
- Magnetic Fidlock fastener
- Sweat Glide System
- 16 Vents
- 420g for M/L Tested
- £200.00 RRP
- TroyLeeDesigns.com
Buy online at Merlin Cycles for £200.00.
The new A3 has a list of branded features as long as your arm, covering everything from the way the visor is attached, to the liner and fastener. The visor is not only adjustable, but is 3-Way ‘Magnajust,’ so that it can be easily moved and can now accommodate goggles beneath it for climbs. The liner is a 2 piece ‘Ionic’ comfort liner that is anti-microbial and quick to dry and you even get a spare set of pads in the box to tune the fit.
Fit can be adjusted using the wheel at the rear of the helmet and this actually cinches the whole of your head, rather than just the portion at the rear. Interestingly, the cradle and adjuster assembly is actually part of the MIPS system, securing your head, but allowing some rotational movement within the helmet shell in the case of a crash.
As always helmet fit is a personal thing, and luckily for me, I have always got on with Troy Lee Designs helmets, having spent literally hundreds of hours riding in the A2, Stage and D3 helmets in recent years. The A3 feels like a Troy Lee when you put it on, except the padding feels a little deeper and more luxurious than on my old D2s. Straight away I found this to be a really comfy helmet, and liked the feeling of cradling my head that it gives with the large amount of coverage.
Out on the winter trails I found the A3 to be very snug and secure. It is hard to comment on the ventilation as all of my rides were cold and wet pretty much, so until I get some warmer rides in, I will sit on the fence in terms of heat and sweat. On the topic of sweat, the Troy Lee does have a smart Sweat Glide feature that sits in the brow of the helmet, designed to prevent sweat from dripping into your eyes on hot rides. You even get a spare in the box so you can wash one and carry on riding.
What do we think?
The A3 is everything you want a modern trail helmet to be, with decent looks, practical features and a top safety rating. The cherry on top is just how comfy it is.
We love:
- So comfy
- Fidlock magnetic chin strap.
- Good range of colours
Could do better:
- £200 is a lot of cash
You can check out the Troy Lee Designs A3 helmet on their website here.
Read all our product reviews on our Gear page here.
Buy online at Merlin Cycles for £200.00.
