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Icon Alliance SSR helmet
So I needed a new helmet, never subscribed to the half-helmets. I figure if you're going to wear a helmet, might as well wear one that will actually do you some good in an off.
Didn't want to spend a ton, but I've heard some bad things about cheap helmets. Cruised some reviews and found a lot of good things about the Alliance series of helmets.
The local bike barn had several in stock, I ended up buying a size L in the rubatone black. It's a slightly rubberized finish, so it doesn't show fingerprints or light scratches like the standard glossy. The rubatone is like $10 more than the solid glossy. There's the "battlecry" graphics, but I found those a bit too gaudy for my taste.
The fit of the L was a bit tight at first, but after wearing it for several weeks now it really molds in nicely, now it fits snug but not too tight, like it should. The liner inside is labeled as "hydra-dry", and it feels similar to under armor material. It's very cushy and comfortable, and does a good job of keeping you cool. It also all comes out and can be washed. I was sitting in traffic at Americade last week in 95 degree heat with the 450 radiating heat like a furnace, and the helmet was still comfortable. Warm, but not so hot you feel like it needs to come off.
Even the chin strap is lined with this material/padding, a nice touch. Also has a snap to keep the excess strap from fluttering around on the highway.
The visor comes off in about 5 seconds w/o tools, and at least my local dealer had a lot of others in stock, apparently every Icon helmet takes the same visors. It "seals" down nicely closed, no leaks, and has a nice "cracked open" position. The shield really is fog-free.
Venting is good. It has two large ram-air vents on the top, and at highway speeds you can really feel the airflow. Pretty quiet too, very minimal wind noise.
There were some leftover Alliance SS helmets (the sales guy said these were last year's model) on discount, said the main difference is that the interior lining is better in the SSR, and the venting is better.
The glossy solids (silver and black) were $140, the rubatone (black) was $150, and there were several colors of the battlecry graphics, they were like $165.
I tried on a $400 shoei helmet, and thought that the icon was just as comfortable, at less than half the price. The Alliance SSR is both DOT and snell M2005 approved.
Highly recommended, seems to be a very good value with great fit and snell approval.
Didn't want to spend a ton, but I've heard some bad things about cheap helmets. Cruised some reviews and found a lot of good things about the Alliance series of helmets.
The local bike barn had several in stock, I ended up buying a size L in the rubatone black. It's a slightly rubberized finish, so it doesn't show fingerprints or light scratches like the standard glossy. The rubatone is like $10 more than the solid glossy. There's the "battlecry" graphics, but I found those a bit too gaudy for my taste.
The fit of the L was a bit tight at first, but after wearing it for several weeks now it really molds in nicely, now it fits snug but not too tight, like it should. The liner inside is labeled as "hydra-dry", and it feels similar to under armor material. It's very cushy and comfortable, and does a good job of keeping you cool. It also all comes out and can be washed. I was sitting in traffic at Americade last week in 95 degree heat with the 450 radiating heat like a furnace, and the helmet was still comfortable. Warm, but not so hot you feel like it needs to come off.
Even the chin strap is lined with this material/padding, a nice touch. Also has a snap to keep the excess strap from fluttering around on the highway.
The visor comes off in about 5 seconds w/o tools, and at least my local dealer had a lot of others in stock, apparently every Icon helmet takes the same visors. It "seals" down nicely closed, no leaks, and has a nice "cracked open" position. The shield really is fog-free.
Venting is good. It has two large ram-air vents on the top, and at highway speeds you can really feel the airflow. Pretty quiet too, very minimal wind noise.
There were some leftover Alliance SS helmets (the sales guy said these were last year's model) on discount, said the main difference is that the interior lining is better in the SSR, and the venting is better.
The glossy solids (silver and black) were $140, the rubatone (black) was $150, and there were several colors of the battlecry graphics, they were like $165.
I tried on a $400 shoei helmet, and thought that the icon was just as comfortable, at less than half the price. The Alliance SSR is both DOT and snell M2005 approved.
Highly recommended, seems to be a very good value with great fit and snell approval.
I hope they have improved the glue or whatever process they use to bond the rubber to the helmet. I have had some success sticking it together with a new super-glue that I picked up at a bike show, but I wouldn't use it in the rain again, and am leaning towards HJC for my next lid. Any other Icon users have this problem?
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