On The Edge, Bikers Opt For Full Coverage New Helmets Help Cyclists Maintain Their Brains

Sun., Aug. 2, 1998

Rich Landers Outdoors Editor

Mountain bikers with any brains are giving careful attention to protecting their gray matter.

As they say, if you haven’t been launched off your fat-tire bike, you probably haven’t been off the road.

Helmet technology has been trying to keep up with the pace of riders who wear gnarly scars like badges of courage.

Until recently the best full-bore downhill protection has been available in expensive full-coverage helmets such as Giro’s Mad Max, which will set you back more than $300.

But keep your eye out for the new Giro Switchblade, a lighter model with a removable face guard, offering a broader range of protection than conventional helmets for about $180.

You’ll have to look closely, because the Switchblade has been harder to find than a hot Beanie Baby.

The manufacturer has been sending out only a few at a time to each retailer as it struggles to catch up with demand.

Some bike shops haven’t even been putting Switchblades out on their shelves because all they have to do is tell their best customers they have one and the helmet is gone.

“We don’t have any left today, but maybe in a few days,” said Chris Andreasen of Wheelsport in the Valley.

By removing the face guard, the helmet easily doubles as a conventional cross-country helmet. The versatility and lower cost compared with the Mad Max has put the Switchblade on the cutting edge.

But it’s not without its faults. Two of the main air vents funnel wind right to your ears.

“I’ve plugged those vents with foam,” said biker Bill Hardin, who walks around with his Switchblade as proudly as a kid with a new badge. “Otherwise I can’t stand the whistling in my ear when I’m going fast.”

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