After years of not owning a bicycle, I got an E-bike a couple of weeks ago. I of course rode bikes as a child, and rode BMX stunt bikes as a teen transitioning to a young man. Like many young men, I didn't wear a helmet. One day, while a friend and I were slowly coasting around chatting on our BMX bikes, when my friend ran over a twig which wrenched the bike's front wheel to the side, making my friend lose his balance.
He fell right beside a sidewalk, cracking his head right on it's edge.... He got a nasty concussion, a badly scraped shoulder, and a weird lump on his neck from the impact, which needed surgery to be removed. My parents took me to a bike shop where I picked out a skate style helmet, and I wore it every time I threw a leg over a bike. Once I stopped riding BMX, I sold that bike and bought a mountain bike. I bought a standard bicycle helmet and hated that thing. I just don't care for the way such helmets fit on the head.
I've been street motorcycling for about five years now, and of course wear a helmet, full face with visor. I've really grown to like the coverage that full face helmets give, so when I ordered my E-bike, I thought I'd try a full face bike helmet! I nearly bought a competitively priced helmet from Bell, but the reviews of folks here that have had to "use" this helmet in impacts is what made me choose this helmet.
I'm happy to say that I haven't had to "use" my helmet that way and hope I never have to! So my thoughts are based on fitment, wear and weight.
Fitment: One reviewer remarked that Demon uses a sizing system like HJC helmets. I don't know if I agree with them. I have an HJC street motorcycle helmet, which is X-Large and fits my head snugly.
I ordered this helmet in X-Large and it's a little loose. That being said, with this helmet's chin strap clicked in place and properly set, I can't pull this helmet off my head. So the fitment is acceptable to me, and I worry that a Large size wouldn't even fit me. I've gone on a couple of rides that lasted a couple of hours and despite my sweaty head, the padding doesn't collapse, so the fitment of this helmet is also consistent.
Wear: As mentioned, even on longer rides, this helmet's fitment stays consistent. The padding doesn't collapse or balloon up, so the helmet doesn't fit looser or tighter on my head. I hope this doesn't change, but if it does, I'll update this review.
Weight: WOW. This helmet is soooo lightweight! It's not only much lighter than my street motorcycle helmets, but it's even lighter than my old full face helmet that I used to wear when riding ATV's! I'm so grateful for this when I get home from a ride and pull this helmet off, only to feel slight relief from the removal of weight as compared to great relief when I pull my street motorcycle helmet off.
Finally, this helmet has helped me repurpose a piece of equipment. I just ride my bike on the roadsides, but may try trails one day. I'd received a chance to review a Bluetooth helmet speaker set early this year, and wasn't a fan. The set was a clean install to my Shoei motorcycle helmet, but I wear earplugs when I ride my motorcycle, so having the speakers was kind of pointless.
While it wasn't as clean of an installation to this helmet since it doesn't have dedicated pockets in the padding for speakers, I was able to install the speaker system into this helmet, and it's great!! I can hear my music, AND still listen for traffic and other environmental noises as I ride my E-bike! It's a much more stable set up than using a standard bicycle helmet (a friend at work insisted on giving me one of his extras) and actually cleaner since this helmet blocks out some wind noise.
So I'm overall quite satisfied with this helmet, and I'm always happier when a purchase lets me repurpose other gear that's fallen out of use. If I begin bicycling frequently and/or hitting the trails, I do see myself pursuing another full face helmet, one that fits my head better. But for the riding I do now, it's fine and while I again hope I never have to find out, I'd feel confident with this helmet holding up in a crash.
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 14 x 11 x 10 inches |
|---|---|
| Package Weight | 2.4 Pounds |
| Item Weight | 2 Pounds |
| Brand Name | DEMON UNITED |
| Model Name | Demon Podium Full Face |
| Color | Gloss Black/ Orange |
| Material | Blend |
| Suggested Users | unisex-adult |
| Manufacturer | Demon United |
| Part Number | DS713189 |
| Included Components | Helmet |
| Outer Material | Polycarbonate (PC) |
| Size | Small |
