Tested; Schuberth C3 Flip-Up Helmet
Added on Tuesday, October 21st, 2008 by Carole Nash Editor
Tested; Schuberth C3 Flip-Up Helmet
Insidebikes’ Alastair Walker tried Schuberth’s new C3 flip-type helmet for a week and came home impressed.
Some might say there is something inherently wrong with the idea of weakening the overall strength and rigidity of a helmet shell by putting two grooves, or joints, into the chinbar section. Surely a conventional full-face lid is stronger? Well, we don’t know, because neither the UK government’s SHARP or the ECE 22.05 tests require a chinbar section impact.
That said, this Schuberth C3 feels in a different class from many of its rivals in terms of its overall construction, design and fit. The C3 utilises two steel pins to effectively lock the chinbar in place and there’s a firm `clunk’ as it does so.
The C3 is also a quiet lid for a flip-up type, and features a wide and deep visor view, especially when compared to a typical full-face helmet. Flipping the front bit is easy, by activating a large red button under the chinbar, which can be done wearing biker gloves easily enough.
Meanwhile a lever on the left side of the Schuberth deftly slides the sun visor down across your eyes. That feature is very useful at this time of year when the sun is low in the sky during morning/evening rush hours.
The interior feels very comfortable, with the soft material even extending as far as the chinstrap, so the C3 doesn’t cause any neck chafing in wet weather. The main air vent at the front works very well, plus there’s a chin-mounted air deflector which seems to both keep the interior snug and reduces overall noise levels.
Verdict? An impressive piece of technology, well worth the money if you prefer the flip-up helmets, as this is one of the best of its type. It was less prone to misting than some flip-up rivals, although it did mist in very foggy weather one morning. I think any helmet would have done so in the same cold conditions.
The only thing I didn’t like is that the C3 won’t sit totally flat on a surface, as its lower lip has a curved edge, so it wobbles like a mini rocking chair when set down on a table, bike saddle, chair etc. That minor instability could catch you out, when parking/fuelling up, causing a dented shell when it drops to the deck.
Otherwise, a very classy lid, with the only downside being the price, which is a steep £450. Then again, there’s the old saying, if you have a ten dollar head…buy a ten dollar helmet.
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