Bell Super DH 2-in-1 helmet: DH certified with removable chin bar

Benjamin Haworth
best mountain bike helmets 2018

The Bell Super DH takes the removable chin bar helmet into breezier and better looking territory. Big mountain helmet that doesn’t look, well, big.

Bell Super DH need to know

  • WEIGHT: 850 grams
  • VENTS: 19 helmet vents, 4 chin bar vents, 2 brow ports
  • CERTIFICATIONS: CPSC Bicycle, CE EN1078 ASTM F1952-00 DH ASTM F2032-06 BMX
  • SIZES: S 52–56 cm M 55–59 cm L 58–62 cm
  • VENTILATION: Overbrow Ventilation
  • CONSTRUCTION: Fusion In-Mold Polycarbonate Shell Progressive Layering
  • FIT SYSTEM: Float Fit DH w/ Fidlock Buckle
  • Wraparound Chin Bar
  • GoggleGuide
  • Adjustable Visor
  • Integrated Breakaway Camera Mount
  • No-Twist Tri-Glides
  • Sweat Guide
  • X-Static Padding
  • MIPS Spherical

The new 2-for-1 removable chin bar helmet from Bell has certainly got the aesthetics dialled. Particularly with the helmet in open-face mode ie. with the chin bar removed, the Bell Super DH looks much less er, striking and ‘Pizza delivery moped‘ stylee.

bell super dh

The fact that it doesn’t cover your ears in open-face guise should make it much cooler to wear in a temperature sense as well.

One of the most important things in a safety sense about the new Bell Super DH can’t really be seen in these pics. It’s all internal. Essentially the helmet is made of two densities of foam and there’s a MIPS slip-layer in between them.

MIPS Spherical

The outer layer is harder foam. The inner layer (the one next to your noggin) is softer foam. Not only that but the MIPS layer is ‘suspended’ by elastomers that over a bit more give – several millimetres apparently – during rotational impacts. The new MIPS layour has been dubbed ‘MIPS Spherical’.

The removable chin bar requires no tools to operate. Flip three buckles and that’s it. Stow the chin bar in or on your pack for climbs and linking sections. Snick it into place for the descents.

Loads vents

As well as the open-face mode not covering your ears helping with ventilation, the overall venting is impressive looking too. A total of 21 vents with four ‘overbrow’ vents that draw air into the helmet even at modest speeds and six vents in the chin bar.

What else? The adjustable visor can be angled very upwards to accommodate the biggest goggles and shades. There’s also an adjustable retention band called ‘Float Fit DH’ located in the familiar spot beneath the back bulge of your head. The integrated GoPro mount is intentionally designed to breakway on impact with anything.

bell super dh

Deets

Weight is claimed at 850g. Sizing: S = 52-56cm, M = 55-59cm, L = 58-62cm. UK price is to be confirmed (US pricing appears to be $300.00).