Ever since I first hit (literally)a bike park, Whistler, of all places, last year where I slipped and smacked my face to the ground I have been thoroughly convinced of the necessity of wearing a full face mask helmet at BikeParks. If I hadn’t been wearing one at that time, I would have probably broken my jaw and suffered a severe concussion at least.
Last weekend, in Winterberg (Germany) that realization turned into a conviction, when on a very technical section of the Black Line, I made a small steering error off a slight drop, my front wheel doubled way from me and I went down. It would have been fairly harmless (I wasn’t going fast) had it not been for a fence post against which I smashed the side of my head. It was nowhere near a spectacular crash but really hard,..yet thanks to the Coron Air Spin, I only felt dazed momentarily, felt a little headache for about 10 minutes but was up and riding within minutes again. I mentioned it in a social post before, but I felt and feel a sincere gratitude to the helmet.
Construction
The Coron Air Spin has been developed in collaboration with Martin Söderström and Robin Wallner, respectively slopestyle and enduro pros. It is intended as heavy-duty protection for slopestyle, downhill and enduro work. In short, intense, aggressive terrain, high speeds and an increased chance of heavier crashes.
The shell of the helmet is made of fibreglass and the multi-impact EPP material is what handles the impact of falls. EPP is a material that absorbs impact by deforming and recovers its form slowly after the crash, ready for the next fall. This is unlike EPS (another material often used in helmets) which remains deformed and therefore loses its ability to absorb the next impact.
Applied in this helmet is POC’s patent pending SPIN technology. We wrote more extensively about SPIN earlier this year, so if you want to know more check this post. In short, this technology ensures that the negative effects of lateral impact to your head and brain are mitigated. You almost never fall in just one direction, because of the speed you are travelling there are almost always lateral forces and oblique impact to be reckoned with. SPIN pads are placed directly in connection with the head so that, at impact, the helmet liner moves sideways slightly in relation to our head
The EPP liner and SPIN pas did their job well during my falls (the pole was one of the two where I hit the ground with my head) and also the fibreglass shell is unbroken and almost without a scratch.
Ventilatie
I was pleasantly surprised by the extent to which I did not sweat in the helmet. The helmet I wore was pretty tight for me, and the padding is really nice and thick. It almost felt a bit to tight, but actually, the helmet should really hug your head firmly and not move, shake or rattle around on your head. If it does it will lessen the helmet’s ability and effectiveness to protect your head and brain.
Because of the tight fit and the thick padding I expected massive sweating at a temperature of 25 degrees we were riding in. I am prone to copious sweating but in this case my head and hair were moderately damp, no more. What did help of course, is that you only go downhill in a bike park and the effort of climbing is left out. I am curious to know how the helmet will perform when I ride enduro, climb a trail and bomb down again.
In the chinbar, there is a spacious ventilation “grill” and further strategically placed vents that ensure optimal airflow through the helmet and along your head, from the front all the way to the back of the helmet.
The visor on the helmet is nice and high, you can easily attach a GoPro underneath and in the event of a crash the visor will pop up so that it doesn’t snag on anything on the ground you are tumbling over.
Comfort
As said, the helmet was pretty tight. I wore size M-L (55-58 cm circumference) and maybe could have worn had the XL-XXL. But once again, you run the risk that the helmet is too loose.
There was a little pressure on my forehead, which made me feel the need to take off my helmet as we stood in line at the chairlift. Taking it on and off was a squeeze, but once on it was fine. I wore it all day and did not feel a headache due to the tight fit. The liner is sturdy but soft and feels great against your skin.
The chin strap is easy to loosen and fasten, even with gloves on.
Looks
Like most POC products, the Coron Air Spin looks great. With nice minimal lines, and in the case of my helmet, a kind of two-tone black where the top and front of the helmet is matt black and the bottom and back has a gloss finish. The helmet is also available in white and green/orange
Conclusion
The POC Coron Air SPIN is a high-performance helmet from the high-end segment that can save lives in a bike park or in more aggressive terrain in the mountains. Sounds a bit dramatic, but in the end, that’s what it can do. The helmet is good, ventilates well, looks good and most importantly, it protects perfectly. It doesn’t come cheap helmet, but cutting costs on your head and brain should never be an option.
