The Italians are a stylish and attractive people, but they’re also passionate about cycling. Ever heard of a little mountain range called the Alps? What about the Dolomites or the Appenines? They have those. And they ride mountain bikes on them. Who better to turn to then, for an ultralight MTB helmet, than our old friends the Italians? No one, I say. No one!
They’ve presented us with this, the Limar Ultralight MTB+ helmet. Have a look at our test model in matte black, sitting on the bearded melon of a non-ultralight American mountain biker, your humble correspondent.
I’ve had the pleasure of testing the Ultralight MTB+, and I’ve found it to have no shortage of features for all its light weight. Limar claims it weighs in at 260g for the Large, which I have, and I can confirm that it does. It’s actually more like 245g without the detachable visor. Even with the visor and all the removable/optional pads, it’s just north of 270g.
Unless I am missing something, at this weight the Ultralight MTB+ is in the ballpark of the lightest MTB helmets in the world. It’s CPSC certified, too.
Compare those numbers with my old carbon fiber helmet, which tips the scales at 348g, even without a visor. I don’t get the visor thing. I usually rip them off.
Does the missing weight matter? To me, as a guy who enjoys riding around in the woods laughing with my friends and family, and possibly eating a sandwich, 100 grams plus or minus might seem negligible. But over the hours of riding, 100g less attached to your head is nice, especially given that the Ultralight MTB+ doesn’t skimp on features.
In fact, I like the multi-position closure system a lot. It grips my head so firmly the helmet wants to stay on even without the chin strap. Not that I’d wear it that way. I need all the protection I can get with as often as I fall over.
I occasionally get the opportunity to review ultralight MTB gear. Usually the review comes with the understanding that the product is made to be hyper light for race-only applications and will disintegrate if used more than once. I don’t get that feeling here at all. The Ultralight MTB+ is now my full-time lid.
Other stuff to like: the front air holes have netting in them, which is meant to keep bugs from flying into your helmet and attacking your head. Stinging insects love that little maneuver. They gather on weekends to talk about how best to get inside a cyclist’s helmet and sting repeatedly. Jerks.
You can see the mesh nicely here in the glamor shot.
I also like the removable pads, the strap adjustment clips, and the little pad on the chin strap which I believe is a beard protector. Not to protect my beard from being pulled, mind you, but to protect the helmet strap from being gnawed in half by the woodland creatures living in my beard.
Limar the company have been around a long time, making helmets. Even though I hadn’t heard of them, a quick look around their site confirms that I haven’t heard of them because I haven’t been to Italy enough. I have requested that Singletracks.com fly me there first class on a fact finding mission. So far, no response.
The Ultralight MTB+, for all its features and light weight, isn’t even that expensive. It retails for $189-$249 depending on who you ask, but I saw the model I have on Amazon (and other sites) for about $112, which is a lot less than you can pay for top-end lightweight helmets.
I think if you’re looking for a light lid, the Limar Ultralight MTB+ is a good grab.
Check out more information on the Ultralight MTB + here, and some further tech info here.
Thanks to Limar for providing the helmet for review.
