The Fury helmet from O’Neal is a remarkable piece of kit on three counts, first and foremost is the unique and revolutionary ‘Fidlock’ magnetic locking system, secondly that this helmet retails for £70 and thirdly, you won’t actually believe this helmet is £70! Upon first handling the Fury, the first thing you’ll notice is the weight, or lack of it – coming in at 900g, which is 200g lighter than most and not something to be sniffed at when riding all day. The bold graphics, well place venting and not too mention the styling which is taken straight from O’Neal’s popular MX line, all add up to the Fury being one hell of a helmet.

Out on the trail the Fury has a snug and comfortable fit similar to an MX helmet and therefore doesn’t wobble or move when hitting the rough stuff. I found the Fury a pleasure to use and of course taking it off and on was nothing more than effortless thanks to the Fidlock system, but more on that later. The Fury also features a removable liner too, which is fantastic at this price point and essential to keep your helmet hygienic and fresh.

The FIDLOCK.

The Fidlock system is one of those things that makes you think, “why hasn’t anyone thought of this before?” and for good reason too. The double ‘D’ strap buckle is the most common found on full face MTB helmets and has it’s strengths over the standard ‘click’ buckle found on regular bicycle helmets is there for all to see, but for someone unfamiliar and new to this and indeed, full face helmets in general, may find it annoying and another thing to get used to. The price bracket on the Fury is definitely aiming at the first time buyer and budget minded rider, so the Fidlock makes perfect sense – why make the transition to full face even more confusing?

To those pretty familiar with full face helmets, the Fidlock represents a new direction too. When riding in the cold with numb fingers you’ll know all too well the frustration of fiddling with helmet straps and buckles. Even in the hot summer months, when you start getting that claustrophobic feeling after a long decent and you just have get your helmet off and get it off fast, well the Fury goes from securely on, to off in nothing more than moving two fingers.

The Fidlock is nothing shy of genius and will go down well with pretty much anyone who gets the opportunity to try one out. This raises another issue and one that has recently popped up, especially here in the UK were frustrated race organisers have had to discipline riders who don’t do their helmets up. Wether this is laziness or just frustration at the extra effort required to do their lid up correctly is neither here nor there, but a system like the Fidlock just takes the hassle or the excuse of it being hassle, completely away, which can’t be bad at the end of the day.

The genius behind the Fidlock is nothing more than two magnets on each buckle, which are automatically drawn to each other. Upon contact, the magnets react with each other and the two sides slide together and bosh, your secure and ready to ride; it’s as simple as that. To release the buckle, all you do is push the lower strap away from you and it releases. The Fidlock is surprisingley satisfying to use and will be a talking piece when you go riding, thats for sure!

Conclusion.

The Fury helmet is a great helmet regardless of the Fidlock, but when combining both this unique feature and the price which ultimately represent another great item that will encourage more people to ride downhill. The largest sector of the off road market has to be trail bikes and trail riding, but a lot of people (seasoned downhillers too) are beginning to see just how truly versatile these 140-160mm travel bikes are and having a full face in your kit bag can never be a bad thing, especially with so many great uplift destinations.

The other thing and I am picking at straws here, was the peak, which doesn’t have enough adjustment, especially backwards. This was just something that frustrated me at first, but after a few hours just got used to it, but is something to consider if your a fussy one.

All in all for a helmet that costs £70GBP, you really can’t beat the Fury. With the MX looks and fit, the light weight and of course the fantastic Fidlock system, the Fury will surprise even the most experience riders out there. Available in 4 colours to suite all tastes including a tasty lime green and white plus a matt black option – what’s not to like. If your looking for a helmet on a budget, a first time buyer or someone who just needs a helmet for when they fancy smashing the berms and jumps on their trail bike, well, look no further.

For more information on the Fury, head over to O’Neal Europe for more!

For UK residents, hit up Fli Distribution and get down to your local dealer to try one out!

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