Product Full Name: 6D ATB – 1 mountain bike full face helmet

Retail Price: £429.99

Available From: Decade Europe 

Ultimate protection and intelligent design

With bike technology allowing riders to tackle more radical terrain than ever, protection is always a first priority.

US company 6D have now taken things to a new level, and now offer the 6D ATB-1 helmet with the high tech ODS – Omni Directional Suspension – system, that sounds like the most comprehensive head protection system yet.

In recent years the type of impact transmitted through helmets to the head have been studied intensively, and there is a far higher understanding of the types of impact a cyclist is likely to suffer, and how those impacts create trauma for the brain, and spinal column.

The MIPS system is now being used by several manufacturers including Giro, Bell and POC, and to date has set a new precedent for protection against rotational injury, caused when a helmet might grip the ground whilst the energy transmitted to the skull during impact would continue rotation of the skull. The MIPS (Multi-Directional Impact Protection System) has been highly praised in the action sports world, though 6D have taken things a few steps further.

They have developed a system that not only protects against rotational injury, but aims to substantially lessen the final impact delivered to the skull, from the force received at the point of contact in a crash.

The key to the ODS system is a layer of Elastomeric Isolation Dampers between the inner and outer skins of the helmet. These are designed to slow down the forces received in an impact, and allow for 6degrees of freedom – which gave the brand it’s name.

Here are the main factors of the 6D ATB 1 mtb helmet:

1. Patented ODS (Omni-Directional Suspension) Technology
2. Shell – Advanced aerospace 3K Carbon Fibre
3. New PC Halo – Improves durability of inner EPS liner and overall performance
4. Air Flow Management – 10 intake ports, 13 transfer ports, and 4 aggressive exhaust ports
5. Rear Delta Vent – Aids heat transfer by scavenging air.
6. Supercool comfort liner –  Genuine CoolMax™anti-bacterial fabric is lighter than traditional liner materials and exclusive to the ATB-1.
7. Emergency release cheek pads – SuperCool foam
8. Shear away visor screws
9. Roost guard – Provides additional face protection
10. Clavical (collar bone) cutaway –  increased clavicle clearance without sacrificing strength
11. Sternum pad – Provides added protection of the chin, jaw and
12. sternum in the event of an accident
13. Exceeds ASTM F-1952-10 and CPSC 16CRF 1203 standards.
14. Weight: +/- 1,310 grams.
15. 3-year limted warranty
16. Crash replacement/rebuild programme 

Check out the ODS system in this video:

These are the main factors with the ODS protection system:

1. 2 separate EPS liners separated by 27 elastic isolation dampers
2. 3-dimensional displacement of the inner liner upon impact
3. Uncouples the impact force at the outer shell from the riders head
4. Superior performance for low, medium, and high-velocity impacts
5. Significantly reduces Linear Accelerations
6. Mitigates Angular Acceleration forces to the head and brain
7. Increases ‘Time-to-Peak’ values by roughly double (lessens severity)
8. Delivers progressive ‘ride-down’ for low, medium, and high-velocity impacts
9. Self re-centering alignment when the impact load is removed
10. Superior airflow, heat transfer, and sweat evaporation via air-gap between layers

You can see the Elastomeric Isolation Dampers between the inner and outer skins of the helmet here.

The liner is high quality and buttons in to the outer shell. It’s fully washable, as are the cheek pads, which use the fast release system for medics to gain access.

The visor screws are designed to breakaway in a crash, and there are spares included with the helmet. A neat key is included to adjust the screws with ease.

We say

Though we’ve only just got our hands on the 6D ATB – 1 helmet, to say we’re impressed with the technology behind it is an understatement. Once we’ve had some time out on the trails using the helmet, we’ll report back with how it feels against popular full face helmets out there.

In the mean time, check this little promotional video to whet your whistle – we think you’ll agree that it’s a pretty bad ass looking helmet with some serious tech crammed in…

What do you think about the level of protection inside the 6D ATB – 1 helmet?

Is it what we’ve been looking for, or do you think it could be overkill?

Let us know in the comments below…

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