Sweet Protection Fixer 2Vi Composite helmet, Fox Airframe Chest Guard and Giro Goggles reviewed

Not always well prepared

I don’t wear a full-face helmet all that often. I should, but I don’t. They don’t suit the riding I do the most on my daily and weekly spins. Being fortunate enough to live near the trails, rides usually start from my backyard. Most involve quite a bit of pedalling to get high up the mountain, along with multiple loops of the current favourites. Shuttles in winter are even more rare for me. Driving up to the snowline and dropping in cold is not how I like to get the adrenaline going. I want to be warm and loose before embarking on the double-black menu at Mt Seymour, the most eastern hill on the North Shore.

Seymour, much like Cypress, has easy shuttle access with very gentle pedalling between trails. When I do get a lift up, it makes sense to wear a decent full-face helmet and along with a chest and spine protector. I kitted up last year with a seriously good helmet from Sweet Protection, chest protection from Fox Racing and goggles from Giro Sports.

Sweet Protection Fixer Composite 2Vi® Mips Helmet

Despite rarely wearing full-face helmets, I have three on my shelf. The Fixer Composite 2Vi is the burliest, with the other two specifically designed for Enduro applications: the Bluegrass Vanguard and Smith Mainline.

Riding the Whistler Bike Park and a couple of bonus helicopter shuttles, I tested everything about the Fixer Composite 2Vi except the crashing part. I am OK with that. The Fixer Comp is 1311gr (2.14lb) in size, medium. Not featherweight all things considered. This weight is slightly more than advertised on their website. There is also a Carbon version if you can afford 200 bucks extra for 200 g less. A dollar per gram is pretty on par with most bike stuff these days.

Standing 175cm (5.8″) tall and 160 lb wide, the Size medium helmet fits exceptionally well on my normally(?) shaped head. There are two cheek pad thicknesses to choose from. I settled on 25mm for my face, but the 35mm ones are also supplied. A titanium D buckle secures the helmet to your head. This is well designed and can be operated with gloves on the hill.

The Fixer 2Vi Composite helmet is the 12th safest helmet in the Virginia Tech bicycle helmet ratings. And along with the Carbon version, which is the 7th best, the highest-rated fullface helmets on the list. The Fixer 2Vi uses a composite or carbon shell that houses dual-density EPS foam, with a two-layer MIPS system designed to prevent concussion. On the ventilation front, there are 11 “penetration-proof” vents to exhaust the warm air away from the head. Larger openings can be prone to letting sticks and sharp rocks in during a crash, so Sweet Protection opted for many smaller holes rather than fewer large ones. Standing around, in the sun, fullface helmets show their biggest weaknesses. Cooking your brain from the inside out until parasitic brain syndrome leads to questionable decisions at Garfinkel’s. The Fixer wants you to move, and move fast. The vents work exceptionally well at speed, and you can actually feel the cold air circulating. The lighter colour version I received unsolicited looks like I ride Kawasakis for a living, and also heats up less than darker colours.

On the trail, the Fixer 2Vi fits solidly and doesn’t creep up and down. It comes off easily without ripping my ears off, too. Fullface can go on and off dozens of times during a day in the bike park, but the process is no hassle with this lid. The Visor has two positions for people who want to run a camera under it and no corner of the helmet impedes my vision. I get tunnel vision effect with some helmets, but the Fixer clears out of the way nicely when combined with the Giro Dropline Goggles I have been using. I have also used Leatt Velocity Goggles successfully on the Fixer 2Vi.

The Sweet Protection Fixer 2Vi Composite is a 450 USD / 620 CAD helmet. That’s not far off the 6D Alterra from the first page of Virginia Tech’s list. Not every manufacturer sends their helmets to VT, but many people shoppers use it as a reference. The Fox Rampage RS helmet is 850 CAD / 610 USD in comparison.

For me the Fixer 2Vi gets a 10 out of 10 rating for performance and value.

Fox Racing Airframe Chest Guard

The idea of a chest guard was even less enticing than a fullface. Despite my protests, the Fox Airframe Chest Guard showed up a couple of days after the Whistler Bike Park closed for the season. “Well, that ain’t gonna work,” was my response.

I managed to wear the Airframe Chest Guard on colder shuttle days on Cypress and was impressed with its comfort and protection. If you go looking for the Airframe on Fox Racing’s MTB catalogue, you will not find it. It lives under the Moto section but is approved for both downhill and throttlehill applications. What sets Airframe apart is the collaboration with Koroyd on the protective bits. Koroyd first appeared on Smith helmets as a lighter alternative to EPS foam. The auxetic nature of Koroyd makes the Airfame significantly more comfortable than the scale-like covering of hardshell chest protectors. Koroyd flexes and moves with the contours of the body and becomes part of your natural movement.

The Airframe Chest protector comes in three sizes. I went for a size S/M for my 5’8″, 160lb build. There is some adjustment left in the straps, but not a ton. If you are a smaller rider, I would look elsewhere or try the Youth sizing. There is ample coverage on the chest and the back of the Airframe. Virtually covering the entire torso. Chest straps and the shoulder straps adjust quickly and do not dig into the skin. Chest protectors can be worn against bare skin or on top of a base layer. The Airframe fits comfortably either way. It can be handwashed with a soft brush and hung to dry.

Here is some certification info from Fox

• CE Level 1 Koroyd chest and back inserts for world leading impact protection, breathability, and flexibility 
• Adjustable shoulder straps and waistband with fast-action buckles for secure and easy adjustments 
• Removable collarbone and upper chest pads for added coverage 
• CE EN 1621-2 LEVEL 1 Certified full back protection  
• CE prEN 1621-3 LEVEL 1 Certified chest protection
• 30% nylon, 30% polyester, 30% eva, 10% elastane

The Fox Racing Airframe Chest Guard costs 195 US // 270 CAD and might be a worthwhile option for those seeking torso protection on short pedal rides, bike park laps or racing in general.

Giro Dropline Goggles

The Dropline goggles are new to the Giro lineup, and I have been pairing them with the Sweet Protection Fixer 2Vi and the Giro Montaro III helmet for a while now. While I don’t advocate for the half-lid with goggles look, Giro made sure that these two work together seamlessly.

Here are some specs from Giro

• Patent‐pending quick change lens system
• DryCore™ sweat management with a silicone bead embedded in face foam
• Outrigger strap anchor maximizes airflow and cooling power
• 45mm Raked Strap Design for optimized comfort and tension
• VIVID technology tuned for the trail
• Injection‐molded polycarbonate lens with anti‐fog treatment
• Seamless helmet integration
• Included a clear spare lens
• Certification: EN1938 MX Standard
• 175grams

The Dropline’s optics are excellent for this rider. I’m susceptible to being affected by distortion in lenses; in both clear and VIVID, these lenses are excellent. The VIVID lens in particular works well in patchy light by lowering the contrast between the highs and lows. I have left this lens on during the majority of the test period, save for the darkest of days on Cypress.

The Lens swap procedure is clever and quick, with minimal optics handling required. You push the glass out from the inside of the frame with your thumbs on the dedicated pads. The lens pops out with some resistance. Not so much that you need to worry about a broken pin, but so easy that an accidental pop out during a ride or a crash is likely. The replacement lens pops into the same pin slots with a solid click, and you are good to go.

The Droplines fog no more or less than other goggles, which means they fog a bit in damp North Shore conditions. There are some remedies for this with sprays, soap, spit, vaseline, etc. but I don’t bother. It is best to take a microfibre cloth or the carry bag with you and put the goggles on at the absolute last minute if possible. That’s the only way I can make it work. When the air is dry, these goggles have no fogging issues or the dust making its way in from the outside.

The Droplines are currently 30% off at 98 US / 136 CAD

Giro Dropline Goggles