Teased at Eurobike, South African outfit Leatt has launched its DBX 3.0 Enduro and All Mountain helmets, complete with the brand's proprietary brain protection technology.
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360 Turbine Technology
Contrary to what it sounds like, Leatt’s 360 Turbine Technology has nothing to do with ventilation, instead, it’s a system designed to reduce the risk of head injury due to impact.
In a similar vein to Kali Protective's Interceptor, the Turbines are made from Armourgel, a non-Newtonian material that hardens on impact. Placed directly against your skull in a crash the Turbines will deform and bend to reduce rotational acceleration (think MIPS), while also absorbing energy from a big hit.
Leatt claims that the technology can absorb both low-speed and rotation impact forces in a crash. It claims it can reduce 30 percent of head impact at concussion level and reduce up to 40 percent of rotational acceleration to the head and brain.
Leatt has introduced the 360 Turbines across its range of helmets.
All Mountain DBX 3.0
The DBX 3.0 All Mountain is Leatt’s first non-gravity lid and features 10 turbines set inside the EPS foam and placed around the head in areas that commonly take impacts.
The shell is made from polycarbonate and sees 18 vents that Leatt says provide effective airflow even at low speed.
There’s plenty of rear coverage on offer to protect the back of your noggin and the visor is also designed to break away in a crash to further limit rotational forces.
The All Mountain DBX 3.0 lid gets a Fidlock magnetic closure, which has previously been used by Lazer, Abus and Nutcase on select helmets. This system replaces the standard clip with a magnetic version that can be opened with one hand; it will still hold like a standard clip in a crash and won't pinch the skin under your chin.
The padding is washable and treated with zinc pyrithione, which prevents bacterial and fungal growth to keep helmet funk at bay.
Available in five colours, the DBX 3.0 All Mountain is set to cost $170.
UK and Australian pricing and availability are to be announced.
DBX 3.0 Enduro V2
With most enduro events requiring a full face helmet for timed stages, plenty of competitors brought a lightweight half shell lid to wear during the transfer climbs, and so the removable chin bar was born out of necessity. Just as Giro, Bell, and Fox have done, Leatt has jumped on this with the DBX 3.0 Enduro V2.
Similar to the other convertible enduro lids on the market, the chin bar on the DBX 3.0 Enduro is quick release and meets the required ASTM1952 standard.
Without the chin bar the shell is almost identical to the All-Mountain lid — with the addition of the mounting hardware.
The DBX 3.0 Enduro is claimed to weigh 700g with the chin bar and 375g without, and will cost $239.99.
UK and Australian pricing and availability are yet to be announced.
