The Scott ARX Plus helmet is designed to deliver riding versatility with a reasonable price tag.
The latest ARX Plus features MIPS and is being touted by Scott for both road and off-road riding, with the removable visor a nod to the latter.
Although it straddles two camps and excels at neither, it’s still one of the best options if you want one helmet for tarmac and light off-road use.
Scott ARX Plus details and specifications
The ARX Plus was an early adopter of MIPS, and this latest version features a neat black plate between the pads and foam core.
The weight of 269g (size medium) is par for the course on a helmet with off-road aspirations, with much of this coming from a build that’s chunkier than similarly priced helmets we’ve tested recently from Met (the also-269g Vinci) and ABUS (the 248g PowerDome). For off-roaders, there’s also a removable visor.
Scott says tech has trickled down from its top-end lids, and there are visual similarities to the more aerodynamically optimised Scott Centric Plus. This helmet, however, comes in 49g lighter and boasts a lower profile.
The ARX Plus MIPS scores a 5-star rating from Virginia Tech Institute.
Scott ARX Plus performance
Aesthetics are a personal thing, but I’d definitely look at one of the 11 alternative and wacklily titled colourways (‘Prism Unicorn Purple’, anyone?).
The grey shell on test here (sorry, ‘Vogue Silver/Reflective Grey), combined with the grey EPS foam, felt a bit too close to John Major’s Spitting Image puppet for me, or Manchester United’s infamous away kit from 1996 if you want a (slightly) more contemporary reference.
That said, the reflective details are appreciated for rides in lower-light conditions and the polycarbonate shell nearly completely covers the EPS foam beneath it, including around the underside of the rim.
The ventilation provided by the 17 outlets is impressive, but the rear of the shell is relatively closed off, with, like previous ARX Plus helmets, only two triangular ports in the lower couple of inches.
On warm rides, this resulted in some sweat building up around the nape of my neck.
The removable padding sits across your brow and there are two crown pads that keep the MIPS section away from your head.
Those pads mopped up sweat pretty well, dried quickly and stayed comfortable during long late-summer rides.
The straps, meanwhile, sit flush and are easy to adjust, while the buckle does the business without issues.
The retention dial emits a resolute click in use, giving the sense of a secure fastening during the bumpy off-road stretches that Scott also targets this helmet for.
That off-road appeal is heightened by noticeably chunkier wedges of EPS foam (compared to dedicated road bike helmets), fewer vents and an added band of polycarbonate at the rear for enforced protection.
Hardened mountain bikers will certainly want more protection, however, so this is a helmet best viewed as a 'halfway-house' solution.
Scott ARX Plus bottom line
The latest version of the Scott ARX Plus is a versatile, durable, if unspectacular helmet, that ticks the boxes for road, XC and gravel riding.
The sub-£100 pricing is refreshingly cost-effective, though, while the array of bright colour options are well suited to urban commuting too.
Product
| Brand | scott |
| Price | 160.00 AUD,130.00 EUR,100.00 GBP,120.00 USD |
| Weight | 269.0000, GRAM (M) - |
Features
| br_MIPS | yes |
| br_helmetType | road |
| Features | Sizes: S; M; L Material: vIn-Mold Technology, Polycarbonate Micro Shell Vents: 17 Colours: White/black; vogue silver/reflective grey; black/radium yellow RC; prism green/purple; granite black; mineral blue; metal blue; prism unicorn purple; paprika orange; mineral green; white/rose beige; pearl white/rose beige |
