Spyder Shox Review

Introduction:

I'm writing this review because I noticed that there's little to no information or personal reviews on Spyder helmets. The brand is not exactly that popular in the MTB scene, at least internationally, but their offerings are pretty good, rivaling those from well known brands. This is my personal account on the Spyder Shox which I purchased the day after a crash.

Spyder is well known here in the Philippines. They not only offer mtb helmets but sell an assortment of eye-wear, sportswear, watches and motorcycle helmets which I believe sell the most locally. Spyder mtb helmets are relatively cheap costing at most 3k for the MTB ones with the cheapest around 1,000 pesos. Their road helmets would cost more with one particular model around 3.5k pesos.

Before anything else, It took me about an hour to decide which helmet I wanted. I was going back and forth, with the Shox and the Dart. The Dart helmet is a looker that's for sure especially the black and red model though, glossy and the matte blue one. They look just like a certain specialized or fox helmet that cost more. Thus, you'll be reading a comparison of sorts between the shox and the dart in this review.

From where I bought my helmet, they had a complete selection of shox "flavors". I thought to myself that the others were that of the Trax but realized that the design is similar to the shox and price wise is similar to the shox.

So what made me choose the shox over the dart? Simple. I had two major accidents in mountain biking and each and both time I fell off the bike, the back of my head would meet the ground first. The shox gave me that extra back - of the -head coverage than the Dart and it covered more of my head on the side of my ear. Design wise, I liked both but i chose the blue, yellow green Shox because it's bright and something that's easy to see on the trail. It was the only one their too so I felt I had to have it. Of course it fit nicely.

Design

The shox looks like most serious trail mtb helmets around. In particular, the back area coverage is a prominent feature of trail mtb helmets. Spyder did not fail in this regard as the back of the helmet is one of the raddest feature of the Shox.

Another great plus of the Shox is the larger than usual vents. about 18 vents ( I think, too lazy to count) keep your head cool. The vents are large so you'd be sure of a cool head. The dart has more vents.

A typical visor keeps your view clear from the sun which is as great as basic features can get. I feel though that the visor of the Shox is a joke. Let me explain. The visor is attached to the helmet on two small holes located on the sides. Typical. The beauty of the visor would have to be adjustability right but that is not the case with the shox. In fact you cannot adjust it at all to go low or high. Yes you can push it to a certain degree up but it is not secure in any way. Its not loose per se that it would fall off but its loose enough that riding badly paved and cemented roads make it rattle, creating a squeaky sound, more on that later. Rocking the helmet back on forth by hand is enough to rattle the visor too.

The dart offered a way to adjust the visor which is great and all but it is difficult to operate. And even if you managed to loosen up the lock of the Dart's visor, you can only move it so much up and down. I considered all of these in my purchase since I ride without shades.

For what its worth, the visor did keep the rain drops off my face when I rode on one rainy day.

The visor is then purely cosmetic for the shox. It does its job but it's not adjustable, something that Spyder dropped the ball on. My first ride with the shox was met with disappointment too because of the visor attachment. It made an annoying squicky styrofoam sound whenever I go through anything that most of use bikers would find exciting. its a minor concern really but one that can drive you nuts. I haven't considered fixing it though. UPDATE: it went away somehow.

The retention strap that goes through the side of your head is attached directly to the side of the helmet and in to shell while in the Dart, the retention straps is connected at the base of the helmet, inside.

Like any other mtb helmet, the fit can be adjusted with the retention system. One thing that made the shox stand out from the Dart was the size of the retention wheel. The one in the shox is big enough for on the fly adjustment. It's rubberised too! thank you spyder! I hated the small, difficult to adjust wheel on the Dart. Speaking about the dart, I fitted the large one and tried adjusting the visor with the wheel and the retention wheel on the back after the other and boy was it uncomforatble and tedious, partly because of my big hands.

The large vents can prove a liability if you ride in branchy trails though. Those large vents can catch branches and can hurt your head if your not careful.

Box Written Features

The so called features in molding and on the shell tech and whatnot is something I dont really find important. As long as the helmet passes the standards and test set for it then I'm good to go. Spyder has its share of well dressed names for the technology behind their helmets (reminds me of Magura) but I really dont care bout those...except for MIPS.

Comfort and Fit

One thing of note, about the Shox and the Dart is that their sizes do not fit the same. For example, I was comfortable with a Large Dart but the Large Shox was too big for my head. I ended up getting a medium Shox and it fit like a glove.

The back of my head is rather flat or well, its flat. this have an impact on the comfort of the helmet. In general it fits nicely, snug and comfortable but on the trail, the helmet would tend to pitch forward. Its a lot worse when I'm riding and I'd had to avoid the trees and branches on the trail, positioning my head near the handlebar. Unfortunately tightening the retention does not help.

The pad quality is okay too. I can't comment more on this though since mine have not gone through to many use to the point that the pads would show some wear. I wished Spyder offered an extra set of pads though.

I do wish that helmet pads would run longer though. It woudn't hurt the design and comfort, if you ask me. For someone who sweat alot, i tend to get the forehead pads drenched in sweat really quick to the point that went I push the helmet towards the back of my head, squeezing the pads, sweat would drip like rain haha! Either that's a good thing or not, depends on you.

Price

If you're strapped on cash and you need a stylish helmet for less, the shox or the dart for that matter are great options for you. I got mine for only 2695pesos. I think, for the price, design and fit, its great value for the money.The Dart is similarly priced and among the mtb helmets Sypder has on offer, these are the most expensive.

Because of the price you can easily forgive the shortcomings of the helmet. annoying sytrofoam sound of the visor (FIXED) and the non-adjustable visor and the lack of an extra padding can be forgiven for the price.

Still, there are many other offerings in the market around the price of the Shox.

Conclusion

The shox helmet is without a doubt a good buy. You get so much helmet for less than 3k pesos. It is one of the cheapest helmets you can get that can hang with the big boys in terms of style and comfort, but Spyder is not the only brand on the cheap end. Offerings from Kali, Limar, Specialized, Fox, and many more touches the price range.

You do get the top of the line helmet Spyder has to offer while for around the same price, you'd get something basic from other companies. So get this helmet if you're strapped on cash and still want to look cool in the trail. You can then invest the rest of your money to pads. Ride safe everyone!

Wrap Up

Pro:

Cheap For What You Get

Quality Finish and Design

Stylish no doubt

Retention Wheel is rubberised

Large Vents Keep Your Head Cool

Available in Glossy or Matte finishes

Con:

Non adjustable Visor

Squeaky Visor attachment (FIXED)

No extra pad replacement (although the dealer said, they may be able to order)

Tends to pitch forward when riding blocking view (may depend on your head shape)