This Julbo Forest MIPS helmet is a bit more towards the gnar-oriented side of open-face helmets yet still feels nice and light to wear. Is this the perfect all rounder trail helmet?
Julbo is best known for its sunglasses and snowsports background, however it seems to know how to make mountain bike stuff too, like this Forest helmet. In the Forest range, Julbo have the Forest MIPS at £150 (tested here), and the £30 dearer £180 Forest MIPS Evo. Key features of the Evo are the straps which come with Fidlock closure and more adjustment all round.
Starting, as we probably should, with safety. As is expected for most higher end helmets, the Forest comes with MIPS as standard. For those sub-rock dwellers that haven’t already had MIPS explained to them several times, the system essentially allows a degree of rotational movement during impacts to stop the brain bouncing around in your skull so much.
There is good protection at the back of the head and extended coverage around the temple areas, something that is again thankfully becoming standard operating procedure in most new enduro-influenced lids. Essentially the Forest ticks all the required safety boxes for a helmet at this price point.
As for fit, overall the comfort is clear. There is good adjustability in the cage allowing for a snug fit on a good range of head shapes. Whilst the strap adjustment and the use of the apparently archaic (joke!) clip fastener were completely fine for me. Julbo has even thought of novel yet important features: the Forest offers a Yoann Barelli-friendly height adjustment system which leaves room on the back of the head for a ponytail.
Most helmets seem to offer some sort of eyewear storage solution, yet to me these often seem an afterthought. Unsurprisingly for a sunglasses brand, Julbo has designed glasses storage from the get-go, with two rubber sleeves on the top of the helmet that securely lock glasses in. I have rigorously tested this and the most movement I can get out of the glasses stowed in these sleeves is a slight wiggle. These also have the added benefit of looking undoubtedly jetfighter-ish, which is always a bonus!
With 19 vents, the breathability is great. Although Julbo designed this lid to tackle the “sketchiest downhills”, it also coped just as well on the sweatiest of commutes. This again gets me wondering about, aside from cost, why anyone would opt for a less protective helmet when highly breathable and protective open face helmets like this exist on the market.
There are however a couple of noticeable stranger things in the Forest. Firstly, whilst Julbo has designed this as a comprehensive head-hugging enduro helmet, it seems to feel quite shallow. It’s a strange thing to describe, especially when looking at the helmet, the cage just seems to grab the head higher up than other helmets. Whilst this does lead to a somewhat exposed feel for overthinkers, it was quickly forgotten when I was actually riding. I should make it clear that is only the inner cage which is actually shallow, the helmet coverage is still definitely nice and comprehensive. Furthermore, the high cage also makes for a more breathable wear, so maybe if this does bother you, once you get past the initial strange sensation, this is a win win.
There are really very few negatives for this helmet but it is worth mentioning one thing. I would like to have seen a longer and/or more adjustable peak. In itself a short peak isn’t always bad, it does stay out the way and look nice and tidy. However, it isn’t really effective at doing peaky things such as keeping the rain off or shading your eyes from the sun. This would be solved by a bit more manoeuvrability. Whilst there is good movement up, which leaves space for a pair of goggles, the lowest of the 3 positions would benefit from being a touch lower, this would then at least provide that little bit of extra shade/shelter from rain and sun.
All in all, for £150 you expect a well equipped, highly protective and well designed helmet. To be fair to Julbo, the Forest ticks all these boxes. The design is clearly well thought out, with bespoke eyewear storage and ponytail friendly adjustability, and the protection is well covered with MIPS and a good head-hugging shell.
| Brand: | Julbo |
| Product: | Forest MIPS helmet |
| From: | Julbo |
| Price: | £150.00 |
| Tested: | by Aran Francis for 4 months |
