Suomy Spec 1R helmet.(Gear)

Around the Rider office, we're always looking for new lids that offer interesting technical innovations and/or fresh styling. And we' re strong advocates of wearing quality, full-coverage head protection for comfort, safety and a long, happy riding career (that way you can't see how ugly the riders are in the photo shoots, either).

Recently, Suomy USA sent us its latest top-line model, the Spec 1R, for evaluation. The Spec 1R brings some nice features to the party, including lots of ventilation, a removable liner for easy cleaning, a lightweight shell and optional bold race-replica graphics.

When you pick up the Spec 1R, the helmet's light weight is immediately noticeable. We weighed one, along with a competing brand, and found that our Spec 1R scaled in at 3.42 pounds, compared to 3.68 avoirdupois for Brand X. The Spec 1R's outer shell is made of a "high-impact composite weave" of fiberglass, Kevlar and carbon fiber, and the energy-absorbing inner liner is made of expanded polystyrene foam (EPS).

This is a good hot-weather helmet with plenty of venting and features like a hypo-allergenic lining and removable Ultralure washable padding. Two slots in front let air in, and five openings in back allow it to exit. An additional chinbar vent also directs air in below the face shield, but it's difficult to open or close with gloves on. There's no way to close the top vents at all.

A removable air deflector helps direct exhaled air away from the face shield to avoid fogging. Scratch- and impact-resistant, anti-fog and ECE 22-05-certified face shields are offered in clear, tinted and iridium. The helmet has a good sealing gasket around the face opening that effectively seals the face shield when it's closed, and a small latch can lock it down. On the minus side, a small plastic tool (provided) is required to remove the shield and the procedure is more of a hassle than it should be.