Endura MT500 MIPS Helmet

Intro

When I think of riding in Scotland, grassy-toothed folk caked in clay come to mind, roasting the living hell out of beyond greasy rutted-out corners at warp speed. Endura was formed in 1993, with the goal of building functional bike apparel for Scottish riders in their natural climate - realistically not all that dissimilar from Pacific Northwest conditions. Endura introduced a helmet line a few years back, and has most recently released the MT500 MIPS helmet; a stylish open-faced trail lid with a focus on superior safety.

Features

The 240 USD MT500 MIPS is a sharp lid, with deep coverage at the rear. Features include a 3-position visor, giant vents, anti-stink interior padding, and a minimal retention device adjusted via a textured thumbwheel. A detachable accessory mount for lights or a POV camera snaps into a slot on the top, and an eyewear dock keeps glasses on your helmet when they’re not on your face.

Beyond traditional EPS helmet construction, Endura employs MIPS for rotational impact protection and Koroyd, a featherweight series of welded tubes constructed in a 3D matrix around the whole head. We're familiar with MIPS as an added layer of cranial armour in the form of slip-plane protection. This iteration has many cutouts for maximum ventilation with minimal (if any) sizing interference.

Endura has most recently implemented Koroyd into the construction of their higher-end helmets, replacing most, but not all of the traditional EPS foam in the MT500 MIPS. It acts as a halo covering most of your dome piece, and provides extended rear coverage. It layers under a thin exterior layer of EPS, and fills the large vents. Koroyd claims that EPS cannot compress past 60% in the event of an impact. In comparison, we are told that Koroyd is able to compress up to 78% of its material thickness, potentially reducing impact forces toward your grey matter. It’s also super-light and is obviously hyper-ventilated due to its open-tubed structure. Smith has used Koroyd in many of their helmets over the past five years, with Endura now adopting it to stay at the forefront of the head safety game.

Fit & Riding Experience

The MT500 MIPS fits my head better than any other half-lid I’ve tried so far. The parietal bone of my skull is more flat than spherical, so occasionally I’ll notice helmets wagging slightly side to side. To achieve a proper fit, I’ll use more tension on the occipital retention device. This is is generally okay, though a proper shell fit is obviously safer. This isn’t the case with Endura’s top trail helmet - it’s the closest shell fit to date. Coverage at the back of the head is deep and vast.

The occipital retention system wraps fully around the perimeter of the helmet and is actually a part of the MIPS structure. Its tension is adjusted with a thumbwheel, and I’ve not noticed any pressure points. There are three positions of height adjustment, to fit many folks. Straps are thin and comfy, using a regular buckle closure instead of a Fidlock strap, which I’d prefer for a high-end lid.

Ventilation is well managed, I’d give the MT500 MIPS an 8/10 vs.10/10 of my POC Kortal Race. I wonder if the Koroyd tubular structures obstruct air flow, particularly at the forehead area. The co-polymer tubes aren’t necessarily in-line with the direction of air (and won’t be with the semi-spherical structure of Koroyd). Perhaps the vent shape plays into this, or maybe my visual perception skews the actual breathability, and it does breathe as well as other non-Koroyd-equipped helmets. Nonetheless, I’ve used this as my main riding helmet for the past three months and I’ll take the extra safety advantage Koroyd suggests.

The three-position visor works well for stashing goggles underneath at the highest setting, providing ample sun/rain protection at the lowest. I’d like to see a break-away visor feature instead of hex bolts attaching the visor to the shell. I fucked around and found out last summer how break-away visors can potentially reduce neck rotation during a crash. I forgot to properly pull off a flat-lipped drop last summer, went OTB and my face augered into dry cedar red rot. The visor popping off instantly, stayed intact and was reattached quickly.. This type of feature also reduces a PITA visor replacement. Endura is focusing on all the safety bells and whistles, it would be great to see this implementation.

Final Words

The Endura MT500 MIPS is a viable for cream-of-the-crop trail helmets. The sleek styling drips with the latest safety tech in the form of a MIPS slip-plane liner, along with layered Koroyd shell construction providing more impact protection than traditional expanded polystyrene.

Endura MT500 MIPS $240 USD