Building on more than two decades of French DH wins on the world stage in their helmets since 1994, Urge went back to their roots to rework their mainstay Down-O-Matic downhill helmet into this newest RR version. There has been a lot of movement from Urge in recent months. They’ve certainly put some time and effort into updating their classics like the Endur-O-Matic 2 now with MIPS and putting out new shells like the affordable All-In and Drift. But it was their Archi Enduro that set the stage here with their first Ready-to-Race RR spec helmet revamp. No the DH helmet gets the same treatment, with big vents some unique composites and a nicely flashy look.
Check out the full details on the new DH lid, plus a fun video of masters Fabien Barel and Florent Payet as they go on an adventure and fly down some trails in the new head covering…
The Down-o-Matic is something of what linked François Gachet’s 1994 Vail DH Championship win, Fabien Barel’s sweep of the 2009 World Cup in Maribor, and Sabrina Jonnier’s 5th World Cup overall in 2010. Urge has deep DH roots, and keeps the winning helmets around as a reminder.
Both building on that history, and as a continuous reminder to keep pushing ahead they introduce their newest and most tech heavy DH helmet yet. Befitting the new RR – Race Ready moniker, the updated Down-O-Matic is itching for competition just as the World Cup season got back underway last weekend in Lourdes.
The new Down-O-Matic carries on Urge’s use of glass fiber reinforced linen composites to build one of the lightest top-end helmets available. Much like the similarly built Archi Enduro, the new Down-O-Matic isn’t just trying to be the lightest. Urge has employed their new shell tech to build a helmet that can still be strong while leading the class in openness and ventilation and still matching the competition on safety.
The new DH helmet share the same outer shell and EPS tech of the Archi Enduro, with a unique blend of glass and natural linen fibers (80/20%). With the hand-laid shell the new Down-O-Matic exceeds every crash test Urge has gone up against all of their markets (CE 1078, CPSC 1203, and AS/NZS 2063, plus ASTM F1952 for the chin guard). It outperforms both conventional ABS shells, as well as carbon ones.
Again Urge put a big focus on the chin guard to get the best balance of stiffness and the ability to deform to absorb face-first impacts. The key large chin guard openings then get a metal grid reinforcement that works together with a high density polyurethane upper element to protect as a whole. Like on their other helmets the Down-O-Matic RR gets a polyethylene visor, designed to bend out-of-the-way on impact.
The helmet stays in place with Urge’s Double D buckle, and the helmet gets 10 big vents overall for even good low-speed ventilation. Like the Archi Enduro, it is especially open at the front making it one of the best DH helmets that exists for really hot days. The Down-O-Matic also uses removable dual-density padding so it can be easily cleaned.
With the big front opening, the helmet is both goggles & glasses friendly.It also gets a rear design specifically to ensure compatibility with neck braces without interference.
The top-end helmet is available in 5 sizes: XS (53-54cm), S(55-56cm), M(57-58cm),L(59-60cm), and XL(61-62cm) and four colors: red/white/blue, black/silver, black/yellow, and black/red/white.
At just 1050g it will sell for $300/300€ when it is available at the end of May 2016.
