Just over a year ago we first got a glimpse of Massachusetts based snow & bike helmet maker Bern’s new for 2016 FL-1 lid for road riding. The lightest helmet they had ever made, from just 248g for a medium, the FL-1 combined a different angular look, a lot more ventilation, the option for MIPS, and a unique retention solution. Now they’ve continued to refine the same design and tech to take it further off road. The newest Trail and XC iterations add a clip-on visor for a more aggressive mountain biker look, but also come at two different price points as they replace the outgoing Morrison with a much more affordable option…
FL-1 Pavé
With 18 angular vents, breathability was better than the rest of their bike focused helmets, so Bern figured the FL-1 deserved to get some more trail riding time. This past season’s in-mold FL-1 carries over mostly unchanged for 2017, save for the road focused lid getting renamed FL-1 Pavé to differentiate it from the new mountain helmets. The Pavé road version looks like it will keep the standard $100 version, and also be available with a MIPS liner that adds $20 to the price tag and just 40g to its weight.
FL-1 XC
Bern’s current vented Morrison mountain bike helmet is now on the way out, as the FL-1 could essentially outperform it in all aspects while not costing more to make. If you want MIPS you’ll have to go for the $130 FL-1 XC. At the new top of their mountain bike range, the XC variant combines the original MIPS road FL-1’s open ventilation design and 360° BOA retention system with a new snap-on visor.
FL-1 Trail
The new FL-1 Trail keeps the same shell and overall design and adds the new mountain bike visor. But to be able to deliver a mountain biking helmet at an even lower price level, now down to just $70 for the Trail, Bern left out the MIPS liner and even dropped the BOA cable retention. Retention gets handles by a new Crank Fit Velo system using a more conventional dial adjusting a pair of plastic straps that still gives 270° of adjustability
All of the new helmets are expected to get updated on Bern’s website at the start of 2017, with springtime availability.
