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Ruroc Signature helmet review

46K views 87 replies 29 participants last post by  ridethecliche 
#1 ·
I'm not a great snowboarder but I decided recently it was time to dump the beanie hat and get some head protection. I saw another person sporting a Ruroc helmet and I knew that this was the helmet I wanted.

The helmet itself is light but comfortable. Sizes seem to fit smaller than expected though, I usually am a small but I wear a medium snugly.

It is made of ABS plastic and feels rough and almost feels like it could be fragile, however by applying a bit of pressure on it and you can tell it's actually quite solid.

The Face mask can be difficult to click in the first few times, it takes some practice. It does have "no break" clips though, if you have an urgent need to remove the facemask, you can simply pull straight on it and the tabs attaching the clips to the face mask will pop off. This can be very useful if you need medical attention. It kept powder out of my mouth and nose when taking a tumble though. The biggest drawback was not being able to scratch my nose when I wanted to. But it's removable for those who don't want to use it.

The goggles are quite good, they do not fog up and since you can get both a cloudy weather and sunshine weather lens for them, you are good to go for any weather conditions.

Wearing the helmet my head didn't get cold without high winds. I used it in -10C to -20C but was ok. at the top of Whistler in -20 with 50 km/h winds it was chilly and I was glad I wore a tight tuque underneath for added warmth.

There is enough air flowing through that I never felt hot or like I would suffocate. However my neck was cold, and my neck warmer had problems staying up with the helmet pulling on it. I think wearing something tight on my neck would have worked better.

Visibility was good, the helmet and goggles don't impede my line of sight much, the only time it cuts off sight a lot is looking close to your body, for example when you put on the ski pass tag.

Overall I'm very happy with the helmet and recommend it! I think that for the price it's a great deal, a similar pair of goggles would cost $150+ by themselves, the price of a regular helmet makes it about the same, but you get a kit that fits perfectly together.

Cost: $300-$320
 
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#8 · (Edited)
Re-Tales: The Helmet Literally No One Ever Asked For
'nuf said
This comes from a person who admits in his article to having never seen one of the Ruroc helmets in person or tried one, so what do they know? :surprise:

Before you decide something is not good, I think you should try it. If you haven't used or taken a tumble in a Ruroc helmet then you can't judge it fairly.

The mouth guard is actually tough enough to take a good hit and protect you without shattering. I know this through experience. ABS is known for having a very high impact strength. If you are hitting something with your mouth hard enough to shatter ABS plastic, maybe you need one of these?


:)

Goggles:
The helmet comes as a kit with the goggles and face guard, so it's a full kit that fits perfectly. the goggles are good, they have not fogged up on me, have a good field of view and are comfortable. If you want to run other goggles you can, but then the mouth guard may not fit.

Price:
If the price is your issue, Ruroc has a sale each year in summer where you can pick up a helmet for about 40% off.

Breaking your helmet:
If you happen to actually break the helmet, they ask you to take a picture and they will then sell you a replacement helmet for half price (or you could wait for the sale)

This is not to say it's the best helmet ever and it does have it's failings, but it is a good helmet and I personally like it quite a bit.
 
#3 ·
I understand what Ruroc is trying for, and if the face insert actually had some protective value, I'd probably be interested. I have recurring visions of a close-up-and-personal between me and a rail or something. But the article is right. If the insert is just molded plastic, it'll just add to the injury.

And being required to buy the Ruroc goggles is a show-stopper.

On a sort-of-related subject, I was up at Whistler a while back, and saw a different helmet gimmick -- helmets with a flip-down visor like this. Again, not sure what the advantage is.
 
#10 · (Edited)
On a sort-of-related subject, I was up at Whistler a while back, and saw a different helmet gimmick -- helmets with a flip-down visor like this. Again, not sure what the advantage is.
1. Widest field of vision of any eye protection/coverage for snowboarding/skiing.
2. Much less pressure on the bridge of the nose.
3. Overall, more comfortable than goggles.
4. No gaper gap between helmet and visor.
5. Quick, easy change of visors when necessary. (Goggles seem to have caught up recently in this regard though.)

I recently tried on my Oakley Flight Deck goggles with just the helmet, after wearing the Osbe helmet with the visor throughout this past season. I don't think I can go back to that smaller field of vision.
 
#6 ·
Whenever I see people in those helmets I think, "Oh they must have snowmobiled to the hill. Cool" So you mean they are NOT snowmobiling? You mean they just put that helmet on at the hill or mountain for snowboarding? For real? :facepalm2: Ok someone needs to explain this to me then. I REALLY don't get it. Like I don't understand. Wha? I don't get it...
 
#9 ·
I actually have 2 RuRocs. An older one and an RGX-1. They run on the smaller side but are actually really comfortable.

I ended up getting the speakers for it, which is a nice addition. It snaps in easy and the audio quality is pretty good. It's not really that bass-y and doesn't get as loud as a regular set of head phones, but I never had issues with hearing my music on the hill.

The goggles do not fog up if you put them on correctly. If they're fogging up, you do not have them and the mask on correctly. It's really easy to put them on correctly.

I do not like wind and snow blowing in my face and this easily fixes the problem. You can get your hand under the mask and scratch your mouth and parts of your nose. You can also eat granola bars, fruit snacks, take hits off of pens, and drink from straws. It's really not that difficult.

You get A LOT of comments while wearing it. Some positive, some negative, and some are just statements. I love when people tell me it looks dumb and then pull up their fleece face mask. Okay.

The only drawback to the he let is there is no where to put the face mask when you take it off.
 
#16 ·
I do not like wind and snow blowing in my face and this easily fixes the problem.
This is baffling to me. The wind and snow in your face is why we go outside! You'll find that after the first run, you get used to it. If you don't/can't, you might want to stay indoors. The wilderness probably isn't for you.
 
#13 ·
Actually, fuck me twice. I have two.

What this moron doesn't understand is how a mask that covers the mouth/chin/jaw obstructs vision on a goggle with a 180º horizontal view.

RuRoc helmets are sort of like standing in line at a liquor store and having other customers complain about your choice of beverage, because they don't like it or have tried it.
 
#18 · (Edited)
Actually, fuck me twice. I have two.

What this moron doesn't understand is how a mask that covers the mouth/chin/jaw obstructs vision on a goggle with a 180º horizontal view.

RuRoc helmets are sort of like standing in line at a liquor store and having other customers complain about your choice of beverage, because they don't like it or have tried it.
You cant stand in line at the party store for an extra 5 minutes, watch someone buy a pallet of Zima, and not enjoy a chuckle with the other patrons.
 
#21 ·
The skier I knows who wears a MotoX helmet goes too fast and breaks himself off at least once a season. He's an "expert" but also going 70mph all the time... last time he fell the lower part of that helmet cracked his collerbone, looks like he has an elbow in it now.....
 
#25 ·
The visor helmets look sillier to me than the Ruroc's. Maybe because i have only ever seen them worn by 60+yr old skiers wearing ned flanders style ski wear. Both have a starwars vibe to them - you are either a storm trooper or a x-wing fighter!

But I have to admit i was more than a little tempted by the Electric Mashman helmet with its retro styling... And the bubble visor that it had as an option. Supposedly did extremely well in a head protection test, beating some MIPS helmets on the angled hits. Has anyone ever seen that one on the slopes though? Specifically with the visor?


Oh and i also dont like the cold wind on my face. I dont like cracked lips and i dont want to lube up my lips full of lip cream so i look like a blowup doll. My solution is to wear a face mask though. Airhole ftw!
 
#39 ·
What's the difference between a ruroc and a regular full face helmet? I have a giro cipher for DH MTB and I love it...

Can you use other goggles with the ruroc or just the ones they give you?

How water tight is it? If it did an amazing job of keeping snow and water out on white-out, puking-snow days, I'd be intrigued. But to me it just looks like a cheapnfull face helmet that only works with one pair of goggles...
 
#40 ·
It's not water tight, but I've never had snow blow up into my face wearing it. Even at the top of Whistler with high winds blowing and snow coming down I was good.

The goggles are made to fit exactly, so to take full advantage of the complete face coverage you have to use the provided ones, but if you really want to use other goggles you can. It just probably won't fit as well, or you can use any goggles if you remove the chin guard.

 
#62 ·
If you think a RuRoc helmet is expensive, get a better job. It's amazing how things become less expensive when you make enough.

If you think it's ugly, why either bother commenting? It adds no value to the conversation. It's apparently not ugly, kooky, lame, etc to all of the people that buy them - which seems to be enough for RuRoc to stay in business and to continue to r&d.

They do offer protection. My face was fine the time it made contact with the snow. Plastic didn't break. It also provides protection against the elements and branches.

Try using things before commenting on them or offering opinions. Or just don't bother commenting on things. I guess though if you're a loser and don't really have anything better to do, you need to fill the day somehow.

I'm still waiting to see all of the broken RuRoc horror stories of cut up and gashed faces from it not working....
 
#84 ·
I like it

I had a recent altercation with a tree that left my cheekbone back around my left ear. The doc pulled everything back into place a few weeks ago but advised me not to hit the slopes for another month or so. I showed him the RuRoc helmet and he said sure, if I wore that with the face protection, I'd be good to go. Fortunately mine fits great now that the swelling has gone down. The goggles don't fog and the face plate kept my face warm. It's the best helmet I've ever had. The only problem I've had, had to do with removing the face shield on the lift and having the nose slot filter bounce out and drop down into the snow.
 
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