For some of us it’s stunning good looks, for others it’s remarkable intelligence and for the rest of us it’s the illusion of either of the former; whatever your justification is for additional cranial protection, there is no argument that a full-face helmet is your best bet. We all know that riding today is progressing at a scary rate, and sooner or later we’re all bound to take a nasty tumble, whether it be on the downhill track, or in the middle of a “freeriding” sesh’. Unfortunately though, many full face helmets push the boundaries of a feasible budget, so in the interest of safety for the masses, I present to you Pryme’s “Evil Pro” full-face helmet. 

The Evil Pro is the top line helmet from the lower key BMX company and is available in both hand-laid fiberglass ($199) and carbon fibre ($399) versions. The model we have on test here is the blue/white fiberglass shell in extra large (61-63cm). In fact, the generous sizing of this helmet is one of the major reasons I own one, and is something worth noting if you are one of those few endowed with a large noggin’, this is definitely the biggest cycling full-faces I have come across.

At $199, this helmet definitely falls into the budget end of the spectrum, but this is a fact that is belied by the finish quality. The first time I pulled this helmet out of it’s box, one word came to mind “moto”. The Evil’s styling is very much reminiscent of the current crop of MX lids, and it definitely is a good looker. The graphics are neat and the green pearl in the white paint sparkles in the light, along with the chrome visor. The only vents to speak of are located at the front of the chin-guard and are backed with a mesh grille; they are small though and seem to be as much for aesthetics as for air flow.

The fittings seem typical of most modern helmets, the visor is height adjustable thanks to a little knob above the brow, the rubber trim seems tight, and the rubber “goggle grippers” are a nice touch. Inside the shell the padding is ample, and thankfully is completely removable for washing, as we hardly smell like daises after a day at the track. While there are a couple of small Velcro tabs holding the padding in place, the majority of the pad security is accomplished with the use of snap buckles, a great system, as the pads are always properly located and the buckles are generally longer lasting than Velcro, which in my experience has a habit of detaching itself. The chin strap is a standard issue bicycle clip affair, although the straps do have padded sheaths to help with comfort under your jaw. 

If this helmet had one flaw that was immediately obvious, it was weight. Sitting on the scales it spun up a figure of 1350g so it’s definitely no catwalk model, especially when compared with Bell’s helmet at the same money which weighs in at a mere 950g. It should be noted however that this Pryme is considerably larger in fitting size than the Bell, so the comparison isn’t entirely fair, although I’m betting there would still be a fair difference in mass with the smaller shell model.

So from first impressions alone, we have a helmet with the looks of Charlize Theron and the weight of Merv Hughes; as always though first impressions are merely academic without any trail testing, so to the dirt we head! Although I intend to use this lid purely for DH competition, it accompanied me on a number of trail rides to see how it would fare for those longer “freeride” outings. Squeezing my melon into the helmet results in a firm but comfortable fit and although the cheek pads initially pushed a little too much on the side of my face they packed down slightly with some use and within a few rides were much less intrusive. So buckle up the chin strap and away we go! Although the scales suggest that there’s a lot of mass sitting on top of your shoulders, the weight of the helmet never once made me feel uncomfortable when riding, in fact it wasn’t something that I actually noticed at all, despite the fact that it’s a distinct change from my normal Giro Exodus. The chin guard on the Evil is quite a long unit which sits a fair distance from your face and as such I was a little concerned with it interfering with down track vision. While it is definitely present within your field of vision it sits quite low and proved to be no issue at all. Likewise the visor sits quite high and presents no impedance.

Whilst the weight was not an issue on the trail, the ventilation, or rather the lack thereof, was another matter. At pace on downhill sections the airflow seems to be quite adequate, but as soon as the gradient turns positive and speed drops the helmet turns into a slow cooking oven. Not really an issue in cooler conditions but during one ride on a near thirty degree day the climbs became painfully hot and I wished I was back in my XC lid.

To be fair though, this helmet was never intended as a cross country model, so the fair thing to do is to test it during DH runs. Unfortunately, race testing was cut short by an incident I’ll get to later, but numerous runs on some local trails proved the helmet to be a worthy choice in terms of comfort and performance. There was no problem with vision and I personally had no dramas with the weight, however the ladies or those with a lighter build may want to look at something less bulky.

Goggles are another important part of protective gear, and whilst the helmet alone may not detract from your field of vision, the point is moot if it forces you to wear your goggles so low that you find yourself staring at a big lump of foam. Of course, the goggles themselves will vary between brands and models, but my Progrips are quite a tall unit, and even they fitted well under the brow of the helmet. If you already own goggles though, it’s worthwhile taking them along when you’re looking at helmets just to make sure there aren’t any nasty clashes. Pryme have designed in a few features in the name of goggle security, the first of which being the rubber “goggle grippers” mentioned earlier, and the second being a scalloped section along the side of the shell to help locate the strap in the right position. Finally there’s a ridge around the rear of the helmet, a feature intended to stop the strap from slipping down the shell. When combined with the silicone ribbing on the goggle strap, everything seems to stay put pretty well, although I did find that if there’s a little moisture on the helmet or the strap there is a slight tendency for the elastic to slip down over the ridge; not a major issue but something worth noting if you plan on riding in  less than ideal weather conditions a lot. 

Now if you’ve made it this far, you’re quite likely thinking “well that’s nice, but is it going to protect my noggin’?” . Well, since the team here at Farkin is completely dedicated to providing comprehensive product reviews I set out on a mission to find the answer. Enter the dusty hairpin and accompanying rocks at WSMTB’s Dargle DH course. After completely misjudging the entry speed for this section I proceeded to become intimately acquainted with some of mother nature’s finest sandstone creations. While some people may look at this incident as an error in judgment, or a complete lack of bike handling skills, I prefer to think of it as a “real-world” test exercise. The testing method involved the front of the helmet impacting a narrow, pointy boulder at high speed and although the details aren’t completely clear, the damage suggests that the rock was deflected off the right side of  helmet’s chin guard and directly through the face opening. Unfortunately, the tip of the rock was narrow enough to fit inside the helmet and impact with the goggles an my top lip.

The test resulted in one totaled goggle lens and 3 stitches in my top lip, but despite the force of the impact I suffered no head trauma, not even a headache. Maybe it would have been wiser to conduct the “test” on a surface which was not small enough to fit between the chin guard and the brow of the helmet so as to properly test the shell’s shock absorption abilities, but I don’t intend to repeat the process as even my dedication to the review process has it’s limits.

So what do the above ramblings amount to? Well, as with all helmets the first and foremost thing to consider is fit. Even the best helmet in the world won’t be right for you if it doesn’t fit. With that in mind I’d say that if you’re on the hunt for a little extra protection for longer rides you had best look elsewhere, the lack of ventilation pretty much rules out the Pryme Evil. The same goes for anyone who has troubles supporting bulky helmets; while the fiberglass Evil is far from unreasonable it’s definitely no lightweight. On the other hand, riders endowed with a large head definitely should check out this helmet, as should anyone in the market for a well priced, well finished DH lid. The Pryme has good looks, some nice design touches and best of all, a price tag that won’t hurt as much as a trip over the bars.