If you’re in the market for a high-quality motocross helmet and don’t know what Fly Racing helmets are, or if you’re already interested in buying the Fly Racing Formula Carbon helmet but wanted to do some more research first, this article is for you.
We’ve purchased two Formula Carbon helmets to test ourselves and share the results with you.
By the end of this article, you will know all the characteristics of this Fly Racing helmet, how well it is made, what kinds of technologies it implements, and how well it performs. All these factors together will help you decide whether or not this helmet is a good choice for you.
Fly Racing Helmets Formula Carbon Model
The Fly carbon helmet is among the most advanced motocross helmets on the market, created after many years of dedicated research and development. Belonging to the Fly Racing helmet family, it has many functional and safety features that justify its price. (It is expensive, I know…)
Unlike other regular motocross helmets, the Formula Carbon Solid Helmet provides extensive head protection and ventilation. Its high-quality materials make it one of a kind, and it has certainly established itself as one of the number one safest helmets on the market.
Before we dive into the details of the Fly Racing helmets a bit more, I want to share with you how I think about helmet purchases.
How I think about helmet purchases
When I think about purchasing helmets for dirt bike riding, not just Fly Racing helmets, I can’t help but buy the best quality possible (which is usually the most expensive) because of a realization I had a few years ago.
If you stop to think about what you’re buying, you’re buying what is essentially the most important piece of protective equipment you’ll have for riding a dirt bike.
You’re protecting your head. Your brain.
Can you imagine spending $250 on a helmet, crashing, and later learning that the brain injury you got from that crash could’ve been avoided if you just spent a bit more money on a helmet?
Imagine for a second, you have a gnarly crash, whether it’s in the woods or on the track. The medical professionals tell you your injury could’ve been less severe if you had a more high-quality helmet.
I get it, $690 for a top-of-the-line helmet, like Fly Racing helmets, is expensive, but it’s your head we’re talking about here. Are you really going to cheap out on something that protects your brain?
Once I thought about it this way, I decided to forego the extra set or two of “flashy” gear and instead buy the highest quality helmet possible.
I can’t go back now.
Okay, enough with that little detour on how I think about helmets. Let’s look at the Fly Racing helmet I bought: the Formula Carbon. (I also bought and tested the Alpinestars helmet that is the competitor to this Fly Racing helmet, which is the SM10.)
FLY Racing Carbon Helmet: Features and Specs
Impact Energy Cells made from RHEON
The Formula Carbon Helmet’s protective layer is embedded with RHEON, a super polymer with incredible energy-absorbing characteristics. This material was originally designed and used by NASA.
Fly Racing helmets adapted the RHINO super polymer and used it in their Formula Carbon helmet by constructing and implementing the Impact Energy Cells. These cells receive the energy from an impact and then dissipate it as much as possible to avoid injury to the head of the rider. They can absorb both linear and rotational low-speed impact from any direction.
Seven Impact Energy Cells are placed within the Formula Carbon Helmet, placed around the top of the rider’s head to where the impact may be most imminent. With this placement of the cells, the shock of the impact on the brain might be greatly reduced.
Conehead Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) technology
Implementing Conehead technology into the Formula Carbon helmet may greatly reduce the impact forces and trauma to the head of a rider during a crash.
Unlike the EPS liners in regular helmets, the Formula Carbon helmet implements cone-shaped pairs of high and low-density EPS, improving shock absorption and transfer in both low and high-velocity impacts.
The entire inner liner of the helmet is divided into six critical areas, all tested by various impact scenarios and improved with high precision. The result is a multi-structured inner liner within the helmet’s shell, which, combined with the Impact Energy Cells, provides excellent safety and great ventilation.
Besides the shell’s inside, a lower density EPS on the Formula Carbon Helmet is also expanded on the part of the forehead. This improves the protection against frontal impacts and injuries to the rider.
High-quality carbon fiber shell
The shell of this Fly Racing helmet is made entirely from carbon fiber. It has 12,000 carbon fiber filaments for one band, making it very strong and resistant to outside forces.
Carbon fiber bands are much stronger if they are made flat, as the more rises and dips the band has, the more fragile it is. The reduction of these rises and dips in the helmet’s material results in a much lighter helmet but with an increased penetration resistance similar to that of 3K carbon fibers. As a result, the helmet weighs only 1290 grams.
The visor to the front of the shell provides excellent shade from UV rays and is highly fracture-resistant. Fly Racing’s unique release system is implemented into the visor’s design, allowing it to be easily detached if the force and angle of impact dictate it and avoid rotational acceleration of the rider’s head.
TFV (True Functional Ventilation) system
The ventilation system of the Formula Carbon helmet consists of multiple vents on the chin, forehead, and back.
When riding with this Fly Racing helmet, air circulates through it by entering the front chin and forehead vents and exiting via the ones in the rear. The inner EPS lining of the helmet has built-in air channels which allow for the air to circulate, which is something the rider can feel when riding.
The Formula carbon is specially designed for riding in hot weather temperatures of more than 80℉ and provides proper ventilation so the rider doesn’t feel overheated at any time.
But don’t think for a second that you cannot ride this helmet in cold weather as well, as the manufacturer provides a cold-weather kit and plugs for the vents.
How Does the Fly Racing Helmet Fit?
If you’re wondering about the comfort levels of Fly Racing helmets, then worry not, as Fly Racing manufactures one of the most comfortable and best-fitting helmets on the market.
Their Formula Carbon Helmet is no exception to this rule, as it comes in various sizes. From X-Small to 2X-Large, it is designed to fit any head shape and size.
And when speaking about comfort, the manufacturer and hundreds of riders claim that the Formula Carbon helmet offers a perfect fit. It is lightweight, not causing pressure on the neck, and because of the Inner Energy Cells, it aligns perfectly with the head in ways other helmets cannot.
How Does It Perform?
As far as field testing is concerned, Fly Racing helmets have not yet failed to impress riders, and the Formula Carbon helmet is no exception.
The aesthetic appeal is another thing that riders love, as they claim the helmet to be both attractive and aerodynamic simultaneously. Implementing RHEON cells within the liner gives the riders increased confidence in their riding ability and ensures they do not feel reluctant when riding.
Cons of this Fly Racing Helmet
Overall, Fly Racing helmets, especially this one, are great. I really like it. It’s comfortable, lightweight, looks great, and is one of the safest helmets on the market.
Here is the one thing I don’t like about this helmet: it feels bulky.
According to Fly Racing, it’s the same weight as the Alpinestars SM10 that I tested alongside this Fly Racing Formula Carbon helmet, but it just feels heavier and bulkier.
I’m not exactly sure what causes it, but when it’s on my head and I’m riding, it just feels larger and bulkier than other similar helmets I’ve worn. This goes for both of the Formula Carbon Fly Racing helmets I’ve had.
