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Abus Urban-I 3.0 MIPS Abus Urban-I 3.0 MIPS Abus Urban-I 3.0 MIPS Abus Urban-I 3.0 MIPS Abus Urban-I 3.0 MIPS Abus Urban-I 3.0 MIPS Abus Urban-I 3.0 MIPS Abus Urban-I 3.0 MIPS Abus Urban-I 3.0 MIPS
2021 Abus Urban-I 3.0 MIPS

Abus Urban-I 3.0 MIPS

8
by Lara Dunn
Sun, Jun 27, 2021 19:45
0
£104.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Well-designed helmet with good features for urban riding, including MIPS. Check the narrow fit suits your head, though
Reasonable weight
Useful rear LED
Good range of sizes
Comfortable magnetic fastening
MIPS liner
Narrow fit won't suit all heads
Fiddly battery replacement for LED
Weight: 
304g
Contact: 
www.extrauk.co.uk
How we test

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The Abus Urban-I 3.0 MIPS helmet offers a lot of useful features, top-notch safety tech and a choice of colours and sizes. The narrow fit won't suit every head though, and you are paying the MIPS premium.

Touted by Abus as 'one of the best-known urban helmets in Germany and Europe,' the Urban-I is now in its third generation. MIPS comes as standard – if you haven't come across it before, it's the yellow cradle inside the shell, and it's held in place by four yellow tabs.

These tabs are stretchy and are attached to the helmet itself, allowing the yellow cradle to essentially float inside. It helps absorb rotational impacts that can be a particular problem in crashes.

> Buy this online here

> Find your nearest dealer here

Aside from MIPS, the helmet has quite a few features that are nicely focused towards the urban rider.

2021 Abus Urban-I 3.0 MIPS - inside.jpg

There's an integral LED rear light on the back with steady and flashing modes, reflective accents and an easy-to-use magnetic closure.

2021 Abus Urban-I 3.0 MIPS - back light 2.jpg

There's also plenty of ventilation, a small peak, and the helmet is ponytail friendly.

2021 Abus Urban-I 3.0 MIPS - front.jpg

Sizing

I tested the size M – designed to fit heads between 52-58cm. The adjustment is excellent, with an easy-to-operate dial at the back, but I did find the shape didn't really suit my fairly standard-shaped noggin. The length and volume are fine, but it feels relatively narrow.

2021 Abus Urban-I 3.0 MIPS - tension system.jpg

The peak doesn't obstruct my vision, but is just big enough to soften the 'functional' aesthetic and offering a modicum of weather and glare protection.

As well as being very user-friendly, the magnetic closure has a nicely cushioned pad behind the fastening.

2021 Abus Urban-I 3.0 MIPS - clip.jpg

The fit (narrowness aside) is confidence-inspiring in its stability, too, while the plentiful venting gives good air flow for most commuter-type riding.

> All you need to know about MIPS

I really like the the integral LED light at the back, and it's super-easy to use, if not the brightest light ever. However, while it's fairly straightforward to prise out of the helmet once it's battery replacement time (it takes a little coin cell), it's very fiddly to actually get to the battery itself.

Value

At £104.99, the Abus is on a par with most commuter helmets with MIPS. The MET Vinci Helmet is £100 but doesn't have the integral LED, for instance, while the Bern Hudson DOES have the LED but is £109.99.

Overall

The Abus Urban-I 3.0 MIPS is a well-made and confidence-inspiring lid with some nice features, and – assuming the narrow the fit suits your head – it's a great option for commuting.

Verdict

Well-designed helmet with good features for urban riding, including MIPS. Check the narrow fit suits your head, though

road.cc test report

Make and model: Abus Urban-I 3.0 MIPS

Size tested: Medium

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Abus says: "Our most popular urban helmet and not without reason! The Urban-I 3.0 is a perfectly equipped city helmet full of practical features. Large reflectors and a high mounted LED rear light with 180° offer improved visibility in road traffic."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Abus lists:

In-Mold for a durable connection with the outer shell with shock-absorbing helmet material (EPS)

High visibility due to reflectors

Foamed-in fly net

Ponytail compatibility: Perfect fit for people with long hair

Full-ring: Adjustable ring connected to adjustment system enclosing all of the head

Available in sizes to suit heads between 51cm and 65cm

Ventilation with 12 air inlets and 5 air outlets

Zoom Ace Urban: Finely adjustable adjustment system with handy adjustment wheel for customisable fit

Large, highly mounted and integrated LED tail light with 180° visibility

Fidlock magnetic strap buckle

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

Very well-made and feels very solid, without being overly heavy.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

As long as the fit suits your head, this is a reliable and confidence-inspiring helmet for city riding.

Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10

Apart from the fiddly battery replacement in the LED light unit, this is a very solid and durable helmet.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
6/10

It's not the lightest, but far from being a heavyweight.

Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
5/10

The narrow fit won't suit all head shapes, but if it does suit yours, it's very comfortable.

Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

On a par with most urban-focused helmets with MIPS.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Very well.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Reasonable weight, useful rear LED, good range of sizes, comfortable magnetic fastening, MIPS liner.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Narrow fit won't suit all heads, fiddly battery replacement for LED light.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

At £104.99, the Abus is on a par with most commuter helmets with MIPS. The MET Vinci Helmet is £100 but doesn't have the integral LED, for instance, while the Bern Hudson Helmet DOES have the LED and is £109.99.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Probably not, but only because the shape didn't suit my head.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

This is a well-designed and nicely featured helmet with a strong urban focus. It offers good comfort and protection at a decent price.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 48  Height: 1.65m  Weight: 77kg

I usually ride: Liv Invite  My best bike is: Specialized Ruby Elite

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, touring, sportives, general fitness riding, mtb,

Abus Urban-I 3.0 MIPS 2021
Abus Urban-I 3.0 MIPS
Abus 2021
Abus
Lara Dunn

Lara has been riding bikes for longer than she'd care to admit, and writing about them nearly as long. Since 2009 she has been working as part of the road.cc review team whilst championing women's cycling on the side, most notably via two years as editor of the, sadly now defunct, UK's first and only women's cycling mag, erm, Women's Cycling. 

Believing fervently that cycling will save the world, she wishes that more people would just ride a bike and be pleasant to each other. 

She will ride anything with two wheels, occasionally likes to go fast, definitely likes to go far and is always up for a bit of exploring somewhere new and exciting. 

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