[Photography by Georgina Hinton]
The Rockrider XC Mountain Bike Helmet Race Mips helmet caught my eye with its sleek-looking design, large air vents and Mips liner. It’s a great price if you are looking for a dedicated peakless cross-country lid that will also work on the gravel bike. Whilst it’s no luxury lid, it’s comfy enough and very breezy.
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Rockrider XC Mountain Bike Helmet Race Mips – Technical details
With a standard in-mould construction, the polycarbonate shell that covers the EPS foam liner is finished in a nice-looking shiny white. It’s broken up with matt black sections, all of which have softened off bevelled edges, which, considering its price, I think gives it a premium look. It certainly doesn’t look cheap. There’s a cross-bridge section running through the front three channels of the EPS foam, which may be designed to give it more rigidity in the event of a side impact.
13 large vents look like they should provide a ton of airflow, the front, central one especially is massive and should also accommodate a helmet light.

At this price, it’s great to see it equipped with Mips Evolve Core, one of the more common Mips liners. This low-friction yellow layer is fixed to the inner surface of the helmet; it can move in all directions and, in the event of a crash, is designed to reduce rotational motion to the head, which can lead to brain injuries. The helmet’s comfort padding is attached to this with small velcro tabs. It does look pretty minimal, so it will be interesting to see how comfy it is.

There’s a simple buckle to do up the helmet, and the retention system uses a small 3D click dial, which feels OK but doesn’t offer micro adjustments seen in high-end lids.
It’s pretty light. My size Medium weighed in at 330g, and there are three sizes to choose from: S, M, L and a Seafoam green colour way too.
Rockrider XC Mountain Bike Helmet Race Mips – Performance
It’s certainly not a plush helmet to wear. The padding is minimal and on the thin side, but it’s not uncomfortable; it’s just comfy, and that works for me. The click dial retention system offers enough incremental adjustment to get a nice, snug fit, without the need to over-tighten and cupped the back of my head pretty comfortably.

The first thing I noticed was a slight creaking from the helmet when in motion, a symptom which is quite common with the Mips Evolve core system. Not really a problem when gravel riding, but more so on the mountain bike. Creaking aside, it felt stable due to its light weight, and it didn’t require much adjustment.
I quite like the look of this helmet. It does sit tall on the head, but this does provide a large amount of space across the top of the head for airflow. Great when going hard in warmer weather. It also functions to allow heat to disperse quickly, and with the massive rear exhaust vents, it makes this a very breezy helmet.

There aren’t any bells or whistles. No glasses dock or clever internal air channelling. It’s a solid buy for the money and shouldn’t just be relegated to those on a budget. It’s a shame the colour and size range isn’t bigger, though, to appeal to a wider market.
Rockrider XC Mountain Bike Helmet Race Mips – Verdict
In the same stable are a few helmets that work for both cross-country mountain biking and gravel riding, which is what I’m always on the lookout for.
Although the Fox Racing Crossframe costs £190, it’s another helmet that fulfils both XC and gravel duties really well. Matt rated it, but felt that the airflow could be better. It has a Mips liner, fancy Fidlock magnetic buckle and Boa retention system. It’s a premium-priced lid that also scores high in the looks department.
The Smith Network is a bit of a do-it-all lid, covering XC, road and gravel. It features a Mips liner with the addition of Koroyd sections for extra crash protection. It’s one hell of a looker, as Smith lids tend to be, and scores highly on performance, too. At £150, it’s cheaper than the Fox and lighter than both the Rockrider and Fox lids.
I don’t get overly bothered about a few grams here or there when it comes to weight. The Rockrider is light enough to race and ride XC or hit long days out on the gravel bike. Sure, it’s nowhere as cool-looking as the Fox or Smith lids mentioned, but for the price, I think it holds its own in terms of performance. It’s by no means a plush helmet, but comfortable enough.
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