Troy Lee Designs Stage Stunt helmet

Three-quarter helmets are getting mighty popular now, so it’s come as a bit of a surprise that Troy Lee Designs has been a little late to the game… kind of. However, the Stage Stunt carries the stylish panache that the brand is renowned for. As well as its superb comfort, it’s the most breathable TLD helmet I’ve worn to date, but despite a couple of minor details holding it back from three-quarter perfection, the wait has been well worth it.

Troy Lee Designs Stage Stunt – Technical details

This isn’t exactly the first three-quarter, or rather, open face helmet to come from Troy Lee Designs, as the brand dabbled with the idea in the late noughties with the D2 open face. Like that helmet, there’s a big clue in what the Stage Stunt is all about in its name. It takes everything that makes the Stage full face enduro helmet rather good, chops the chin guard off, while bringing a welcome touch of refinement into the mix. The exterior of the helmet takes the form of a polycarbonate shell that’s been reinforced with ‘fibre’, though TLD doesn’t state what kind.

As for the interior foam, it’s a classic Troy Lee affair. It’s built of a dual-density EPS, which, as you might expect, combines two densities of foam to address high and low speed impacts. As well as the dual foams, there’s a Mips Integra Fuse cradle. It’s Mips’ premium offering that’s in-moulded, so it’s basically a low-friction layer that’s moulded into the EPS and hidden under the comfort padding. Under a directional impact, the two should slip, providing extra protection against such hits.

Moving on to the fit, the helmet doesn’t stray too far from its Stage inspiration. There’s no dial; instead, it comes with replaceable cheek pads and neck rolls of varying sizes. Simply pick the size that suits you best via the size guide, and use these extra pads to fine-tune the fit. In addition to this, the neck roll’s height can be adjusted into three positions.

Elsewhere, there’s a three-position visor which promises compatibility with goggles, a Fidlock magnetic buckle, as well as 22 vents around the lid, joined by internal channels which should guide air over the head. Then, the Stage Stunt is Certified for CPSC 1203, CE EN1078, ASTM F2032, AS-NZS 2063, and NTA8776 (E-Bike).

As for the weight, Troy Lee Designs claims that the helmet tips the scale at 550g, without mentioning which size, but I weighed my MD/LG test sample to be 577g.

Troy Lee Designs Stage Stunt – Performance

I’ll be honest, although I’ve tested my fair share, I’m not an avid user of three-quarter helmets, usually favouring half shells for their better airflow, comfort, and lower weight. Instead, I’d choose to beef up my protection for harder charging e-MTB rides, races, or bike park jaunts. However, the Stage Stunt has become a case of ‘why not?’ rather than ‘why should I?’

That’s because, true to Troy Lee Designs form, it’s mighty comfortable. The head form chosen leads to a helmet that fits like a glove, but for a head. I’ll admit, the decision to forgo a dial-based adjustment system does mean a little trial and error when figuring out which-sized pads work best where, and where the neck roll should sit, but once that’s sorted, the fit is just spot on. However, a dial fit system wouldn’t go amiss, just to cinch the fit down just a touch – the most minor of niggles.

Although the MD-LG size I chose isn’t quite as light as what Troy Lee Designs suggests, the helmet’s weight, or lack thereof (for a three-quarter helmet), adds to the whole comfort thing too. While it might seem a little heavy compared to an open-face helmet, the fact that the Stage Stunt wraps around the face more makes it feel much lighter than it is, because it’s that much more stable. But add that comparative lack of weight into a three-quarter helmet with that stability, and it doesn’t feel heavy in the slightest.

Troy Lee Designs has become known for creating some of the most comfortable helmets around, but they usually come with something of a downside in the airflow department. Typically, they haven’t been as breezy as similar helmets, but that’s changed with this one. It’s equipped with plenty of vents of varying sizes, though most of them are pretty large, so the helmet engulfs air and ditches warm vapours out the back. Throw in the channels that guide this airflow, and it’s without a doubt the breeziest Troy Lee lid I’ve ridden in. In fact, it’s amongst the coolest three-quarter helmets I’ve used.

Although there are three positions to play with, the visor doesn’t offer all that much adjustment, but just enough for it to be useful when needed, and to be tipped out of the way when not. Though a part of it that confuses me is its compatibility with goggle and eyewear storage. There’s not really a place in the vents to poke glasses’ arms through for storage, but I have found that glasses can close through the gaps in the visor and glasses’ arms can be inserted into the rear vents for relatively easy stowage.

Then, there’s not really enough space to hold goggles under the visor, but really, that’s not the end of the world. Instead, when not in use, goggles can easily be placed backwards on the helmet, with the frame sitting on the rear and the strap placed under the visor, on the brow, like you would a regular full face helmet.

But the helmet works excellently with goggles and glasses when worn with clear channels cut into the sides of the helmet’s interior to make space for their arms, and shallow channels in the shell to guide a goggle strap.

Providing that extra bit of coverage typical of three-quarter helmets, the lower cheek and neck portions of the helmet comfortably increase coverage without posing much of a downside. Although these areas cover the ears, as there are big ol’ vents over them, hearing isn’t affected. There’s also plenty of space in the helmet for ear clearance.

Did I mention that the Stage Stunt looks damn cool? It neatly follows the brand’s house style while throwing in awesome-looking graphics. Of course, there are quieter colourways to choose from, if lairy designs aren’t your thing. Pictured is a limited edition colourway.

Troy Lee Designs Stage Stunt – Verdict

£240 is a fair whack for a helmet, but against other three-quarter lids, and even some open-face helmets, the Stage Stunt holds its own. A comparable helmet is Bluegrass’s Jetro, which’ll set you back £219.99. I found its fit to be a little iffy, its visor isn’t adjustable, and it only comes with one set of pads, so its fit can’t be fine-tuned.

Fox’s Dropframe Pro is priced at £270. It gets a Boa fit system and plenty of adjustability, but in comparison, it doesn’t offer that much more than the Stage Stunt. But the main competition comes in the form of Bell’s 3Qtr-Air. This one’s £204.99, it gets Mips Evolve, an under-visor camera/light mount and a sweat guide.

If it’s style and substance that you’re after, the Troy Lee Designs Stage Stunt has both in spades. Coming with classic TLD comfort and impressive breathability at a weight that can’t really be argued with in practice, there’s very little to moan about. However, there are a couple of very minor niggles that hold it back a touch, namely the eyewear storage and the lack of dial-based fit adjustment.