Urge All-Air Alloy Helmet
20.04.23 13:30 2312023-04-20T13:30:00+02:00Text: NoMan (translated by AI)Photos: Erwin HaidenGood ventilation, excellent coverage, and protection for all cases are promised by the first helmet from the French with ERT technology.20.04.23 13:30 3682023-04-20T13:30:00+02:00Urge All-Air Alloy Helmet
20.04.23 13:30 3682023-04-20T13:30:00+02:00 NoMan (translated by AI) Erwin HaidenGood ventilation, excellent coverage, and protection for all cases are promised by the first helmet from the French with ERT technology.20.04.23 13:30 3682023-04-20T13:30:00+02:00
Trail, All-Mountain, Enduro … the Urge All-Air can handle all that and probably much more. Because if there's anything more striking about the helmet with the distinctive red button at the back of the head and the boldly protruding visor at the front than its gable-roof-like basic shape, it's its total of 17, some very large ventilation openings.
Therefore, it is assumed that under the half-shell model with a very low back of the head and pronounced temple protection, it remains pleasantly cool due to good ventilation even during longer ascents or hotter temperatures.
We haven't actually been able to test it yet, because real heat becomes a topic here only in the summer, and nobody wanted to ride up quickly with winter-tired legs so far.
All-Mountain All-Rounder
... let's just say now ...
Fixed: In size S/M (54-57 cm) the All-Air ERT weighs 326 grams, with L/XL (57-59 cm) a second option is available; "big heads" are excluded from this gradation.
The adjustment system of the French model has an easily accessible dial for regulating head circumference and can also be adjusted in height in two stages. The chin strap closes classically with a click buckle, the wide strap divider leads the straps - in a somewhat complex manner - generously past the earlobes.
The model is manufactured using in-mould construction. Its visor is neither adjustable nor removable (or the plug-in solution does not seem intended for frequent use; however, a replacement is generally possible). On the other hand, other non-functional elements can be removed relatively easily from the helmet, as they are merely superficially glued-on stickers. This does not apply to the red reflector dot on the back of the head, which is firmly attached.
The helmet is available in five different colors at a price of 125 euros without or 135 euros with ERT technology.
Energy Reduction Technology – short ERT
With which Urge absorbs some of the rotational forces on impact
ER-what? ERT, Energy Reduction Technology. This is neither, as spontaneous Google results might suggest, a system solution for industrial cooling, nor does it have anything to do with "bio-plastic", aka biodegradable polymers.
The ERT from the label founded in 2008 by some French downhill enthusiasts around Fabien Barel is rather another variant of a helmet insert which – similar to Mips, KinetiCore, and whatever they are called – reduces the rotational movement of the brain during an impact.
Technology developed in collaboration with 7iDP is said to reduce energy transfer through rotational forces by up to 20% in the event of an impact from a height of 80 cm, according to the manufacturer. Fundamentally, the striking blue material works on the principle of deformation. It absorbs impact energy by compressing and/or being pushed to the side.
The All-Air is Urge's first helmet to integrate ERT. More are expected to follow.
What sets the French company based in Cogolin near the Côte d'Azur gem Saint-Tropez apart from many competitors is their philosophy as an "upcycling protective company".
Not only does 1% of the annual sales (note: not the annual profits ...) flow into the "1% for the planet" initiative. From water-based paints to recycled materials to natural fibers like linen or bamboo, the entire production is marked by an environmentally friendly approach as much as possible.
In line with this commitment to sustainability, all relevant individual parts of the helmets are available as spare parts – from the obligatory pads to various adjustment systems and straps to details such as mesh inserts.
In the case of the All-Air, for example, the visor (available in all designs, allowing for a custom color combination), size adjustment, padding, and various strap parts from the buckle to the belt are available separately.
