The best way to start this blog about this great helmet is: 100% carbon helmet for under £270! Mine is the plain version, but it comes with colours on the black, too.
Held ST-6 full carbon motorcycle helmet for under £270!
It's light, it's strong, it looks great and it has plenty of features. But what's it like to ride in, across the entire year, over thousands of miles? Luckily we try and test as much of our gear as possible and this helmet has been a personal favourite of mine for over two years now. I'll talk about some bits that float my boat ;)
The Held ST-6 100% carbon helmet- MY first choice of lid
We've all got different shaped noggins, so choosing the helmet with the best fit is the most important factor, for me, anyway. One of the things that pleased me instantly about the Held ST-6 is the cheek pump system (See below). You can press away on the little button, just above where the chin sits and feel the helmet's insides pumping up, delivering a virtually perfect and reassuringly 'personal' fit every time you put it on. Taking it off is easy as a tiny button alongside the main one lets the air out before you take it off!
Held ST-6 cheek pump feature- perfect fit, every time
The visor comes Pinlock ready and Ive just fitted a pinlock insert that changes colour according to the light. Pinlock has made a huge difference in terms of delivering crystal clear vision in any condition, as they always seem to. The helmet also has an integral drop down sun-visor, which has proved invaluable to me in those situations where the sun keeps appearing and disappearing!
One of the things I like most about this helmet is the easy visor change. No more broken side pods, and no hassle. I took the video below when I got the helmet and this video is the FIRST TIME I undid, and re-attached the visor. Easy!
Before I give you the official 'spec' for the helmet, below there's a photo collage I created to try and give you a feel for this awesome lid. I've covered about 5,000 miles in it, it's been comfy, easy to keep clean and caused lots of interest at bike meets. Very happy with it and certainly worth £269.99!
The Held ST-6 100% carbon motorcycle helmet in all its glory
Now, the official word: 100% carbon outer shell Soft outlast lining for climate control Clear, Pinlock ready, scratchproof visor Integral sun visor Air-vents at front and chin Quick-release ratchet fastening Quick change visor Integral pump system for perfect fit Air vents at front and chin ECE 22.05 certified
To see the full range of Held Rider Equipment in the UK please click here
The Held Arctic Winter Gloves are a terrific seller and heaving with features to keep your hands warm, dry and safe- for under £100!
Here's a few words that will help sum up the quality of the gloves- they include: Goatskin, Scotchlite, Gore-tex, Thinsulate, Superfabric- all coming together like this: • Gore-Tex winter gloves to beat wind-chill & rain • Waterproof guarantee for the life of the gloves • Highly breathable for warmer hands • Extra Thinsulate layers to protect from wind-chill • Superfabric palm panels & leather covered knuckle armour • In-built rain wiper
For
years HELD have produced the last word in winter gloves and won
comparative test after comparative test. The HELD Arctic gloves are
designed to stay on top of Mr. Frost: You get superior 180gms Thinsulate
on the back of the hand to fight wind-chill, and remarkably the gloves
retain the dexterity of far less warm gloves due to their construction.
Safety is not at the margins either with Superfabric highly abrasion
resistant palm panels and leather covered knuckle armour. If you get
cold hands, these are simply: superb!
Winter Rating: Warmth: 60 mins+ at 0C degrees/50mph Protection: 5 out of 5 stars Durability: 5 out of 5 stars
For more information on our products and to find your nearest dealer please visit www.held-uk.co.uk
SUPERBIKES - Putting the woes of Knockhill firmly behind him, Nuneaton’s own ‘Track Ace’ Leon Jeacock, rode a blinding race to steal eighth place in Race 7 of the Metzeler National Superstock 600 Championship at Oulton Park this afternoon.
Leon Jeacock: an excellent 8th at Oulton
Despite a fantastic result, Leon’s weekend was not all plain-sailing with both mechanical gremlins and the unpredictable British weather both playing their part. The Cheshire circuit didn’t escape the summer deluge and torrential rain hit the circuit on Friday resulting in racing being suspended to allow the circuit to drain. The weather inevitably took its toll on the timetable and resulted in Leon’s qualifying sessions being moved to Saturday.
“The rain on Friday was unbelievable” said Leon “the surface water sitting on the track made the racing conditions virtually impossible. Thankfully the Organisers recognised the danger and track activity was held up for a while which meant that my qualifying sessions were delayed until the next day”.
Thankfully the sun made an unprecedented appearance in Cheshire on Saturday and both of Leon’s qualifying sessions took place in the dry. However first qualifying did not go to plan; gearbox problems hampered his chances and finishing the session in 21st place left him bitterly disappointed:
“First qualifying was a nightmare” commented Leon “the gearbox went and I had no chance after that. I came off the track and the Team were absolutely amazing. A huge thank you to Mike Dorey of BMC Racing who basically changed the whole engine in just over an hour, otherwise my weekend would have been over!”.
Gearbox probs: BMC Racing came to Leon's rescue
With everything depending on the second qualifying session Leon dug deep and produced his best finish of the season, laying claim to fifth fastest in the session.
“The second qualifying session was great!” said a delighted Leon sporting a grin from ear-to-ear “the bike felt fantastic and it all fell into place when it counted and we produced the best result of the season so far, absolutely delighted with that!”.
Starting this afternoon’s 12 lap race from P5 Leon slipped just two places from the starting grid and at the halfway stage was holding seventh position and keeping up with the leading pack. An eventful second-half saw fellow competitors falling but battling hard Leon held his nerve and managed to cross the line in eighth place, bagging himself another 8 vital Championship points. “I’m absolutely delighted with today’s result” said Leon “After the problems we had at Knockhill and again in yesterday’s qualifying the whole Team have been amazing and we’ve managed to turn it round and finish the weekend on a high!”.
Today’s points haul takes Leon to a total of 28 and into fifteenth position on the Championship Leaderboard. The next round of the 2012 Metzeler National Superstock 600 Championship takes place at the Brands Hatch Race Circuit in Kent from the 20 – 22 July 2012. You can follow Leon’s progress throughout the weekend at www.tsl-timing.com or at www.leonjeacock.co.uk, or leave him a good luck message on his Facebook fan page; Leon Jeacock- Road Racing (BSB Support Series).
Leon is actively seeking sponsorship to enable him to finish the 2012 race season and would love to hear from anyone who may be able to help in any way. If anyone would like to get involved or receive a sponsorship portfolio, please do not hesitate to contact Leon directly at leon@leonjeacock.co.uk or Richard Johnson at richard@leonjeacock.co.uk
Leon Jeacock wears Held. For more information on Held Rider Equipment please visit www.held-uk.co.uk
Must admit- I've been mainly an Arai man all my life, Arai shaped head and all that. Always liked the idea of a carbon lid though, and relished the chance to give the 100% carbon shell ST-6 a go. I've had it a month now, covering 100s of miles in it in all weathers- thanks to the awful summer we're having!
Held ST-6: full carbon shell for just £259.99
Out the box impressions
First thing I noticed when the helmet arrived was how much more stylish and sleeker it looked in 'the flesh' so to speak. Don't get me wrong, the catalogue pics were nice, but made the lid look more 'chunky' than it actually is. It's shaped nicely at the back and the lacquer over the carbon really sets the carbon weave off in the light. Lifting it out the box you immediately notice how light it is, just 1.3KG to be exact!
Inside the lid
The liner is made from 'Outlast' material- a phase change material that was originally developed to protect astronauts against extreme fluctuations in temperature. Millions of micrsocapsules absorb the heat generated through exertion or increased internal temperature to keep you cool, then the stored energy is released when you need to warm up.
Although I haven't yet matched the speeds of astronauts I have been out in very hot sun (remember those 2 hours of sun in June?) and dropping temperatures as I rode back from the coast in the dark. The head was actually comfortable throughout, and I was left feeling surprisingly fresh. The top and chin vents were left open to help. If we do get any more sun and days of sweating in the helmet start to take their toll on the freshness the ST-6 benefits from detachable, washable cheek pads.
The integral pump system on the interior capped it off nicely, ensuring the 'fit' was as good as I'd had in a helmet.
Chin mesh and ratchet quick release buckle
The exterior
100% carbon certainly got a few double takes at bike meets, and also resulted in a fellow Carbon helmet wearer (albeit it a HJC) tapping me on the shoulder to say hi. It was nice to be wearing something 'different'- the same feeling as I've had in the past wearing custom paint job lids.
Breath defector and integral sun visor add to that much coveted mysterious hidden identity look us bikers enjoy. The sun visor has sparked quite a bit of debate- why have the added weight of one in a lid that's designed for lightness? I say why not- is it really that important to reduce one's riding weight that you sacrifice the offer of a decent pair of 'shades' that drop down when required and the fact you don't have to stop to fanny around with a visor change when it gets dark?
Lovin' the carbon!
It also prevents the expense of having to immediately buy a dark visor to go with it- although Held visors, plain / dark tint or mirror are between £15 and £20- half the price of many others.
The visor- and visor change
Anti scratch, pinlock ready and tool free changing. Tool free? Gulp. Always break out in a cold sweat when changing certain helmet brand's visors. Busted side pods, knackered mechanisms, that feeling of uselessness when you've seen the tech guys change 'em in seconds at the TT- how was the Held ST-6 going to stand up?
Well check me out- videoed when I'd only practiced TWICE. Have to say I was very impressed- especially as I was convinced I was going to have to tell the Gaffer that I'd broken it! Very easy, and I'm even faster now.
The general experience of wearing it for 100s of miles
Wind noise:No different to what I've experienced with other leading brands
Comfort: Found it very comfortable, the integral cheek pump system meant I could get the fit just right, so no wobbles and not too tight
Maintenance: Has thus far been easy to clean with lint-free cloths, both damp and dry. The carbon has made me want to invest in some proper helmet cleaning polish and stuff- so I'm going to.
Safety: Not tested by me and no intentions to do so! but- carbon is strong, and the lid meets ECE 22.05 standards so that's good for me.
Style: Looks good, looks different, shouts out 'carbon!' to other bikers and I think it looks rather cool.
So, all in all a very good first experience with Held helmets, especially when you think this helmet is a top of the Held range job- and costs less than entry level lids on many brands- and is carbon!
You can browse all Held gear and find stockists on www.held-uk.co.uk, but if you're keen to know more about Held don't be afraid to pester your local dealer to contact Held UK main man Guy Mainwaring- Guy is more than happy to help, regardless of if they are a current Held dealer or not. Things can always be sorted!
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