Jeans and earthlings have had a long history. The story of jeans goes back to as early as 1873 when “blue jeans” was invented by Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss. This particular item of clothing found interest of cowboys and miners because of the durability factor.
But why are we talking about jeans in a helmet review? That’s because this helmet is wrapped around with the aforementioned fabric! The helmet is coated with a layer of jeans cloth which gives it an appealing look. But what about utility value? Is it as good to use as it looks? We test the helmet in various conditions to find out whether you should put down the money on the product or not.
Looks and Design
To begin with, the Steelbird Ares Denim helmet is quite an attention grabber. The stylish layer of jeans grabs eyeballs and attracts curious questions from fellow riders. However, we feel that the helmet would appeal more to the fairer sex. In order to avoid a plain vanilla design, Steelbird has added a jeans-pant like double stitching design along with two pockets on either side of the helmet. The lower back of the helmet is garnished with button like rivets.
Although not entirely, ears are protected from wind with the help of stuffed sides which also holds the locking strap. One end of the strap is held by a “D” shaped ring while the other end holds the locking mechanism which is claimed to be able to bear more than 1.4 ton of load. The strap is easily adjustable according of the need of the rider and our riders were able to get the the optimum setting according to their face sizes. A wide chin strap performs the duty of keeping the helmet tight on your face. The chin strap is printed with a Ares brand logo. The goggle-shaped tinted visor is held in place with a sand coloured holder which also gets rivets.
Design is a subjective term but all in all, the helmet impressed most of us in terms of looks. Now let’s talk about functionality.
Functionality
Although the helmet is quite an attention grabber, the functionality department received a mixed bag of responses. So let’s talk about the positives first. The Ares Denim Helmet is one of the lightest helmets we have come across in a while which makes it comfortable to use. The visor is pretty decent too. A tinted visor somewhat restricts its utility in the dark, but helps a great deal on a bright, sunny day. Lastly, the compact size let’s you fit the helmet in the under seat storage space easily.
On the negative side, the inner padding is good, but the foam density could definitely have been better. Wearing a bandana underneath sorts things out a fair bit though. The helmet works quite well for in-city commutes at speeds below 60 km/h. On the highways, however, riding a more powerful motorcycle, the wind gets the better of the shell. At proper highway speeds, on can experience pronounced wind roar, and the helmet also has the tendency to wobble.
Verdict
The Ares Denim open face helmet would appeal to people who want to add a hint of style to their daily commutes. It is an ideal helmet for college going people who do ride more humble scoots rather than howling power mills. At Rs 3,999 this specific helmet model isn’t particularly cheap, but should appeal to the fashion conscious, especially those belonging to the fairer sex. If you have the money and if you are looking for exclusivity, we recommend buying the helmet but purely for scooter rides. For a long distance run which requires travelling on the highways and involves higher speeds, we strongly recommend going for a full face lid.
Here is a picture gallery that would help you understand the construction of the helmet in detail. Do share your thoughts and opinions with us through the comments section below.
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