Let’s not beat around the bush, The Beam full-face Virgo Integral MIPS helmet looks pretty wild when you compare it to a conventional half-shell bike helmet – with its integrated chin bar and flip-down visor. But just like how DH full-face helmet tech has trickled down to a lot of lightweight convertible and full-face helmets for enduro and even some aggressive trail riders – it’s hard to argue with extra head protection.
The Beam Virgo Integral MIPS full-face city & ebike helmet
Full-face helmets are nothing new in cycling. But for some reason, they’ve really never made the transition from gravity mountain biking to more mainstream cycling.
The Beam Virgo full-face looks to break down that barrier with a lightweight and well-ventilated helmet that offers more of the light comfort, adjustable fit, and premium safety tech that we’ve come to expect from modern cycling helmets. Plus, of course, the added benefit of extra protection of the rider’s chin & face.
I’ve been following the development of this lightweight, multi-disciple full-face since it began as an aero road helmet almost 5 years ago. So, with my own adoption of more time riding a strange utilitarian ebike and a bright yellow cargo ebike, I was happy to test out this latest evolution of the Virgo full-face.
Why an ebike commuter full-face? Why not!
As more people have adopted ebikes as an alternative form of transportation, we have seen more helmets get ebike certifications – i.e. NTA 8776. Yet still, we still only really see ebike helmets going full-face for off-road-focused aggressive eMTB riding.
But, as commuter ebikes share more of the road and urban environment, it makes sense that ebike helmets could start to look a bit more like a scooter or moto helmet.
When you are riding back and forth to work amongst car traffic, or zipping around town on quick & powerful ebikes, The Beam Virgo Integral MIPS helmet simply offers extra peace of mind in a lightweight and comfortable helmet at a reasonable price. And it delivers enough ventilation that you won’t really roast when you have to pedal a bit on your own, too.
Tech Details & Actual Weight
The Beam developed the Virgo full-face to not only comply with the regular EN1078 / CPSC bike certification standards, but also to meet the more stringent European NTA-8776 regulation created for higher-speed (45kph/28mph) pedelec ebikes.
The French-designed helmet features a unique multi-layer construction. First, there’s essentially a more conventional in-mold half-shell helmet – with just a plastic shell molded over the edges of its EPS foam energy absorbing layer for wear & tear protection. Then, molded on the outside of that, there’s the complete ABS shell with separate in-mold EPS around the cheeks and chin bar for additional protection.
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