Update: AGV GP-Tech Helmet

So after resting and getting back in to the working way, I have finally updated the site with the Scotland Tour. It was a slog but worth it, as evertime I was writing something a glorious memory would appear and I was transported back to when it was actually happening. Lovely.

Over the course of the 7 days of intensive riding my gear was subjected to a lot of use. This kind of endurance type riding would show me all the good and bad points of my gear. I will update all the gear I used to show you the results. The first of which is the AGV GP-Tech helmet…start from the top down.

You can read the initial review here.

The new AGV GP-Tech helmet.

So how is the £375 top of the line helmet fairing then? Well not too bad I suppose. I have been wearing it ever since I got it in early April, and wore it on the Scotland Tour as well and so far its been superb for comfort. The interior is superbly furnished and fits with a secure yet comfortable clamp. However after over 3000 miles of use, a lot of things have started to fall apart.

The first thing to go was the neck curtain.

The AGV logo used to be a red velvet thingy…still looks kind of cool though.

This is a known problem and if you purchased your helmet you can contact AGV and they’ll send you out a replacement neck curtain.

After that it was the chin strap that ripped off on day 2 of the tour.

The DD retention system had a leather tab on it to assist with adjustment. Not any more…

As you can see it seems to be the stitching joint that has given up the ghost.

I can still fasten the strap no problems, but it’s pretty disappointing to have a neat design touch come away after 2 months useage.

The next problems appeared on the trip, 2 of which were to do with the visor. The visor starts rattling when it’s open, however that’s if it stays open long enough because of the weak visor ratchet. (see initial review for more info)

The next problem was when I went to change visors. The red tab you can see in the photo below gets pulled down which allows enough space to get the visor in. Then you release this tab and it springs back up to secure the visor in the channel and ratchet. However my red tab sticks when you pull it down.

The visor ratchet system and replacement mechanism.

Notice how the bottom red bit is all the way down and the spring is compressed.

There is 2 ways to fix this problem. The first is you get a sharp implement and go about it. The second is you give the mechanism a firm tap and it springs back. Both of these remedies aren’t the best and I don’t like doing either.

Along the way on the tour there were many single track roads, many freshly laid roads and a couple of “in progress” roads. There were stones being flug up whenever Blair was in front but I never really noticed any big stones hitting me. However upon inspection above the visor seal there is a small chip out of the paint and another one about an inch to the right of it.

Now again, for a helmet that costs a lot of money surely AGV can put some decent, hard shell paint on it. I may be being a bit harsh here because to be honest it’s enevitable if a stone hits a painted surface it will chip, but it’s just frustrating. I think even more so because it shows up so much more with a white helmet and that I have had black helmets previously so perhaps didn’t notice it quite so much…

Stone chip blues.

One last point, the helmet sat quite low on my head and after I added the bit of foam I found at work, the helmet has sat perfect every time.

So in summary then,

The AGV GP-Tech helmet that retails for £375 is a brilliant helmet. However it falls down on some important areas and also leaves questions about the build quality. And for a helmet that costs nearly £400, I expect more in the way of solid build quality and tolerances.

Pros:

• Beautifully snug and comfortable interior
• Luxury choice of fabrics on the interior which help the above point
• Ventilation is superb, so much fresh air it makes your face cold
• Great visibility
• Superb design flairs and the design of the helmet in general is top notch
• Looks the dogs danglies

Cons:

• Neck skirt logos have now completely fell off
• DD adjustment tab ripped off
• Visor rattles in the mechanism
• Visor mechanism sticks
• Helmet whistles depending on how fast you go/how windy it is.

 

I will continue to update you with this helmet should anything else happen.

Thanks for reading!

 

Gordon