We ordered clothing from Mavic from our September test schedule, and among the kit supplied was the 2013 incarnation of their flagship Plasma SLR helmet.
The first thing we noticed was the weight. Heavy in the hand, it has a claimed weight of 350 grams, but tipped our scales at 390 grams. Mavic tell us the compact design relies on a greater density of polystyrene, which contains an internal cage, and meets the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) standard. We’ll let you know if the weight is noticeable in the weeks ahead.
Adjusting the cradle is a simple matter of turning an adjustment dial at the rear of the helmet to shrink or enlarge the plastic strap that hangs below the shell as required (Mavic call theirs an ‘Ergo Hold retention system’). It’s a mechanism used by many brands, with greater or lesser efficiency. The dial here isn’t especially large, but an early fitting suggests we’ll have no difficulty locating it.
Vertical positioning of the cradle i.e. how low it can be set on the base of the skull, is controlled by mounting points set in the rearmost point of the helmet’s ‘crown’, and offers about three centimeters of adjustment. Giro offer a similar system on their Aeon helmet, only with a slider, rather than three fixed positions.
Strap adjustment around the ears is a simple process thanks to v-shaped clips. Excess length on the chin strap is held with a neat 0.5cm rubber band branded with the Mavic ‘M’.
Padding is supplied in two sections: a large piece that lines the front of the helmet and the ‘crown’, and short, separate piece that lines the plastic unit that houses the adjustment dial and which rests against the base of the skull. Both are fashioned from Mavic’s ‘Ergo Fit’ pad, one with claims to be ‘anti microbial’. It’s ‘open cell’ structure is designed to move moisture from the head and reduce contact twixt skull and helmet. We encountered a similar concept, differently realised, with the 3D padding in Kask’s Vertigo SL. We’ll report on the effectiveness or otherwise of Mavic’s design.
The Plasma SLR has seven vents cut in the front and side of the helmet, and nine exhaust ports at the rear. It looks well ventilated, and when we’ve had some miles in it, we’ll report back. Short, lateral ‘bars’ of compressed polystyrene in the four largest vents are strengthened with carbon fibre strips, which Mavic say have allowed them to broaden the vents.
The Plasma SLR is the top of Mavic’s range of road helmets. It comes in black as well as the company’s signature yellow pictured here, and retails at £160. An extra £26 gets you two years warranty cover under Mavic’s MP3 programme, which includes replacement of up to three helmets within that period. Helmets must be returned to the dealer.
Check back soon for our full review.
