At US research university Virginia Tech, safety helmets are put through punishing testing procedures and ranked for efficacy. At the time of writing, Canyon’s Deflectr sits at the top of its bike-helmet rankings, having vaulted more than 250 others to the top spot. The German bicycle firm has chosen to work with a London-based company, founded by mechanical engineer Jamie Cook, which devised the “Release Layer System” (RLS) that gives the helmet its enviable safety ranking. Watch this space: those three letters look set to appear on the side of a lot of helmets – cycling, climbing, construction and beyond. In the event of a crash or impact it’s the twisting, rotational forces that do the most damage to the head. Mips, one popular safety system, consists of a sliding layer inside the helmet that absorbs the impact and protects the brain.
RLS uses exterior panels that can completely detach. “It deflects, in some cases, all of the rotational motion that causes traumatic brain injury,” says Cook. “It’s incredible what Mips has done, but we’ve done even better from a safety performance perspective.” It can deflect rotational motion that causes brain injury The detaching mechanism is ingenious. The panels are connected to a layer of tiny ball bearings, which in turn are bonded to the helmet shell. Concussion-level force causes the panels to roll on the bearings and shear off. Of course, in that unfortunate scenario, you’d have to replace your helmet – but that’s what you’re supposed to do after a crash anyway, regardless of helmet type. “We would say that it’s a case of replace and rejoice,” says Cook. The Deflectr is a comfortable off-road helmet, with more coverage at the back than a commuter model and a three-position peak visor. The cradle at the rear also has three fitting positions – choose one to suit and then tighten – and instead of a traditional buckle under the chin, there’s a retention strap that you swing down into place and tighten with one hand. Thankfully, I had no experience of the RLS activating while riding, but I place my trust in Virginia Tech’s expert assessment.
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