Canyon Deflectr RLS Helmet Review

The Canyon Deflectr doesn't look like most helmets, and it eschews most of the popular technology we've been testing and reading about for the past few years. Instead of relying on a Koroyd structure or MIPS liner, the Deflect'r uses a brand-new technology called Release Layer System, which uses separate outer plates lined with small plastic bearings. In the event of an impact, the outer layer can detach and deflect it by allowing the outer plates to roll over the sub-structure. Like a MIPS liner, it's a simple concept that seeks to displace the forces of an impact. In many ways, they work similarly, but RLS places the slip on the outside of the helmet. Beyond the RLS system, you'll find a lightweight, breathable trail helmet with all the features you'd expect from a modern trail helmet, plus a revised High Bar retention system.

Impact Test

Each of the trail helmets we review meets or exceeds national safety standards, and all should be considered to be safe. What we aim to uncover in our impact testing is how each helmet responds to different types of impacts, and the data we collect helps us distinguish among models and their technologies. This is the first helmet we've tested using RLS, and it has the highest overall crash test score in our review at 9.1.

Slow Impact Test Results

The Deflectr scored an 8.8 in the slow impact test portion of our tests performed at ACT Labs. This puts the helmet far above most competitors and is bested by only two other models, the Poc Cularis and Lazer Coyote Kineticore.

Fast Impact Test Results

In ACT's high-speed impact tests, our sensor data showed the Deflectr performing incredibly well. The fast impact score of 9.4 is the highest score we've assigned to a helmet from this test.

It's impressive to see a new technology like this emerge and be implemented so well. The Deflectr isn't a heavy helmet at only 430 grams in size, Large, so we find its performance that much more notable. Since there isn't a single type of crash that helmets are designed to protect you from, it's important to consider different types and speeds of impacts to understand their real-world performance.

Something to consider is that each helmet uses hundreds of these 2mm plastic ball bearings, and in the event of a big impact, those little bits of plastic will be littering the forest floor. They're bio-degradable right? Right?? Guys?

Comfort

The Deflectr has a relatively standard oval fit and a three-position rear retention strap that provides about 270 degrees of tightening around the cranium. The front of the helmet liner is fixed along the forehead, but that didn't cause any complaints about the fit. The padding inside the helmet is lightweight and minimal but fairly absorbent and provides adequate cushion between your head and the EPS body of the helmet.

What really stands out about the Deflectr is its use of the HighBar chin retention strap. Instead of Y-shaped webbing and a buckle or magnetic closure, a rotary dial connected to a single strap secures the helmet to your head. There are some interesting upsides to this system. Foremost, you can't get the helmet fit wrong.

As a mountain bike coach, I am constantly readjusting people's helmets to ensure the shell fits properly on their head, and much of this has to do with the geometry of the webbing. With no webbing, you simply twist the dial and the helmet tightens to the proper spot on your head. With the dial properly tightened, it shouldn't touch your skin; it should sit with a single finger's width of room between the buckle and your lower jaw. In practice, the strap comes in contact when you open your mouth, and since it is much more rigid than a piece of webbing, its lack of flex can take some getting used to.

Ventilation

On paper, the Deflectr is vent-riddled and should allow for excellent airflow, but in practice, some of those vents are barely a centimeter wide and do little to provide cooling. The interior of the helmet has airflow channels, and the top vents seem to do a pretty good job of evacuating the heat and perspiration, but it wasn't the coolest helmet to grace our heads. We counted 18 vents on the Deflectr, but at least four are barely there and don't seem to contribute much cooling. There are eight vents on the front of the helmet, and the outermost holes under the visor serve double duty as sunglasses storage.

There are claims that the HighBar strap helps keep you cooler, and while you can see that it has less contact with your skin than webbing, it was hard to assess whether the area around our ears was actually getting more airflow. We'd also never really felt that the webbing on a traditional helmet was a source of warmth, but as most seasoned riders can attest, the straps do wick perspiration. None of our testers had complaints about the ventilation, but the helmet doesn't have the striking air passage feel of the Poc Cularis.

Usability

Since the HighBar strap connects to tabs that sit proud of your face, there is no interference with sunglasses, and it claims to be quieter and more aerodynamic than traditional webbing. We found the three-position rear retention to have enough adjustability up and down as well as around to wear light head coverings on cold days or sun protection caps on warm days. We weren't exactly sold on the merits of the HighBar; it's different, certainly novel, and I appreciated how you could easily adjust or remove the helmet with a single hand, but its lack of flexibility made me question the fit more than once.

Previous Next

Not to be a total Luddite opposed to change, but there is something soft and comforting about the webbing on a traditional helmet. I can imagine an automotive seatbelt getting the same tech make-over, and it could be handy, but side, lightweight webbing used in seatbelts is pretty comfortable most of the time.

The helmet has a three-position breakaway visor and sunglass storage in the front of the helmet that is easy to use and holds your shades securely. Popping the visor off takes more force than most others, but it wasn't so hard that it would stay on in a crash. In the back of the helmet is a small magnetic recess that lets you attach a lightweight Canyon-made taillight.

Weight

The Deflectr is a reasonably lightweight lid, especially given the amount of coverage it offers. At 430 grams in a size Large, it's probably not going to be the reason you didn't win the race. While it's three grams lighter than the Poc Cularis, the Poc helmet felt lighter on our heads. Still, we had no problem wearing the Deflectr on all-day rides.

Overall, the grams the Deflectr registers on our scales are a selling point. If you consider the amount of coverage, its crash test scores, and comfort, it's lighter than we'd expect.

Should You Buy the Canyon Deflectr?

There is a lot to like about the Deflectr, and we're seriously impressed by its impact test results. The lid has seemingly every feature you could want in a new trail helmet, but the HighBar retention system prevented it from being a tester favorite. Should you have the opportunity to try the Deflectr on, we absolutely recommend that as the benefits of the strap may outweigh any criticism we have of it. Unfortunately, Canyon isn't widely available in retail locations, so trying the helmet may be difficult. If you're one of those people who has a chronically mis-adjusted helmet, the Deflectr offers a fit that sits in the right spot every time with compelling reasons to snap one up.

What Other Mountain Bike Helmets Should You Consider?