Bell Sanction Adult Premium Lightweight and Durable Full-Face Bike Helmet

BELL Sanction Adult Premium Lightweight and Durable Full-Face Bike Helmet

At just 850 grams, the Sanction is our low-profile full-face helmet aimed at dirt shredders and BMX riders who dont need the more robust Full-9 or Transfer-9. The Sanction has become the choice of adults who want full-face protection but prefer a smaller size and profile. If youre riding a chairlift, go with a Full-9 or Transfer-9. But if youre pedaling BMX or dirt jumps, this helmet will serve you well. The Bell Sanction is a very lightweight full-face mountain bike helmet constructed with a hand-laminated fiberglass shell over an expanded polystyrene liner. This helmet meets the minimum standards to be sold as a cycling helmet in the US and Europe but does not meet any of the more stringent standards aimed at aggressive downhill riding with big consequences.

: Bell recommends this helmet only for groms and BMX. This makes us think that the marketing department at Bell is a bit out of touch with how gnarly BMX is these days. Regardless, we think there are better full-face offerings some from Bell no matter what size wheels you roll on

: The Sanction meets the CE EN1078 certifications, which are the minimum standards for cycling helmets sold in the US and Europe. It does not meet the more stringent ASTM-F1952 certification, which is a standard for downhill full-face helmets

: This helmet has 15 smallish vents in its shell. These holes are lined up with corresponding holes in the polystyrene liner and open-cell padding, and provide direct exit paths for hot air. Except for the vents in the chin guard and the ones over the years, the vents are not covered with any type of wire mesh

: This helmet has the smallest, shortest visor in our field of helmets and it took the lowest score in this category. We found that it provided little coverage at the corners because it is so narrow. The visor is attached to either side of the helmet with a solid metal screw that screws into a metal insert in the helmet

-: The Bell Sanction is the lightest full-face helmet. Unfortunately, this diminutive helmet achieves a lower weight at the cost of function and protection. This helmet has a much smaller overall profile than any of the other full-face helmets and it feels like a toy compared to the other helmets