Troy Lee Designs: The A3 Half Shell, Ridden and Reviewed

[@paultarbox4092]

Have this man do more reviews, great job!

[@FanatikBikeCo]

Thank you, I appreciate it! - Dan at Fanatik

[@zacharyobregon6442]

Gangstarr in the back round was dope haha

[@ThunderStruckMTB]

"When I degloved my jaw" < Something I never want to say.

[@FanatikBikeCo]

Yeaaaa it was pretty gross. Did a bit of a lawn dart maneuver to my face, ripped my lower lip down away down from my teeth an inch down and three inches across and filled it with dirt. Not my best day. But it did get me to start using that chinbar, which in fact saved my face a month and a half later. - Dan at Fanatik

[@alexarna]

@@FanatikBikeCo You should have probably also warned people not to Google image search "degloved jaw" 😂

[@FanatikBikeCo]

@@alexarna Oh gosh. I didn't think of that, but only because I know it's not something I want to see. Sorry!!

[@jeffs2031]

You are the first helmet reviewer that gives more head shape/helmet shape info. Great review!

[@FanatikBikeCo]

Thanks Jeff, glad you found it helpful! Dan at Fanatik

[@gogovitch66]

Thx, Dan! This makes the A3 a true competitor for POCs Kortal to replace my fairly old A1 in the near future :)

[@Lyds_rose988]

I got the kortal and returned it the a3 is night and day better for comfort in my opinion. Although I loved the look of the kortal the padding is miminal

[@gogovitch66]

@@Lyds_rose988 thx 4 info.. Difficult to judge the fit of helmets on other peoples heads, but it‘s true, that I rarely heard of a TLD half shell that riders felt uncomfortable in.. 🤔

[@JFernandez888]

Just bought an A3. Thanks for your review! Ride safe! 🤙

[@FanatikBikeCo]

Cheers, likewise!

[@suresh0t]

Great review of the generations. Not only should Fanatik give you kudos but TLD as well! Nice!

[@Montblanc1986]

Bell and Smith make great helmets. Just got the POC Kortal and it's big on the head but has a lot of coverage

[@Zetler]

God damn. This man is clearly an expert on face and head injuries.

[@FanatikBikeCo]

Oh gosh, that's not even the half of it. Not long after filming this I unfortunately split my forehead open on a pit-bike handlebar. The P.A. stitching me up chuckled because she could see my skull. Bleh. Wear your full-face when you're on pit-bikes! Also, sunglasses and sunscreen. I recently had to have part of my eyelid removed due to squamous cell carcinoma. Also bleh. Best - Dan at Fanatik

[@Zetler]

@@FanatikBikeCo Whatever you’re recommending for safety. I’m buying it.

[@danielcox9850]

Cool thanks, I have the 1&2 I like the 1 better so it's looking like the 3 will be mine! Extra liner and what not is a must have, I have a dozen helmets and the biggest thing that sticks out is the brands that give you replacement and adjustment parts no extra charge. Fitment is key if it's not your shape and you can't make it that way, then you are not going to wear it.

[@FanatikBikeCo]

All true! I've continued to really like mine. Dan at Fanatik

[@NoBrakes23]

I bought an A1 in 2014, and it fit me better than any other helmet. But the garbage ventilation had me sweating buckets. The solution was using a GUT'R or Halo head band. Oh, but that made the TLD not fit anymore, (And the next size up was too big.) It also was constantly falling apart. If I had known the A2 fit differently I might have given it a try. I'm still skeptical of their lids, but I might have to check out the A3. In the meantime, I found Catlike's Leaf fit even better and had great venting. Sadly, they went away :( And now the two I have are getting old.

[@hardmtnbiker]

I like my A2 but never had the A1. The A3 looks great and I like the new MIPS. My friend has a Bell with the Spherical MIPS , it’s really nice!

[@Beretto1991]

Very good review, thanks.

[@kwilson4880]

As someone that spends all their money pampering their bike, the bell super line is way better than any thing else I've ever used because instead of buying the $170 A2 half shell and a $300 full face, I spend $250 on a helmet that does both just as well. I would recommend this over this helmet or any helmet unless you are dh racing

[@troyleedesigns]

The A1 MIPS, A2 and A3 Helmet all have a 5-Star Virginia Tech Safety Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@FanatikBikeCo]

As much as I like my Super DH, I still own and use a legit full face helmet (TLD D4, if you're wondering!). Regardless of what any labels say, I just don't believe that the Super DH, with chinbar, provides as much protection as a full face. If you are fully splitting your time between trail riding and the bike park, I'd recommend 2 helmets. I like the Super DH because some of what I like to ride is a middle ground - trails that I pedal to but are dangerous enough that I want a chinbar. Cheers - Dan at Fanatik

[@tyrsog]

Just bought the A3 with same colors as the one in the video for $132. Some colors and sizes are on sale currently but there seems to be a lot out of stock. Also bought an A2 for my son. I gave my son the choice of A2 or A3 due to both safety ratings being excellent and he really liked the A2 glo-green color. We've already got the A2, solid helmet and the color actually looks better in person then online. I'll get the A3 on Monday! Thanks for the review!

[@FanatikBikeCo]

My pleasure! - Dan at Fanatik

[@freeridetony]

I recommend fullface helmet 🙏🙆‍♂️🤠

[@erikjpendleton]

Ya can't put a price tag on your brain bucket! I think its a badass helmet!

[@flippy66]

Yes you can, in fact every manufacturer does. By your implied logic a helmet could reasonably cost 10 grand, so OF COURSE you can put a price on it.

[@alen8041]

Hi i have a Questionen to your Bike builder coming the Bikes assembled

[@FanatikBikeCo]

That is correct, they will have been assembled prior to shipping.

[@pnwmotocross]

Let me clear my throat ahuuu ahuuuu. Jkjk awesome job.

[@FanatikBikeCo]

I know, I know. I've tried it all. Got a scratchy voice is all. - Cheers, Dan at Fanatik

[@bryant8635]

So I just bought this helmet, and I might be the only one who can't figure it out, but does anyone else notice that the way the chin strap terminates in that rubber "end cap" forces one of the two excess strap sections to be longer than the other, causing irremovable slack on one of the straps and creating an annoying "loop"? It is driving me crazy and I am thinking of sending it back just because of that. Maybe I am doing something wrong?

[@Po7ent]

If you were to buy a new helmet right now would this be it? Looking for a new shell

[@FanatikBikeCo]

Well, I'm biased but I do really like my A3! - Dan at Fanatik

[@flippy66]

It's actually very easy to make the argument that a "nice helmet isn't worth the money" when there are helmets which provide the same level of protection for far less. The whole "you can't put a price on safety" argument is completely bogus. You absolutely CAN when there are comparable products at differing prices.

[@sierranuestra]

Hi, its more for a round or oval head shape ? Cheers

[@FanatikBikeCo]

I have a rounder head. Cheers - Dan at Fanatik

[@JZMartinez]

I like TLD stuff. My TLD Stages saved my teeth and jaw my first day at a bike park. But this A3 just doesn't move me. It's just, ugly. 🤷‍♂️ Luckily there are many great options.

[@FanatikBikeCo]

Fair enough! There are indeed.

[@Defender3d]

The foam head band at the front is very cheap and poor. First 20 mile run and it's pretty much pealed right off. The decals are pretty poorly applied too, and when you are buying a helmet sold with 'such a design', is a little tacky. NOT a good design for a circa £200 helmet. I just hope it protects better!

[@FanatikBikeCo]

Huh. I have not experienced either of those issues on mine, which I use weekly, nor have we had any warranty returns for those reasons. Did you purchase it from us? - Dan at Fanatik

[@Defender3d]

@@FanatikBikeCo No, via Giant bikes UK. But just because its not happened to you, does not mean it hasn't happened to me. Maybe I got a bad one, but the first 20 miles, not even every week. So far TLD have not responded.

[@FanatikBikeCo]

​@@Defender3d Sorry, I didn't mean to suggest that you were fabricating your experience, just that it may be batch-specific. If you haven't already, I'd suggest reaching out to Giant Bikes UK and seeing if they can enable a warranty claim for you. I hope you find a resolution! Best - Dan at Fanatik