RUDY PROJECT WINDMAX HELMET

*Note: The only colors available in the US and Canada are:

• White/Silver Shiny
• Black/Yellow Fluo Matt
• Yellow Fluo/Black Shiny
• White/Red Fluo Shiny

OVERVIEW

Several years ago, Running and Cycling Enterprises (RACE) sent me a helmet to test. Click here for review and results. Known for their sunglasses and helmets, I have always liked Rudy Project. For 2017, they make 12 different categories of SUNGLASSES for 16 different sports, 9 different HELMETS, GOGGLES and GEAR & APPAREL. Lots of high quality gear.

Fast forward to 11/2016. Even though the RUSH helmet performed flawlessly, it was 2 years old and had close to 20,000 miles of use. The padding had turned from an almost white to a dark gray, the cheek/chin straps had permanent white sweat stains and even though I had washed it out several times, as you can see in the picture to the right, it’s pretty grungy and stunk pretty bad.

So, after 2 years, I stopped by RACE in San Clemente and returned the helmet, giving them a quick review of the product. They said that they recommend 3 years of use for a helmet and that the RUSH looked in good shape. They agreed, and in their words, it was “pretty gross.”

What came next was a total shock … they said that since they wanted to make sure I was happy, I could go onto their website ‘e-rudy.com’ and pick any helmet to test and review. The helmet that I was most interested in was the WINDMAX. There are many great options under the Road & Mountain category; Airstorm, Boost 01, Racemaster, Rush, Sterling, Windmax. Other helmet categories you might be interested in include Road Aero, Time Trial and Downhill.

WINDMAX TOP FEATURES

First off, the Windmax is CPSC 1203 rated. This helmets strength is helped by fusing two parts (exoskeleton shell and solid one-piece inner injection molded body) together into a single unit via an ample amount of structural reinforcing fiber, essentially making this helmet double reinforced. It is important to note that this reinforcing fiber (the white fiber you see in the picture to the right) keeps the helmet together in the event of a crash. A helmet that is still on your head and still in one-piece will help protect you better.

Another feature you will notice is 21 large vents, which help with cooling as well as helping maintain a minimal weight. What you might not notice is that these vents are positioned to maximize air flow through the helmet. A vent design that pulls in air from the front only to be unable to exit the same amount of air makes for a hot helmet. The Windmax also includes internal air channels to ensure that hot air generated by exercising is easily expelled out the back.

WEIGHT

A size LARGE weighs only 10.5 oz. (298gm) which is lighter than several other comparable helmets. A light helmet helps reduce neck fatigue, especially on longer rides such as half-centuries, metric centuries, full centuries, gran fondos and long charity rides.

HOW TO BEST FIT

There are three things that work together to ensure the perfect fit on your head;

1. Padding – Three options for padding. Option 1 below is stand alone, options 2, 3 can be intermixed
   1. Default option as shipped – Bug netting with integrated pads installed
   2. Standard thickness pads – Same thickness as above option but sans the bug netting
   3. Thick pads – 2x as thick as above.
2. RSR8 Tension Adjuster – The round knob at the rear of the helmet to adjust tension on the head.
3. Adjustable Head Ring– Allows for vertical adjustment on the nape-of-the-neck. The Head Ring has 3 positions so that you can adjust the helmet to sit low on the head to medium or high.

VISOR OPTIONS

The Windmax comes with 2 easy to attach visors that snap-in to the front of the helmet. With the Windmax, you have 3 options. Large visor for MTB, small visor for road, or none. The visors are highlighted with the same pattern as the helmet so they look like they are an integrated package.

My first time to use a visor for the road and the small visor works very well! I like it.

HOW EASY WAS IT TO ADJUST?

This is one of the first problems someone new to the sport has. So many straps and buckles…where do I start? Well, Rudy Project has made it very easy by pre-sizing the helmet straps based on helmet size. Pulling the helmet out of the box, the first test fit was very close to ideal.

I had to fine-tuned two adjustments to get the perfect fit, (a) tightened the RSR8 retention system by twisting the knob one click and (b) I set the adjustable head ring to the middle position. This was due to the bug netting taking up some of the space inside the helmet causing it to feel wobbly on my head. Propping the helmet up a little higher on my head via the head ring gave me the perfect fit.

As can be seen by the picture on the right, this is the fit of the helmet right out of the box. Looks like it fits good, but felt very generic. After the adjustments mentioned above, it fit like a glove. My final adjustment was to slightly reposition both cheek buckles as they were too low. I slid each one up an inch and I was good to go!

HOW DID IT FEEL ON THE HEAD?

Most of my helmets I have used in the past are sized LARGE and fit on the looser side. Cinching down on the rear adjuster tightens them up enough so I get a good fit, but not a perfect fit. Once I start sweating, they tend to slide down on the forehead.

Let me take a minute to talk in general about helmets and how they fit on your head. Everyone’s head is shaped slightly different than the next person, and, since each manufacturers helmet is also shaped slightly different, a given helmet might fit one person but not the next. For example, just think how uncomfortable the helmet would be if your head was oval-shaped and your helmet was more of a rectangular shape. It’s been my experience talking to people that the shape of Rudy Project helmets will fit MOST cyclists.

The Rudy Project WINDMAX fit slightly on the loose side, but, as stated earlier, one click of the RSR8 adjuster, allowed the Windmax to fit perfect. The real test is whether the helmets slips down onto your forehead while riding and, no matter how sweaty or how many miles, the Windmax stayed in place.

This winter in Southern California has been wet. Let’s say real wet! Have been riding in quite a few rainstorms lately and this helmet has stayed right in place. No slipping, no sliding.

BUGNET

One of the coolest features is the bug net. Lots of bees always flying and this netting helps stop them from getting sucked into the vents and stinging you in the head. The picture below and to the left shows the Top-Front of the helmet looking backwards. You can see the bug netting just below the shell. The picture to the bottom right shows the underside of the helmet which shows the integrated bugnet and padding. The netting can be quickly removed and can be easily washed.  This is my favorite feature of the entire helmet!

SUMMARY

The WINDMAX is one of those helmets that fits like a glove. After a minute, you forget you are even wearing it. It is comfortable and the air flow is excellent. There’s very little wind noise that other helmets can generate and is easily adjustable to fit everyone.

I was going to ding the rating due to the higher price, but after looking at pricing of its competitors, the WINDMAX is right in line with what other manufacturers charge for their top end helmets.

This is truly the HIGHEST QUALITY helmet from Rudy Project!
YES, I highly recommend this helmet!

Rick Schultz

I have always enjoyed bicycling and, through a series of coincidences, became a Bicycle Industry Consultant and Product Tester. I test prototype products for companies and have published only off the shelf production products on biketestreviews.com.