Schuberth has just announced its latest-generation street helmet, the C5, with a list of improvements in fit and ventilation, and other tweaks to make it more comfortable, as well as meeting latest Euro safety standards.
Made-in-Germany Schuberth helmets are not cheap, but they always come with a reputation for clever engineering and all-day wearability (see Costa’s review of the old C3 helmet here; Zac’s experience with his C3 Pro here). Pioneers in the flip-front helmet game, Schuberth was also one of the first manufacturers to integrate built-in communication units.
The new C5 continues down that road, sort of. In its presentation, the Schuberth bigwigs talked about how 20,000 hours of design work went into the new helmet, along with 400 hours of road testing, and 2,000 individual helmets tested through this process. As Schuberth has its own wind tunnel at its R&D centre, it’s able to put a lot of work into the design process that other companies don’t always match.
The helmet itself also meets Europe’s new ECE-R 22.06 standard, and can be worn with the front of the helmet flipped up or flipped down (older Schuberth models were only safety-certified with the front of the helmet locked into the “down” position). The C5 comes with an updated ventilation system designed to flow cooling air through the helmet, with built-in, removable/replaceable filter. And, thanks to all that engineering work, Schuberth says this helmet is lighter than its previous flip-front units, and quieter, reducing wind noise to 85 dB when riding a naked bike at 100 km/h.
There’s an optional Sena communicator that integrates nicely to the helmet shell (with antennas pre-installed in the helmet when you buy it), a wide choice of colours, and several tweaks that allow the user to get better fit, improving comfort.
However, some Schuberth fans wanted more from the C5, especially in the age of smart helmets. For those discontented riders, the best bet would be to “stay tuned,” as Schuberth might be coming out with a C5 Pro in the future that addresses some of their demands.
Otherwise, for more Luddite-minded motorcycle riders who don’t feel the need for heads-up display and a virtual assistant, the C5 should be available in Canada in a few months, although we’ve not seen pricing yet. If you really want one, you can always use the power of the Internet to order one from Europe. Find more deets at Schuberth’s website.
