Reviews You Can Rely On

Fox Racing Rampage Pro Carbon MIPS Review

The Fox Rampage Pro Carbon wins the Editors' choice Award for its fine details on style, ventilation, sizing, visibility and increased safety
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fox racing rampage pro carbon mips downhill helmet review
Credit: Fox Racing
Price:  $450 List
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Manufacturer:   Fox Racing
By Dustin Schaad ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  Apr 20, 2018
85
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Comfort - 20% 9.0
  • Visor - 10% 9.0
  • Weight - 20% 8.0
  • Ventilation - 10% 8.0
  • Protection - 20% 9.0
  • Extras - 10% 7.0
  • Durability - 10% 9.0

Our Verdict

Fox no longer makes this exact model of the Rampge Pro Carbon.
REASONS TO BUY
Excellent ventilation
Adjustable visor
Perfect inside pad placement
Super comfortable
REASONS TO AVOID
Expensive
Visor screws loosen easily
The Fox Rampage Pro Carbon wins the Editors' Choice Award for its striking details on style, ventilation, sizing, visibility and increased safety. The fit, feel and quality of the Rampage Pro Carbon stands to be one of the best we have ever tested. The well-detailed and stylish lid has all the boxes checked when it comes to top-notch full-face protection.

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Editors' Choice Award goes to the Rampage Pro Carbon, which has a premium, sleek, and moto-inspired look. The lines are serious and grievous, giving the helmet a high-performance look. This differs from the bulky and youthful style of the POC Coron. Though it is somewhat simple and minimalist, this helmet doesn't appear space age like the 100% Aircraft. The Rampagehas a square profile and provides solid coverage for the mouth. The helmet is built to be used with bike goggles. If you are running ski goggles from 1985, it's time to hit your local shop. If you're a sunglasses-in-your-full face type, hit your local thrift store for a good score.

Performance Comparison


fox racing rampage pro carbon mips downhill helmet review - eyeing the runout in virgin, ut with the rampage pro carbon helmet.
Eyeing the runout in Virgin, UT with the Rampage Pro Carbon helmet.
Credit: dustin schaad

Comfort


Each helmet in our test has different fabric inside the helmet which provides a very distinct feeling for each. The Fox Rampage and Bell Full-9 ranked similarly for comfort and overall feel in areas where there is skin contact.


The Rampage has a precision fit and is designed using two shell sizes and 3 EPS dimensions. A crucial design feature is the location of the ear spacing (where the pads are not located) inside the helmet. Fox placed the space in the perfect spot, unlike the 100% Aircraft, where the pads are hitting the earlobes. The chin strap on the Rampage has a small piece of padding to give comfort when cinched down. We had days when the temps were below freezing and days where it was 80 degrees or warmer. The Rampage always felt comfortable no matter what…not too cold and not too hot.

fox racing rampage pro carbon mips downhill helmet review - this helmet provides confidence to push the limits.
This helmet provides confidence to push the limits.
Credit: dustin schaad

Visor


Being able to glue a GoPro mount on the visor is critical to capturing your adventures. Sure you can mount it on the top like the Bell Full-9. The Bell has an integrated/removable camera mount, but the best angle is under the visor.


A great feature is the metal screws which are more resilient and stronger compared to plastic. The Rampage also has an adjustable middle visor screw. The metal screws with the added strength of the middle screw allow for the GoPro to be mounted on the bottom of the visor.

fox racing rampage pro carbon mips downhill helmet review - visor bolt on the fox rampage
Visor bolt on the Fox Rampage
Credit: dustin schaad

The GoPro mount is stable and provides excellent footage when you're out there shredding the gnar. The length of the visor is exceptional, as it is not too long or too short. It provides impressive coverage, and you can move it up out of the way if necessary. There's also plenty of space to place your goggles backward while not in use.

fox racing rampage pro carbon mips downhill helmet review - fox rampage pro carbon visor.
Fox Rampage Pro Carbon visor.
Credit: dustin schaad

Weight


The Rampage Pro Carbon doesn't win any awards for its weight, but it makes up for it in the features and protection it provides. It sits right in the middle of the pack, at 37.9 ounces; our testers never complained about it being too heavy. We loved this helmet, which is why it's our Editors' Choice. The weight was not noticeable during hot days when the sweat was being absorbed.


Ventilation


During our testing at the Whistler Bike Park, we encountered all types of weather conditions. We had days where the sun would bake us with 80-degree temps; others days, it would pour rain, and the humidity would be off the charts. There were also a few days of snow and below-freezing temps.


The High-tech Dri Lex luxury interior with 3D molded cheek pads worked exceptionally well. The head stayed warm when it was cold. When it was hot outside, the Dri Lex absorbed the sweat exceptionally well. The Rampage was always the top pick each morning.

fox racing rampage pro carbon mips downhill helmet review - healthy doses of rock shouldn't scare you with this helmet.
Healthy doses of rock shouldn't scare you with this helmet.
Credit: dustin schaad

The Rampage is dialed with maximum venting and airflow with 17 total vents and channels. The vents are located, so the airflow is in all the right spots cooling the head on those heated days when you're banging laps on laps!!

fox racing rampage pro carbon mips downhill helmet review - fox rampage mouth vents
Fox Rampage mouth vents
Credit: dustin schaad

Protection


The Rampage is equipped with the MIPS low friction layer. MIPS is a patented brain protection system developed to reduce rotational violence causing strain in the brain at angled impacts.


MIPS mimics the brain's protection system by adding a low-friction layer between the head and the helmet. A helmet with MIPS can absorb more energy from an angled impact. Conventional helmets are tested by dropping them vertically onto a flat surface. MIPS is designed and tested for reality, reflecting how most accidents occur, with angled impacts to the head. MIPS raises the bar for helmet safety and the Rampage is equipped with all the best safety features of all the helmets on the market today!

fox racing rampage pro carbon mips downhill helmet review - fox rampage after a fall weather sesh
Fox Rampage after a fall weather sesh
Credit: dustin schaad

Extras


One of the other great additions to purchasing a Rampage Pro Carbon is the fact that it's stylish and Fox includes a sleek helmet bag.


It comes with extra pads, a goggle compartment and front entry, which is the best design out of any of the other helmet bags in the test.

fox racing rampage pro carbon mips downhill helmet review - fox rampage helmet bag, side goggle compartment, front entry
Fox Rampage Helmet bag, side goggle compartment, front entry
Credit: dustin schaad

The Rampage also comes equipped with plastic snap-in cheek pads that are easily removed with a pull out tab in case of an emergency, and you're immobilized.

fox racing rampage pro carbon mips downhill helmet review - fox rampage helmet bag
Fox Rampage helmet bag
Credit: dustin schaad

Durability


In the past, our testers were impressed by the quality of the dense padding that lines the inside of the chin guard. But both sides of the rubber gasket around the face opening began to peel off, and we forgot about the padding. This area is where most riders grab the helmet to put it on and take it off, so it gets a lot of man-handling. Well…..this is no longer an issue. Fox has simplified the dense padding and made it more rigid and durable. It never peels and feels super comfy when removing and donning the helmet. We experienced no issues with the padding being compromised from wear and tear, unlike the Bell Full 9.

fox racing rampage pro carbon mips downhill helmet review - the pinkbike step down at whistler bike park
The Pinkbike step down at Whistler Bike Park
Credit: dustin schaad

Best Application


Podium-proven, the Rampage Pro Carbon helmet is the pinnacle of performance mountain bike products. The Rampage offers a high value if you're a top-tier rider looking to have the best protection and style on the market today. Bangin laps at the park or hiking the biggest lines of your life - this is the lid for you.

fox racing rampage pro carbon mips downhill helmet review - the fox rampage in its element high on a ridge in utah
The Fox Rampage in its element high on a ridge in Utah
Credit: dustin schaad

Value


The value of a helmet is truly reflected from the feel, comfort, and durability. The price reflects the market value - and today's standard pricing for a carbon helmet sits around 400-500 dollars - take it or leave it. The Fox sells for $450. It's worth it though - it is that good.

fox racing rampage pro carbon mips downhill helmet review - award winner left to right - fox rampage pro carbon, fox proframe...
Award winner left to right - Fox Rampage Pro Carbon, Fox Proframe and TLD D3 Carbon.
Credit: dustin schaad

Conclusion


The Fox Rampage wins the Editors' Choice Award for its comfort, weight, ventilation, protection, extras, and durability. This was a clear winner. This helmet was always the most difficult to get back from the testers.

fox racing rampage pro carbon mips downhill helmet review - the rampage helmet doesn't shy away from high speeds.
The Rampage helmet doesn't shy away from high speeds.
Credit: dustin schaad

Dustin Schaad