Review: Leatt Gravity 8.0 Helmet

Made from a mixture of carbon and composite materials, the shell is available in either a black or red/white colorway for $429 USD. Four sizes fit noggins from 55-62cm circumferences in 2cm increments, plus there are secondary pads available to tweak the fit.

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FIT

I found the size medium to fit true to size around the widest part of my head and never noticed any pressure points or excessive room in the helmet. The supplied 35mm cheek pads worked well and didn’t need to break in to feel comfortable. Thankfully, they didn’t pack in much more or I may have needed to move to a tighter fit. Leatt does offer two thicknesses of headliners and four cheek pad options: 25, 30, 35, and 40mm. That should make the three shell sizes customizable for just about anyone within the size chart limits, however, they'll need to track those down since the helmet is only supplied with one set.

There’s a presence about pulling the Gravity 8.0 helmet on that gave me a very secure feeling without looking like a chipmunk. I’d chalk that up to the placement of the C-shaped cheek pads that wrap securely around, and below your jaw.

The jaw piece appears large from the outside, but neither blocks your field of view or feels too close for comfort. Up top, the visor is fixed in one position and isn’t in sight once goggles are installed. I primarily wore Leatt’s Velocity 6.5 goggles, but never had any issues with Fox, Oakley, or Smith’s most common models.

Although I never had the chance to pair the helmet up with a neck brace, Leatt states they have optimized the Gravity 8.0 helmet to work with their models.


SAFETY SPECIFICATIONS

Leatt uses a series of round elastomers that they created to reduce both compressive forces, and rotational forces, called 360º Turbine Technology, Eleven of those are spread out across the inner shell and claimed to “reduce peak brain acceleration by up to 30% at impact speeds associated with concussion” and “peak brain rotational acceleration by up to 40%.”

Behind the quick-release Pro-Fit liner, an EPS shell composed of four various density foams to absorb a multitude of impacts.

Leatt touts the safety technology found in the Gravity 8.0 helmet and put it through the Motorcycle ECE 22.05 certification where it passed the impact absorption test. The report published by Omega, a company who specializes in testing personal protective equipment, can be found here. Moto certification is as commonly seen on MTB helmets, so we asked Leatt for more information. They replied,




VENTILATION

Since Leatt also makes lighter weight full-face options, like the Enduro 4.0, with its removable chin-bar, I reserved rides in the Gravity 8.0 for bike park and shuttle laps.

For a helmet with a generous amount of features and volume, there are few vents throughout the shell. Surprisingly, there is a decent amount of breathing room in there. I'd look to the fact that the cheek pads and headliner have enough cut outs to let air flow through the inner shell. Even while waiting in the lift line through the late summer heat, the black-colored shell didn't cause me to overheat.

The padding does absorb moisture well, but best of all, it didn’t scratch my face, which I found happened over the course of a full day pulling the Fox RPC on and off. I didn’t expect it to vent as well as an enduro-style full-face helmet and would put it on par with Fox’s competitor in terms of breathability. 100-Percent’s Aircraft 2 still takes the win for the best ventilation-to-weight ratio.


WEIGHT

In terms of weight, the size of the shell is deceiving because the helmet is lighter than it appears. Against the previously mentioned competitors, Leatt’s Gravity 8.0 helmet sits in the middle at 1148 grams for a size medium. The 100-Percent Aircraft 2 is about 100 grams lighter whereas the Fox RPC is significantly more at 1285g.


PRICE

Like its weight, Leatt’s $429 USD Gravity 8.0 helmet sits in the middle of prices compared to other brand’s premium downhill oriented models. That’s $30 more than the 100% Aircaft 2 and $70 less than Fox’s RPC. All three come with a legit carrying bag and use some variation of rotational energy dissipation, but only the Aircraft 2 includes extra padding to tune the fit.

Everything matches the color black, but most other top-end helmets have at least a third color option. Matte black paint is also tough to keep clean and scratch free compared to a gloss finish. Small chips on the visor developed faster than anticipated from hanging the helmet on the handlebars and general use.

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Pinkbike's Take

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Reviews and Tech Reviews Helmets LEATT Leatt Gravity 8