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A review of Sweet's latest creeking helmet by James.
The ‘Rocker’ is sweets newest creeking helmet for 2005, and we were lucky enough to be some of the first people in the UK to get our hands on these new toys from the land of large waterfalls and expensive beer. Below is a summary of my initial impressions of the helmet regarding its features and fit. Further impact testing in Norway, India, the Alps and of course Kyrgyzstan will take place over the next few months and we will try to keep this review regularly updated as we discover more about the Rocker.
Exterior Styling
The front...
... and the back.
The Rocker is available in 4 solid colours as shown above, each with carbon ‘flames’ for decoration. Like its predecessors (Rooster and Holy Diver) the rockers styling is distinctive and a wearer would look equally at home on the river or piloting an X-Wing. Some will love it, others will hate it.
Protection and Construction
Styling aside, the Rocker seems to have gone through some reasonably significant changes from Sweets 2004 helmets. The materials used are the same as in the Rooster, with a carbon/plastic composite upper and polycarbonate lower. Unlike the Rooster, which relied on Ear pads to provide ear protection, the shape of the Rocker had been modified to allow the helmet shell to provide ear coverage. A set of removable pads are included as well to provide extra padded protection, in addition to some warmth and protection against ‘surfer’s ear’.
Composites, Polycarbs ... and flames
The shape of the shell is very well thought out in general, providing excellent coverage, particularly at the back where the slight flaring of the shell allows good coverage but reduces the risk of the helmet digging in to your neck if your head is forced backwards. A small peak has also been added at the front, which should divert water down the side of the helmet and prevent it running into your eyes. Nifty.
Padding galore
Its all change on the inside of the rocker as well. The polypropylene lining of the rocker is significantly thicker than that of the Rooster and Strutter, presumably offering increased shock absorbing capability. The liner is also vented to allow water to drain faster and stop your brain cooking in the sunshine. A half height ‘coolmax’ liner is fitted to increase comfort around the lower parts of your head, instead of the full liner found inside other sweet helmets. The liner is removable in the rocker allowing you to wash it so it doesn’t end up smelling like wet thermals.
As mentioned above, removable ear pads are included with the Rocker. These have thick paddling round the perimeter for protection and are hollow in the middle so don’t distort sounds too badly. They are attached via Velcro and a push stud so can be detached/attached within seconds.
Peeling back the coolmax liner..
Fit and comfort
The main outfitting difference between the Rocker and other sweet helmets is the way extra padding is applied inside the helmet. The funky velcro ‘fireball fit pads’ are gone and self adhesive foam pads are supplied instead, individually shaped to fit in different parts of the helmet. To fit these, the coolmax liner is peeled back and the fit pads are stuck directly to the foam helmet lining. The liner can then be replaced over the top. This padding system makes the helmet really comfortable as the coolmax liner is soft and comfortable next to the skin, and an accurate fit can be achieved through trimming and good placement of the fit pads.
A band at the back of the helmet allows it to grip the base of your skull securely and prevent back and forth movement. The band has thick padding and is adjusted via a Velcro strap. This can be a little fiddly and you need to make sure the Velcro is secured properly, but once in place the band is supportive and very comfortable.
The general fit of this helmet is excellent and it is very comfortable to wear. It is extremely light and once fitted out properly the fit is snug with little movement. The only minor downside I could identify with the outfitting of the helmet was the placement of Velcro on the front chin strap. The Velcro is located there to help hold the ear pads in place, but this limits the adjustability of the buckle that joins the two straps on each side together before they go into the clip. This means that all the plastic buckles on the chin strap can feel a bit clustered round your jaw/chin. This is a pretty minor issue and is probably partly down to personal preference for the location of these buckles, and its only a problem when the ear pads are attached.
What is really noticeable about the Rocker however is the attention to detail sweet have shown when designing it. This is without doubt the most adjustable helmet I have seen – everything inside moves at least 2 ways so can be played with and tweaked to get just the right fit. Extra paddling is applied in all the right places, such as underneath the chin strap, so that there is not a single component that I can find which digs in or feels uncomfortable. Some of the features are admittedly a little fussy, such as the sliding (open/closed) vents in the front of the helmet , but all the important fittings are solid and seem to do what they are supposed to.
In the event of a breakage or failure, most of the internal components are removable so should be easily replaced. Sweet also have a good reputation for sorting out problems quickly and at a reasonable price so there’s no reason why the rocker shouldn’t last a good few years.
Below are a few pictures of the rockers finer details:
The padded ear pads are removed easily, secured by Velcro (on the front chin strap) and a press stud (attached to the shell). The inner part of the pad can be removed (secured by Velcro) to allow better hearing whilst still providing protection, or replaced for added warmth and to prevent cold water flushes!
Soft padding under the chin strap adds a little extra comfort
Sliding vents on the front of the rocker providing a bit of optional ventilation - a bit fussy but they might turn out to be more useful than they appear.
Some strange spiky rubber things on the back – no idea what these do , anyone else know?
Summary
The rocker looks like it will be another great bit of kit from Sweet. It offers great coverage and exceptional comfort as a result of well though through outfitting. The fit can be customised easily and once dialled in is secure with little movement. This is obviously a fairly expensive option as far as helmets go but the quality is noticeable. Don’t disregard it on price alone without taking a closer look.
Keep an eye on kayakstan.net for additions to this review once we’ve all been paddling and whacked our heads a few times!