Schuberth S2 Review: Crash Helmets for sale. To read other Sharp 4 & 5 star crash helmet reviews, check our helmet reviews section.
Summary: A well specified helmet with lots of good design features from the same folks who produce helmets for the Ferrari F1 team. Full faced, integral sun visor, great ventilation, Pinlock anti-fog visor give you all the features the modern mile-muncher needs – but then at this price, so it should have!
- SHARP 3 Star safety tested (out of 5)
- 1.45Kg
- Integral sun visor
- Integral Bluetooth antennas
- Pinlock anti fog visor insert
- Typical price range: £260-£340 (S2) £350-450 (S2 Sport)
Best places to buy a Schuberth S2?
Please click below to visit the Schuberth S2 helmets page at our recommended store. And if you buy from them, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).
Read the bumf on Schuberth’s latest ‘flagship’ full face crash helmet and it looks like a marketing department copywriter has spewed up on it. They seem to have decided that what the launch of a new helmet really needs is half a dozen new acronyms to bamboozle their punters. They reason that see enough technical-sounding abbreviations and we’ll roll over, think they’ve got all bases covered and spunk up the required £350-£400 without any more ado.
We all know that might work (a bit) for a cheapo helmet. But if you’re serious about safety and the performance of your helmet (and us bikers are a pretty savvy lot and love nowt better than get down and dirty with technical gubbins) then this won’t wash. So let’s take a look at the Schuberth and see if there’s any substance behind their claims.
The Schuberth S2 is aimed at being the ultimate all-rounder. They reckon it’s great for touring riders, city riding and sporty riding. They also say it’s got incredible ventilation, a versatile visor, excellent mixture of shock absorption and toughness, integrated bluetooth antenna(s!) and is one of the lightest and lowest-noise helmets on the market. Some claims.
The shell itself is available in two sizes (some of the other premium manufacturers produce their class-leading helmets in four different shell sizes) which isn’t necessarily a problem but possibly points to a bit of corner-cutting. It’s created using their S.T.R.O.N.G fibre technology (as acronyms go, that’s gotta be a poor one!). Couldn’t find out what it actually stands for but I think what they meant to say is that it’s made of fibreglass. OK fibre glass that’s vacuum compressed and multilayered – but come on chaps – it’s just fibreglass isn’t it?!
As to how safe the helmet is – well, It’s ECE approved (like all helmets) but only scored 3 stars on the SHARP helmet safety test. Schuberth helmets do have a good reputation – that said, for safety, we’d only really recommend four or five star SHARP tested helmets. The internal foam is multi-density which is a good sign as all the top brands tend to offer multi-density foam because it gives the best shock absorption for the head during an impact. But it did only score 3 stars which is a bit disappointing.
The shell’s got a couple of integrated antennas built in for bluetooth – which is the first I’ve heard of it from all the crash helmets for sale on the market at the moment – for use with Schuberth’s own intercom system. They’ve developed the SRCS-2 system specifically for the S2. Not sure if it’s any good as yet but it’s been designed to be pretty much ‘plug and play’ so probably worth checking out if you need inter-helmet comms.
There’s a few interesting features to the aero design of the helmet. It’s got an integral rear spoiler built into it and it’s also got a skirt around the bottom. These are designed to reduce buffeting at speed and wind noise. Schuberth make a big thing of the lack of noise, quoting figures of 85db at 65mph and harping on about wind tunnel testing. In action, people do say that it’s pretty stable and resistant to buffeting however there’s a mixed bag of reports on how quiet it is – some say it’s really quiet and others really noisy. Riders with naked bikes seem to reckon it’s more designed for fared bikes as on nakeds, the aerodynamics don’t work as well. Bottom line is that it’s about average and your perception will depend on how quiet your previous helmet was and the bike you ride. Either way, it’s advisable to wear ear plugs if you’re going any distance.
Onto the visor. It’s got everything. It comes with a Pinlock antifog insert attached and ready to rock. It’s also got an integral sun visor (0perated by an easy-to-use lever) though some folks reckon it doesn’t really come down low enough. It’s got a firm action to it, a locking mechanism to keep it firmly shut and a city mode (basically, slightly cracked open). It’s also got something rather grandly called ‘Turbulators’ which are a row of little diamond shapes across the top of the visor which are supposed to reduce whistling/noise from the top of the visor. I don’t know about you but I’m always fuming at the noise caused by air on the top of my visor when it’s cracked open. Thank God for Schuberth solving that one 😉
Here’s another of those acronyms again – the AROS or anti roll of system – which is Schuberth’s name for making the chin strap a bit more secure by adding an extra anchor point (a bit like many cycle helmets). Might be a case of over-engineering or solving another problem that doesn’t exist – although in the aftermath of Simoncelli, they might have thought it’d be a popular mod. Reports are that it’s OK though one or two people find it a little uncomfortable on the back of the neck. Worth testing while wearing your other gear – especially your jacket – to make sure it doesn’t interfere with the collar.
Onto ventilation. It’s got the usual chin and forehead vents along with a couple of rear exhausts. Reports are that ventilation is all good – easy to operate flaps, lots of venting that can be adjusted pretty easily with gloved hands and good blast across the visor (should it be needed for demisting). It’s worth noting that the chin vents have permanent holes in there which always given a breeze across the face. Riders say you quickly get used to it but worth being aware of if you do a lot of winter riding!
So there you have it. Based on the SHARP testing score, it should offer only reasonable protection in a crash but it does offer good levels of other performance. It’s widely reported as comfortable and practical and the visor and ventilation systems are some of the better ones we’ve seen.
For a look at other crash helmets, check our helmet reviews section. And if you’ve used any of the helmets we’re looking at, we’d love to hear what you think of them – by commenting below. Thanks! Billy.
Best places to buy a Schuberth S2 helmet?
Please click below to visit the Schuberth S2 helmets page at our recommended store. And if you buy from them, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).
Definitely want a Schuberth?
Here you'll find all our Schuberth crash helmet reviews and previews including full face, flip-up and open face helmets.
