Troy Lee Designs Stage – In our 2023 lightweight and convertible full-face helmet comparison test
Troy Lee Designs is known for its colorful motorcycle and mountain bike gear. Your Stage lightweight full-face helmet is no exception. It combines the distinctive design features of their popular D4 downhill helmet with a lighter, more breathable format. How did it perform in our test?
The Troy Lee Designs Stage is the only lightweight full-face helmet in this test that lacks an adjustable retention system. It is available in three different sizes and can be adjusted to your anatomy using pads of different thicknesses. With a retail price of 370 euros, the Stage is one of the more expensive competitors in this test and, at 764 g in size XL/XXL, is right in the middle of the weight test. In typical TLD fashion, the Stage is available in a range of unusual colors.
When it comes to safety features, Troy Lee Designs relies on two shell materials with different densities, paired with a MIPS liner designed to dissipate rotational forces in the event of an impact. The softer, resilient EPP foam on the inside is designed to protect you from slow impacts, while the harder outer foam is designed to absorb faster, larger impacts. The flexible visor can be adjusted continuously and without tools. The chin strap has a FIDLOCK closure system that is quick and intuitive to use – great!
When you wear the Troy Lee Designs Stage for the first time, you’ll need to play around with different padding configurations until you find the right fit. However, the thick pads have a worse fit than the thin ones. Although they are very chunky, they have a very small surface area, which causes them to bend and fold over when the helmet is put on, causing the helmet to wobble. In short, although the fit is generally quite good, if you require thicker padding you will find that the helmet feels quite unstable, which could affect your confidence while riding. However, fit really depends on size and whether you’re at the top or bottom of Troy Lee’s sizing recommendations. With the thin padding, the Stage ensures a secure fit and the shell shape itself fits all of our testers quite well. Once you have found your optimal fit, the Stage provides a great feeling of security and also provides excellent ventilation. Even with safety glasses on, you can easily do a sprint or two without turning purple. The chin straps are only attached to the helmet in one place, so they run directly past the ears and rub easily on the skin when worn for long periods of time.
With the Troy Lee Designs Stage, the Californian brand integrates its legendary design language into a minimalist, lightweight full-face helmet. In typical TLD fashion, the Stage helmet is available in countless bright colors with unusual designs. While the Stage adapts to a variety of head shapes, it does not have an adjustable support system and the thick adjustment pads can bend, making it difficult to achieve a stable fit.
Tops
- Good fit for many head shapes
- Good ventilation
Flops
- The fit can only be adjusted with padding
- Chin straps can rub your ears
For more information visit troyleedesigns.eu.
For an overview of the group test: 9 lightweight and convertible full-face mountain bike helmets tested
All full-face helmets tested: Bell jar Super Air R Spherical (Click for review) | Bluegrass Vanguard Core Edition (Click for review) | Fox Proframe RS (Click for review) | giro Insurgent (Click for review) | MET Parachute MCR (Click here to read a review) | POC Otocon Race MIPS (Click for review) | Specialized Gambit (Click for review) | Troy Lee Designs stage | Uvex Revolt MIPS (Click for review)
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Words: Simon Kohler Photos: Peter Walker
