100% Trajecta Review

The Trajecta is a totally functional helmet with quality construction. The on-trail performance is fine. This lid gets the job done but doesn't stand out among other lightweight, enduro-focused, full-face helmets. The ventilation and breathability were impressive, while the comfort, fixed visor, and weight are areas that we feel could use some attention. This is a solid platform for 100% to build upon.

Performance Comparison

Comfort

The Trajecta was a mixed bag in terms of comfort. Certain elements of this helmet seemed to be exceptionally pleasant, while other areas needed some attention. While comfort and fit issues can be dependent on the head shape and size of the user, we can only report on what we experienced during testing. We tested a medium helmet that was the appropriate size.

Let us begin with the good. The fit is extremely secure, and the pressure on our cheekbones is perfect. Cheek pads can have a tendency to exert a little too much pressure at times on the outer portion of the orbital and cheek tissue. The Trajecta felt wonderful. Not only was this element of the design comfortable, but it also led to a very secure fit. When chattering down rocky trails, the helmet stayed put on our heads and didn't shake or bounce around at all. The rear of the helmet cradled the back of the head perfectly with no pressure points or pulsating.

One area that was less impressive was the front of the head above the brow. Let's call it the upper forehead area. We felt an exceptional amount of pressure on the front of the upper forehead. The helmet was squeezing this portion of our head. The odd part is the helmet fit perfectly in all areas except this one. The rear of the head, sides of the head, top of the head all felt great…but the front of the forehead was far too tight. After wearing the helmet for a few minutes, we got more used to this sensation. When we put the Trajecta back on for the next downhill, the tight discomfort was apparent once again.

Visor

The Trajecta has a fixed, non-adjustable, visor. It is designed around one position. Luckily, 100% did a nice job designing the visor, and we never really had any desire to adjust the position unless we wanted to stash our goggles there. That said, who wouldn't want the option for adjustment? The visor has a very nice shape that is appropriately wide and of average length.

Throughout our full-face helmet test, we found that eyewear can have a sizable effect on the visor. These enduro-focused full-face helmets could conceivably be worn with goggles or sunglasses. We found this visor was perfectly placed for use with goggles while riding, although it wasn't ideal when wanting to put our goggles up while climbing. When wearing sunglasses, we could envision some users wanting to adjust the visor to fine-tune things.

Weight

The Trajecta weighs 30.9-ounces.

The Trajecta is the heaviest of the enduro-oriented full-face helmets. It is approximately 5-grams heavier than the Fox Proframe and approximately 7-grams heavier than the Troy Lee Designs Stage.

This lid is still relatively light. It falls in line with the lightest of the burlier downhill/bike park focused models.

Ventilation

Ventilation was one particularly impressive attribute for the Trajecta. It has 24-vent ports, including some enormous holes in the chin bar.

The ventilation and breathability stood out as impressive in the lower portion of this helmet. Large vent ports on the chin bar allow riders to get great airflow as they are mashing the pedals. This is critical on a long enduro stage when you are anaerobic and need to put some power down. The chin bar lets copious amounts of air reach the rider's mouth. In addition, the chin bar is an adequate distance from the mouth to allow air and moisture to escape.

The upper portion of this helmet is slightly less impressive but still offers well-above-average airflow. Large vents above the brow take air into the lid, and there are exit ports on the back of the helmet. This isn't the kind of helmet you are going to want to wear on a trail ride in the middle of the summer, but it works well enough for a scorching training day or race day.

Protection

The Trajecta posted a respectable score in the protection metric. It carries the CPSC, CE EN1078, and ASTM F1952 certifications.

This helmet has a robust and substantial feel on your head. In addition, it has a more bulky appearance than the other enduro-focused or convertible helmets. This bulk helps boost confidence in the protective values. We are not saying that a heavier helmet is more protective, but when you are blasting down a double black diamond, the Trajecta feels like it has your back while some of the more feathery helmets feel a little disconcerting.

100% designed this helmet with the Smartshock Rotational Protective System. If you look inside the helmet, there are 13 blue circles. These blue circles are actually small rubberized shock absorbers that can move in any direction. In the event of an angled impact, these shock absorbers move in the direction of the force of the impact and allow the liner to spin slightly. This reduces the rotational forces that could reach the brain. This system is intended to work similarly to the popular MIPS system. There is some debate about how effective these rotational plane systems work. That said, we give points for any attempt to enhance safety.

Durability

Throughout testing, we observed no significant wear or durability concerns.

Extras

The Trajecta comes with some extra padding in the box. These pads are different sizes and allow you to fine-tune the fit in certain areas.

Value

The Trajecta represents an average value. We feel this helmet delivers average performance and carries an average price tag. As a result, it is easy to call this a median value.

Conclusion