Met Eldar MTB helmet for kids

The Met Eldar MTB Helmet for Kids is a great-looking helmet built on the success of the Italian company's mountain bike helmets. It's got a fairly punchy price tag but it's high in style, relatively light, fits well and has great coverage and airflow. The downside is that little fingers – and big fingers – may struggle with the buckle.

Met says the Eldar is a mountain bike helmet designed for young riders. High in style and protection it's ready for our smaller riders who want to follow in our footsteps.

This rings true for our little tester, three year-old Roo, who is just starting to get to grips with his first pedal bike, and sits on the Shotgun seat with me when I go out on the mountain bike to exercise the dog.

He loves the fact that the Eldar looks just like my mountain bike helmet and out of the eight bright and appealing colour options he chose the one emblazoned with a fun shark graphic. The visor got rejected because 'Daddy doesn't wear one' but I can imagine it's a nice feature to have if 'Daddy does wear one', or for aspiring Enduro World Series racers.

The construction is the classic in-mould polycarbonate shell with EPS liner and it has very good coverage around the head. It comes in at 274g which is a little heavier than some rivals, such as the Abus Youn-I 2.0 Helmet, but considerably lighter than the hard-shell, skate-style helmets popular with the age range, such as the Hornit Lazy Llama Helmet that I reviewed a while back.

With 14 vents it is extremely breathable, the padding inside is minimal, but the fit is great. Once the back is dialled in and tightened, the helmet really stays put, which is very reassuring from an adult's perspective.

The chin strap buckle could be improved by making it easier to use, as the little plastic clip is tricky for full-sized adult hands, and too stiff for little fingers.

A reflective panel on the back is a nice touch but some of the competition do have integrated LED lights. If this is important to you can buy a compatible MET Rear LED Light for £13, which snaps in and out of the rear vent for extra visibility, but this does push the price point further north.

Value

At £50 it's a little expensive, but with all the features you'd expect in an adult lid, it's in the right ballpark for a quality brand and strong design. Met also makes a Mips version of this for an extra £15, whereas the Specialized Shuffle Child LED MIPS helmet is just £50.

If you are looking for a cheaper, more basic option, MET also has the YoYo with a list price of just £30, but it doesn't come with the size adjustment, only using pads instead of any dials.

The Halfords Junior Leisure Helmet is a similar shape and is just £20.

In contrast to this, the Bontrager Jet WaveCel Children’s Bike Helmet comes in at £59.99 but it features Bontrager's WaveCel technology and Stu rated it.

Conclusion

Met has a lot of experience making helmets for adults and it has used that to create its Eldar MTB helmet for kids. It's not perfect and it's quite expensive, but it's a well-made, good-looking lid that comes with rear reflectives, a detachable visor and you also have the option of buying a rear LED light, though that adds further to the price.

Verdict

A well-made, good-looking, 'proper' helmet for the smaller people in your life – but the chin strap buckle could be improved