Schuberth C3 helmets

[deilenberger]

Schuberth says the helmet is quiet enough to dispense with earplugs only when the faceshield is in the down and clicked-locked position. When it's anything other than clicked shut, the noise increases - as should be expected.

I guess I'll find out firsthand. I thought to look on Ebay, and there were two up for auction. One "used" but working great - no cord (not a big deal) and missing the velcro to hold the speakers in (also not a big deal), and one that the same BMW dealer was using as a demo with all the stuff.

I won the used one auction for about 1/2 of new price, and am waiting now for it to be delivered. If I can't use it with earplugs it will end up on the Fleamarket..

One thing I'd like to reiterate about the C3: Airflow across the inside of the shield is amazing. The venting combined with the Pinlock insert makes foggy faceshields a not-so-fond memory. The key to keeping the faceshield fog-free is to keep it clean. A faceshield/Pinlock insert covered with road grime and rain/spray residue provides a healthy environment for fog. Those moisture droplets like to stick to anything, and dirt molecules are perfect attachment points for moisture molecules.

I was riding today in 97-100F temps (for a long time it was 98.6F) and was surprised how comfortable the helmet was in the city position even with the temps that high. It was not a chore to ride with it on.

And I did find my 1st shield open position is good to about 60MPH until a truck blows past going the other way, when it shuts by itself. That was good when I was stuck in traffic. BTW - Roadcrafter is the way to go in temps that exceed body temperature.. it protects you from heating up from hot air hitting you, and allows for controlled evaporation of sweat, cooling me off. Not the first time I've ridden with one in these temps.. but the most comfortable time. A semi-naked bike is a good thing.

Whenever my visor gets a bit of fog on the edges, I know it's time for a Plexus bath for both sides of the integrated sun visor and both sides of the faceshield/Pinlock insert. It is my experience as a Seattle-area rounder that Plexus seems to have some sort of hydrophobic qualities that helps deter the formation of fog - almost like Rain-X.

Schuberth warns about using any sort of coating on the inside of the anti-fog insert.. so I wonder what the long term effect of Plexus will be on the coating. I know the C2 shield coatings didn't like any sort of coating on them, they needed very gentle cleaning with hand soap and a rinse with clear water to clean them up and make them work as they should.

A bit of advice about the Pinlock insert: It too needs to be kept clean, on both sides. It also needs to be positioned tightly against the faceshield in order to provide the "Thermopane" effect. The white pins that hold the Pinlock in place are off-center, and can be rotated to press the insert tightly against the faceshield.

Having it correctly tight also seals moisture out of the cavity between the insert and the inside of the shield, preventing those surfaces from fogging up.