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review

Scott Centric Plus Helmet

9
£149.99

VERDICT:

9
10
Top quality lightweight and airy helmet with added MIPS technology and bonus reflective detailing
Lightweight
Good airflow
Very comfortable fit
Not cheap
Weight: 
222g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The Scott Centric Plus is one of the most comfortable helmets I've worn in a long time. It's very light too, and the ventilation works brilliantly at transferring cool air over your head. While it's not cheap, it is very well finished.

This new version of Scott's Centric Plus has been developed for world-class road and mountain bikers, focusing on aerodynamics, airflow and weight. At 222g for this medium (55-59cm) size, it is certainly a very light helmet and feels that way when you are wearing it.

> Find your nearest dealer here

With 18 vents it is also one of the most airy I have used. Catching the tail end of the warm weather of the summer during testing and then heading into autumn, it certainly keeps you cool when you're riding hard or the temperatures are high.

2020 Scott Centric Plus Helmet - worn 2.jpg

The vents are positioned to scoop in as much air as they can from the front before funnelling it out of the large ones at the rear. It's very effective – you can feel the air travelling over your head, especially when you are riding at speed.

2020 Scott Centric Plus Helmet - rear.jpg

Helmet shape is a personal thing, but the Scott suited me very well. It has a slightly oval shape to it rather than being rounded like some, such as the Kask Mojito3 recently reviewed.

2020 Scott Centric Plus Helmet - front.jpg

The front half of the helmet sat snuggly, and by adjusting the HALO 270 fit system using the simple rubber dial I could get a really good fit without any pressure points.

2020 Scott Centric Plus Helmet - worn 4.jpg

The Centric Plus uses MIPS technology inside which, if you haven't come across it, is essentially a slip-plane that allows the head to rotate relative to the helmet in an angled impact. In a crash, the helmet slides on the MIPS tabs, reducing the shock transmitted to the brain. That's the theory anyway, I'm yet to crash wearing a MIPS-equipped helmet so I can't give you any personal feedback.

> All you need to know about MIPS

In its earlier guise, MIPS was indicated by a bright yellow cradle inside the helmet, but the system used in the Scott is much more subtle, with the MIPS layers being interlaced with the helmet's padding.

2020 Scott Centric Plus Helmet - inside.jpg

Available in seven colours, the Centric Plus should tie in with your kit or bike – if not, you could always go for this Vogue Silver option which has a reflective section around the rear vents as well as reflective logos at various points on the helmet. It's a neat touch, especially for now with the nights getting longer.

Quality is very good throughout, with all of the vent cutouts being neat and tidy, plus the lower half of the helmet is covered by a polycarbonate layer the same as the top, so there's no polystyrene layer exposed.

2020 Scott Centric Plus Helmet - worn 3.jpg

That quality comes at a price, though, £149.99 to be precise. Now, that is far from the most expensive helmet we have ever tested, but it still makes quite a dent in the wallet.

Saying that, the Kask I mentioned earlier is £130, doesn't come with MIPS (if that's important to you), and Steve wasn't that impressed with the finish of the outer shell.

> Buyer’s Guide: 22 of the best lightweight high-performance cycling helmets

The Scott is a similar price to the Lazer Genesis (okay, it's £169.99 but it comes with an aero cover that would normally cost £14.99), and while it is slightly lighter than the Scott at 210g, I'd say the overall finish is much better here.

> Buyer’s Guide: 9 of the best cheap helmets

Overall, this is one of my favourite helmets. That's largely down to the fact that it fits me so well, but also because of the lightweight construction and extra airflow. Yes, you can get quality helmets with MIPS for less than £100, but compared to the competition the Scott does well.

Verdict

Top quality lightweight and airy helmet with added MIPS technology and bonus reflective detailing

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Scott Centric Plus Helmet

Size tested: Medium

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Scott says, "The new SCOTT Centric Plus was designed and developed for our world-class road and mountain bike racers. We leveraged our extensive aerodynamic expertise to make one of the lightest and best ventilated helmets in its class. This was achieved through optimization of airflow on both the outside and the inside of the helmet. MIPS® provides the benefits of a MIPS® Brain Protection System and features a unique construction to further enhance ventilation."

It delivers on everything in that brief.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Scot lists:

TECHNOLOGY MIPS

RANGE OF USE MULTISPORT

CONSTRUCTION In-Mold Technology

Polycarbonate Micro Shell

FIT SYSTEM HALO 270 with rubber dial

FEATURES

Optimized Ventilation

Lightweight

Newest MIPS® Brain Protection System integrated with the padding

Aero Optimized

On Vogue Silver color all-round reflective details

SIZES: S-M-L

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
9/10
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
10/10
Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

A helmet that is so light you don't notice it, and it really lets the air flow through.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Exceptional fit.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

I haven't really found anything I'd say I dislike.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

It's not a cheap helmet, but when you compare it to similarly priced offerings like I mention in the review, it actually delivers quite a lot for the money when it comes to weight and quality.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

For me this helmet really delivers on all aspects, largely to do with fit, and the quality is top notch too.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 42  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,

As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

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1 comments

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NZ Vegan Rider | 3 years ago
0 likes

All my helmets have "reflective detailing" = I glued it on.

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