With its removable chin guard, the Giro Switchblade tends to be aimed at enduro bikers. This is exactly where it was used for testing purposes - at the Enduro World Series races in Valberg and Finale Ligure. Personally, I wasn't a big fan of such convertible helmets. I used the half-shell helmet for touring and the full-face helmet for downhill and enduro races. I also didn't like the look of such helmets until I held the Switchblade in my hands for the first time. Now I can say that it looks the closest to a real full-face helmet. It's even pretty cool for a combi helmet.
The visor can be generously adjusted so that you can easily park your motocross goggles on the forehead area - for example when riding uphill.
However, there wasn't much confidence before the first ride. With the thought "If it wasn't safe, they wouldn't have released the helmet", I motivated myself to choose the Switchblade over my full-face helmet.

Comfort and irritation

Once the helmet is on your head, it is surprisingly comfortable. Thanks to the new RocLoc adjustment system, it can be easily adjusted to the head, which is why it fits snugly and without slipping. Initially sitting a little low on the neck and therefore disturbing, the RocLoc can be pushed further into the helmet as required. This means that it no longer gets in the way of the neck and continues to hold the helmet perfectly on the head. The helmet is fastened with a loop fastener, as known from motorcycle helmets. These are more secure than the quick-release fasteners on half-shell helmets, but are a little more fiddly to use.

As comfortable and snug as the helmet is, the first descent is irritating. Because of the air vents, there is a huge noise around the ears, which is very muffled with a conventional full-face helmet. Fortunately, I quickly got used to the air noise after the first descent and no longer noticed it. Otherwise, the Switchblade would have been replaced by my personal helmet as quickly as possible.

The 1000-metre altitude sweat test

As I have already spent hours riding uphill at other enduro races with a normal full-face helmet on my head, the Switchblade without a chin bar can only be better. In fact, the helmet impresses uphill with good ventilation despite the Mips system. However, it can't quite keep up with a half-shell helmet, as it goes over the ears. Nevertheless, 1000 vertical meters are no problem, even if the helmet is a little warmer and you sweat more than with a small helmet. The most important thing is that the heat doesn't build up. The Giro Switchblade dissipates it well.
By the way, where do you stow the chin guard when it's not on the helmet? Either in your backpack, or if you ride without it like many enduro racers, you can attach it to the handlebars with a small Velcro strap or something similar.

The question of how safe such helmets are is justified. But you don't want to test it voluntarily. Well, I was "lucky" that I was quite clumsy during the second race in Finale Ligure and therefore crashed three times. My head hit the ground twice. The one impact on the back of my head was defused by the Mips system. The other fall was on my cheek. The chin guard proved to be very robust and the helmet didn't shift. Jaw and teeth intact, no headaches or abrasions on the chin - the result speaks for itself, even if I don't like testing things like this.

Conclusion

The Giro Switchblade is a convincing enduro helmet in terms of comfort, safety and style - an absolute must-have for enduro racers. The ventilation is good, so there is no heat build-up despite heavy sweating. Long climbs are therefore no problem, but I still choose the half-shell helmet for classic summer tours with long climbs because of the deep-drawn ear section. The Switchblade, on the other hand, will remain in use for the upcoming enduro races.

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