Biltwell Gringo Vs. Lane Splitter (Which is better?)
Today, we’ll be taking a look at which one of these two helmets is better and is worth spending that hard-earned money on.
We’ll have them reviewed first one by one and in the end, there’ll be a conclusion or a summary of the overall helmets giving you the final verdict which one to get and why. Let’s begin!
Biltwell Gringo vs. Biltwell Lane Splitter
Lane Splitter – Overview
“So far it’s pretty comfortable. Blocks wind noise pretty well also. Earbuds aren’t very comfortable inside but there are cutouts for a Bluetooth system.”
The guys over there in Temecula California have been putting out some really nice clothing parts and accessories for a number of years. I’ve really liked the range of helmets that I have had.
Also check: Bell Bullitt vs Torc T1
Weight
The lane splitter helmet has an injection-molded ABS shell, which means that it’s tough but it’s pretty lightweight. this weighs in at roughly 1500 grams.
Colors
This beauty is available in eight different colorways. I went for the flat titanium, which I think is a really nice looking helmet. It looks pretty badass! The other colors available are bronze metallic, flat black, flat silver, gloss black, gloss blood-red, gloss white, and the special edition rusty butcher.
Design
The lining of the helmet itself is a really nice place to put your head. It is all hand-stitched. You have a bio-foam guard in the front of the chin bar, and the helmet comes with this little chin guard as well, as well as nice hand-stitch liner.
The fix-in is your traditional double D-ring, but there’s a nice additional feature with the press stud for snapping back to the excess strap, is actually movable so you can get that adjusted exactly how you want.
Ventilation
In terms of insulation, you have these three elements in the front chin bar and a small element on the side here. these are permanently open there’s no functionality for you to be able to close they are there all the time. and you’ve got a really nice slick a venturi at the back which is just going to help to draw that warm air out.Â
Visor
The vision from this is really good and there will be a few pairs of goggles you can wear with this helmet as well. The visor itself is easy to remove you just got a screw to undo here and the visor pops off, and as well as the clear visor that comes with the helmet. built well offer seven different colored varieties that you can upgrade to.
Fastening
the fastening system is really simple, you’ve just got this little brass pin and a hole in the visor so you lift that visor up by popping it off there, and again when you come to shut it just to push down on that and it’s locked. nice and simple to do nice and simple with your gloves on.
How does it feel on the road?
The first thing I notice is it’s much quieter than I was expecting.
I’ve been writing this with no earplugs, and you get a lot of the noise of the motor and the bike and the surroundings but actually not a lot of wind noise. now I haven’t got to up to motorway speeds and above but I’m really impressed actually with how quiet this helmet is compared to some of the others that I’ve tried.
These three vents on the front are fantastic. really good airflow, plenty of cooling air coming through, I really like that. I guess if you’re riding in colder conditions you might want to have to stick some tape or something behind it because you can’t close those off but in warm or hot climates this is going to be perfect.
And that venturi seems to work well, you get a decent amount of airflow despite the fact there are no vents on the front at the top here you get a really decent airflow through the helmet.
The fit was very comfortable. I think it’s probably more of a round shape head than an intermediate oval that will fit this better.
I don’t have any problems with this, it fits me quite nicely I think actually it will fit a pretty broad range of head sizes. me personally, I have to be honest and say this is more comfortable than my Bell Bullitt.
If you ignore the price this is still a really great helmet it’s one I think it’s going to be pulled out of the cupboard more often than not. if you factor in the price then it’s an absolute bargain.
So there you have it. The built well lane splitter helmet looks fantastic. It is well made and really comfortable. Quieter than I expected. Good ventilation. I think that’s an absolute bargain, it could well be one of the most used helmets that I have through the summer.
Also check: Best Motorcycle Helmet for Beards
Biltwell Gringo – Overview
It loses because of its more wind noise, less protection, and less comfort compared to the winner of the comparison, Lane Splitter.
Let us now take a look at the Biltwell Gringo and see how it compares against the Lane Splitter…
Sizing and Comfortability
With its slightly round fit, the Biltwell’s Gringo is a comfortable helmet. It should fit most heads, but still, make sure to check out the size chart when buying one. The interior in the Biltwell gringo is made off of Lycra and is very good quality.
Shield
Even though its a shield-less helmet, there are a few options available to pick from, in case you desire to have a shield for your helmet. There’s one thing to make sure when you’re out to buy a gringo helmet though, that is that most big glasses do not fit well with this helmet, so make sure you wear moderate to small size glasses with this one.
Safety
The shell of this Gringo helmet from Biltwell is also made of ABS, meaning it will be lightweight while still having a strong and durable material for optimal protection.
Ventilation
There’s not really any air-vents in this Gringo helmet from Biltwell, other than the huge air vent that’s on your face where the shield goes. I guess you don’t really need air vents in this, do you?
Because the open face area will attract the air as you ride wearing the helmet, and the area below it where the head goes, pushes out the air as an exhaust.
Noise
Yes, it is quite noisy because of the open-face helmet style it adopts. But if you’re buying this helmet, you already know in the back of your head that you’ll have to experience noise bombs while riding while wearing this Gringo helmet. But still, you could use a good pair of noise cancellation earbuds to avoid that noise altogether.
Design
It’s a retro helmet that we’ve already featured in one of our previous posts about the best retro motorcycle helmets. This is the main reason motorcycle riders like yourself consider this helmet, because of its retro, classic, and vintage look.
Verdict
So, which one is better?
Personally, I believe that the lane splitter is definitely a superior option here in terms of security, which is the main purpose of a helmet after all, and in terms of design and comfort and just overall usability.
The lane splitter does not have that severe of an issue with noise, and has air vents and protects your face and eyes from the road debris and looks like a retro helmet at the same time, don’t you think?
While the gringo doesn’t have anything special to offer, other than just its simple and plain retro looks, and that’s about it.
