Along with the Giro Switchblade, the Bell Super 2R was one of the pioneering convertible mountain bike helmets. Bell learned from the successes and failures of the Super 2R and improved on it with the Super 3R, which became a staple of convertible mountain bike helmets across the country. While it has now been surpassed by the beefed up yet refined Super DH, the Bell Super 3R is still a solid helmet in its own right, and worth consideration if the Super DH is out of your price range.

Compare to Similar Products

See Our Full Face Mountain Bike Helmet Breakdown and Comparison HERE!

Weight & Ventilation

At 783g with the chin bar attached and 433g as an open face helmet, the Bell Super 3R MIPS helmet is on the lighter end of convertible mountain bike helmets. It also features great ventilation, as its appearance suggests that it would. Its 23 generous ports allow for maximum airflow, and the four brow ports do an amazing job of keeping your goggles fog-free. This is a feature that Bell seems to have dialed in on all of their high-end helmets.

Chin Bar & Safety Tech

The chin bar of the Bell Super 3R sits somewhere between that of the Super DH and Giro Switchblade on one end of the spectrum, and the Leatt DBX 3.0 Enduro on the other. It certainly feels more capable of taking a blow than the DBX, owing to its wraparound mounting system, which it shares with the Super DH. One note about the Super 3R is that although they are very similar, the latches on the Super 3R can be a bit stiffer and more difficult to operate than those on the Super DH.

Outside of the chin bar, the helmet features Bell’s Fusion in-mold polycarbonate shell, and a standard MIPS insert to help protect against rotational impacts.

While not on par with the Super DH, the Bell Super 3R uses tried and true safety features to make a helmet that is a bit lighter, a bit cooler, and a bit cheaper than its burlier big brother.

Visor & Additional Features

Bell has the visor game dialed in. The Super 3R shares the same visor as the Super DH, which is our favorite among convertible and full face helmets. It is extremely adjustable up and down, and long enough to be useful when trying to keep the sun or rain out of your eyes. It easily accommodates goggles on your face while bombing down hills, and stows them easily under the visor while climbing. It is also easily adjustable and features a tension screw on each side that can be manipulated without tools. Also, like the Super DH, the Bell Super 3R has no problem with sunglasses, while in open face mode.

Like the Bell Sixer, the Super 3R relies on Bell’s Float Fit retention system which, while adequate, lacks the large rubber dial and uniform fit that we are so fond of in the Super DH’s Float Fit DH retention system. Meanwhile, there are still large Y-shaped ear triangles in the straps, but gone is the Super DH’s adjustment free nature of these straps, as is the Fidlock buckle.

Finally, the Bell Super 3R does come with a detachable helmet mount but lacks Bell’s helmet liner sweat guide, which we were quite fond of on the other Bell helmets that we tested.

The Bottom Line

The Bell Super 3R is a great all-around helmet for trail riding in both open face and full face modes. The chin bar attaches solidly and easily enough, and it even shaves a bit of weight off of, and adds a bit of ventilation to, the burlier Bell Super DH.

While it can’t match the Super DH or Giro Switchblade as a fully downhill certified helmet, it is still a great option. It feels more solid than the Leatt DBX 3.0 Enduro and offers a much better visor setup. This makes it a very attractive choice if you want a convertible mountain bike helmet, but don’t plan on testing it out with serious gravity use.

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