Ruroc EOX review | A better helmet than the Atlas?

Date reviewed: October 2024 | Tested by: John Milbank | Price: From £399 | www.ruroc.com

The Ruroc EOX on review here has addressed many of the issues I had with the previous Atlas 4.0 (still available as the AT4.0), so while it’s very much a helmet you’ll be buying predominantly for the style, I’ve found it a lot easier to get on with while wearing it for the past several months – in all weathers – on a 1999 Kawasaki ZX-6R, a BMW R1250GS and a Zontes ZT350-T. It’s still far from perfect though…

Note: all prices are RRP, but at the time of writing there’s 20-40% off many of the helmets

Pros & Cons

Outer Shell

The ECE 22.06-certified Ruroc EOX is available in black or white for £399, or graphics for £459-£499. The ‘raw’ carbon versions – like this ‘Aurora’ model – cost £539, the higher price being partly due to the completely exposed carbon-fibre weave needing to be perfectly laid, with no areas hidden under paint. For any manufacturer, this means only the most cosmetically perfect shells can be used.

And this shell is impressive. I can’t find any issues with the way the weave of this ‘Quad-Matrix’ carbon-fibre, Kevlar, nylon and fibreglass composite is laid out, and the deep gloss top-coat is metal-flake-infused, flipping from green to blue and sometimes neutral depending on how the light hits it. Granted, it’s a bit late-nineties Nissan Primera, but that’s why I like it.

If you’re not a fan of this or the blue ‘Nebula’, the ‘Liquid Carbon’ or ‘Raw Carbon’ models might be more suited. There are plenty of designs to choose from, and while there are some quite bold designs (including Star Wars and Marvel versions), there are also quite restrained designs too.

Branding is subtle, with just a small Ruroc logo on the left of the chin, though of course the unique (though reminiscent of the original Simpson Bandit) look does all the talking. This really is a helmet that most people will choose because of the styling, but it’s good to find the plastic trim parts and rear wing are well finished and securely fitted.

I tried a medium (left) and a large to get the right fit

The Ruroc EOX uses three different outer shells across its XS, S, M, L and XL sizes, which means someone in an XS doesn’t have a huge XL outer shell wobbling around on their head. However, as I had to go up to a large (I’m usually a medium), the transition to a larger outer shell was noticeable. Partly be down to the shell design of course, and I’ve got used to it, but the EOX does feel like a bigger lid externally than I’m used to.

The deep chin can hit some rucksack straps and jackets so depending on your riding position, it can slightly restrict shoulder checks. Just lift your head a touch and it’s fine.

Weight

This size large Ruroc EOX weighs 1,601 grams on my scales, which is fairly average for helmets I’m testing at the moment. It is a little heavier than the size medium Arai Quantic reviewed here at 1,588 grams, and the Shoei NXR2 reviewed here at 1,392 grams, neither of which have drop-down sunshields.

Fitting the optional EOX Shockwave Cardo intercom (reviewed below) adds a further 78g to the Ruroc.

While some do report worries about ‘heavy’ motorcycle helmets, I can honestly say that in almost 30 years of riding I’ve never has an issue with one. While you can feel the difference between some when compared in the hand, on the head it’s a different matter, and aerodynamics have far more of an impact. A lid that drags in the wind can put a lot more pressure on the neck, while some will even have a small degree of lift built in.

I’ve found the Ruroc to drag a touch more than some others thanks to its chunky design, with a little more drag than usual when turning my head to the sides too, but it’s not horrific.

Ventilation

Gone are the fake side vents of the Atlas 4.0, with just a two-position and closed chin vent, an open or closed top vent, and an always-open exhaust.

Stage one of the chin vent feeds just the inside of the visor, but the porting is very limited. I haven’t been able to notice the air in use, but blowing through the vent, you can feel some getting between the noseguard and inner padding.

Stage two opens up two small ports direct to the mouth, and due to the slim intake slots you shouldn’t get any large bugs finding their way in.

The chin vent is operated from within the helmet, but even with the chin-skirt fitted, accessing it isn’t too hard thanks to a large tab and positive action.

The top vent feeds through two ports in the inner shell and is noticeable even at relatively low speed in clear air. Any ventilation will always be affected by your bike’s screen and fairing, but this is a helmet that’s most likely to be used on sports and naked bikes, not fully-faired tourers, and on my ZX-6R I could really feel the air hitting my brow.

Viewed from above, the gap between the visor and the aperture seal is clear

Even with the chin-skirt fitted, my glasses fog up less quickly than in many other helmets, helped by the fact that the visor doesn’t seal around the aperture at the sides. Ruroc says this is intentional, to allow greater airflow inside the aperture, but it does make for a more drafty helmet even with everything shut, which will make it less attractive to winter riders.

Visor

Even in heavy rain for an hour, and testing with a hose, rain doesn’t run down the inside of the visor, despite those gaps. A small amount does find its way to the very bottom lip of the shield, but it doesn’t interfere with your vision, and it disappears as soon as you open it.

The visor has a single tab on the left (I prefer central, or one on the right too, for easier opening while holding the clutch), and it cracks open very well. There are then two smooth ratchet stages before the visor’s fully open, though at speed it doesn’t stay in the mid positions.

A top-of-the-range Pinlock 120XLT anti-fog insert is supplied with the Ruroc EOX, and so is a dark smoke visor. I also have the green iridescent visor, which costs another £49. A photochromic version is also available at £89, while replacement clear (and light smoke) visors cost £39.

An additional dark smoke visor is supplied as standard, with others available separately like this green iridescent version

The addition of the dark visor is great, especially as there’s no inbuilt drop-down sunshield fitted, and a protective fabric sleeve is supplied for the one you’re not using.

The visor has a quick-release mechanism, which is a great step up from the Atlas, though I was a little concerned at first that it felt a little fragile. I also noticed two small scratches in the shell that appear to have come from removing the visor, though the lack of sharp edges makes me wonder how. Taking some time with the visor release though, and using it with care, it’s a lot better than I initially thought: open the visor fully, pull the lever down then pull the visor away by its bottom edge, rather than the rear, the corner or more forwards. Refitting is simply a matter of clipping it back in.

Visibility is good, though I found that the thick brow can limit your view slightly in a tight racing tuck on a sportsbike.

Lining

The Ruroc Eox has a fully removable lining for easy washing, and also comes with a second set of smaller-fit cheek pads. While I went up to a size large, I found the standard cheek pads were fine for me, though it’s good to see this addition.

The main central / upper head lining has small patches of Rheon armour on the inside upper that are said to improve ventilation by keeping the lining slightly separated from the expanded polystyrene (EPS) inner shell, and to allow the lining to slide more easily to reduce rotational energy transferred to the brain in an impact.

The lining’s soft and comfortable, with emergency pull tabs clearly marked on the cheek pads. Unfortunately when I tried it the tab tore off at one side, and however hard I pulled on the remaining strap I was unable to get the cheek pads to pull clear while the helmet was on.

The main lining hadn’t been clipped in properly from the factory in both helmets I tried, which isn’t a safety issue – and once popped in it hasn’t come out since – but along with the chin skirt not having been fully seated, it just let down the first impressions.

Again not a safety implication, but it was also a shame to see a small edge of the EPS crack when I was refitting the lining. The positioning and lack of anything behind it makes it vulnerable to damage, but it’s not visible unless the lining’s removed, and it doesn’t affect the structural integrity at all. A simple piece of extra padding or a spacer behind here would stop this occurring.

Fastening

Unfortunately, Ruroc has continued to use the Fidlock chin strap fastener, which I feel is a poorly-considered throw-back to the bad old days of seat-belt-style clip.

A double-D strap (which can be found on the Ruroc AT4.0 Track) allows the helmet to be cinched to the perfect tightness every time. Alternatively, modern micrometric ratchet fasteners are set once, then give a decent latitude of adjustment with every use.

The Fidlock, on the other hand, has to be adjusted to your neck size, then doesn’t move unless you adjust it again. Once clipped on, it’s certainly secure, but getting it there is an unnecessary faff that doesn’t inspire confidence.

It’s also bulkier than a traditional strap, and while it does unfasten easily with the large fabric pull tab, that’s the only good thing I can say about this, especially as I have to ride with it looser than I normally would just to be able to get it done up.

On the Oxford Atlas rucksack, the Fidlock fastener is a great idea, but I really think it has no place on a helmet.

Fit

Needless to say, fit and comfort are entirely subjective, but despite being listed as for 57-58cm (I’m a 58), I couldn’t get the medium over my head, so had to go with the 59-60cm large.

Although I do get a bit of a mark on my forehead after an hour, and it presses into the back of my neck a bit, I find the Ruroc Eox to be pretty comfortable, but of course you need to try one on for yourself.

You can see Ruroc at BikeStop in Stevenage, or if you order from Ruroc direct you get free delivery and free returns (just don’t take any of the labels off), and the addition of alternative cheek pads should help you get a good fit. Don’t be surprised if you need to go up a size, but also make sure you don’t go too big.

I’ve found my glasses fit fine, the arms sitting just on top of the cheek pads, but this again is something you should check for yourself as fit is the most important thing in any helmet.

Noise

On my ZX-6R, with the air flowing freely over my head, the Ruroc EOX seems fairly quiet. However, on the Zontes ZT350-T, the turbulence caused by that bike’s screen and fairing made it noisy to the point that my ears were ringing after a long ride, despite wearing EarSoft FX earplugs. I can’t help thinking this is partly down to the gaps in the visor.

On the types of bikes this will likely be used on, screen buffeting is less likely to be an issue, but the Ruroc does, in general, appear to be more noisy than some other helmets in this price range.

Can I fit my own intercom to the Ruroc EOX?

Fitting your own intercom to the Ruroc EOX – like this Sena Spider ST1 – shouldn’t be an issue as there’s space within the sculpted channel on the side, and the wires can run under the soft edging to the rear of the cheek pad, then into the lining.

Ruroc EOX Shockwave review

The Ruroc Atlas had its own integrated comms, but the new version for the EOX – made in partnership with Cardo – is significantly different, with much more accessible controls.

I have the Bluetooth model, which costs £179, but there’s also a Mesh version coming soon for Cardo-compatible group rides of up to 15 that costs £349 and also adds voice control, and comes with a spare battery. Neither model has an FM radio, but you can of course stream stations from your phone.

Fitting: Once the two sides panels are pulled off the helmet, the separate battery and control modules simply clip in. Then it’s a case of removing the lining and plugging in the two speakers (one carries the mic as well), and that’s it. You can find the Ruroc Eox Shockwave fitting instructions and owner’s manual here.

Connections: Equipped with a Bluetooth 5.3 chip, this base model will connect with one other Bluetooth intercom and one device, meaning you can connect your phone and listen to music, take calls and hear navigation instructions, but there’s no second channel, so you can’t also connect a separate sat-nav.

Connection to the phone is very quick as soon as the Shockwave is turned on, and you can use your phone’s assistant if you want. I’ve been running it through Android Auto on the Chigee AIO-5 Lite, with no problems streaming music, getting directions and calling my wife.

Control: There are five buttons on the EOX Shockwave. While raised, they are a little fiddly to find with thick gloves on, but not bad. Here are the controls available:

• Music start / stop

• Skip music track forward / back

• Increase / decrease volume

• Answer / decline phone calls

• Redial last number

• Activate Android / iOS voice assistant

Confusingly, contrary to the online instructions, turning off the EOX Shockwave is done by quickly tapping the media and intercom button, not pressing them.

There is no voice control or app control on the Bluetooth EOX Shockwave, but there is on the Mesh version.

Volume and clarity: I found the volume of the Shockwave’s 40mm Harman Kardon speakers to be adequate for listening to music through foam earplugs at motorways speeds, but it doesn’t have the punch that many standalone units can deliver, meaning spoken word content like podcasts tends to be too quite at higher speeds. Filtered earplugs can give better results.

The audio sounds good, if a little deep and lacking some sparkle, but only the top-end intercoms seem to provide what I’d consider high quality (which still of course isn’t Hi-Fi).

The unit’s voice prompts are very quiet, but despite podcasts being a struggle to listen to I did find navigation instructions to be fine, and a call to my wife had us able to easily hold a conversation at 60mph on the noisy Zontes ZT350-T.

Range: This Bluetooth intercom is designed for rider to pillion use only, so range is limited to 10m. For rider to rider or group rides you’d need to get the Mesh EOX Shockwave if you want integrated comms.

Battery life: Ruroc claims 12 hours for this Bluetooth model (the Mesh one is claimed to run for 10 hours), and in my testing streaming music at full volume, it managed over 17.5 hours, which is an outstanding performance.

Charging is via a USB-C port on the right side, and a 1m USB-A to USB-C cable is supplied.

The battery is easily removable, and could be replaced, though there don’t appear to be any available online at the time of writing.

Waterproofing: The Ruroc EOX Shockwave is rated as IP65, meaning it’s totally dust-tight, and is protected against jets of water. The silicone charging flap can be a little fiddly to get in at times, and I found that at speed it’s possible that in heavy rain the flap can peel back and expose the USB-C port. It’s a shame it’s designed in such a way that wind and water flowing over it from the front doesn’t push it tighter down, but my unit didn’t stop working during testing, so I’m hoping the USB port itself is water-tight, as on mobile phones.

Ease of updating: There is no way to update the firmware of the Ruroc EOX Shockwave as there’s no downloadable software for wired updating, and it’s not compatible with the Cardo Connect app. The Mesh version is said to be capable of over-the-air updates.

Verdict: This is a very basic comms system, but for many people it will do all they need. I use them for navigation instructions, listening to music, speaking to my wife when she’s pillion and occasionally taking or making a call. The Ruroc EOX Shockwave does all of that, and is a massive improvement over the Atlas Shockwave, though I do find the volume to be a little limited. Still, for the price it’s pretty good integrated system, and tidier than fitting a separate system.

EOX Shockwave guide

Ruroc’s guide to installation and operation

Four alternatives to the Ruroc EOX

While discounts regularly run on the Ruroc site, the EOX is still priced within the premium range of helmets, so has some seriously stiff competition. Here are some others you might want to try, remembering that fit and comfort are vitally important…

• NEXX X.WST3 from £329.99 | The aggressive styling of the Nexx makes it an obvious competitor to the Ruroc. It’s got a built-in drop-down sunshield, and is also available in carbon-fibre for £429.99. Just keep in mind that the X.WED3 is pretty much the same lid, but with a removable peak as well. Read the full review of the Nexx X.WST3 here.

• Arai Quantic from £499.99 | The Quantic is, for me, the best full-face motorcycle helmet due to its superb fit and excellent ventilation. However, like the Ruroc it doesn’t come with a drop-down sunshield, which does put some people off. Read the full review of the Arai Quantic here.

• Shoei NXR2 from £429.99 | With no drop-down sunshield and a snug fit, this is a more racey Shoei than the GT-Air 3, for instance. The price puts the Ruroc directly in its firing line, even if it doesn’t have the aggressive styling and carbon fibre. Read the full review of the Shoei NXR2 here.

• Simpson Speed from £259.99 | We haven’t tried the Simpson Speed, which is distributed by Oxford Products, but it does carry some of the styling from the Simpson Bandits of old, which were of course illegal due to a too-small visor aperture. See the Simpson speed here.

These are just three of many alternatives – you can find all the Helmets we’ve tested here (link to the relevant section of reviews) and be sure to regularly check for the discounts available through Bikesocial membership.

Ruroc EOX review - Verdict

Having read a review of this helmet by a journalist I trust, I seem to have had fewer issues with the Ruroc EOX than he did, which does make me question the consistency in build-quality somewhat. Still, my experience has been of a vast improvement over the Atlas 4.0, and with free returns, if the styling appeals it’s worth having a look. A lot of the finish and build is good, but some areas do let it down, and that Fidlock fastener is a huge disappointment for me, which is a problem when the EOX is competing with the likes of Arai, Shoei and HJC.

Do you own this helmet? Tell us what it’s like, or ask us questions about it at bikeclub.bennetts.co.uk.