We chat with ABUS about the launch of the new Targon helmet, a convertible mountain bike helmet with removable chin guard.
Tell us about the inspiration for the Targon. Why go down the route of a modular helmet?
Our sponsored athletes told us that they’d like a helmet of this style, and that they felt that no other brand had quite nailed the perfect modular lid. The ABUS design team accepted the challenge, and the Targon is the result of 2 years’ work at our German and Italian offices. The Targon was developed for riders who want one helmet that can handle everything from all-day trail rides to aggressive enduro riding. Rather than simply adding a removable chin bar to an existing helmet, ABUS designed the Targon from the ground up as a purpose-built convertible helmet. The result is a lightweight, highly ventilated design that can quickly switch between open-face and full-face configurations, giving riders genuine versatility without carrying multiple helmets.
How does the introduction of the Targon fit in Abus’s current mountain bike helmet offerings, and growth plans in the mountain bike protection sector?
It represents a major step forward for ABUS in the mountain bike category, expanding the brand’s offering into the enduro and gravity sectors. It also showcases ABUS’s latest helmet technology, combining advanced safety features, premium comfort and innovative modular functionality. As the first MTB helmet produced in ABUS’s Italian manufacturing facility, it highlights the brand’s continued investment in high-performance mountain bike protection.
A new, larger Italian production facility will open in 2027, and we will make more and more helmets in Italy. In recent years, we have had a lot of focus on road, urban, kids and gravel segments, and whilst that will remain important to us, we recently added a new international team to focus on MTB growth. We have also added to our MTB marketing; Tom Isted at Rampage is just one example of that.
Your launch event for the UK was a bit different to more ‘traditional’ launches – tell us about that and how it went for you.
With this launch, we wanted to create something that felt genuinely connected to the riding community and the culture surrounding mountain biking in the UK. The UK MTB scene is incredibly passionate and community-driven, so rather than doing a traditional product launch, we wanted to lean fully into that energy and create something much more authentic and experience-led.
So, we took over Innerleithen, one of the most iconic MTB destinations in the UK.
This actually started months before the event itself. In the lead-up to launch weekend, we seeded posters and flyers all across the town, had branded ABUS beer mats in the local pub, ABUS branding behind the bar, and worked closely with local businesses to make the whole thing feel like a genuine town takeover rather than a standalone event dropped into the area. By the time launch weekend arrived, the town already felt part of the activation.
Across the weekend, we then built a full town-wide launch around the Targon. We had demo helmets spread across multiple locations, group rides, athlete appearances, a retro MTB film night, BBQ, ABUS beer on tap, and riders moving between the trails, cafés, pubs and bike shops all weekend long.
We also introduced special ABUS tokens, which riders could use in local cafés and pubs throughout the town. It worked really well and helped integrate the activation into the local community rather than making it feel isolated or corporate.
One of the standout moments was Saturday evening, where we packed out the local pub with well over 100 riders and locals enjoying the atmosphere, beers and food together. Duncan Shaw also put on an impromptu trials show inside the pub, jumping from table to table while the crowd cheered him on with beers in hand. It perfectly captured the energy and personality of the weekend.
Who is the target market for the Targon? What kind of rider are you looking to attract?
The Targon is aimed at mountain bikers who want the flexibility of both an open-face and a full-face helmet in a single product. It is particularly suited to trail, all-mountain, enduro and e-MTB riders who encounter a wide variety of terrain during the same ride and want to adapt their level of protection accordingly. By combining low weight, 15 ventilation openings, a quick-conversion design, a rapid fit system, and downhill-certified protection, the Targon is designed for riders who prioritise versatility without compromising on comfort or safety. A great feature is that when removed, the chin guard is designed to be easily transported on your handlebars, where it sits perfectly balanced.
When it comes to safety, the fact the chin bar removes is obviously going to be a weaker point in the design. How does the Targon overcome this trade-off?​
When fitted with the chin guard, the helmet meets ASTM F1952 downhill certification standards, in addition to EN 1078 and CPSC certifications, so with Targon, in our opinion, there is no trade-off. A key part of its appeal is that it looks and feels purpose-built in both configurations, whether being used as a full-face helmet for demanding descents or as an open-face helmet for long trail rides.
