Since the introduction of helmets in the 1980s, they’ve steadily been getting better ventilated and lighter, while still protecting your head in the event of an coming together with the trail. The last couple of years has seen helmet manufacturers make great strides forward on the weight front however, and the latest is the new Giro Aeon.
Not strictly a mountain bike lid, we’ll grant you that much, but we know many prefer the lightness of a roadie lid and don’t mind forgoing the peak, so on that basis we’ll allow a road cycling product onto the pages of Bike Magic.
There’s a good reason to like Giro’s new Aeon, and that’s the claimed 189g weight, making it one of the lightest currently available. That’s roughly the same weight, give or take a few grams, as Specialized’s recently launched Prevail. And to give you an idea how it compares to a typical mountain bike lid, it’s over 130g lighter than Giro’s own Athlon. While the weight difference might not sound like much on paper, pick them both up and you’ll really notice it.
Giro achieved this low weight with a Thermoformed SL Roll Cage that is, says Giro, half the weight of ann previous composite internal skeleton (used to reinforce the helmet, allowing for less EPS foam, of which a lower density type was used on the Aeon). The contact points with the skull have also been reduced, to allow for more effective ventilation.
So it’s light, but is that all to shout about with the new Aeon? Not exactly, there’s more. 24 vents ensure plenty of air is scooped in and across your scalp (and being designed in a wind tunnel, they should do so rather effectively). Slimline webbing and X-Static padding combine to create a comfortable place to put your head, and Roc Loc 5, with its new natty twiddle dial, makes getting a good fit, and adjustment on the trail, straightforward.
It’s not cheap at a quite staggering £199.99. Three sizes and eight colours will be available.
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