Oakley Aro 5 helmet

£199, uk.oakley.com

t’s fair to say that Oakley has the cycling sunglasses market pretty well sewn up, so the Us-based optics specialist has diverted its attention to the production of a new road helmet line, called Aro.

As with its MOD range of snow sports helmets last year, Oakley says it has developed road lids because it wanted to make the integration of optics and helmets better, given that the two are so closely linked in fit and performance.

How has it gone about achieving its aim? Primarily through the choice of a Boa retention system as opposed to the more usual adjustable cage adopted by most brands. Oakley says the Boa’s soft, flat TX1 lace creates a singular band of tension that wraps around the head, securing the helmet in the simplest way so as to not interfere with sunglasses arms.

It also helps keep the physical bulk of the helmet to a minimum, which is particularly pertinent considering the Aro 5 is Oakley’s aero offering, whose wind-tunnel tested shape is truncated in an attempt to ensure aerodynamics are maintained even when a rider’s head is dipped in hard efforts. That should be welcome news for the Wordtour team secretly confirmed to be using Oakley’s helmets next season.