Giro Vanquish helmet

£239.99, zyrofisher.co.uk

he look of Giro’s new Vanquish aero road helmet is far more refined and elegant than that of its bowling ball-esque predecessor, the Air Attack. So it’s surprising to learn that Giro’s design team were only allowed a hand in its development once the helmet was already 80% finished.

The manufacturer says it wanted to hit certain aerodynamic standards before considering aesthetics, and claims it spent a previously unmatched amount of time in its Californian R&D facility, The Dome, developing some unique new features.

Most noticeably this includes a ‘cliff’ moulded into the exterior of the helmet shell that Giro dubs its ‘Transformair’ design. This cliff is a step down in shell height that runs along the top of the helmet perpendicular to airflow, which the company claims tricks the air into passing along the rear of the helmet as if it’s a long-tail time-trial lid.

The result, according to Giro, is that over 40km (it’s always over 40km for reasons that have never been explained by cycling scientists) the Vanquish is around 10 seconds faster than most of its competitors.

The Vanquish ships with a clip-on ‘Vivid’ lens too, which the manufacturer claims boosts contrast for better vision while also helping the aerodynamics of the shell. It’s a neat addition – provided you don’t mind looking a bit like a lycra-clad Robocop.