#3 AERO ROAD HELMET
COST PER SECOND £8.40 TIME SAVED OVER 40KM 25 secs
Our previous Silverstone wind tunnel time together revealed that an aero road helmet can be up to 45secs faster than a traditional vented lid over the 40km bike leg at higher speeds (35 and 45km/h). I swap out my Bell Zephyr (£200) road helmet for the Bell Z20 Aero MIPS (£210) and witness an instant drag saving of 25secs at 25km/h at 5 degrees yaw angle. Past tunnel experiences have shown the S-Works Evade II (£250) and Limar Air Speed (£180) are two top aero picks and, for more affordable aero options, the testing found Decathlon’s Van Rysel Racer (£40) was the best budget bet, especially if you’re riding in windier conditions. Much will depend on me keeping my head still, however, since the effectiveness of many aero helmets is reduced by having them in the wrong position, and they do lack a traditional lid’s number of venting channels for hilly, hot events.
“Aero road helmets can be up to 4 5secs faster over 40 km, but much will depend on keeping your head in an aero position”