AERO ROAD D HELMETS

An aero-focused helmet is a proven way to make you faster on the road. But are they worth the ventilation and weight compromises? We test eight to find out

American comedian Larry David states that a compromise is when neither party is happy. Obviously, the

Curb Your Enthusiasm star isn’t familiar with the concept of aero road helmets, that winning hybrid of traditional road helmets and pointy TT lids.

Since the Giro Air Attack started the aero road helmet revolution back in 2012, their popularity has exploded in cycling, and they’ve become one of the areas where the greatest tech innovations are made.

Aero road helmets can – and should – offer a balance between TT and traditional road helmets. That is, they have to be faster than a road helmet yet free from the compromises of weight and ventilation of a time-trial helmet (as a bonus, aero road helmets also offer some protection from those beastly easterly winds in the winter too).

Happily, our previous windtunnel testing has proven that aero road helmets cut the mustard in the speed stakes, but what are the other key factors to look for when picking a lid? The helmet’s oftenoverlooked modus operandi of safety, of course, and also the effectiveness of the retention system for comfort and fit. While EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) dominates the build of road helmets on test here, the lids still take noticeably different approaches to rider comfort, ventilation, aerodynamics and safety. Turn overleaf to read our Buyer’s Guide to Aero Road Helmets, before we discover the best that 2022 has to offer…

“Since the Giro Air Attack started the aero road helmet revolution back in 2012, they’ve become one of the areas where the greatest tech innovations are made”