AERO ROAD HELMETS

An aero road helmet should provide you with a do-it-all lid for training and racing. Matt Baird heads to the roads and the wind tunnel to find the best

We’re back in the Boardman wind tunnel to test 9 of the best lids for the speediest of tri’s

American comedian Larry David believes that a compromise is when neither party is happy. While we agree with the Curb your Enthusiasm star on most things, obviously Larry 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 in 2012, the popularity has exploded in cycling and triathlon, and they’ve become one of the areas where the greatest biking innovations are made. Aero road helmets can – and should – offer a balance between TT and 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.

While the weight of an aero road helmet is typically higher than a standard road lid, switching your standard road helmet for an aeroroad model can reportedly save you up to a minute over 40km (which could be vital if you’re aiming for age-group honours). The price is usually also higher (with none of the helmets here less than £100), but the year-round riding and racing potential they provide compared to a £250 TT helmet – used a few times per year – makes fiscal sense.