June 25th, 2020 12:00am
When it comes to your safety on two wheels, Never ever sell yourself short and buy a poor quality helmet. I can't emphasise this point enough. But does quality require a price tag like the new Giro?
Before we report on this, let me share with you that I have never received any payment from Giro helmets, nor have I even been given one of these helmet to test, this site does not charge for advertising and is therefore not under any obligation to anyone. We simply have over 17 years of bike experience and have worked in the industry while also product testing hundreds of parts and equipment. So please take our opinions and findings with that in mind.
Before you buy anything, you normally look at it and either say, "Yah that looks rad" or " thats dumb as you-know-what" and srcoll past. I think the side ear coverings look bad, which means from a visual standpoint we would not wear it. It does go away a bit with the solid colors but not enough for me. The great thing is that we all get to wear what we think looks good and that makes the world that much more interesting. The more important thing is what you think of it. The new Giro helmet does come in seven different matt color choices and there is surely one to match your kit or bike if that is what you are into.
This is the real story Giro wants you to know. It's all about the ventilation and their spin on the MIPS® protection system. The company call it Spherical technology using a "Ball and Socket" design where the inner layer can rotate independantly of the harder exterior layer. The result is a better redirection and distribution of the rotational forces. The company calls it a reduction of force, but that isn't accurate and they cleaned that up in other parts of their marketing language. Regardless, the design makes good technical sense but without trying it or being a test crash dummy you will have to take their word for it.
Another piece of tech that is of interest is the ventilation. With 19 air vents and an internal air channeling system, Giro claims their bike helmet features best-in-class ventilation. Now we have never seen or heard of a testing system (but that doesn't mean that it doesn't exist) that verifies this claim so I suspect it is marketing. (I have tried calling Giro but clarify they are basically unavailable during the COVID-19 shut down) So, like the Spherical Technology, it looks like it would work. 19 Vents is as many as I have seen on a helmet and they have an "Aura" reinforcing arch to give the helmet strength amidst all their vents. Here in Arizona ventilation is king so that is a big plus for the lid.
Giro also gushes with marketing adjectives like 'Luxurious" to describe the fit. But that would depend on the shape of your head. Historically, Giro fits a bit more round headshape then say Bell's mid oval shape. But I have seen helmet other companies put in great locking fit systems to improve their fit to be more generic. The Roc Loc Trail Air fit system featured in this helmet may do the same, but we can't quantify that because....you guessed it.. no helmet.
If you are not taken back by the $260 price tag on a non-full face mountain bike helmet - bless you. You are one of the lucky ones. I for one, was shocked at the price. That is why I presented the helmet information to you first before dropping the dollar bomb on you. You need to ask yourself, does it check all the boxes to justify spending that kind of coin for a helmet. Looks? Fit? Protection? For me, it doesn't. That doesnt mean buy a cheap helmet. It means buy the helmet that checks the boxes for you, just dont scrimp on the protection part. Buy the best protecting mountain bike helmet you can and dont let all those sites who need Giro to buy advertising sway you. This is a competitive space with everyone licensing MIPS technology or creating their own proprietary safety features. You have plenty of options to choose from at a considerably lower price point.
Want to see more of this Giro bike helmet? Go to the Giro webite . See the color range, sizing chart and you can buy directly from Giro If you have or plan to get one of these helmets we would like to hear your comments. You can email us what your think about the helmet.
Location: News >> New Giro MTB Helmet for $260??
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