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| Giro Aeon (left) and Specialized Prevail (right) |
Anyways, if I could design the perfect helmet, what would it be? It would be light, aerodynamic, and well-ventilated (pretty much like anything in cycling). The two helmets compared here today are the latest attempts by Giro and Specialized to make bike helmets that maximize those 3 qualities.
Giro Aeon
Last year, Giro essentially had two high-end lids. The Prolight, which was exceptionally light but not well ventilated, and the Ionos, which was well ventilated but not extremely light. Apparently, some brilliant genius at Giro decided it might be worthwhile to make a helmet that combined the best parts of the Prolight and Ionos. The Aeon is the result.
The Aeon is an exceptionally light (220g) helmet that ventilates essentially as well as the Ionos helmet. I've used it on hot rides during the summer and I think it is probably one of the most ventilated helmets I've used in recent memory. Actually, this is the helmet that I used for the Etape this year and it served me well. The retention mechanism on the Aeon is the Roc Loc 5 and it allows for one-handed adjustment of the fit. The little dial is actually somewhat easier to use than the adjustment dial on the Prevail.
Specialized Prevail
This helmet by Specialized was anticipated by a lot of people. Specialized worked hard on their design to not only make it light (235g) but also to improve the aerodynamics of the helmet. According to Specialized, an individual putting out 250W over an hour wearing a Prevail helmet will be 250m ahead of someone wearing Giro's Ionos helmet. So wearing this helmet will apparently make you more efficient. Whether 250m (or the wattage savings associated with this) are useful to the everyday rider isn't clear. The vents on the Prevail work extremely well and let a lot of air in... particularly welcome during the summer months.
The Prevail is comfortable and actually is fairly wide compared to the Ionos. It uses something called the Mindset system to adjust the fit. Similar to the Roc Loc 5 except that the dial on the back is a little harder to use.
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| Giro Aeon (left) and Specialized Prevail (right) |
Both helmets are extremely well made and both are very light. Personally, I can't tell the minor weight differences between the two helmets. Both are very well-ventilated... subjectively the Prevail felt like it let in a bit more air than the Aeon. And both fit very well and had retention mechanisms that are easy to use. The look of the Prevail is a little flatter and wider than the Aeon, which may appeal to some more than others. Personally, I didn't care for the wider look. (I use a large size helmet and wear small size clothing... already looking like a lollipop, I don't need help to make my head look wider than it already is.)
After using both helmets for a month, I chose the Aeon for two reasons. Both helmets are light, protective, well-ventilated, and comfortable. But one big issue with the Prevail is that it is difficult to use with sunglasses. Because the straps on the Prevail are located away from the face, the arms of the glasses have to be fit between the straps and your face and not outside the straps. This is a little bit of a hassle to deal with when on the bike. It also breaks one of the "rules". Perhaps more annoying is that there is no way to store your glasses in the helmet vents when you're not using them (e.g. while climbing or when it starts getting dark). Because of those issues and the fact that I didn't want to exacerbate my lollipop appearance with the wider Prevail, I thought the Aeon was the better choice for me.
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| Giro Aeon (left) and Specialized Prevail (right) |
thanks man, this is useful.
ReplyDeleteWhere did you buy them? In NYC?
ReplyDeleteHappy riding
Good experience, thanks!
ReplyDeleteI Cho, please compare wind noise of helmets
ReplyDeleteYes, how does the noise level of the helmets compare?
ReplyDeleteHmmm.. A guy wearing small and puts on a large helmet on?? Really now?.. then what makes you an authority on the matter? Another thing on "breaking one of the rules" with the strap a bit farther off, when you yourself do not follow the "rules"! And lastly, "no place to sit your sunglasses" issue... dude, try watching a UCI XC event and tell me this issue..
ReplyDeleteI believe he said he wears small clothing but has a big head.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review, it was very helpful.
For triathletes "the rules" are different-- we always want the glasses inside the straps. In transition, we need to take off helmet, which becomes a bowl into which we then put our glasses.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this comparsion!
@mikeofillinois: Agreed. Triathlon Rules differ slightly from pure Cycling Rules. Another reason to strap outside the glasses: in transition, you can remove helmet without having to remove glasses, especially if you're going to leave the glasses in place for the run.
ReplyDelete@I Cho: Good review. Thanks for the experiential info.
@anonymous June 21, 2012: Get a life.
The prevail actually has tiny holes in the BACK specifically to put your glasses in.....you can see them in the pic that shows the rear view.
ReplyDeletethis helped alot. thanks. the aeon certainly is the better choice, its lighter (better looking in my opinion)
ReplyDeleteand the aerodynamics of both helmets are relatively the same. all thats left for me is to go buy me an aeon!