Giro Air Attack helmet

Does the visor sit sufficiently far forward to clear normal prescription spectacles?

If so that would be a major plus, enabling me to wear my normal glasses rather than getting prescription inserts made for my Adidas Evil Eyes at huge expense.

at speed in summer its nicely ventilated, at a leisurely trundle I found it got to warm.

however in winter its very good, it keeps the rain away a bit more, and the 'lack' of ventilation definitely seems to keep the head warmer on commutes etc (it doesn't make any difference to the speed of the commute though)

anyone care to comment on whether they prefer this helmet during winter, i.e. a bit more insulation?

I have had an Air Attack for maybe 8 or 9 months now. I got it because it is a good shape for my big head and not having any hair on top it stops me getting the tiger stripes I used to get from the better ventilated helmets when the sun is out. I get pretty hot generally and I think it is slightly warmer than my old helmet in mid summer but not so much that I feel the need to swap back. I may not notice the aero benefits but it is a great helmet and if you fall on the side of the camp that thinks it looks cool then I would certainly recommend it.

Was interesting watching the track worlds in Manchester this weekend. Did any of you notice how many riders were using this helmet? Even the riders and teams who were sponsored by other brands chose to wear it in competition. I don't have one, and have never ridden in one, but seeing athletes choose the Air Attack over their sponsors helmet has to say something for its performance.

I'm using my Air Attack as my only helmet and commuting 10 miles each way through northern Sydney in late spring (afternoon temps 30+ degrees) and as a blue skinned sweaty scotsman I've not noticed any real difference in cooling from my Giro Aeon. Great Helmet and I bought the shield version so I use it for triathlon too

I don't care much for the performance improvements as after having seen someone wearing one at a race yesterday, it has all the sartorial elegance of a pudding basin! Maybe it was the dark grey colour that accentuated the cheap, plastic mushroom-head look - not what you'd want for 150 quid!

" I started using the Air Attack a few weeks ago when the weather was quite a lot hotter than it is now – in the mid-20s – and conditions inside the helmet were a bit warmer and more humid than usual, but not nearly to the degree that I'd expected"

Hmmm, I can see that being an issue here where its 20c on my 5am rides and usually high 20s to mid 30s on club rides at the weekend all year round.

Yep. It would probably be safer to say "proven to be faster" than regular helmets/no helmet etc. but the marginal gain on these things can be so small - perhaps a "proven to be faster than x, y and z".

It's like these triathlon helmets - faster if the rider maintains the same position, but if the rider lifts or turns his head the tail increases drag (hence the snub tailed Kask helmets).

In the right conditions it all adds up, but I would guess if you're cycling in hilly/mountainous terrain in summer you want the ventilation and the due to slower speeds the benefit is reduced.

I can understand that if you are on the flat in a sprint (like Cav) you'd prefer it for some aero edge.

Fd =1/2 ρ x v^2 x CdA

where

Fd is the drag force, which is by definition the force component in the direction of the flow velocity (Force opposing your forward movement)

ρ is the mass density of the fluid (fluid = air)

v is the velocity of the object relative to the fluid (speed you are traveling)

A is the reference area (frontal area)

Cd is the drag coefficient – a dimensionless coefficient related to the object's geometry and taking into account both skin friction (not your skin but the skin of the object) and form drag.

So drag increases by the square of speed. Reduce the drag co-efficient and frontal area to reduce overall drag at given speed. Simple physics!

There are those of old enough to remember (in fact, still have, somewhere) the original Air Attack - looked slightly but not radically different, same philosophy .... and this idea has only taken 15 years to resurface, not the usual full generation

If the helmet saves 17 seconds over 1 hour then if I wear 10 will get round in 57 mins?

@ Colin Peyresourde,

yes it's silly argument on here, and you have rightly pointed a fact neglected by the other contributers that at different speeds, aerodynamic efficiencies have a different effect. This is why the manufacturer only states 17 secs are saved when travelling for one hour at 25mph. It will be a different amount of time saved going at a different speed, not least because speed, time and distance are inextricably linked! (I think this is the basic point @ Mr. Turning was making)

However your point 1 is not valid, because the manufacturer is talking about going a certain speed for a given period of time which is necessarily linked to distance!

Is it matt black? or is it just grey? The visor into helmet aspect has to be the best feature for aero. I tried a Hoy type Casco once but the visor dug into my nose, hope this is better.

It looks oddly like that one they made with the integrated base-ball cap peak, but without the peak...

Looked at my mates new one yesterday.

The strap feels really cheapo, and the visor was a pig to get on without lining it up in the mirror.

Still cool though.

Especially in matte black.

All this misses a key benefit of this lid. It is perfect for northern european riding outside of the summer as it acts as an 'Air Defence'. Yes, it is well ventliated, but it does keep the direct windchill off my head brilliantly and is going to be my helmet of choice until we have much warmer weather back. It will hold me off needing a beanie for longer and can keep rain off too...interesting that they have not marketed it for this....

So, get it for the 17 seconds theoretical aero saving, but definitely get it for comfy winter riding!!

so assuming all the conditions are met (and ive got my maths right) its 0.007% faster?

Short hair-cut and no helmet is even more aero ;).

17 seconds over an hour, if you're riding at 25mph. So that's.... nothing in the real world. If you're riding on your own you aren't going to average 25mph, if you're riding a chain gang you won't be riding into the wind most of the time, and if you're riding a TT you'll wear a proper aero helmet! Pointless!

I do really like the design to be honest, definitely stands out and it has a certain sci-fi je ne sais quoi.