Met Manta Mips Aero Road helmet

The Met Manta Mips Aero Road helmet offers a good blend of aero performance and ventilation while integrating Mips protection nicely. It's a good all-round helmet with a strong leaning towards fast club riders and racers interested in aero performance, but it's an expensive option.

Although practically every helmet brand and its cousin has an aero lid in its arsenal, the Met Manta has always rated highly. Stu reviewed the original back in 2016, when the Manta was born – if the marketing is to be believed – out of a request from the then-called MTN Qhubeka team to have a competitive lightweight aero helmet for the Tour de France. It achieved 9/10 by Stu's reckoning – he thought it was excellent.

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Of course, time waits for no brand, so in March this year Met launched a new version of the Manta. This one integrates reprofiled aerodynamics, a revised ventilation system and – perhaps most importantly – Mips protection.

I can't verify the aero claims, but they are: up to 4W improvement thanks to testing at 33, 55 and 80km/h in a wind tunnel. Interestingly, it seems that Met only tested it at zero degrees yaw, which equates to a block headwind (it might feel like it sometimes, but wind rarely blows in just that direction!), but it did simulate riding both on the hoods and in the drops – using the position of a fairly racy rider as a reference point (77 and 65 degrees head angle, respectively).

> Should you buy an aero helmet?

Met also says that the ventilation has been improved. No specific figures are given on that, but it's a reassuring statement given the inclusion of a Mips cranial protection system. Our pictures show the yellow webbing inside the helmet, which lines up nicely with the 15 ventilation ports and leaves some gapping for air behind it to be channelled around the head to the rearward 'exhaust' vents.

We don't have access to a wind tunnel at road.cc Towers, nor a sophisticated air convection test, but out on the road I've found the new Manta Mips to be fast (well, fast-feeling) compared to my usual airy and lightweight climber's helmet – a Kask Valegro at the moment – and surprisingly airy too. The front six channels in combination with the seventh top vent provide just enough ventilation to regulate the temperature around your head on a warm British summer's day. It's only overwhelmed by a particularly humid warmth or when temperatures on the road start edging towards the high 20s.

The rear exhaust vents seem to help to pull the air through a little, while the channelling inside meant that I didn't notice any hotspots. In a helmet of this type, it's pretty good.

Mips technology has been nicely integrated, as I already mentioned, and the safety benefit of that – which no one hopes to ever have to test – puts you in the best position possible if you do have a spill. You can read more about Mips here.

While the Manta has a narrow profile on the head, the frontal area does protrude somewhat. When you dip your head and look up and forward in the usual way, you do notice it in your upper peripheral vision. If the helmet sits slightly lower on your head, it can tap the top of your sunglasses frame.

I tested a medium size version, which equates to a 56-58cm size noggin, which is about perfect for me. But if you can try it on in a bike shop, or get free returns with your purchase, I recommend that you try it with your favourite sunnies on, too, to make sure you can live with it.

A click wheel cranial fit system ensures a secure fit. One of the aspects of the fit for me is a slightly tight feeling around the lower circumference of the head compared to most helmets I've worn. It's no deal-breaker, and in fact encourages the front padding to create a kind of seal, which in turn does a solid job of absorbing sweat on the move.

Eventually it does run out of capacity, and once or twice I found a stream of sweat rolling down my sunglasses or face, but I do run relatively hot when riding and find this happens in pretty much any helmet I use, let alone an aero lid like this.

Met has also fitted its 'Fidlock' clasp under the chin. Benefits include a magnetic clasp that snaps together strongly, while the design semi-locks it into place, reducing the chances of accidental release yet making it easy to detach, using a sliding action with one hand. Supposedly it reduces the risk of skin pinching too.

Met claims a weight of 250g in this size medium, and the road.cc scales actually undercut this at 248g. The old Manta (without Mips tech) came in at 215g in a medium size, showing that Mips – in this form, at least – still has its drawbacks. A sub-250g weight isn't too shabby though, if not the lightest around, and in fact probably won't be the highest priority for the key market of riders it's aimed at.

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Its £220 rrp is a fair wedge of cash, but you can pay more: a Limar Pro Aero helmet costs £229.99, and although it's arguably more comprehensively ventilated, it doesn't come with Mips. The Abus AirBreaker is also £229.99, and lighter at 214g, but also doesn't come with Mips.

The Bell Z20 Mips is £11 less than the Manta Mips at £209, but is a touch heavier.

Conclusion

The Met Manta Mips impresses with seemingly good aero performance married to good levels of cooling, weight and comfort. It costs a fair amount of money, but in exchange you get a very accomplished helmet well-attuned to fast riding and racing.

Verdict

Aero is the name of the game, but the Manta Mips also impresses with nicely integrated Mips protection and decent cooling