Helmet Wind Noise?
Moderator: robbosmans
- SolidSnake03
- Posts: 556
- Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 7:09 pm
Hey Everyone!
I'm looking for a new helmet for this upcoming season and was wondering if anyone had any real world wind noise experience with the couple of helmets I'm interested in. As a bit of background, I wore a Giro Aeon and found the wind noise to be borderline deafening for me and that drove me nuts! I switch to a Bell Gage and so far it's improved but still worse than I would like.
Helmets I'm considering are:
-Kask Mojito
-Specialized Prevail
-Specialize Evade
-Giro Air Attack
I'm really not too interested in the Aero helmets from a look perspective but I have heard they seem to have noticeable less noise. Looks wise the Air Attack is probably a no unless it gets a chorus of positive feedback...
Fit wise I have worn Bell, Giro and Specialized in the past and found all pretty comfortable so I'm not super worried about about a certain brand being really uncomfortable.
*Forgot to include*
Not overly worried about the heat part, I tend to "run cool" as it is and am usually colder than I am warm so that isn't a real concern
I'm looking for a new helmet for this upcoming season and was wondering if anyone had any real world wind noise experience with the couple of helmets I'm interested in. As a bit of background, I wore a Giro Aeon and found the wind noise to be borderline deafening for me and that drove me nuts! I switch to a Bell Gage and so far it's improved but still worse than I would like.
Helmets I'm considering are:
-Kask Mojito
-Specialized Prevail
-Specialize Evade
-Giro Air Attack
I'm really not too interested in the Aero helmets from a look perspective but I have heard they seem to have noticeable less noise. Looks wise the Air Attack is probably a no unless it gets a chorus of positive feedback...
Fit wise I have worn Bell, Giro and Specialized in the past and found all pretty comfortable so I'm not super worried about about a certain brand being really uncomfortable.
*Forgot to include*
Not overly worried about the heat part, I tend to "run cool" as it is and am usually colder than I am warm so that isn't a real concern
Looks like I made a new 90 Proof friend
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- Posts: 71
- Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2013 7:45 pm
- Location: Northern CA USA
If you think about it, you'll realize that very few bicycle helmets will reduce wind noise. To reduce wind noise, there has to be something to alter or block the wind from reaching your ears. Some aero helmets covers the ears, but most regular helmets do not cover the the ears. The helmet isn't so much making the noise as is the air rushing past your ears.
Only partly agree with vinceflynow.
I have both the Aeon and the Air Attack Shield version.
It's even a difference in noise reduction if you have the shield on and further are in your dropbars.
Lot's of info on the AA here viewtopic.php?f=14&t=113410
I have both the Aeon and the Air Attack Shield version.
It's even a difference in noise reduction if you have the shield on and further are in your dropbars.
Lot's of info on the AA here viewtopic.php?f=14&t=113410
Kuota Kom Evo
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- SolidSnake03
- Posts: 556
- Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 7:09 pm
vinceflynow wrote:If you think about it, you'll realize that very few bicycle helmets will reduce wind noise. To reduce wind noise, there has to be something to alter or block the wind from reaching your ears. Some aero helmets covers the ears, but most regular helmets do not cover the the ears. The helmet isn't so much making the noise as is the air rushing past your ears.
Personal experience indicates there is much more to it than simply covering the ears. Going from the Giro Aeon to the Bell Gage the wind noise went from deafening to just annoying. Still want to bring it down to the "mild/non-annoying" level but it was a significant change.
The strap thing is interesting but I'm not sure how big a deal that is if I always wear sunglasses over straps and have my chin strap done up pretty darn snug. Does this imply that a heavier strap *Kask* may not flap as much reducing noise?
The reason I specifically included the Aero Helmets is because in reviews of both the Evade and Air Attack I have seen multiple mentions of reduced wind noise and was wondering if there were any other real world examples or direct comparisons for people that own other helmets too *Kask Mojito or Prevail*
Looks like I made a new 90 Proof friend
If wind noise is a problem you can buy / make some little gurney tabs which fit onto your helmet straps. These reduce wind noise you hear without impairing general hearing. I do recall someone making them from plastic commercially, but have forgotten where.
If anyone thinks helmets aren't the cause of most of the audible wind noise, then that person clearly hasn't been riding without a helmet for comparison. Most the wind noise in fact stems from the helmet. My Giro Atmos is horrible, got an Ar Attack in the mail today much for this reason. Haven't tried it out yet but I've also read a lot of praises for it on this subject...
- SolidSnake03
- Posts: 556
- Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 7:09 pm
mrfish wrote:If wind noise is a problem you can buy / make some little gurney tabs which fit onto your helmet straps. These reduce wind noise you hear without impairing general hearing. I do recall someone making them from plastic commercially, but have forgotten where.
Really dont want to make ear fins....
Also totally 100% agree with the above that a HUGE part of wind noise is the helmet. Ridden helmet-less for a while and know what a difference (negative) helmets make.
Please report back on the Air Attack, have ridden the Atmos and Ionos and both were bad, not Aeon bad for me but still very nosiy. Actually to be honest, Giro have routinely been the worst noise wise for me but worn then due to good deals and nice fit
Looks like I made a new 90 Proof friend
Will be out of town for work until the weekend, so won't get any miles in the Air Attack until then, but I'll report back on it. Might even do a back-to-back comparison if time allows for it as I'm very curious myself how it stacks up
SolidSnake03 wrote:
Fit wise I have worn Bell, Giro and Specialized in the past and found all pretty comfortable so I'm not super worried about about a certain brand being really uncomfortable.
Not all models of brand-X have the same fit.
So when you had model a from Giro, maybe model b of Giro fits different.
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- Posts: 309
- Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2012 4:43 pm
I wore a LG Course for several days including days with gusts reaching 40mph. Thr first thing I noticed was the dramatical reduction in noise over my LAS Victory helmet. Unfortunately, the helmet did work with my Radars and back it went.
- SolidSnake03
- Posts: 556
- Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 7:09 pm
DMF wrote:Will be out of town for work until the weekend, so won't get any miles in the Air Attack until then, but I'll report back on it. Might even do a back-to-back comparison if time allows for it as I'm very curious myself how it stacks up
That sounds great, thanks!
BRM, I know helmets can fit different model to model but what I'm mostly saying is that my head seems to be a pretty "middle of the road" type shape in that basically every helmet I have tried works fine for me. I think it's a combo of not being super picky fit wise and having a fairly "average" head or something. The only helmets that don't fit actually are Lazer and MET because neither have a small enough size in adult, I wear a small in every brand and still have to crank it down!
Looks like I made a new 90 Proof friend
Re fit I can't for the life of me fit Bell, POC, Specialized, MET, Scott and a bunch of other helmets. But all mid- to high-end Giro's fit me very well and not just that, they actually seem to fit me "the same" too (and I'm way too picky)... Not just road and mountainbike but even the full face Remedy DH lid, it actually seems to fit the same as the Atmos and Air Attack. (...so does the Giro Advantage TT helmet...)
I can almost sense them clicking into place on my skull, haha, living the helmet dream, lol
That being said, the new suspended Roc Loc Air is a freakin' revelation comfort wise...
I can almost sense them clicking into place on my skull, haha, living the helmet dream, lol
That being said, the new suspended Roc Loc Air is a freakin' revelation comfort wise...
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