Aero Helmet

[demoCRIT]

after reading comments i went online and ordered Evade 2.
Will comment back after some weekend rides with it!
(for what its worth it's around 30* outside currently)

so did a 4h ride and some intervals.
Helmet is super comfortable and kinda silent (vs my previous non-aero one).
Straps are tight, all sits in very comfy altho its not light - 284g.

so far so good.

ps.
I went after MIPS - that was one of deciding factors for me

[hlvd]

after reading comments i went online and ordered Evade 2.
Will comment back after some weekend rides with it!
(for what its worth it's around 30* outside currently)

so did a 4h ride and some intervals.
Helmet is super comfortable and kinda silent (vs my previous non-aero one).
Straps are tight, all sits in very comfy altho its not light - 284g.

so far so good.

ps.
I went after MIPS - that was one of deciding factors for me

You got the Evade 2?

I might have gone for that if it was cheaper but it's about £70 more than the Ballista.

[demoCRIT]

Yes, Evade 2 in black (so the specialized logi is somehow less visible)

[ichobi]

I don't find Evade 2 hot at all and am riding in tropical climate. It's not as airy as climber helmet with lots of vents but wayyy better than most aero road helmet.

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[Hexsense]

I find Evade 2's ventilation somewhat head shape and hair dependent.
Since it rely heavily on internal front to back running channel. And the channel is quite shallow (compare it to Scott Cadence Plus which has much deeper channel and more universally agree that it is effective). Certain head shape with hair can significantly reduce air flow effectiveness.

[nismosr]

What about the Abus Gamechanger anyone here have them ?

[happyon2wheels]

I have both the Bontrager Ballista and the Abus Gamechanger, which I use for my general road riding. I like both helmets but with the edge to the Abus.

One differences is the weight (both size Large) with the Bonty at 300g (but with MIPS) and the Abus at 270g (without MIPS). For my head the fit of the Abus is better and the straps sit a bit nicer around the neck and chin. The Abus has much smaller outer dimensions and is very non-mushroom compared to the Ballista.

In terms of aero advantage I can only say what it FEELS like and here I think they are equal and seem to slice the wind just the same in all head tilt/turn positions. The Abus is perhaps a little better ventilated and the sweat seem to run away from my face rather than into the glasses. Compared to my Giro Aeon both aero helmets have significantly better sweat drainage (if that's a way to describe it) and even on hot days I pick either one over the Aeon.

[hlvd]

So, got my Ballista today and had a short ride tonight to try it out.

Took a good thirty minutes to adjust the straps to where I want, but got there in the end...

The helmet sits nicely on my head with plenty of space for my Oakley’s arms and also sits low on the forehead with minimal gap between glasses and helmet.

It’s a much larger helmet than my Velocis but feels nice and secure in place and although there’s quite a bit of weight difference in hand, I didn’t feel it when riding.

I’ve no idea how aero I was tonight but it felt great with a surprising channel of air being pushed through the three front vents.
This was something I wasn’t expecting and had a pleasant cooling effect not experienced on my other helmets.

All positive so far except for maybe the straps.


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[moyboy]

I own the gamechanger too, and find ventilation is great on it. I was surprised seeing as it's an aero helmet. pretty dry forehead after a ride....

I have both the Bontrager Ballista and the Abus Gamechanger, which I use for my general road riding. I like both helmets but with the edge to the Abus.

One differences is the weight (both size Large) with the Bonty at 300g (but with MIPS) and the Abus at 270g (without MIPS). For my head the fit of the Abus is better and the straps sit a bit nicer around the neck and chin. The Abus has much smaller outer dimensions and is very non-mushroom compared to the Ballista.

In terms of aero advantage I can only say what it FEELS like and here I think they are equal and seem to slice the wind just the same in all head tilt/turn positions. The Abus is perhaps a little better ventilated and the sweat seem to run away from my face rather than into the glasses. Compared to my Giro Aeon both aero helmets have significantly better sweat drainage (if that's a way to describe it) and even on hot days I pick either one over the Aeon.

[robeambro]

I hear a lot of people/articles saying that aero helmets save quite a few watts.. However, if I look at one of the few (arguably independent) comparison tests, there doesn't really seem to be much difference there. I know most of you guys will roll their eyes seeing it's Cycling Weekly but the guys who actually tested them are extremely anal about aero, so I kinda trust the results..

https://youtu.be/M7JtY00HVo4?t=312

Or, am I missing something?

[TobinHatesYou]

I hear a lot of people/articles saying that aero helmets save quite a few watts.. However, if I look at one of the few (arguably independent) comparison tests, there doesn't really seem to be much difference there. I know most of you guys will roll their eyes seeing it's Cycling Weekly but the guys who actually tested them are extremely anal about aero, so I kinda trust the results..

https://youtu.be/M7JtY00HVo4?t=312

Or, am I missing something?

Were you looking for a miracle? They tested a Met Trenta 7.7W faster than a Kask Infinity at 40km/h. That's significant, and it's free. The Trenta, while ventilated, is advertised as being very aero. At 50km/h it's 15.1W faster. Caveat is some aero helmets are bad, and some ventilated helmets are quite aero. Some helmets are better at different angles than others. In general though, one of the easiest ways to make a fast helmet is to make it less mushroomy. The Met Trenta and Specialized Evade II are quite svelte. The Vanquish is pretty mushroomy, so I'm pretty impressed that it nearly matched the Trenta.

[robeambro]

I hear a lot of people/articles saying that aero helmets save quite a few watts.. However, if I look at one of the few (arguably independent) comparison tests, there doesn't really seem to be much difference there. I know most of you guys will roll their eyes seeing it's Cycling Weekly but the guys who actually tested them are extremely anal about aero, so I kinda trust the results..

https://youtu.be/M7JtY00HVo4?t=312

Or, am I missing something?

Were you looking for a miracle? They tested a Met Trenta 7.7W faster than a Kask Infinity at 40km/h. That's significant, and it's free. The Trenta, while ventilated, is advertised as being very aero. At 50km/h it's 15.1W faster. Caveat is some aero helmets are bad, and some ventilated helmets are quite aero. Some helmets are better at different angles than others. In general though, one of the easiest ways to make a fast helmet is to make it less mushroomy. The Met Trenta and Specialized Evade II are quite svelte. The Vanquish is pretty mushroomy, so I'm pretty impressed that it nearly matched the Trenta.

Not for a miracle but for some kind of consistency. When you buy an aero frame you may not get the best performing (eg. Ridley Noah) but you can still be assured it will be all-else-equal faster than a more traditional frame. With helmets, it seems to me that such consistency doesn't exist, and if we add that it's all system-dependent (ie a fast helmet for me might not be fast for you) then how are people supposed to choose?

[TobinHatesYou]

Not for a miracle but for some kind of consistency. When you buy an aero frame you may not get the best performing (eg. Ridley Noah) but you can still be assured it will be all-else-equal faster than a more traditional frame. With helmets, it seems to me that such consistency doesn't exist, and if we add that it's all system-dependent (ie a fast helmet for me might not be fast for you) then how are people supposed to choose?

Yep, you pretty much have to Chung-method as many helmets as you can be bothered to compare if you want numbers. If you don't want to do the math, measure the frontal area. The Trenta looks good and is ventilated. I tried very hard to make it work for me...alas I just fit Giro and Bell helmets better.

[alistaird]

Just started using one of these - wonderful fit and preported to be aero...

https://hexr.com

Not cheap but protects, ventalates, fits and hopefully aero - but not at my speeds

A

[AJS914]

7.7 to 15 watts is pretty good for someone with a 250 watt ftp - a 3 to 6% improvement. If you are a tiny person with a smaller FTP, the percentage gain is even larger.

An aero road helmet is a good bang for the buck if you are trying to save watts.