Here is a quick review/first look at my new Oakley ARO3 helmet! This thing fits like a glove and has awesome ventilation!
Tag: helmets
My current helmet of choice is a Giro Aeon in “glowing red.” The last time I was shopping for helmets, this was my helmet of choice and it was just a matter of selecting a color. I chose the flame red because it’s pretty visible, it matched my Giro Empires and it was on sale. It’s a fantastic helmet, light, pretty aero and good venting. At the time I was riding my Specialized in a matte charcoal finish, and with the helmet and shoes matching I could wear almost any kit and still be reasonably well matched and not look like I was color blind.
With the arrival of my Cannondale in team colors (white/black/lime) I thought I would add a couple of touches to the helmet to give it some character and match the bike a little better. I didn’t want to get too gaudy or damage the helmet in anyway so I had to carefully think about how to do this. The obvious choice was to use some sort of vinyl tape. On hand at home I had some black decorative tape for auto and white electrical tape. With those two colors I just started trying different patterns and stripes on the helmet. Once I got something I liked, I carefully trimmed the excess off the ends (being careful not to cut into the foam either!) so it ended at the edge of the shell and didn’t overlap the foam for a professional look.
As I mentioned in a previous post I recently upgraded to a pair of Giro Empire VR90 cycling shoes. I’ve had them for a few weeks now, and while old man winter has hampered my riding outdoors, they have been worn on all my trainer rides since their acquisition. I have nothing but praise for these shoes and could easily recommend them to anyway.
They are also very sharp looking, matte black with “glowing red” letters and laces. The only down side to that is I had nothing else in my kit to match their red color. So after pondering that dilemma, I figured that the two constants that I always wear, no matter that kit I’m wearing, is my helmet and my shoes. Since the box was already checked with the shoes it was time to go helmet shopping! I had a few on my short list that interested me, like such offerings from Kask or Lazer, but ultimately I went with another Giro product – the Aeon helmet, of course in Giro’s glowing red color.
This is a serious helmet that is top of it’s class. Prior to this year it was Giro’s flagship road helmet for several years. That top spot is now occupied by the Synthe, but that doesn’t mean the Aeon still doesn’t deserve accolades. It has some awesome ventilation and is super light at a claimed weight of 222g for the US version (actually lighter than the Synthe). Mine weighed in at 226g. In either case when it arrived I questioned if there was anything in the box it’s so light. It actually makes my old Specialized Propero feel like a boat anchor.
The fit of the Aeon is supurb. Like most helmets you need to adjust the straps around the ears to preference and then let the RocLoc 5 system to the rest. After a little while you almost forget the helmet is even there.
Most importantly the Aeon provides ample spots for me to perch my Oakley Radarlocks when not needed for sun shielding activities.
I’m not sure I could ask any more of a helmet. Well there is one thing, but lets hope that never needs to be tested.
