Article by Alan Williams
The Giro Aeon is a classic. It has been around for a couple of years now, but it is still as popular as ever and still selling in massive numbers. It is also still a benchmark and other helmets have only recently started catching up.
When it was introduced, it was hailed for it’s extremely light weight. This was achieved by using different foam densities in different areas, depending on where the helmet is most likely to take an impact. The helmet weighs in at a mere 190 grams. That still beats a lot of recent offerings. All this lightweight comes at a bit of a price, though. The foam very easily chips around the edges because it is so thin.
Venting is superb. The helmet features 22, wind tunnel refined vents. Giro pioneered wind tunnel venting with this helmet. Claiming it to be the coolest (pardon the pun) helmet on the market. All this development comes to the fore front when riding with this helmet. The gaping front vents allow massive amounts of air to enter the front, flow over the head via the air channels on top of the head and exit through the exhaust ports at the back of the helmet. I have ridden this helmet in 40 degree heat and always bean comfortable. This is not a helmet for winter months, though. You would need to invest in a cycling cap if you plan on riding in anything that resembles a cloudy day.
The Aeon makes use of the Giro Roc-Loc system first found on the Atmos and Ionus. It worked brilliantly, keeping the helmet secure and comfortable on the head. It is also very simple to use. The helmet can be tightened or loosened around the head with a turn of an easy to reach dial. The system is also very compact and small in size, thus not interfering with comfort at all. The Roc-Loc can also be adjusted up or down to get a comfortable fit, but I did not need to make such extreme adjustments to get a comfortable fit.
The Giro Aeon is still a class leading helmet and just goes to show that it was before it’s time when it was first released. It has since had a MIPS upgrade and Giro allow you to trade in your current helmet for a free MIPS version, which is very cool and well worth the upgrade in terms of safety.
The Aeon will remain a class leading helmet for some time to come, as a lot of it’s competitors are only now starting to implement some of the tech that this helmet features. Giro do, however, update the price every year. The Aeon was never a cheap helmet to begin with, but it now sells for a whopping R4500. That is R1000 more than the ever popular Specialized Prevail and a fair chunk more than some other offerings.
