U.S. cycling manufacturer GIRO has been in the business of making helmets for over 35 years. Beginning its operations in California, GIRO has become one of the world’s best cycling helmet brands. Even under new ownership GIRO continues to improve its range of road bike helmets with the entry-level AGILIS MIPS to the elite AETHER SPHERICAL helmet. Take a look at this GIRO helmet review.
About GIRO
GIRO is well known for its high-quality helmets which have been around for more than 35 years. Starting out in California, founder Jim Gentes built his brand with a focus on design solutions, that increase experience & performance.
In 1996 helmet competitor BELL purchased the GIRO company. Jim had built the company into a high-end, high-performance helmet business whereas BELL had helmets in the mass market. This made the combination of the two a perfect fit. 20 years later GIRO changed hands again with the current owner Vista Outdoors acquiring the business.
The AEROHEAD
In 1989 Greg LeMond pioneered GIRO’s AEROHEAD helmet in the Tour de France time trials. Starting the final day time trials 50 seconds behind the leader, LeMond used the helmet to help him finish 58 seconds ahead of the leader and win the Tour de France by 8 seconds overall. This was, and still remains, the closest finish since the world’s greatest cycling race began which was in 1903. Had LeMond not worn the helmet it’s hard to believe he would have won.
Today the great name of AEROHEAD continues to exist in GIRO’s range of cycling helmets. The AEROHEAD MIPS is a record-breaking time trial helmet with excellent safety features and a price tag that’s half the AEROHEAD ULTIMATE.
GIRO Helmet Review: Road Bike Helmets
AETHER SPHERICAL Helmet
The AETHER SPHERICAL is a high-end, high-performance helmet for the top cyclists. This helmet contains GIRO’s Spherical Technology, the ball-and-socket design which uses two separate liners inside to manage the impact forces.
Safety
- Spherical Technology, powered by MIPS®
Value
- $US350
Weight
- 280g (m)
Ventilation & Comfort
- 11 wind tunnel vents with internal channeling
- Roc Loc® 5+ Air
Features
- Independent, In-Mold liners with the Spherical Ball-And-Socket design
- 6-Piece Polycarbonate Hardbody™ lower shell
- Aura reinforcing arch
- Nanobead EPS foam
- Eyewear docking ports
- Coolfit antimicrobial padding
- Slimline webbing
VANQUISH MIPS Helmet
GIRO’s aerodynamic road bike helmet is the VANQUISH MIPS which has few vents but streamlines airflow through the innovative TransformAir design. Although the VANQUISH is aerodynamic it’s also a heavy helmet weighing in at 350g for a medium size.
Safety
- Integrated MIPS®
Value
- $US299
Weight
- 350g (m)
Ventilation & Comfort
- Wind tunnel vents with internal channeling
- TransformAir technology – Streamlines airflow to reduce drag
- Roc Loc® 5 Air MIPS
Features
- In-Mold construction with EPS liner inside and progressive layering
- 4-piece Polycarbonate interlocking Hardbody™ shell
- Stealth shield dock
- TransformAir technology
- Zeiss optics Eyeshield
- Slimline webbing
- Magnetic docking for Eyeshield
- Antimicrobial padding
- Magnetic Vivid Shield by Zeiss
HELIOS SPHERICAL Helmet
The HELIOS SPHERICAL is a safety-focused, high-performance helmet for the all-rounder cyclists that don’t want to fork out the extra money for the AETHER SPHERICAL. GIRO’s Spherical Technology uses a ball-and-socket design to make the helmet even safer where 2 liners are used to manage the forces from impacts.
Safety
- Spherical Technology, powered by MIPS®
Value
- $US250
Weight
- 270g (m)
Ventilation & Comfort
- 15 wind tunnel vents with internal channeling
- Roc Loc® 5 Air
Features
- Independent, In-Mold liners with the Spherical Ball-and-Socket design
- Polycarbonate shell
- Hardbody™ lower shell
- Nanobead EPS foam
- Coolfit antimicrobial padding
- Slimline webbing
- 4-piece shell with lower Hardbody
SYNTHE MIPS Helmet
GIRO’s lightweight, aerodynamic, slim-design helmet is the SYNTHE MIPS. This is a mid-priced helmet that sits between the entry-level AGILIS and the high-end AETHER SPHERICAL. The SYNTHE has most of the tech that the superior GIRO helmets have but misses out on the Spherical technology. However, it also misses out on the heaviness, weighing in at 265g for a medium in the US and even lighter in Europe at 250g. The SYNTHE MIPS is the lightest helmet of the GIRO road bike range.
Safety
- MIPS® equipped
Value
- $US240
Weight
- 265g (m)
Ventilation & Comfort
- Wind tunnel vents with internal channeling
- Roc Loc® 5 Air
Features
- In-Mold construction
- Thermoformed SL roll cage reinforcement
- Coolfit antimicrobial padding
- Slimline webbing
SYNTAX MIPS Helmet
The SYNTAX MIPS is one of GIRO’s budget-priced road bike helmets but it looks like a pro-riders lid. It comes with excellent safety and comfort features like the Coolfit antimicrobial padding. The slim design has deeper coverage at the back but this could be part of the reason why the helmet is so heavy weighing in at 340g for a medium size.
Safety
- Integrated MIPS®
Value
- $US130
Weight
- 340g (m)
Ventilation & Comfort
- Wind tunnel vents with internal channeling
- Roc Loc® 5 Air MIPS
Features
- In-Mold construction
- 4-Piece Polycarbonate interlocking Hardbody™ shell
- Coolfit antimicrobial padding
- Slimline webbing
AGILIS MIPS Helmet
Read Review
GIRO’s AGILIS MIPS is an excellent entry-level helmet that comes with MIPS and a Hardbody shell. This kind of safety is not what you expect in a low-priced helmet. The well-ventilated helmet is packed with comfort features and has deeper coverage which is designed for road and other surface use.
Safety
- Integrated MIPS®
Value
- $US100
Weight
- 300g (m)
Ventilation & Comfort
- Wind tunnel vents with internal channeling
- Roc Loc® 5.5 MIPS
Features
- In Mold construction
- 4-Piece Polycarbonate interlocking Hardbody Shell
- Full Hardbody™ wrap
- Quick dry padding
- Slimline webbing
Check out GIRO’s range of road bike helmets at
In Conclusion
In this GIRO helmet review, we found that GIRO has an amazing range of road bike helmets with something for everyone from the beginner to the elite cyclist. GIRO is clearly safety-focussed having included MIPS in all their road bike helmets including the entry-level AGILIS which has integrated MIPS as well as In-mold construction and a Hardbody shell.