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TECH NEWS

Giro launch Synthe road helmet + video

Nearly as efficient as the fastest time trial helmets but with more comfort and ventilation, says Giro

Giro are launching a new road helmet called the Synthe which they say offers impressive cooling, minimal weight, supreme fit and aerodynamic efficiency.

“The Synthe is the pinnacle of road helmet design,” say Giro, which is strange because only this morning Smith told us that their new Overtake helmet is, “The most comprehensive road helmet on the market.” 

Ah well, such is the world of PR. It has been a big day for aero-optimised road helmets.

Giro already have a road-style aero helmet in the range in the shape of the Air Attack (£149.99). That helmet looks very much like an aero helmet; a lot of people don’t like its dome-like appearance at all. The Synthe looks more like a regular road helmet with extensive venting and traditional-style ridges.

Giro claim that the Synthe (don't miss the 'n' out or you'll give the wrong impression entirely) is nearly as efficient as the fastest time trial helmets but with much more comfort and ventilation.

Giro have been running teasers on social media over the past couple of weeks saying that the Synthe is 16% faster, 13% lighter and 2% cooler – but faster, lighter and cooler than what?

It looks like they’re claiming the Synthe is 16% faster and 2% cooler than their existing lightweight Aeon helmet, and 13% lighter than the Air Attack.

The weight is a claimed 250g (CPSC version, the US safety standard, in a size medium). The European version might be a little lighter. 250g is pretty light. To put it in context, the Aeon (size medium) we reviewed was 197g while the Air Attack (size medium) was 275g.

Like the Air Attack, the Synthe uses Giro’s Roc Loc Air fit system which comprises a flexible plastic cradle that attaches to the helmet shell at the temples. You get the choice of three height adjustment positions at the back and you control tightness with a clicky wheel. Winding it up and letting out the slack are equally easily sorted with one hand. What's different from Giro's standard Roc Loc System is that there's an inner cradle over your forehead and the top of your head as well, keeping the shell slightly raised to allow air to flow inside.

“Cooling power is further boosted by elaborate internal channeling and a series of massive vents; the Synthe sets a new bar for ventilation,” say Giro.

The Synthe also features integrated mesh panels which we’ve not seen before, lightweight webbing and eyewear docking ports for stashing your glasses when you don’t want to wear them.

 

This is what US pro Taylor Phinney has to say about it:

The price will be £199.99 and UK distributor Zyro expects to have stock in January 2015.

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

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12 comments

Avatar
adrianoconnor | 10 years ago
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Title is "Giro launch Synthe road helmet + video"

I thought this was going to be a helmet with a built in helmet-cam that could record your ride. That'd be pretty cool. Wonder why nobody has done that yet?

Avatar
andyp replied to adrianoconnor | 10 years ago
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adrianoconnor wrote:

Title is "Giro launch Synthe road helmet + video"

I thought this was going to be a helmet with a built in helmet-cam that could record your ride. That'd be pretty cool. Wonder why nobody has done that yet?

It really wouldn't be cool. HTH.

Avatar
andyp | 10 years ago
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'eyewear docking ports for stashing your glasses when you don’t want to wear them.'

'vents', in other words?  3

Avatar
Accessibility f... | 10 years ago
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Another helmet article utterly bereft of the most important information - HOW GOOD IS IT AT PROTECTING YOUR HEAD?

Avatar
andyp replied to Accessibility for all | 10 years ago
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Peowpeowpeowlasers wrote:

Another helmet article utterly bereft of the most important information - HOW GOOD IS IT AT PROTECTING YOUR HEAD?

as with all other helmets - not very. Probably why that isn't in the review.
HTH.

Avatar
leqin | 10 years ago
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And from where I am sitting those claims sound like 100% more bhullshit (you have to roll the h or not get the true effect of how sthinky and great big a dhollop of bhullshit it is)

Avatar
Simon E | 10 years ago
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More ventilation usually means more drag. You can't have it both ways kids, though the marketing bods will have you believe differently.

For those with a greater interest in this things, more detail here:
http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/06/news/first-look-giro-synthe-semi-...

Helmets aren't compulsory yet, so you could save 250g and $250 by not buying it.

Avatar
midschool replied to Simon E | 10 years ago
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Simon E wrote:

More ventilation usually means more drag. You can't have it both ways kids, though the marketing bods will have you believe differently.

For those with a greater interest in this things, more detail here:
http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/06/news/first-look-giro-synthe-semi-...

Helmets aren't compulsory yet, so you could save 250g and $250 by not buying it.

It doesn't have more venting, it has less. For someone who posts a link based on "greater interest" it would benefit if you paid more attention to the details.  3

Avatar
Jacob | 10 years ago
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Can't wait to buy it and be 1.34 seconds faster on my next ride...

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cat1commuter | 10 years ago
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First rule of aerodynamics: does it look like a fish?

If it doesn't, it's probably not very aerodynamic.

This helmet doesn't look much like a fish.

I'm sure it is more aero than their completely non-aero Aeon helmet! I'm equally sure that it will be draggier than their Air Attack aero helmet.

Avatar
picko replied to cat1commuter | 10 years ago
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Fish are adapted for hydrodynamics, not aerodynamics. Totally different medium, velocity and flow regime. Now if it looked like a bird...

Avatar
ade replied to cat1commuter | 10 years ago
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cat1commuter wrote:

First rule of aerodynamics: does it look like a fish?

If it doesn't, it's probably not very aerodynamic.

This helmet doesn't look much like a fish.

The POC Tempor aero lid is pretty fish-like, but POC themselves admit that it's only fast if you're the kind of rider who can keep your head in a very static forward-facing position, hence more rounded lids like their Cerebel and the Kask Bambino which are more aero in real-world use, i.e. head down, head up, wind from the side...

Golf balls don't look like fish but they're pretty aerodynamic. Horses for courses, innit?

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