Giant Rev Comp Road Helmet

The Giant Rev Comp is a very good entry-level helmet offering a comfortable fit, decent ventilation and plenty of adjustment for a very reasonable price.

• Pros: Vent position promotes good airflow, comfortable padding
• Cons: Looks a little cheap with so much exposed polystyrene

Some people just want a basic helmet that does the job while meeting the relevant safety standards – a simple click and go type of lid – and that is exactly what the Rev Comp is. There are no gimmicks or space age technology, just a polycarbonate cover bonded to an EPS (expanded polystyrene) shell.

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Its design, though, has been pretty thorough when it comes to the vent position, often one of the failing points of many helmets below the 60 quid mark. You get 16 of them dotted all around, and I was surprised with how well they work – especially when you think that most pro-level helmets use well over 20.

Whether travelling at speed or hauling up a steep climb, I could still feel a cool breeze blowing through the helmet. The big plus part of this was that I never became massively hot, which kept down the levels of sweat running into my eyes as the pads don't get overwhelmed.

Those pads are not massively thick but they are comfortable against the skin. They are made from TransTextura Plus fabric which has anti-microbial properties to stop bacteria growth and associated smells from sweat.

Adjustment of the cradle is basic and simple, by way of a thumb wheel design that you can tweak on-the-fly to get the fit right. The Rev Comp comes in two sizes with a fair amount of overlap: small/medium (49-57cm) and medium/large (53-61cm).

Making it commuter friendly, you can remove that rear Giant-branded cover to expose the magnetic mount for Giant's Numen+ Link TL light (£24.99, sold separately), which is nicely positioned for getting you noticed amongst the urban traffic.

The Rev Comp feels decent quality, but with a lot of helmets now running their polycarbonate shell right under the lip of the bottom of the helmet, the Rev looks a little cheap with so much of the EPS exposed – especially on the white or yellow models. It can get damaged easily as well, when dropped or in storage.

It is just £49.99, though, which is a good price for this type of helmet. At 275g it weighs virtually the same as the Lem Volata and costs a tenner less. Ventilation is better too.

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There are plenty of options out there, though, like the very good Specialized Align, which performed well with only its weight being a slight issue at 338g. It is only £30, mind.

On the whole, the Giant Rev Comp is a very good helmet for the money, covering all of the bases with ease.

Verdict

Entry-level helmet offering really good performance throughout and plenty of comfort