I have a pro star with the shield and like it well enough. The ability to open/close vents while riding is nice. For $79 it's probably a good deal, but I wouldn't consider it a high end helmet. Test road a ballista and thought the front was sort of pointy and made for a poor fit with sunglasses.

Have the LG Course and the Bonty Ballista, both very comfortable.
Both fit Oakleys well, neither get hot and have good air flow.
I found the Course to have marginally easier straps to get in the right position but find the Mips Ballista sits lower on the head which I prefer.

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It's only impossible if you stop to think about it.

I too have the Course and Ballista. I've had the Course for several years and have REALLY liked it. Very comfortable and reasonably aero. My wife got me the Ballista for Christmas. Have only worn it a couple of times. I believe, and it tests, more aero. It too is comfortable. I think the Ballista becomes the race helmet and the Course for training. I have been very happy with both.

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David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

I am happy with my Ballista. Light, aero, and comfortable.

I have been in need of a new helmet and have settled in on the Ballista. My local shop and Trek dealer has listed online and in stock the size and color in the regular Ballista and only the yellow in my size for the MIPS version. I am not too fond of that yellow color.

Is the MIPS version worth the extra dollar compared to the regular version? (throwing out the obvious "is your head worth the $25 dollar difference)
I am in no hurry and the shop would probably get the color and size for MIPS, but I could just get the regular Ballista when I pick up my bike today or tomorrow.

I train/ride only and almost always solo. I do not compete.

Edit: I have had several crashes with the normal style road helmets and did just fine. One was a 40 mph crash racing down a mountain with a Giro road helmet. My helmet was the first to hit the pavement and split, but absolutely no concussion. Lots of other damage to the bike and the rest of my body. Most of my crashes my left hip has taken the brunt of the impact. Only twice over the years has my helmet hit, but I am faithful to wear one.

What about the new Scott Cadence that Rappstar reviewed?

I definitely liked the looks of the Cadence and would consider it if I were a competitor.

As a sidebar note, I want to show this shop some appreciation because I recently purchased a SRAM etap wifli group from an online retailer. Things kind of went sour during the install at home and the local shop stepped to help well beyond what I expected (well beyond) as if I purchased the group from them. They called me through the process to keep me updated on when the damaged component was coming in. I just felt they went well out of their way to help me out. The warranty replacement came in to their shop last week and I wanted to let them finish out the build, but they are not making that much. I am in need of a new helmet and they carry the Ballista. In terms of timing I could just get the regular Ballista that they have in stock when I pick up my bike. I have a couple of Giro road helmets that are getting to the end of their service life. No doubt I will be showing my appreciation to this shop for years to come.

I am not sure who carries the Scott helmet in my area to be honest. All the local shops (about 6 of them) carry the usual Giro, Bell, Specialized, LG and Bontrager. And most of them have the lower end versions in stock of each of those brands.

Similar where I live, no one stocks much stuff from Scott, I'd be buying it on ebay.
Trying to decide between that or something like a POC cerebel for racing. I've become less and less convinced on the time savings for typical age group athletes wearing full aero helmets....

I'd really consider almost anything but the Scott is priceier than the Ballista.

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I still lapped everyone on the couch!

That's a good question. I know MIPS is better but I'm not sure how much better.
It's not like standard helmets which have been stellar have gotten worse. I'd like to know exactly what the occurance of head injury is when they are compaired.

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I still lapped everyone on the couch!

The shop manager made a good sales pitch for the MIPS so I had them order the Ballista MIPS in my size and desired color. I hope that I do not test the MIPS. But for a MIPS aero helmet this one is a decent price in comparison to the others. With a shaved head the one I tried on felt comfortable and light. I typically wear a Halo skull cap. Most helmets that I have owned have a sharp edge somewhere inside that make them uncomfortable with a shaved head. Well I best hold that thought until I have worn it for 4 to 5 hours straight.

You owe it to yourself to at least try on a Scott Cadence helmet. Unfortunately I did and just had to buy it. I swore it was custom fitted to my head and did not want to remove it. It was that comfortable. I plan on using it for all around training and racing in hot weather. Hard to beat an all-around, good looking, versatile, light, and aero helmet that gets used all the time....training and racing. Last year I raced with my Aerohead in humid 90+ (degrees Fahrenheit) and almost had a heat stroke. I shaved seconds off my bike only to throw away minutes on the run. I know the Cadence is on the pricier side but I once heard a saying..."buy once, cry once". I most likely will race with the Cadence any time the temps climb over 90 degrees F. and the Aerohead for shorter sprints and cooler weather.

Check out Bolle's The One Premium. Reasonably aero and tons of features for the price. Looks like it's on sale at REI and a few other places right now.

One huge point in favour of a Ballista: Bontrager gives a one-year all included guarantee. That including crashes! I've personally tested that policy on a different helmet after I wrecked at an MTB race, 11 months after the purchase. The shop just gave me a new one, no questions asked.

That, and the Ballista is super-comfortable, and if you're riding fast you can feel the breeze going through the channels. Definitely my go-to road racing lid.

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ZONE3 - We Last Longer

Actually one of the things I really like about the Ballista. My theory is to go one helmet since I need to replace both and a crash replacement policy is huge for that.

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I still lapped everyone on the couch!