I’m in the market right now for a time trial helmet, and I can’t choose one. I’m tempted to go with the economical choice, which is a louis garneau chrono, but it doesn’t seem as effective as something like a more expensive helmet such as the louis garneau rocket. So what do you guys think? Is there a helmet that is well worth the money, or should I just go with the cheap one?
I got tired of waiting for the Giro, so I opted for the LG Chrono. I am impressed with quality, fit and comfort. Does it make me faster? I dont know, feels alot different, especially in a head wind!
I LIKE IT!
You get what you pay for. Go with the Rocket. It is a good mid-priced helmet and cheaper than the Spuik and Giro Avantage.
Last year I had a Prologue (still have it). This year I’m on a Rocket. It tests FAST. Can’t say enough about the helmet.
I have the Spiuk and would recommend it. It feels kind of light and cheaply made but I think that’s more a functio of trying to keep the weight down than actual quality. Besides the thing is three feet long and has an exhaust port - if you dare to wear it you have to ride at least 5mph faster wearing it regardless of the aerodynamics!
Tests are showing (the MIT wind tunnel ones) that any aero helmet on your noggin will be faster than a std. vented road one, BUT that each persons unique anatomy, position, etc. will be faster with one vs. another. Since most of us aren’t going to test in the wind tunnel, I’d also highly suggest the LG Rocket. Well made, seems to fit most and I certainly see more people with one of these than any other helmet. “Reasonably” priced too. I just started wearing one this year, and I’ve had no overheating issues that I was worried about.
Hello Barryclaman and All,
Some references that may be helpful:
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A list of all helmets on the market and whether they are CPSC approved may be found at www.bhsi.org/helmet07.htm Specific questions may be addressed to Charlie Crawford, USAT Commissioner of Officials.
Email charlie@usatriathlon.org Phone 334-332-9092
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http://www.helmets.org/hurtmemo.htm
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From John Cobb about 1 year ago:
Yaw 0 2.5 5 10 15 20
untaped Atmos @ race angle 7.64 7.75 7.41 7.47 7.56 8.33 = 7.69lb
taped vents Atmos @ same race angle 7.47 7.12 7.31 7.10 7.73 8.16 = 7.48lb
L. Gar. rocket, tail up 6.97 7.24 7.21 7.26 7.00 7.16 = 7.14lb
L. Gar. Rocket tail dn 7.24 6.95 7.03 7.03 7.28 7.73 = 7.21lb
Bell/ Walmart Impulse, taped 7.27 7.63 7.36 7.27 7.38 7.98 = 7.48lb
Rudy Syton w/flaps 7.31 7.50 7.29 7.07 7.31 7.74 = 7.37lb
Rudy Syton No flaps 7.24 7.34 7.33 7.18 7.28 7.81 = 7.36lb
My tests showed the Chrono to be about halfway between the Giro Eclipse and Rocket, and that’s when my head is tucked down low. My initial thought is that when sitting higher the aero helmet would be a bigger improvement over the regular helmet. Either way at 30mph no one should be laughing at a half pound of drag reduction. 
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Reference: http://www.velocitynation.com/...x?ID=1273&CID=54
The Shootout
Now, on to the new numbers. I got my hands on a Giro, Rudy, and Uvex to add to the test. I noticed that the numbers fluctuated quite a bit from day to day, so I tried to do the test as quickly as possible while monitoring room temperature. This test took place over 2 hours on a clear day. Room temperature didn’t change, and I’m hoping humidity and barometric pressure held steady as well. I tucked the helmet straps under, to eliminate another variable. The Garneau was tested with and without a visor. The Uvex was tested only with a visor – the velcro holding it on was a little loose, and I didn’t want to damage a borrowed helmet. All helmets were run alone and with a simulated back. I tilted the styrofoam head up a bit so all the helmets could sit pretty flush to the back, which was held in the same position for all helmets. This raised the drag of the bare head a bit. On to the numbers.
Helmet Alone
Bare Head…109
Spiuk Kronos…109
Uvex fp2 …111
Garneau Rocket…111
Garneau Rocket w/ visor…114
Rudy Syton Open…129
Giro Advantage…132
Helmet with back
Kronos…102
fp2…107
Rocket…109
Rocket w/ visor…111
Syton Open…123
Advantage…129
Once again, some disclaimers. I’m not a scientist, nor do I play one on TV. My wind source is a joke compared to a real tunnel. I don’t know my margin of error. I’m picking out one or two gram differences in the helmets, using a scale that’s sensitive to one gram. My simulated back may or may not interact with the helmet like a real back. So be skeptical – these results may mean something, or nothing at all.
Last week I wondered if the Spiuk had 60% of the drag of the Garneau, since it added 12g of drag vs 20. Now I know that’s totally the wrong way to think about it. This week the Spiuk added 0g of drag, which would make it infinitely better than the other helmets. Of course that’s ludicrous. Next week I’ll have a full mathematical analysis of the numbers, but for now just consider these numbers a means of comparison.
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Cheers,
Neal
I went with a LG Chrono this year. Don’t feel quite as dorky in this thing as some of the aero helmets.
Yes… that’s true. Even the lousiest aero helmet (that we tested) is 80% as good as the best helmet that we tested, in terms of savings compared to a road helmet.
That said, go for something that’s comfortable if you’re riding long distance. I use the LG prologue myself (being on a student budget), and it feels very much like a normal road helmet. I’ve tried the spiuk, and I must say that it is a very comfy helmet, and it tests pretty well too. However, it’s up to you whether you want to pay the >$100 price differential for it…
Or if you’re able to, get the new Specialized helmet that’s on the heads of the top 4 finishers of the most recent TDF time trial… (=