I have had a Bell Javelin for a number of years now, and from what I have read it may not be the fastest helmet around but in general it seems to test fairly well for a lot of people.
I won’t be heading to the wind tunnel any time soon, so I was wondering if there is another more recently release helmet that would ‘gemerally’ be faster than the Javelin for a wide range of people?
The Aerohead seems to do well on a lot of folks.
That said, it’s not a for sure upgrade to the Javelin, that helmet does well still.
There are faster hats, but the Javelin is the king of value. I got mine for $80, IRRC. All of its likely faster bretherin start at around $200. I would like to upgrade to an Aerohead or LG P09 at some point, but I am waiting for a great sale.
In the wind tunnel comparisons I could find, the Javelin routinely tests as one of faster helmets for most people across most positions. So, this makes it highly likely that it will be fast on me, given that I will not select based on a wind tunnel. Some helmets only test fast for certain positions and very slow in other positions.
There are three recent YouTube videos by Ronald Kuba where he tests on the track and windtunnel. The track testing is mostly centered around sorting out the best of 10 different helmets. He starts with an Aerohead and comes out with two very different helmets being best. One is very narrow and one is wide. Just kinda shows that helmet choice is completely unpredictable. He doesn’t completely divulge the difference between baseline and the best setup, but you can figure out that the two best are probably about only 3-4 watts faster than the Aerohead. The Selector is tested and there appears to be a bag with the Bell logo (Javelin), so neither of those were best on him.
If I had to guess I would say that you might find 3 watts using a more modern helmet. The Javelin is pretty old and there has been a ton of effort put into new helmet designs, but “peak aero” probably applies to helmets as well. As already mentioned, the Aerohead tests reasonably well on a lot of people, so it is probably pretty robust to multiple positions. Now which helmet is better is a total crap shoot. I did some track testing recently and all I can say is that there were some surprising results. Some big dollar/internet darling stuff was a complete bust or no better than some of the tried and true kit.
Giro Aerohead or Catlike Crono are very good.
I’ve got a large lgP09 for sale that I wore for one race if your interested. Two lenses as well.
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Your question is best answered with a coin flip.
If you’re not going to test it’s really tough to say. The Aerohead seems to do well for almost everyone, it’s the surest thing out there currently. I bought one to use without testing based on the results I’ve seen from the windtunnel. it’s replaced my Javelin (for now) which replaced my Selector by 3 watts which replaced my Rudy project by 11w (just checked my data).
The javelin is a pretty solid helmet on about 60-75% of people. The question is are you in the majority or minority?
Any good comparisons/data out there from aero testing involving the Javelin vs the Specialized S-Works TT?
I’ve been using a Javelin for the last 3 years, but picked up a like-new S-Works this week (previous owner did one half in it).
Haven’t ridden with it yet, but looking forward to seeing how it compares to the Javelin. Fit seems to be slightly better on my head overall, and overall profile is smaller than the Javelin. Would be interested to see data though.
I think the S Works is a good helmet, just not that common. Sometimes a wide helmet is better than a narrow one, but tall is probably universally bad. The Javelin tests better than the Aerohead on some people.
I am in the same boat as you. Glad you threw this out there.
Have looked at the Aerohead myself. Any side benefits to it over the older Javelin (other than aero) that might be something to consider? The Javelin, at least for me, is easy/quick to put on and off in transition. Not sure if cooling for really warm races will be any different with any of the aero lids, but maybe.
I still like the Javelin, but I also know it should be replaced at some point due to wear and tear reasons. So, I should look around at other options.
And if you like white/red and can wear the xs/s, the Sworks TT is available online for $199.
POC Cerebel still holding out ok in the majority?
I think the S Works is a good helmet, just not that common. Sometimes a wide helmet is better than a narrow one, but tall is probably universally bad. The Javelin tests better than the Aerohead on some people.
Only downside I’ve found so far on the S-Works is that the side flaps aren’t as “transition-friendly” as the Javelin and the helmet takes a little more care/time to put on.
The Javelin tests better than the Aerohead on some people.
Have you found a common denominator as to why?
When you’re testing a bunch of different helmets, are you buying like 10 helmets and just selling the 8 that test poorly and keeping the best ones? Just trying to figure out logisticly, how this works. I’ve been thinking about going to visit Jim M in LA and doing some track testing.
The Javelin tests better than the Aerohead on some people.
Have you found a common denominator as to why?
No, just know that some people found the Javelin to be better. I thought I was pretty insensitive to helmets so long as they fit decent and don’t stick up above my back, but the Selector was really bad on me for some reason.
I haven’t even heard of any theory on why different helmets work good for different people… I mean, some are obviously bad, but for others it’s probably some esoteric effect on how air flows around the torso and back; turbulence and flow attachment.
. The Javelin tests better than the Aerohead on some people.
Very few people would be a better way to phrase that ime.
POC Cerebel still holding out ok in the majority?
it’s not a bad helmet for a lot of people. I can remember it being The Helmet for a handful of people.
Again without testing it’s hard to say if you’re in the subset of people it tests well for or the subset where it doesn’t test as well as other helmets may
When you’re testing a bunch of different helmets, are you buying like 10 helmets and just selling the 8 that test poorly and keeping the best ones? .
I know A2 has about 25 different helmets in size runs. Off the top of my head they are currently trying to add 5 helmets from 4 different brands