Good afternoon all. I was about to put in an order for a Specialized Evade. But whilst watching the Tour de France, I see several riders wearing Ekoi helmets. That tickled my interest. I see that Ekoi’s AR14 series helmets are much more reasonably priced that the Evade. More specifically, Ekoi has far more attractive designs and color schemes. There’s also the AR16 series. Yet I can’t find much info on the “safety” aspects of the Ekoi helmets. And I really can’t locate persuasive information of the aero qualities in comparison to the Evade. Does anyone wish to enlightened me in regard to these two areas? Would I be best served but just getting an Evade? Thank you!
All helmets have to pass the same safety standards be it a $300 helmet or a $30 helmet.
Haven’t gotten my hands on one to test yet.
I have an AR14 and absolutely love it. One of the best fits I’ve found for my noggin and very light. My go to for the road right now. Their prices are so good and I’ve gotten a number of the kits which I think are also amazing.
All helmets have to pass the same safety standards be it a $300 helmet or a $30 helmet.
Haven’t gotten my hands on one to test yet.
But this is like saying all students got a passing grade while some got an A+ and others a D.
All helmets have to pass the same safety standards be it a $300 helmet or a $30 helmet.
Haven’t gotten my hands on one to test yet.
But this is like saying all students got a passing grade while some got an A+ and others a D.
It’s more like pass/fail. The standard is X. You have to pass the standard to get on the market. You can exceed the standard but no one gets a sticker in their helmet that says “I’m better than the standard, ask me how!”
I doubt a $260 helmet is 6.5x safer than a $40 helmet.
Thanks desert dude. Unlike some, who focus more on the “aero” characteristics of a helmet, I’m primarily concerned about saving my head. That’s why I am drawn to the Evade. It has a “5” star rating from VT. It’s also recognized at the gold-standard of aero road helmets (so I’m told.) I guess that’s why it has the hefty price tag of $300. Although I’m sure that the “Specialized” name inflates the tag. As for the Ekoi, I agree with you that it will give me the protection that I need. I just don’t know how aero it actually is, compared to the Evade. There little to no info on it’s true aero characteristics that I can find. I’d really like to get the Ekoi, if only because it has much better patterns and color schemes. But I’ll get the Evade if it provide significantly better aero qualities.
Hey There! My wife Carrie and I are USA distributors for EKOI. You can find us over a dozen Ironman events and several cycling events. Up next for us is the SALT LAKE Crit series this weekend and then off to Ironman Lake Placid. Carrie also handles the US customer service hotline 11-5 PST hours as well as all US returns.
The AR 14 is certainly a great choice as you can see it is trusted by 4 teams in the tour. The helmet is CPSC certified and we actually had to add more protective foam comparted to the one sold in Europe in order to meet the US standard…In terms of Aero benefit, THE AR 16 has tested faster with the shield over the front face, then comes the AR 14…The mold of these helmets is exactly the same, keep in mind that it fits someone with a more round head compared to more oval shape and also runs a size large so if you normally wear a large helmet, you will fit in a medium.
If you are looking for the fastest Aero Road helmet then check out the new Pininfarina designed Aerodynamica which has tested faster than both the AR 14 and 16. This helmet fits true to size and we find a more oval head shape prefers this helmet to an AR 14 or 16. The Aerodynamica uses the Koroyd inserts for both safety and cooling.
Hope this helps and don’t hesitate to reach out personally if you have any further questions…Are Placid we will be the Tour de Big Bear, Santa Baraba Triathlon, USAT Nationals in Atlantic City, Ironman Chattanooga, Kona, Ironman Arizona, and Indian Wells 70.3 2025 will kick off at Tour de Palm Springs…
Scott,
If you don’t mind, could you send me 1 or 2 helmets for testing?
In the last 12months I’ve done over 50 testing sessions, mostly triathletes, both pro (only 1 had a helmet sponsor) and Ag, as well as several pro and category cyclists.
PM for more info
I’ve tested Brad a few times in the wind tunnel fwiw.
Thank you for the info! Very helpful. I’ll take your advice and look into the Aerodinamica. I was trying to avoid a “TT” look with a helmet, but that helmet seem to be a better choice for me. Thanks again!
What is ekoi doing to improve protection from rotational impacts? Everything I’m seeing on the website is only related to linear impacts.
Ekoi offers MIPS technology in the Gara
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Thanks desert dude. Unlike some, who focus more on the “aero” characteristics of a helmet, I’m primarily concerned about saving my head. That’s why I am drawn to the Evade. It has a “5” star rating from VT. It’s also recognized at the gold-standard of aero road helmets (so I’m told.) I guess that’s why it has the hefty price tag of $300. Although I’m sure that the “Specialized” name inflates the tag. As for the Ekoi, I agree with you that it will give me the protection that I need. I just don’t know how aero it actually is, compared to the Evade. There little to no info on it’s true aero characteristics that I can find. I’d really like to get the Ekoi, if only because it has much better patterns and color schemes. But I’ll get the Evade if it provide significantly better aero qualities.
Forgive my ignorance, but given the range of speeds, angles, twistings, etc, is there much reason to favor one Mips helmet over another Mips helmet?
Assuming you believe the virginia tech test methods, yes, because there are mips helmets with 5 stars and others with 4 stars
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