For someone who is a mediocre (at best) cyclist, how much value is there in upgrading from a road to an aero helmet?
I currently have a Rudy Volantis and am considering upgrading to a Smith Jetstream TT.
As mentioned, I am a very mediocre cyclist and truly do need all of the assistance I can get. I’m curious as how how worth it is it for me to spend over $300 on a helmet, when I won’t be making it on a podium anytime soon.
I’ll be doing the Madison Ironman this year, but also have shorter races ahead of me as well.
For someone who is a mediocre (at best) cyclist, how much value is there in upgrading from a road to an aero helmet?..
…I’ll be doing the Madison Ironman this year, but also have shorter races ahead of me as well.
Just got back from the wind tunnel this week and this was something several people tested. At zero yaw there were a few instances where they were close, within 2w. At -7.5 yaw the gap grew to 5-10w difference. Rough math at 10w ~= 3min lost by choosing the aero road helmet.
That was their best aero road helmet vs their best aero helmet. The difference between the less good aero road helmet was even greater.
The other thing to think about is if you wear an aero road helmet and try to ride 3min faster aka putting out more watts to make up that difference you’re also producing more internal heat, using glycogen at a greater rate and reducing your margin of error for a successful run & race.
The Rudy that you have is an ok aero road helmet. if you’re going to go the aero road helmet route and not test, go with the specialized evade II
The aero helmet is better than a road helmet. Buy an aero helmet. If you stay with a regular helmet, buy the specialized evade helmet.
If you try to make up the difference in helmets by pushing harder on the bike you will burn yourself up by overworking on the bike.
Consider the giro aerobead (cheaper) or other aero helmets. The Rudy project wing is another option.
The aero helmet is a great bang for buck pickup to be faster.
BUT, how is your position? Can you stay aero for long on your bike? Are your clothes tight for the IM? Or are you going to wear a floppy jersey?
Thank you. I can hold aero for a while and I wear a tri suit. I just wasn’t sure if spending $350 on a helmet is worth potentially marginal gains and wattage saved.
Goodness…this is basically a foreign language to me.
Can you dumb it down a little?
You get similar benefits from an aero helmet to using a deep front wheel (compared to standard). The helmet is cheaper and has no disbenefits when racing in gusty conditions that may be a struggle with handling for some riders.
Will a helmet make you a winner? No. Is it worth $300? Only you know that, do you have $300? If it’s your last $300 then no, save for food and physio If you won’t really notice it gone, then there’s no reason not to get the lid.
There is no threshold speed needed to benefit from an aero helmet. In fact, slower athletes get a greater time savings than faster ones (since they are out on the course longer, experience higher yaws, etc.).
Three to five minutes saved on the bike might not matter to you in terms of finishing time (ex. going from a 14:30 finish to 14:26), but a lot of folks would like to get off the bike (and their sore butt, aching back, etc.) five minutes sooner. It’s a long day and anything that gets you to the finish sooner is good.
There are less expensive aero helmet options. You can get a used Giro Advantage2 for <$100 on eBay (it generally tested well…prior to the latest generation of aero lids).
Hi Brian - have you got any thoughts on how the difference may change if the rider is moving their head around quite a bit? I had surgery in the cervical spine region a bit over a year ago and find that I need to move my neck around quite a bit if I’m riding longer. I’ve been tossing up getting a short tail / stubby aero helmet to replace my old giro advantage 2 but not sure if I’d been gaining much there if I’m moving my head around a lot. Then there is also the additional weight of an aero helmet over the Ballista I have now or getting an Evade II.
Any thoughts/advice would be much appreciated.
I just wasn’t sure if spending $350 on a helmet is worth potentially marginal gains and wattage saved.An aero time trial helmet is ABSOLUTELY worth it for the performance. But, I would NEVER spend $350 on an aero helmet unless I was sure it was the best performance for me.
The problem with aero helmets is that you really need to test them to know which one is best for your position. Without the testing, you could end up with a helmet that is not materially different from any other.
That said, there are a few helmets that test fast for most people: Bell Javelin, Giro Aerohead, Louis Garneau P-09, Rudy The Wing (and probably one or two more I cannot recall). Absent testing, I would buy the cheapest one of those you can find. The Javelin is $140, and it is often on sale for under $100. That is almost the no-brainer choice. Any other helmet will probably not be materially faster on you. Or it might, but it is an expensive gamble.
On thing to consider which isn’t really discussed here is re: your specific “A” race. Any aero helmet is obviously most beneficial when you are actually in aero. However, I did IMWI last year and you are out of aero A LOT. Even if you are able to physically start in aero on a lot of the climbing, it is a VERY technical course with a lot of tight corners, slow downs for safety, and constant shifting. The technical aspects of the course require you to come out of aero quite frequently (far, far more than any other full IM course I have ridden). And thus, I highly doubt that the aero helmet will give you that much of a benefit on this specific race. Just my two cents, but I definitely wouldn’t spend money on a aero helmet just for this race.
On thing to consider which isn’t really discussed here is re: your specific “A” race. Any aero helmet is obviously most beneficial when you are actually in aero. However, I did IMWI last year and you are out of aero A LOT. Even if you are able to physically start in aero on a lot of the climbing, it is a VERY technical course with a lot of tight corners, slow downs for safety, and constant shifting. The technical aspects of the course require you to come out of aero quite frequently (far, far more than any other full IM course I have ridden). And thus, I highly doubt that the aero helmet will give you that much of a benefit on this specific race. Just my two cents, but I definitely wouldn’t spend money on a aero helmet just for this race.
Why wouldn’t a helmet that is designed to be more aero, be more aero when out of the aero position than a helmet that is less aero? does the aero helmet lose it’s aero properties as soon as you come out of aero?
I purchased a Giro Vanquish MIPS helmet several months ago. I justified the purchase by using it more over the winter, since it kept my head warmer with less ventilation. It’s not as aero or radical looking as the Aerohead, but figured it would fit in better on group rides and get more use.
Hi Brian - have you got any thoughts on how the difference may change if the rider is moving their head around quite a bit? I had surgery in the cervical spine region a bit over a year ago and find that I need to move my neck around quite a bit if I’m riding longer. I’ve been tossing up getting a short tail / stubby aero helmet to replace my old giro advantage 2 but not sure if I’d been gaining much there if I’m moving my head around a lot. Then there is also the additional weight of an aero helmet over the Ballista I have now or getting an Evade II.
Any thoughts/advice would be much appreciated.
Steve
Hmmm my first thought is that we need to kill the old myth that the tail has to be on the back for optimal speed.
My second thought is the Advantage 2 used to be one of the best aero helmets out there. Like many things that were once the best, they tend to fall towards mid pack as new(er) entrants arrive on market. The Giro 2 falls in this category imo. Before it was almost always a top 3 helmet, now it’s probably not a top 3 helmet for >90% of people.
Which brings me to thought #3. I think if I was going to a short(er) tail helmet I’d look at the aerohead (although this can be heavier than others) the Poc cerebral, the LG P09 and the Rudy Wing, maybe the kask Mistral. The first 2 in order the next 3 as availability dictated.
If I was going with strictly a road aero helmet the Evade II still seems to be the helmet that offers the best chance of success.
I’m curious how the evade 2 compares to the vanquish in general if you’re willing to share? As I am eyeing the new giro eclipse spherical which giro says is both better vented and faster than the vanquish
I’m curious how the evade 2 compares to the vanquish in general if you’re willing to share? As I am eyeing the new giro eclipse spherical which giro says is both better vented and faster than the vanquish
I have run this before on several people. In general the Evade II comes out winning more often. As to the W/L ratio I’m not able to recall.
I’m kind of in the same boat as @sglowery. I used to always race with a Giro Advantage 2 but due to surgery on my head/neck I can’t hold head/neck in the position for long to keep the tail level with my back and not up in the air. So for the past three years I have just been racing with a regular road helmet. On average how much time savings am I gaining by switching to a Specialized Evade from a regular road helmet over 40K?
I’m kind of in the same boat as @sglowery. I used to always race with a Giro Advantage 2 but due to surgery on my head/neck I can’t hold head/neck in the position for long to keep the tail level with my back and not up in the air. So for the past three years I have just been racing with a regular road helmet. On average how much time savings am I gaining by switching to a Specialized Evade from a regular road helmet over 40K?
The tail on your back thing isn’t a thing. There are as many instances of tail off the back being the fastest as there are tail on the back.
I have tested regular helmet vs aero road helmet and while I don’t remember the exact savings, there was a time savings. It would also be impossible to give you the exact time you would save as some road helmets are faster than others and, of course, everyone is N=1.
You can ballpark your savings at :15 to :45 over 40k.
How much is a few minutes worth to you at the finish? Are you happy to finish, or do you have a time goal or do you have a friendly competition with someone? Are you going to do more tris where those minutes become more important? Have you looked at second hand(a lot of people wear them for one or two races abd sell them super cheap especially since covid season killer)?
If you won’t really notice it gone, then there’s no reason not to get the lid.