From the Kona footage I’ve seen the field seems to split between aero & vented helmets.
I’m sure there are arguments for both that hinge on:
does the drag reduction out weigh the heat penalty…Where do STers stand?
Vented. Definately vented.
I’ve worn the Rudy Project Wingspan the last 2 years and have found it to be excellent, offering more than enough cooling.
Kona has a lot of cross wind, so a aero helmet may not be that great, cooling your head with water, is easier with a vented helmet
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I raced Hawaii 70.3 this year (it was incredibly windy) and I regretted my decision to wear the Wingspan TT. My neck was sore 20 miles in from the tail of the helmet forcing me to strain. In addition, my buddy did his 5th Kona last year and specifically mentioned in his race report that he was “really glad” and knew he “made the right decision” to wear the vented road helmet instead of the aero.
Best of luck!
I haven’t been to Kona and it’s a long shot I will ever get there. Anyways I noticed Chrissie Wellington wearing a vented LG helmet at Kona. My buddy twitted her asking why she wore the vented helmet as opposed to an aero one. She actually replied to him saying" because my head gets very hot. this means i can dehydrate/overheat, which could make my run slower. and i like to run fast!"Pretty cool she replied
Is there a cutoff temperature-wise generally for you guys going aero helmet vs vented helmet? Just curious what the long distance tri-er has to say…furthermore…any bad experiences?
Approx 35% of the body heat loss is thru the head! Simple, when it’s cold you cover it & when it’s hot you ventilate it. I did many test rides with & w/o my aero helmet and came to the conclusion that my aero helmet saves me 7-10 watts which translates to about 7-10min. So you need to decide if the time savings is worth the additional heat gain. That’s an individual decision. I’m doing IM Canada this week & will bring both helmets to the race. My decision to wear either will depend on race day weather forecast. For me, if forecast is below 30C, I go with aero, if above, I go for max ventilation.
Just my thoughts.
I asked this same question to Dave Scott and Mark Allen at a seminar at Ironman Hawaii and they said “If you’re going to be off the front and going for the win in your age group, you’ll want an aero helmet. Most people want a vented helmet because there is a lot of traffic packed up and it won’t benefit you while heating your head up.” I wore a vented helmet and it was a great decision. I have a medium to high sweat rate.
Approx 35% of the body heat loss is thru the head!
Apparently not: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/dec/17/medicalresearch-humanbehaviour
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http://www.slowtwitch.com/Products/Tri_Bike_by_brand/Kona_2011_-_Top_15_men_on_the_bike_2416.html
There’s your answer if you are looking to race.
I raced in a wingspan last year, great helmet with a big vent at the front and small tail. Last year Rudy Project were giving them away for free if you signed a waiver that you would wear it race day, no wonder it was the most popular aero helmet…
Thanks everyone for the input. Seems like it’s worth bringing both and experimenting once there. No point leaving faster times at home!
Here we go with the “I’M GOING TO KONA!!! disguised as a question” threads.
Use an aero helmet. Kona doesn’t have special anti air that makes you faster/just as fast with a regular helmet. Your entire body is shedding heat while on the bike. How much difference is a little patch of scalp really going to make.
Have fun while YOU ARE RACING IN KONA!!!
From the Kona footage I’ve seen the field seems to split between aero & vented helmets.
I’m sure there are arguments for both that hinge on:
does the drag reduction out weigh the heat penalty…Where do STers stand?
I wore an aero helmet (Specialized TT2) during Kona last year, and had no problem with heat. I did wear a cooling beanie underneath, but that is as much to minimize sweat running down my face as for temperature regulation. I have to admit that I did not find Kona to be that extreme heat-wise, but I do live and train in South Florida where it’s hot and humid for most of the year.
-David
I wore a vented helmet last year, because of chatter about heat buildup. But, I’ve done several HIMs this year in very hot and humid environments with my Spiuk aero helmet and had no problem with feeling hot. I’m bringing both versions to Kona this year and make the call when there.
Look at it like this, save time by being aero & sweat your arse off & increase the chances you’ll be overheating & dehydrated on the run…OR…be cooler with a vented helmet & gain whatever time you lose by not wearing the aero helmet, back during the run by being cooler, less dehydrated…it is a pay off one way or the other. CA didn’t wear an aero helmet until last year, same with Chrissy–many wins with no aero helmet. Zack & Hell on Wheels wore vented helmets when setting the bike records there.
Aero… I will be using my LG Vorttice and used the LG Superleggera in 2010 and LG Rocket in 2007 (drive by Kona brag!)
Look at it like this, save time by being aero & sweat your arse off & increase the chances you’ll be overheating & dehydrated on the run…OR…be cooler with a vented helmet & gain whatever time you lose by not wearing the aero helmet, back during the run by being cooler, less dehydrated…it is a pay off one way or the other. CA didn’t wear an aero helmet until last year, same with Chrissy–many wins with no aero helmet. Zack & Hell on Wheels wore vented helmets and drafted the press vans when setting the bike records there.
FIFY.
False dichotomy. Aero does not equal sweat your arse off.
Even Craig Alexander finally realized this. (And promptly set a new CR.)
Perhaps it’s time you should too.
WIthout question… I will be wearing this helmet at Kona this year.