I was in the LBS yesterday and I decided to throw the bike on the trainer and have them snap a few pics of me with the Giro Advantage 2 and the LG Rocket so I could see how they each fit me. I’m curious to get peoples’ opinions on the fit of each, and whether either one would be a good choice for me. I took two pics of each helmet. The first is with my head up in my normal riding position, and the second was an attempt to simulate the ‘my neck is really tired and my head is starting to droop’ position after several hours.
Giro- head up:
Giro- slight head drop:
Rocket- head up:
Rocket- slight head drop:
My observations are that the Rocket sits more flush to the back in the ‘head up’ position than the Advantage, but that they both have a pretty sharp angle where the tail meets the back. The head slightly down position, while opening a larger gap between tail and back, actually produces a flatter top surface of the tail for both helmets. I’m curious to hear which head position people think is actually more aerodynamic- 1) head up, no gap between tail and back, and sharp tail angle (relative to back) or 2) head slightly down, some gap between tail and back, but flatter tail relative to the back.
Secondly, and more importantly, is either of these helmets a good fit for my back shape, or would the longer tail of the Spiuk allow me to get the tail tight to the back and still have a relatively flat top of the tail to back transition (if that makes sense)? Nobody around here carries the Spiuk, so trying it on isn’t an option. Also, I wear a size large Giro road helmet, so I’m a bit concerned about the Spiuk even fitting my large mellon. Anyone know how the one size of Spiuk runs for people that wear large road helmets?
Please don’t get the black one… Please don’t get the black one… Please don’t get the black one… Please don’t get the black one… Please don’t get the black one… Please don’t get the black one…
Out of those two, definitely get the LG.
BUT!!! (why is there always a but?) only if you get the visior as well.
The LG is pretty damn average without it (like no better than your road helmet average…)
Personally, I prefer the Limar Crono 05
Faster than both…
Fit wise, I’d do the LG Rocket. Comfort is a factor if you’re doing longer races and ventilation may also be a factor if you live in a hot climate (wish I did!). The Rocket looks like a better choice from the pictures to me.
I bought the Giro last year for TT’s and have an even more exagerated version of what I see in your pictures. If you have the helmet in a somewhat normal angle on your head (side view), the tail will never fit your back. If you have a more aggressive aero position, it’s even worse.
I have big shoulders so the radius of the helmet rear always hits the top of my shoulders with significant gaps on either side. I reshaped the radius on either side to match my body. The adjustment tabs in the back would dig into my skull so they were ground down and smoothed. I still have to rotate the helmet back a fair amount but at least it’s against my body. Tom Demerly mentioned that people “incorrectly” rotate the helmet back which I don’t agree with.
The LG Rocket fits much differently but the built in visor is nice and the shape is more smoothed on my rather large head( A large barely fits).
I won’t suggest which helmet you should get. (Although, I race with a LG Rocket Air.) But, the position of you head in the “tired” position is closer to what you should be striving for as your “normal” position. Note how practically the entire helmet is above your back in the “normal” position. That’s not good.
My observations are that the Rocket sits more flush to the back in the ‘head up’ position than the Advantage, but that they both have a pretty sharp angle where the tail meets the back.
The head slightly down position, while opening a larger gap between tail and back, actually produces a flatter top surface of the tail for both helmets. I’m curious to hear which head position people think is actually more aerodynamic- 1) head up, no gap between tail and back, and sharp tail angle (relative to back) or 2) head slightly down, some gap between tail and back, but flatter tail relative to the back.
Your “head up” position is presenting a whole lot more frontal area to the wind. And, as you say, a big angle where the tail meets your back. Not good on two counts.
Your head down position is getting closer to where you need to be. Especially, IMO, with the LG. I think you could work on dropping your neck down further (turtling/shrugging - whatever you want to call it) with the same head angle, if that makes sense, and get better still. Looks like your torso is pretty horizontal, so you should be able to get close to a horizontal line from the top of the helmet transitioning smoothly to, and maybe just slightly higher than, your back.
they both look very good, and i have an LG. one thing i found this week working on my positions for a TT the weekend is that the LG works better for me if i take the retention devise out, it fits better on my back and fits lower on my head.
The interesting thing is that the silhouette on both helmets seems similar but the Giro is positioned much farther forward on your head overall. I’m not sure if that means anything, but it may because of the big “lip” formed by the front of the Giro.
The interesting thing is that the silhouette on both helmets seems similar but the Giro is positioned much farther forward on your head overall. I’m not sure if that means anything, but it may because of the big “lip” formed by the front of the Giro.
Interesting comparison though.
The front of the Giro is definitely thicker than the Rocket, and it does position the helmet further forward.
Thanks everyone for the feedback. It sounds like, from a fit perspective, the LG is the way to go. If I hadn’t seen pictures of myself wearing the helmets, I would have gone away with the impression that the ‘correct’ way to ride these helmets is with the head up far enough for the tail of the helmet to sit on the back but what the pictures are showing, and what several of you have mentioned, is that dropping the head a little and working to ‘turtle’ my neck will present a much cleaner frontal area.
The one concern I had about the LG, and hence the one reason I was considering the Giro, is for ventilation. My “A” race this year is Vineman 1/2, and it will definitely be in the high 80’s and possibly 90’s on race day. For those that have the LG Rocket Air- is it the same shell size/shape and tail length as the Rocket, or is the tail shorter? The LBS didn’t have a Rocket Air in stock, but the guy mentioned that he thought it had a shorter tail. From what I’ve seen of it in pictures that doesn’t look to be the case. If the Rocket Air has the same overall shell shape and tail length as the Rocket, that would likely be the way I end up going.
Thanks again,
John
Edit- oh, and non-sequitur, sorry but the goatie stays no matter what- even if it costs me 10 minutes. I shaved it once and my wife started laughing and said I had Bart Simpson lips… whatever that means.
Honestly, it’s all hearsay until you test in the tunnel! I had my first ever session in the wind tunnel at the end of last season, and tested 4 different aero helmets. The differences were astounding! What I thought was the most aero helmet for me actually cost me several watts against one that tested best and actually reduced drag (and consequently, is the one I’m racing in this year!).
It all boils down to the numbers your body allows in the tunnel!
