Helmets -- An Update, and [Shimano] Lazer

New helmet - Lazer Vento Kinetocore

Last September I wrote a brief review of my helmets when I discarded my ancient Giro Atmos and got a basic Bontrager Specter "wavecell".  I have thought about it some more in the meantime. I think my perception of helmets varies significantly with the season/temperature and length of ride.

First -- one helmet that had been in storage and was not included in last year's review. It is a Bollé model I got some years ago. It is just a little too wide to fit snuggly on my head unless I am wearing a cap of some type underneath. It does, however, have some interesting features. First, you can latch on covers that block the vents on top of the helmet (there are still a couple small vents on the side). This makes the helmet a lot warmer in winter and also presumably improve the aerodynamics considerably.  I used the Bollé this winter on the February Seattle Randonneurs' 200km brevet and some other rides, and I must say it is ideally suited to winter riding. The helmet also came with a removable thick felt lining that covers head and has generous ear flaps ... too warm in Tokyo for all but the coldest days of mid-winter. I still have that liner somewhere but have not been tempted to use it in years. If the Bollé were just a little bit narrower, I might use it in warmer weather without the vents covered ...  Anyway, it probably has another few years of winter use in it before it needs to be discarded.  (The US CPSC recommends replacing helmets after 5-10 years, even if not damaged, as the foam filling deteriorates over time).

Vent covers on!

Vent covers off!

Side view

Vent covers

Second -- last Fall I gave a relatively mixed/lukewarm review of the Giant Pursuit MIPS helmet. I have used it on a few rides recently and have adjusted it so that it fits a bit better and feels balanced on my head. It is still a bit heavy and bulkier than some, and it is still a very dirty white color.

Finally -- For PBP and other future rides, I finally bought a first-tier aero road helmet, the Lazer Vento Kineticore. "Kineticore" is Lazer's name for their crumple zone crash-protection tech, which gets 5 stars out of 5 from the Virginia Tech helmet crash testers. Lazer is a 100+ year old name in cycling helmets and was acquired by Shimano in 2017 or so. On the Worldcycle Japan domestic online site, it is listed as "Shimano Lazer" or, actually, シマノレーザー. Elsewhere it is just "Lazer".

The Vento

Rear left view. The corrugated surface above the light is actually a band to tighten/loosen the internal part that wraps around your head and holds it snug. Very easy to adjust while wearing. AND does not protrude from the back like many of the wheel systems that would interfere with a ponytail or riding on the recumbent with the headrest.

Side view with reflective stickers 

The Kinetocore crumple zones.

The helmet looks distinguished, I think. It fits perfectly, is very easy to adjust with an external adjustment mechanism on the back, and is easy to attach a rear LED light. There is even a decent place to stash glasses. And it is relatively light, as well as being designed for aerodynamics ... with decent airflow. I added some reflective stickers given the darkish cover, and affixed a rear light.  I compared it with a number of other similar designs ... and it was 10-20% less expensive and available within Japan, but by no means cheap at around $180 equivalent.

Wout van Aert (aka WvA)!

Jonas Vingegaard [correction - Marianne Vos] ... showing too much mouth.

Christophe La Porte (winner stages 1 & 3, GC leader, Critérium du Dauphiné)

Team Jumbo Visma uses the Lazer helmets which ... seems odd, given that they are not a Shimano team (they use Cervelo bikes and [Cervelo affiliated] Reserve wheels, with SRAM groupsets). Then again, Lazer is a Benelux company that downplays any Shimano connection; and Jumbo Visma is the #1 Benelux team. As the sponsors want to hear fans and consumers say, if it is good enough for [Wout/ Jonas/ Primoz/ Rohan/ Christophe ... ] then it is good enough for me.

Then again, Wout van Aert usually rides a Red Bull sponsored helmet ... he was using a different Lazer model until, at Tour de Suisse, he appeared with a Vento that has the Red Bull logo and color scheme. 

WvA in his Red Bull Vento

For a seriously hilly stage in warmer weather ... some of them opt for maximum ventilation rather than aerodynamics. I did not see Primoz Roglic using the Vento at last month's Giro. But they all seem to have the Vento at the Dauphiné ... and won 4 out of 8 stages, 3 wearing the Vento. Vingegaard used one on Stage 5, but had on a different Lazer helmet with full ventilation/less aero at the end of stage 7 -- a stage under 150kms in length but with over 4000 meters elevation gain. (Team FDJ also uses Lazer helmets.)

I hope that, with this new purchase, I will not be buying any helmets for the next couple years at least. I'll still use the Bontrager for my rides in town, and the Bollé for some rides in winter. The Giant Pursuit perhaps can see service as a backup, or for a TT-like effort.