There are particular gadgets of package that appear to stay with sure skilled riders. Geraint Thomas in Oakley sunnies, as an example, or Nairo Quintana in a Catlike Mixino. These items of kit are emblematic of various eras in biking, and so they endure even when sponsorships change or riders retire.
The Giro Aeon was the helmet of alternative for the Garmin-Cervelo professional workforce of the early 2010s (at the moment often called EF Training-EasyPost), and the form of that helmet will stay perpetually linked to Thor Hushovd driving within the rainbow stripes of world champion.
One in all Giro’s new helmets, the Cielo, takes its inspiration from the Aeon. For these of you who might not recall, the Aeon dates again to the late Armstrong period, characterised by scandal, glamour, and the very early beginnings of contemporary, data-driven biking.
Whereas this will not appear all that way back, helmet expertise has progressed significantly since then. The arrival of rotational impression applied sciences, resembling MIPS, have made helmets safer (although heavier) and aerodynamics have more and more grow to be vital in helmet design. The Cielo might take its design cues from again then, however it’s a totally fashionable helmet in different methods.
Development
(Picture credit score: Tyler Boucher)
The Cielo Mips slots into Giro’s street lineup as a mid-tier choice. It doesn’t have the ball-and-socket-esque Spherical Tech included in Giro’s high-end helmets and is due to this fact cheaper. Giro payments it as an “enthusiast-level” helmet, and that is apt.
The Cielo has 22 vents and inner air flow channelling and incorporates a Mips Evolve Core liner. It makes use of a Roc Loc 5 Air retention system and padding incorporates silver particles to forestall odour. Like all helmets offered in North America, it complies with the US CPSC Security Normal. It has but to be examined by Virginia Tech’s unbiased testing lab, however different Giro helmets have traditionally completed properly beneath these protocols.
My check pattern got here within the Matte Mild Mineral color, and weighs, per my scale, 295 grams in measurement small. Within the photographs on Giro’s web site, the Mild Mineral seems to be off white, but it surely’s truly a light-weight greenish-greyish. The form is kind of compact with a brief general size, however considerably broad entrance profile—very a lot akin to the Aeon from all these years in the past.
The Trip
(Picture credit score: Tyler Boucher)
Initially, match is an important a part of a helmet. Giro helmets have a tendency to suit an oval head form finest, and I’ve discovered that totally different fashions match barely in another way. This isn’t a critique of Giro both—it’s the identical with nearly each helmet maker.
The padding could be very comfy throughout the brow and the dial on the again is properly sized and simple to make use of. I discovered that the straps sit very near the top, which is useful for each consolation and aerodynamics. It’s value noting that Giro makes no particular claims relating to aerodynamics with this helmet, however then it’s not supposed as a top-end race helmet both.
MIPS methods proceed to enhance: the primary iterations had been problematic for anybody with lengthy hair, however they appear to have eradicated among the catchy bits that triggered essentially the most points. It nonetheless might snag in spots, nevertheless, so will surely be value attempting on earlier than shopping for.
(Picture credit score: Tyler Boucher)
I examined the Cielo in a spread of climate circumstances, from fairly scorching (for Seattle, that’s) to pouring rain and was comfy all through. And there’s room for a casquette beneath if want be to stretch the temperature vary considerably. The Cielo had no interference with the few totally different fashions of sun shades I examined. There are padded rubber spots within the entrance to create a kind of glasses storage when not being worn on the face.
The one important shortcoming I encountered is on the dimensions—at 295 grams the Cielo isn’t any light-weight. That is in distinction to the Aeon, which can be over a decade previous however weighed considerably much less. Most of this weight acquire could be ascribed to the MIPS system that’s now customary on most helmets. The interior harness, which permits the helmet to pivot across the head within the occasion of a crash, provides grams however will increase security outcomes. It’s a really affordable commerce. The Cielo can’t match prime finish helmets, however then it isn’t attempting to.
Worth and Verdict
(Picture credit score: Tyler Boucher)
At $199 / £165.00, the Cielo is significantly cheaper than Giro’s top-end Aries Spherical mannequin, as worn by the Jumbo-Lease a Bike workforce. The query is whether or not or not it performs consistent with its worth. There are numerous good helmets in the marketplace within the sub-$200 vary, from the likes of Specialised, Bontrager, POC, Bell and extra and so they all go the identical security assessments. Often, you pay extra for much less, by way of weight, and the Cielo is comparable with others right here.
On the finish of the day, match is paramount—a helmet can check properly in a lab, but when it doesn’t suit your head properly it gained’t do its job correctly. The Cielo does every little thing it should, whereas paying (refined) homage to an iconic helmet of the previous, and does so for an inexpensive worth.
