Choose your fighter: Ugly time-trial helmets official ranking

Cyclist
Choose your fighter: Ugly time-trial helmets official ranking

Time-trials are not always the most exciting of stages at WorldTour races, but thanks to a plethora of increasingly bizarre ultra-aero helmets, we found ourselves transfixed by yesterday’s opening stage of Tirreno-Adriatico.

Now, we can’t claim to know which helmet offers the greatest aerodynamic advantage, but we can adopt the mantle of The Devil Wears Prada’s Miranda Priestly and judge them on their aesthetics alone – which is arguably the most important thing.

Here, from the bad to the best, is the official ranking of the current crop of time-trial helmets…

#6: Visma-Lease a Bike, Giro – The worst

The internet almost buckled under the weight of people hating on Visma-Lease a Bike’s new Giro TT helmet. It is simultaneously an aesthetic nightmare and a social media manager’s engagement dream.

The team debuted their new helmet designs before the opening stage of Tirreno-Adriatico yesterday, a 10km individual time-trial ultimately won by Juan Ayuso of UAE Team Emirates. Visma-Lease a Bike’s highest-placed rider was Jonas Vingegaard in 9th.

The shape creates a bulbous ‘helmet’ stretching to the sky like a Borsoi dog looking up for treats. Even if it doesn’t generate more speed, it has already paid its way in generating exposure. But is that worth the memes?

#5: Uno-X, Sweet Protection – Thumbs down

Before Visma-Lease a Bike came and stole the top spot at yesterday’s TT, the prize for worst helmet in the peloton was held by Uno-X. Debuting to much chatter at the Volta ao Algarve last year, the Sweet Protection ‘Redeemer 2Vi’ lid features flared sides like a pair of ’70s jeans.

The effect is Star Wars stormtrooper meets bullfrog, but at least it matches the team’s socks, so that’s at least two fashion points gained back.

#4: Bahrain-Victorious, Rudy Project – Still not a fan

With so much attention directed at Visma-Lease a Bike’s abomination, Bahrain-Victorious’s new helmet that also debuted during Stage 1 of Tirreno-Adriatico passed with barely a mention.

But it didn’t escape our attention. It’s essentially a bowling ball glued onto a plastic light shade, creating an aesthetic so ugly that they felt the need to give it a grey camouflage design in the hope that no one would notice it.

#3: Soudal-QuickStep, Specialized – Getting warmer

A helmet and snood combination first seen at the 2022 Tour de France. We quite like this one. Soudal-QuickStep’s Specialized TT helmet is bulbous but quite pleasantly shaped in a way that makes it look functional in a fashionable way.

Then you see the balaclava. Specialized says it is ‘designed to smooth airflow around and through the brand’s helmets’ by flattening areas such as hair and ears. We say it looks like the team’s collective grandmothers have insisted they wear them to prevent them catching a chill. The snood steals the show, and this article is about helmets. Perhaps that’s even worse a crime than being a fashion disaster.

The UCI just revealed they had informed Specialized of a review conducted on the head sock in relation to ‘non-essential’ components, and that these snood helmets will ‘no longer be permitted for use at events on the UCI International Calendar, effective from 2 April, 2024’. So not only a fashion disaster, but a disqualification from this list too?!

#2: EF Education-Cannondale and EF Education-EasyPost, Poc – Almost there (Hi Barbie!)

The now-discontinued EF Education Tibco-SVB team used to wear a beautiful Procen TT helmet from Poc, the men’s EF Education-EasyPost team also wearing it at the Giro d’Italia in 2023. Anything Barbie pink gets a thumbs-up.

Poc has caused more of a stir with a TT-inspired unreleased aero road helmet that covers the top of the riders’ ears and has been worn by both EF Education-EasyPost and the EF Education-Cannondale squad, which is similar to the Procen. I prefer the older design, but don’t tell them that. They probably won’t hear anyway, their ears being covered and all.

#1: Ineos Grenadiers, Kask – The best

Kask showed how time-trial helmets should be done with this special edition of the Kask Bambino Pro Evo worn by Filippo Ganna during his successful UCI Hour Record attempt. Admittedly, the Italian could wear a bucket on his head and still look sleek, but the Bambino Pro Evo is on the right side of Darth Vader-esque.

Our only gripe – the clear visor. We’re not a fan of being able to see riders’ eyes during a time-trial effort. It feels too intimate, so please use a tinted visor in future. Although in Ganna’s case, he was going so fast that we couldn’t see them anyway.

Hour Record aside, the Ineos Grenadiers team use the Bambino Pro Evo helmet for their time-trialling on the road. Ganna has an advantage in this area, the Italian ITT Champion combining his tricolour kit with the same design on his helmet and finished second wearing it in the Tirreno-Adriatico ITT.

Cycling helmets have advanced over the years. Not only in terms of aerodynamic efficiency or offering a better protection, but there’s a shift towards space helmets that look much more suited to defending the galaxy than riding a bike during time-trials. Maybe they’re preparing for something we don’t know. Either way, aesthetically pleasing most are not. Unless you’re an Italian Champion. Then carry on.

The post Choose your fighter: Ugly time-trial helmets official ranking appeared first on Cyclist.