Cyclist
Best aero road cycling helmets reviewed 2024
Aero helmets have taken over road cycling. A helmet is something that the majority of cyclists wear for every single bike ride, and while increasing rider safety remains their primary objective, in recent years the trend has moved away from solely focussing on safety and ventilation to also using helmets as a means of improving performance.
The best aero helmets feature some compromises in ventilation for the sake of reducing the amount of power required to travel at a given speed, ideal for those looking to increase the speed of their rides or find an edge in races. This compromise in ventilation can be enough to offset the aero savings though, especially on warmer days. A hot head is uncomfortable and can also impact performance. This is where a semi-aero helmet can be optimal.
It is still important to look out for safety and fit features, such as an independent five-star safety rating, the inclusion of anti-rotational impact protection, and adjustability at the cradle and straps/webbing.
As far as aero performance goes, key features are often a narrower profile, extended length, fewer vents and deep internal channelling to allow plenty of airflow through the helmet and out the back. This can also aid ventilation but is often more effective at higher speeds.
Reviews of the best aero road cycling helmets
- Abus Gamechanger 2.0: RRP £225 – Read our full review
- Ekoï Aerodinamica: RRP £335 – Read our full review
- Giro Eclipse Spherical: RRP £239 – Read our full review
- HJC Furion 2.0: RRP £180 – Read our full review
- Kask Nirvana: RRP £320 – Read our full review
- Met Trenta 3K Mips: RRP £290 – Read our full review
- Poc Procen Air: RRP £360 – Read our full review
- Scott Cadence Plus: RRP £230 – Read our full review
- Specialized Propero 4: RRP £165 – Read our full review
- Trek Ballista: RRP £230 – Read our full review
How do we test and why trust our advice?
All of our product reviewers are avid cyclists who have been riding for many years. They have all built up a huge array of experience from riding in various conditions and testing what kit works and doesn’t work in these situations.
These helmets were tested in a mix of conditions, terrains and speeds to help determine the effectiveness of the ventilation both at high speeds and low speeds, as well as in warmer summer weather.
Over the course of thousands of kilometres these helmets have all been put through their paces to bring you a definitive guide to how they fit, how practical they are, how well ventilated they are, and in theory, using company supplied data and their in-house aerodynamic assessments, how quick they should be.
Best aero road helmets 2024 tried and tested
Abus Gamechanger 2.0
Price: £225 / $267.69 / €249
- High venting at faster speeds
- Improved cooling via brow vent
- Fit is more suited to oval heads
Version two of the Abus Gamechanger adds new features, such as a brow vent to reduce sweating into the eyes, although venting isn’t very effective at lower speeds and the head can get hot. There’s also a Mips option. It’s a helmet designed to be aero at speeds above 45kmh. A size M weighs 268g.
Two glasses ports, one at the front and one at the rear, work well with a range of cycling sunglasses, although glasses can knock against the helmet’s rim when worn. To up the aero, Abus doesn’t include strap adjustment, while the fit works better for those with oval heads.
The Gamechanger 2.0 is good value for a pro-level aero helmet and there are nine colours sold for the non-Mips variant, offering plenty of choice.
- Read our full Abus Gamechanger 2.0 helmet review
Ekoï Aerodinamica
Price: £335.10 / $420.93 / €389.99
- Impressively well ventilated
- Very expensive
- Big aero brand names back up performance claims
The Ekoï Aerodinamica adds to the standard makeup of EPS foam and polycarbonate shell with the inclusion of Koroyd crumple zone inserts in strategic locations to aid protection from high speed direct impacts as well as rotational impacts.
Meanwhile the body of the helmet has been designed with aero experts from SwissSide and Pininfarina who have decades of experience in cycling and motorsports aerodynamics.
The helmet comes with some strong performance claims, however limited data to back them up. One thing that is tangible is the impressive cooling at speeds above 30kmh and even in temperatures nearing 30˚C.
The lack of glasses storage is a shame, and the rear dial feels a little cheap. Although the helmet is on the heavy side at 332g, this isn’t really noticeable.
The big number is the price: £335 (although Ekoï prices in Euros and its products are frequently discounted) making this one of the most expensive road helmets on the market. However, for fast paced rides and race days it may perform well enough to warrant that expense for some riders.
- Read our full Ekoï Aerodinamica helmet review
- Buy now from Ekoï (£335)
Giro Eclipse Spherical
Price: £239 / $250 / €260
- Great ventilation
- Mips Spherical technology
- Good value
The Giro Eclipse helmet features the Mips Spherical rotational impact protection system from Giro that includes two separate layers of helmet that can move independently of each other. It was also used in Giro’s previous generation pro-level Aether helmet, which is still highly rated and is effective enough to have achieved a five-star safety rating in Virginia Tech’s independent testing.
Aero performance comes from virtual aerofoil technology that makes the Giro Eclipse helmet behave as if it’s longer than it is. The large number of vents and channelling result in impressive ventilation not just at higher speeds but also at lower ones, while clever padding helps reduce the chance of sweat getting into your eyes. All this comes at a good price for a helmet of this calibre, making it an impressive all-round performer.
- Read our full Giro Eclipse Spherical helmet review
HJC Furion 2.0
Price: £180 / $199 / €199
- Self-adjusting fit system without a dial
- Low weight
- No rotational impact system
Tagged as a semi-aero helmet, the HJC Furion 2.0 uses the Venturi effect to help keep your head cooler. It features a self-adjusting fit system, which does away with the usual rear dial and which I found to be effective with the option to adjust just how tightly the rear cradle sits on the head.
The majority of vents are at the front and provide decent cooling at higher speeds, although not when riding more slowly and there’s minimal internal channelling to promote airflow. The vents aren’t well positioned for sunglasses storage either.
The Furion doesn’t include any additional rotational impact system, despite this becoming a feature of most modern helmet designs. At 224g for a size M its weight is low and the £180 price is competitive.
- Read our full HJC Furion 2.0 helmet review
Kask Nirvana
Price: £320 / $400 / €360
- Multipod 3D printed padding
- Ear covers to improve aerodynamics
- One of the most expensive helmets available
Kask’s latest aero helmet has ear covers that partially envelop the ear lobes and, Kask says, improve aerodynamics by 35% over its Utopia Y. Ventilation is also claimed to be improved, although I didn’t find it very effective at lower speeds.
The Nirvana incorporates Kasks’s Multipod 3D printed pads, which shear in a crash to provide rotational impact protection, fulfilling a similar role to Mips. There are additional merino wool pads at the brow.
The ear covers make it a little tricky to put on sunglasses and take them off, as they get in the way of the sidearms. Sunglasses stowage wasn’t easy either. Although airflow over the top of the head is good, it’s less so at the sides and the Nirvana felt a little hot at lower speeds.
- Read our full Kask Nirvana helmet review
Met Trenta 3K Carbon Mips
Price: £290 / $379 / €330
- Superb ventilation
- Lightweight
- Mips Air node
The Met Trenta 3K Carbon Mips is not a dedicated aero helmet like many in this guide, but it includes a good number of aerodynamics-enhancing technologies and features while being both the lightest and best-ventilated helmet on test.
This is in part thanks to the inclusion of carbon fibre in the shell of the helmet to lower weight, while the Mips Air Node system provides lightweight rotational impact protection and assists in achieving a five-star safety rating.
On the road, the helmet performs exceptionally well in warmer weather, and while it’s hard to quantify aero performance, absence of overheating should enhance performance in hot weather.
The Met Trenta 3K Carbon also features great fit adjustability and glasses storage. But at £290 it is very expensive. Exposed EPS foam on the underside and the Mips Air rubber tugging on hair prevent performance from being perfect.
- Read our full Met Trenta 3K Mips helmet review
Poc Procen Air
Price: £360 / $400 / €400
- Uncompromisingly aero helmet
- Brilliant visor
- Very high pricetag
The Poc Procen Air is very much a time-trial helmet for the road. In fact the Procen is Poc’s TT helmet, while the Procen Air shortens the tail slightly and makes the ear covers removable and smaller to comply with UCI rules..
It still uses the Venturi effect, where the vents at the front are situated where the highest air pressure location is. Air is then funnelled through the internal channels in the helmet and out of the exhaust ports to reduce turbulence at the rear and aid ventilation.
In fact, above 30kmh the ventilation is impressively good, but at lower speeds or climbing the Procen Air can get uncomfortably warm.
The included visors are very good, with the magnetic attachment being effective at the front while the magnetic visor storage at the back is practical.
The price is sky high at £360, but the inclusion of both a mirror and a clear visor do boost the value nicely. Although the weight is high at 355g with the visor or 323g without, it is not really noticeable when riding. For those looking for every marginal gain, this helmet may well be worth the sizable investment.
- Read our full Poc Procen Air helmet review
- Buy now from POC (£360)
Scott Cadence Plus
Price: £229.99 / $229.99 / €249.90
- Included rear light
- Good ventilation
- Fast in more positions
The Scott Cadence Plus includes many of the now commonplace aero road helmet features such as larger vents at the front, deep internal channelling and exhaust vents at the rear. This is complemented by a Mips Air node liner to provide rotational impact resistance without adding much weight.
A large rubber dial is used at the rear for retention and has a particularly good feel. Although the helmet is only claimed to be one watt faster than the previous version, according to Scott it is better across a wider range of speeds, wind angles and positions.
Practical features include vent plugs for cold weather or another 2W saving (£12.99 extra), a clip-in rear light, helmet bag, magnetic buckle, and vents for glasses storage. All this for £229.99 makes the helmet great value, but in the white colour sweat can stain the shell.
- Read our full Scott Cadence Plus helmet review
Specialized Propero 4
Price: £165 / $200 / €190
- Great value
- Good balance of aero and venting
- 5-star safety rating
The Specialized Propero 4 has been designed using technologies and lessons learned from the S-Works Prevail 3 and Evade 3 to create a helmet that bridges the gap between the two but is nearly £100 cheaper than either.
A standard EPS foam and polycarbonate shell are used, and instead of Mips Air Node the Propero features a Mips Evolve liner, but still scores five stars in Virginia Tech’s safety testing.
The fitting system is the same as found on the S-Works models and allows plenty of adjustment to ensure a comfortable fit.
The Propero is a semi-aero helmet with aero features from the Evade and venting features from the Prevail. In practice it is neither as vented as the Prevail nor as aero as the Evade, according to Specialized’s data, but it does a decent enough job at both while at £165 it comes in at less than half the price of several of the helmets in this buyer’s guide.
- Read our full Specialized Propero 4 helmet review
Trek Ballista
Price: £229.99 / $299.99 / €299.99
- Good value
- Pretty lightweight
- Can get very warm
The Trek Ballista combines claimed aero performance – the fastest helmet it has ever made, according to Trek – with many highly practical features. A Boa dial is used for the retention and works very well compared to other dial offerings, while the cradle can also lie flat to make storage that little bit easier.
The side vents feature rubber inserts, meaning pretty much any pair of glasses sits securely in the vents. The helmet is also quite lightweight for an aero helmet, with the open rear assisting in this, along with the Mips Air Node system, which also helps the helmet towards a five-star independent safety rating.
However even with the very open rear and some large vents at the front, the Ballista can get very hot quite quickly when travelling at lower speeds, and the padding gets saturated with sweat very easily. Overall it performs well, and at £229.99 is good value, but in warm weather it was not ideal for me.
- Read our full Trek Ballista helmet review
- Buy now from Trek (£230)
How to choose the best aero road helmet for you
What is the benefit of an aero helmet?
The biggest benefit of an aero road helmet over a standard road helmet is the promised watt savings and therefore improved speed for the same effort. The difference between a good aero helmet and a less aero one can be as much as 10-15 watts at 35-40kmh and even more compared to a standard helmet, so it’s worth checking the numbers to see if a helmet’s aero claims stack up.
Why use an aero helmet over a more vented design?
Over the course of a ride, an aero road helmet should mean you finish a given distance in a faster time than a less aero one. Those wanting to shave time off their 10-mile time-trial, 100-mile bike ride, or Ironman bike leg could all see significant improvements by using an aero helmet over a standard one and it’s free speed for all riders too.
Do I need to be fast to see a benefit?
Although there will be higher watt savings at the higher speeds such as the 40, 45 or 50kmh at which brands often quote their watt savings, at slower speeds there can also be potential for an increase in speed or reduction in energy output.
At 45kmh a 10W saving will not result in a huge speed increase, whereas at 30kmh a 5W saving will likely result in a relatively larger increase in speed as the power required to overcome aerodynamic drag increases at a cubic rate proportional to speed.
How do we tell if a helmet is aero?
We can’t validate aero claims without testing them individually using a wind-tunnel, velodrome testing, or controlled aero sensor use. However, there are several aero design cues we can see in helmets such as reduced frontal profile, reduced or sculpted vents, extended tails, or internal channelling.
Helmet makers typically provide plenty of data about the watts saved by their aero helmets, as this is their major selling point, although as with all aero testing it’s difficult or impossible to compare like for like as testing conditions vary.
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