New Giro Aerohead II helmet is a ‘new way of thinking about aero helmets’

By Jack Luke

Published: Monday, 04 March 2024 at 13:36 PM


Visma-Lease a Bike has debuted a striking new Giro time trial helmet with a giant visor, elongated nose cone-like edge and wide shoulder-hugging wings at the start of Tirreno Adriatico. 

Time trial helmets have grown steadily in size in recent years, but the new Giro Aerohead 2.0 is the biggest we’ve seen yet. 

The helmet’s most striking feature is its impressive overall length. Extending far beyond the rider’s forehead, a wraparound visor meets the foremost edge of the upper shell, creating a nose cone-like profile. 

Shoulder-hugging wings

DIRK WAEM/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images

When used in a time trial position, the tail of the helmet sits between the rider’s shoulder blades.

Presumably, the tall visor improves the view down the road. The visor extends almost rearwards past the ears, aiding peripheral vision.

Riders have been pictured wearing clear and tinted visors, suggesting the visors are interchangeable. 

Visma-Lease A Bike/X

Viewed top-down, the wings are nearly as wide as the rider’s shoulders. Wide time trial helmets help shift air from the leading edge of the helmet and around a rider’s shoulders.

The POC Tempor – one of cycling’s most striking helmets – was one of the first to feature wide wings, but even that is svelte in profile compared to Giro’s new lid.

A new way of thinking about aero helmets

Visma-Lease A Bike/X

In a video posted to Twitter/X, Visma-Lease a Bike’s head of apparel, Paul Martens, said the helmet was designed in collaboration with Giro “without any boundaries.”

“It’s a new way of thinking about aero helmets… and we have found a big improvement in our whole system in time trials [with the helmet].”

Giro has shared no official details yet but has been approached for comment.