Warren Rossiter is BikeRadar and Cycling Plus magazine’s senior technical editor for road and gravel. Giro’s other premium helmets, the Aether and Synthe, are all about aerodynamic and cooling efficiency at speed, but the mantra behind the Helios is safety in a more appealing, stylish package that maxes out on traditional safety elements too. With the Spherical Protection Technology we can achieve all of those goals without compromise.” Gaining added protection but compromising on fit, comfort, light weight and cooling. ![]() With that choice they sometimes make a trade-off. Giro’s brand manager Eric Ritcher told us: “We’ve found that riders over the years have increasingly chosen helmets with additional protection tech. The Aether is designed to provide maximum cooling at pro-rider level speeds and conditions, so for those still wanting the highest level of protection and comparable cooling, but not riding fast enough to feel the benefits, the Aether may not be the ideal choice. Until now we’d only seen Giro’s unique two-piece shell with its ball-and-socket construction on its pro-level Aether helmet. The Giro Synthe II MIPS might now be the Ultegra of Giro road helmets, but as we all know, that's where you get the performance without the price tag.The outer EPS liner slides in all directions independent of the base EPS liner. The wider look might not suit those with narrower heads - though once again to be clear that's just the looks rather than the fit, which is superb. MIPS aside, Giro has tweaked the performance of the Synthe II so that now it's better ventilated, more comfortable with its (cheaper) integrated MIPS and its weight matches that of the flagship Giro aero helmet, the Eclipse. ![]() Value and conclusionĪs I've mentioned, this latest iteration of the Synthe uses what has become entry-level MIPS now that Spherical MIPS is here, and for that reason the price has dropped from £249 - the RRP of the original Synthe - to £179. To be clear, this doesn't affect the excellent fit - it's just the shape of the shell. I prefer a lower-profile helmet as I have a longish head that can easily appear mushroom shaped with a helmet that’s too wide sitting atop it, so if you’re the same it’s worth trying one on first and looking in the mirror. I don’t have the original one here to compare it to so I can’t say for sure that it is more flared than it used to be, but it now looks wide compared to other modern road helmets, certainly wider than equivalent sizes in the Giro Helios, HJC Furion and Abus Gamechanger - my three regular helmets. The only thing I’m not quite convinced by is the shape of the Giro Synthe II MIPS. Before he was famous Ollie Bridgewood tested the original Giro Synthe for CW in Majorca on the Sa Calobra climb in 25 degrees and reported that the only discomfort was in his legs. This helmet was only launched last November so I can’t verify Giro’s claims that it’s better vented than the original, but the 19 vents do let air rush in easily and I’d say there won’t be a problem with overheating in warm weather. These work really well and - as with Giro helmets of the past - the vents are exactly in the right place for sticking your sunnies in. Giro's standard straps and plastic hardware are specced here.Ī custom touch, however, is the additional of small rubber grippers at the entrance to the front/side vents which work as what some helmet manufacturers call an ‘eyewear dock’. The straps are easy to adjust for correct spacing around the ears. If you've got on well with the fit of Giro helmets in the past, you'll get on well with the Synthe MIPS II. Some say Giro helmets suit rounder heads, but mine is more oval and since the days of the Pneumo 20 years ago I’ve found Giro road helmets to supply a glove-like fit. ![]() Helmet fit is a personal thing, but I’ve always got on well with Giro helmets. Thanks to the integrated Roc Loc 5 Air MIPS cradle, and probably due to the shape of the helmet itself too, comfort is very impressive. However, the Synthe II still compares very favourably to its more expensive siblings. Spherical MIPS dispenses with the slip liner since it consists of two shells that slip against each other, often compared to a ball and socket. The lower price reflects that the Synthe II doesn't use the more sophisticated Spherical MIPS of the Eclipse, Aether and Helios. ![]() In 2017 when we included the original Synthe in our Editor’s Choice roundup of the year’s best kit it cost £249. Something indisputably lower is the price. (Image credit: Simon Smythe/Cycling Weekly)Įither way, we’re only talking grams and it’s certainly not a big deal: Giro’s very latest pro-level helmet, the Eclipse Spherical, has a claimed weight of 275g, which is a gram heavier than our size M Synthe MIPS II (actual weight).
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