At a glance Expensive but incredibly light road helmet, with an innovative fastening system and reasonable ventilation
Tested by
Jon Adams, tester for The Bike List
Performance
Giro's latest Prolight will be a real object of desire for those looking to shave grams off their kit. I feel I should hold back on the weight of the helmet in this review, but it's the driving force behind the concept and design, so I'm going straight in! 173g is Giro's claim for a Medium size, and our scales gave us 172g, so that's confirmed. Yep - you read it correctly, 172g. That's what this helmet weighs once it's out the box, and there's no devious marketing involved like "without padding" or "without chin strap". It's 172g with everything attached and ready to roll. This is astonishingly light for a cycle helmet, and it feels almost wrong when you pick it up. The Prolight is half the weight of a lot of road lids, and to put it in perspective, it weighs about the same as a typical multitool, or a smartphone in a case.
To get to this
weight, the Prolight features some innovative design work, the most
striking of which is the RocLoc SL system. This features very light
webbing straps that descend from the helmet body and go under your
chin, and in the place of the usual ratchet adjustment system at
the back is an elasticated band. Because it is elasticated,
this is the adjustment system, and
very comfortable it is, too. You can fine-tune the internal size of
the helmet by clipping the RocLoc SL's retention lugs into three
possible places, and this effectively gives you a small, medium or
large option within each of the three sizes on offer. On our
Medium-sized sample, the default middle position was spot on. There
are no side strap adjusters to lock in place under your ears, and
no double-thickness chinstrap to faff about with, either. All you
have is one Fastex buckle under your jaw with a single thickness of
webbing. The adjustment for this has a built-in retention clip for
the loose end, so the whole affair is very tidy with no 'long end'
left over to flap around and annoy you.
The X-static padding in the helmet is minimal, but gives all the comfort you need, and it's machine washable, so keeping it clean is easy. The pads Velcro into place, and two sets are supplied, but put them in a mesh bag when you wash them, as they're quite small and would be easy to lose in a typical 40º cycle. The padding is made from silver fibres and is antimicrobial, so it stays odour-free, even with heavy use. If you do need to replace them at any stage, a full set can be bought for just £7.
In the looks department, the Prolight is
nicely finished, with four paint jobs on offer, but there's nothing
flash about it as you might expect given the price tag. It's
actually rather understated, and from looks alone, it would be hard
to separate from a batch of £60 lids. The weight is the
instant giveaway, of course, but some will appreciate a high-end
helmet that doesn't scream 'expensive' in its appearance. Others,
of course, would prefer to see the high price reflected a little
more obviously in the design. With the £160
Giro Ionos model, for example, you get extra bling with
distinctive vents, interwoven carbon fibre and a skull cap for cold
weather, but the Prolight looks much more ordinary, yet is only a
tenner cheaper.
Because of the elasticated band at the rear, the technique of putting the Prolight on is slightly different to other lids. The best way is the hold the straps at their junction points and pull out to stretch the elastic a little. You then stick your forehead in and pull the back down so the band sits in the right place on the back of your head. This is a two-handed manoeuvre, so it means riding no-handed for a bit (or stopping) if you need to put the helmet on while you're on the bike.
In use, the
helmet is so light that it effectively 'disappears'. The fit stays
comfortable throughout the ride, and the elasticated band doesn't
feel tight in any way. To keep the air flowing, there are 25
sculpted vents, and these are reasonable at keeping you cool. It
must be said, though, that they're not as effective as the ones on
Giro's other high-end road lid - the Ionos - and for many riders,
this will be the crunch. If you're looking to spend £150 or
so on a Giro helmet, you'll be weighing up the pros and cons of the
Prolight and the Ionos. At The Bike List, we're here to make life a
bit easier for you, and what this choice boils down to is weight vs
venting. If saving grams is more important than getting sweaty,
then the Prolight is your helmet. If, on the other hand, you don't
mind an extra 125g of weight if it means you'll be cooler and
fresher, then the Ionos is the top dog.
Like all Giro lids, the Prolight comes with a three-year crash replacement warranty. Make sure you hang on to your receipt, and you'll be able to get a new one for 60% of the retail value if you crash it inside 36 months of purchase. At the time of writing, this is £80, though you can check all the costs and replacement models here www.madison.co.uk/giro
Overall, the Prolight is a superbly made, cleverly designed helmet that comes in at a staggeringly light weight. It's very quick to adjust - pretty much automatic save the chin fastener - and thanks to the excellent fitting and lack of weight, you'll forget you've got it on. The trade-off for this is slightly compromised venting, at least in comparison to what else is on the market for the same kind of money. The Prolight is expensive - even with retailer discounting you're looking at £135 - but if weight is really important to you, and you like the fit of Giro lids, you'll need to try this on. Yes, the same EN 1078 class of protection can be bought for a tenner, but at present, the Prolight is the lightest helmet in the world, and that was never going to come cheap!
Buy one at: www.wiggle.co.uk
Giro says:
In 1985, the original Giro Prolight set the standard for modern light-weight cycling helmets. Now, 25 years later the new Prolight redefines what an ultra lightweight helmet can be. After an exhaustive, groundup design and engineering process, we're confident that our new Prolight is the lightest game in town. Bar none. And it's remarkably well ventilated and comfortable too - a labyrinth of optimized internal channels allows the helmet to exhale hot, stale air like no other. And by specifying Italian made, featherweight webbing along with our new, minimal Roc Loc SL fit system, you'll have to remind yourself that you've got a helmet on at all. Designing the Prolight was a true exercise in restraint that reminded us that simplicity really is the most important element of style. And performance.
FIT SYSTEM Roc Loc SL with 3 horizontal belt positions
CONSTRUCTION In-mold - EPS liner, polycarbonate shell
VENTILATION 25 Wind Tunnel vents, internal channeling
FEATURES Featherweight webbing, X-Static Padding, Super Fit Sizing, In-mold Construction
SUPER FIT Sizes
Small 20-21.75in / 51-55cm Medium 21.75-23.25in / 55-59cm Large 23.25-24.75in / 59-63cm
For videos and more info see: www.giro.com
Giro Crash Replacement Programme: www.madison.co.uk/giro
