At a glance High-end off-road helmet for all-mountain use that offers a comfortable fit, good venting and an adjustable visor to deflect sun, rain and bugs.
Tested by
Jon Adams, tester for The Bike List
Performance
Giro’s premium off-road helmet, the Xen, has been a top choice since it first came onto the market way back in 2003. The fact that it has survived without any radical changes for 8 years shows how right the design and performance was in the first place, but taking the Xen’s throne at the top of the dirt-lid range is the new Xar. The two helmets will co-exist for a year or so, and then the Xen will disappear, leaving the Xar in its place.
Apart from a more angular appearance, with the holes squared-off compared to the Xen’s rounded vents, the Xar isn’t dramatically different, so we’re looking at a design evolution rather than a revolution. The weight difference between the two is just 3g (the Xar is 324g and the Xen is 327g on our Medium samples) so there’s nothing to gain in this area. The biggest change is in the fitting system and here the Roc Loc 5 replaces the Roc Loc 4 seen on earlier models. This really is an excellent design, and adjusting the interior cradle to fit your head is a one-handed job that takes no more than a few seconds.
A control dial at the back rotates to tighten or loosen the band around your head, and while you’re tweaking this you can adjust the depth of the cradle by simply pulling the it down or pushing it up. The fit of the old Roc Loc 4 system was superb, and this is even better, so for comfort and security, it’s first class. The difference in overall feel is that the adjustment seems to tighten more at the sides when turning the dial whereas on the Roc Loc 4, the helmet felt tighter at the back. You’ll still need to try it on to assess the fit against your own unique noggin, but if you’re happy with a Giro Roc Loc 4 lid, then you can rest easy that this will fit you well, too.
The only minor downside in the enhanced Roc Loc 5 system is you’re not left with a thin band of plastic at the back. This means you can’t quickly clip a rear flasher to the back of the lid, as you could with a Roc Loc 4 model, as the adjustment dial gets in the way. It’s easily surmountable though – just get hold of a couple of large zip-ties, and you can fashion a secure clip-on point a little higher up.
In terms of comfort, the Xar outdoes the Xen by some margin in the venting stakes. It’s cooler-running, and the vents built into the adjustable visor are really effective at cooling your forehead – much more so than the ones in the Xen. You have to get the angle right to feel the benefit, but drop the visor and nod your head a little forward, and feel the breeze!
The X-Static interior padding is nicely positioned throughout, and comes in three separate parts that quickly Velcro in place. Silver is used in the anti-microbial material to keep odours at bay, but when you want to freshen it up, you can simply bung it in the machine on a 40º cycle. Take care not to lose any of the bits though – it’s a good idea to get a small mesh bag for the wash to stop the pads going astray.
The Xar is designed for MTB riders, but the visor will tilt high enough to ensure good visibility, even when you’re in the drops on a road bike. This is great for commuters with drop bars, as it means you can enjoy the sun-, rain- and bug-deflecting advantages of a visor without compromising visibility when you want to get into a low tuck to fight the wind.
Another marked improvement over the Xen is the sweat handling. When you’re climbing or pushing hard enough to saturate the forehead pads in a lid, the sweat has to go somewhere, and the Xar is really smart because it has been sculpted to drop it in front of your shades. A lot of helmets channel the sweat down your nose – or even worse – into your glasses, but the Xar’s ‘drop off’ point is further forward, so it drops onto your top tube or stem and not into your eyes. Brilliant!
Another nice touch that brings the design in line with modern use is the near-flat top that’ll happily accommodate lights or helmet cameras. The middle vents seen on the Xen are now moved to either side of the centre line, making helmet mounts easier to fit, and the holes are well positioned to take the mounting straps.
Overall, the Xar is an attractive and comfortable lid that vents well, considering its robust build. It won’t give you the cool airflow of a premium road race helmet like the Giro Ionos, but it does a sterling job and gives you extra rear protection and an adjustable visor that’s perfectly suited to road or mountain bikes. With better venting and smarter sweat channeling, Xen users retiring their lids should look no further, and road bike commuters thinking of visorless roadie lids should take a long look at the Xar, as its beefier rear protection and weather-deflecting visor makes it an ideal choice for getting to work day in, day out. The cost is the only barrier, but with web and street prices discounted to around the £100 mark, it’s in line with other top-spec lids, and the broad array of colour choices will help justify the outlay for many.
Buy from www.chainreactioncycles.com
Giro says:
The XAR offers all the features you’ve come to expect from Giro’s top-level trail-riding helmets – P.O.V.™ adjustable visor; In-mold composition with EPS foam and polycarbonate shell; Roll Cage™ reinforcement, but the XAR heralds a new era of performance, comfort and style. At the heart of this helmet you’ll find 17 Wind Tunnel™ vents as well as optimized internal channeling, and the visor is vented to increase airflow. Breathability on the XAR is incredible; there’s never been a lid this breathable on dirt. Even the padding is extraordinary thanks in part to X-Static fabric.
Carving turns. Shredding rough descents. Attacking climbs. All Mountain riding is all about conquering the elements with speed and efficiency. Giro’s new Xar is the perfect helmet to compliment this rapidly-evolving category.
In 2003, Giro changed the look of freeride mountain biking with the Xen. With its muscular shape, increased rear coverage and skate-punk attitude, the Xen was the first helmet of its kind. A lot has changed since then. The same riders that used to focus on big hucks and airtime are now the ones crushing long climbs and covering vast distances to get to the best descents. To fill these specific needs, we introduce the Xar.
- Suggested use: All Mountain, trail riding, Endurace/Marathon XC, Super D
- Features: P.O.V.™ adjustable visor w/ 15° vertical adjustment
- Construction: In-mold - EPS liner, polycarbonate shell
- Fit system: Roc Loc 5
- Ventiliation: 17 Wind Tunnel vents, internal channeling
- Sizes: S (51-55cm), Size M (55-59cm), Sixe L (59-63cm)
- Colours:
Black with Cyan and Lime Lines
Matte Black with Grey Bars
Matte Metallic Brown with Orange Bars
Matte Neon Green with Titanium Bars
Matte White with Grey Bars
Metallic Orange with Blue and Yellow Lines
Find out more www.giro.com
