Do aero helmets make a difference?

I got a clear aeroshell for my Lazer Z1 helmet (mostly to wear on cold/rainy days) and I’ve been riding with it a lot.

Could be my imagination, but it feels like I cut through the air a bit smoother on really windy days. I noticed it quite a bit with the winds hitting 20 mph on my first ever century that I rode this weekend.

It’s coming off when it get hot though…

A lot of log course tri athletes opt for this on hot races. They lose a bit, but it has better ventilation than a full aero helmet (and you dont really lose much)

Ding, Ding, Ding…I have both generations of the Evade and the first-gen is noticeably smaller. I know they say the Evade 2 is faster, but IME, nothing has touched my first-gen Evade. Both are a size Small, but the Evade 2 fits more like a Med.

As for the point on the front, it seems to be a feature they borrowed from the Giro Aerohead, which also has it.

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This thread is interesting and I hope it brings some good discussion. Helmets seem to represent a fair chunk of drag and while I’m willing to give up some aero for ventilation I realized I don’t want to give it all up, so for me it would be interesting to see some people’s opinions or data even if it’s not perfectly scientific

I have an Abus Gamechanger, I read that it’s shape (similar to the Evade) promotes good aero performance over a wide range of yaw angles, something you’d think is fairly critical for a helmet. Certainly can’t hurt with temperatures only just getting to double digits here in the UK!

I have the evade 1 which i bought LONG time ago (7 years?)
I ve been looking at the evade 2 but after reading this…IDK… i need to go and test it out…

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Speaking of aero helmets I wonder how much Wavecell affects an otherwise aero helmet. My buddy has a Bontrager XXX helmet with Wavecell and it seems like it would a. Generate a bunch of turbulence and/or b. Block airflow through the helmet

For me, it’s a no go cause I want to be able to scratch my head :person_shrugging:

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LBS is Trek and I bought the Ballista and it’s fine in the hot afternoon sun (90s) and wind. Price was right and I always wanted to look like a Stormtrooper.

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You couldn’t pay me to wear a a WaveCell helmet…every review I have ever read has said they are ridiculously hot. Now, I don’t have a problem with wearing an aero road lid in the height of summer, but WaveV=Cell is just dumb, IMO…felt the same way about those Smith helmets a few years ago (I know it was different technology, but referring to the idea of jamming stuff inside the vents of a helmet).

And as you note, those things can’t possibly be aero…

For road and TT helmets the only thing that makes them fast (for me) is how big or small a hole they make through the air. For example, I had two TT helmets I was working with to see which one was faster. A LG P09 and a Giro Aerohead. Most reviews put the Aerohead more aero than the LG. But, for me, not being able to get my head pro low, that size helmet was slow. It was just huge. The LG OTOH had so much less frontal area and just “stuck up” less than the Aero Head and therefore measurably faster. For me.

I look for the same characteristics in road helmets but, cooling will trump a slightly larger helmet every day of the week. Again, this is what I prefer and have found affects performance the greatest.

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Yeah, I often find myself bumping the front of my Aerohead off my hands / extensions on my TT bike.

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I really like the look of the Abus helmet.

How do you find the fit? I want a helmet that sits close to the head as well. My current POC is a bit like Toad from Mario Kart.

What does the research say for minimum speed to make a noticeable difference? I’m considering marginal gains for XCM racing but not sure the pay off is high enough for the cost (financial, and ventilation) considering the relatively low speeds.

Being an old alpine ski race nerd I brought my hands up in front of my face years ago. I caught so much shit. Now it’s the thing…Anywho, yeah my hands are high enough my helmet is buried in them ala Marcel Hrscher never breaking his tuck on the Hahnenkamm. Even so the top of that helmet was above my shoulder blades when in position. The LG was considerably lower…Honestly, I don’t think it matters much. I can’t keep rock solid still for km after km so that’s way more important than the helmet will ever be…again for me.

In addition, finding elbow pads that helped squeeze the shoulders narrower might be more important still. I guess it all adds up, but, I’ve given up on the holy grail of helmet aero drag. Narrow shrugged shoulders and solid core to keep quiet at power are more important to me. But, I’m shaped like a brick. I’ll never be super aero.

Funny, I was listening to a Cycling Tips podcast recently and they said that the Wavecell was pretty much a bust product-wise. In fact, Trek’s own sponsored riders refuse to wear it. They were pretty harsh actually. I was surprised to hear that.

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I’m the opposite…my hands are still pretty low…only a 10* rise and a low-rise extensions…I can just tuck my head really low.

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I could forgive if it was safer but apparently that is not conclusive. Also I am kind of a trek/Bontrager fanboy and if they don’t offer stuff without it I’ll have to look elsewhere. Should go in the pile with their road tires

I usually like Giro helmets and find the fit is pretty good, I’ve been wearing it for very long rides. The only negative is there isn’t much of a soft ‘liner’, so if you have a sensitive scalp (or are bald) it might be an issue? I was concerned on first look, but haven’t had any issues in wearing. Also no complaints on ventilation. Hot days have given me just as sweaty a cap as my Giro Aether, and I’ve not noticed being hot during use. For my head it’s noticeably ‘un-mushroom’ like, even less than a Spesh evade I tried.

If I remember the test was done on a velodrome at 40kph. However, the watts were not insignificant from best to worst, so there may still be a small gain for XCM.

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Is there a helmet in this category that lets you scratch the back 2/3 of your head? If not, it’s race day only. Cycling is a combination of pedaling and your head itching. Sweat , bugs, general air flow… HOW DO I SCRATCH THIS

I bought a semi aero Scott Centric helmet and it’s torture, same with a POC Omne

That level of itching seems to indicate a whole 'nother issue to me. Seems it might need a different solution than a helmet that only addresses a symptom of the problem (access to scratch).