There is, apparently, no cheaper means to free speed in a Triathlon than an aero helmet. Given that it’s your noggin that is the largest thing that is on the front end of the bike cutting the wind having something that makes that more aero dynamic makes perfect sense. There are several very in depth studies about this and numerous articles have been written about this for websites and magazines.
The one big thing that they all have in common is to maximize the benefit you need to have an optimized bike position and be able to maintain that throughout the race. What does that mean? Well in a nutshell it means you have to keep looking forward! Why? Well this is what happens when you look down or anywhere else;
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Your helmet basically turns into a sail and creates even more drag than your bare head (my speculation). With that in mind and knowing what I know about my own positioning on the bike, which while good is not perfect and of course the reality is that from time to time I do look down I did some research and ordered one of these;
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The Giro Air Attack, yeah it’s kinda funny looking but it provided the three things I was looking for;
- It was an aero helmet; free speed!
- It allowed me to move my head around (and minimize the side impact from cross winds)
- It had a visor, it stands to reason that this must be more aero dynamic than an open face and sunglasses (although I was unsure how hot it would get)
Delivery from Amazon was scheduled for the end of October, that gave me roughly three weeks before race day to make sure it worked. I was happy to see some Pros wearing it recently at Triathlons and it has been seen on the cycling circuit for quite some time now. Then I got an email saying delivery was delayed until March! March!! In fairness I got the email a week or two ago and so back to drawing board I went. The only other helmet that was available was the Kask Bambino (as worn by Bradley Wiggins) but I really couldn’t justify the $500 price tag…trust me I tried!
There were some other that I tried along the way that I ruled out as they didn’t fit or were self-excluded as they were out of stock. Then I got an email from PBK saying that Lazar helmets were on sale; happy happy joy joy! So I opened a browser and set about shopping, and here is the end result. Sure I look a bit funny but I’ll take fast over funny any day!
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If you want one yourself, they are still on sale with 40% off, check them out here!
