It doesn’t matter if you are bombing down a steep gravel descent or dripping sweat as you climb what seems like a never-ending hill. When you look at the Giro Aries Spherical, there are almost more vents than helmet and it falls to a set of transparent arches to hold it all together. Instead of putting the MIPS liner inside Giro uses the Spherical design. This allows two parts of the helmet to move against each other with no possibility of interrupting airflow. Then, as a final nod to cooling, there is extensive internal channelling to get the air right where it’s needed.
I’ve travelled with them and used them in gravel races, long training rides, and adventures across states and countries. Others have been with me as I went to the store, the park, and the kiddos school. When it was time to pick genesis bicycles the best road bikes helmets available I collected over 30 different helmets and lined them up to compare as a group. Each option took a turn on the scale and each option went on a new ride to make sure I had a recent memory.
I also checked in with women to make sure my experience matched theirs. After narrowing down over 40 options, these are the best road bike helmets I’ve tested. As with many of the POC helmets, the brand has taken a base helmet that’s great and built variations for specific uses. In this case, the base helmet is the Ventral Air MIPS which is the lightweight climber’s helmet in the POC lineup.
What’s amazing about the best road bike helmets in today’s world is that they’ve expanded beyond only offering added safety. Safety is always the backdrop but now there are options focusing on lightweight, breathability, and aero. Some brands even claim better breathability with a helmet than without while aero has become so ubiquitous that we’ve broken the best aero helmets out into a unique buyers guide with even more details. We’ve also done that with the best budget bike helmets if you just need something that won’t break the bank. If you want more specifics though, road bike helmets tend to split into aero, climbing, and city styles. Aero helmets are an excellent way to add aero optimisation without extra cost but they tend to run hotter and weigh a bit more.
An absolute breathtaking route, which was very obviously setup by a very passionate cyclist for like-minded passionate cyclists. The variety of trails, lush vegetation, reasonable cost of living and incredibly strong communities are some attractive qualities that bring in new visitors by the truckload on a frequent basis. Several bike brands have already planted roots or are adding operations in Northwest Arkansas. The U23 Women saw firsthand the benefit of training in the bicycle playground of their dreams. Todd Wells, former Olympian, pro racer, and now U23 coach, says it’s not just about trail access. Another appeal is simply the abundance of challenges available to every skill level.
What you don’t get, unfortunately, is a score from Virginia Tech, and you will have to dig out one of your old micro USB cords if you need something longer than what comes in the box. At the rear of the helmet is a charging port and on either side there is a power button for the integrated front and rear lights. The battery genesis bike lasts a long time and you can decide if you’d prefer flashing or solid lighting. It feels incredibly comfortable, even though it’s definitely on the heavy side, and there is lots of coverage. That means it comes down farther but also that the peak at the front is a solid part of the crash structure and not just for show.