As an optional upgrade, one version of the helmet, the Air Attack Shield ($240), comes with a snap-on lens. The shield attaches with magnets to the forehead area of the helmet.
The tinted polycarbonate shield offers some shade from the sun. A bonus: Glasses fit underneath the shield, letting you ride with prescription lenses on.
Wind is blocked as you sprint and so is precipitation. One day, in a sharp spring drizzle, I was happy to have the shield down to deflect the water drops as I cranked.
So far I dig the Air Attack as a race helmet or for serious training days. At about 12 ounces light (with the shield lens on) it’s all but unnoticeable on the head, just like any good helmet should be, and its slice-through-the-wind design is a small advantage I will take.
—Stephen Regenold is the editor of GearJunkie.com. See more on the helmet line on Giro’s Air Attack microsite.
