As it gets colder, cyclists who pedal through the winter often don a helmet cover to seal off the air vents. Another option is an inexpensive helmet without many vents. I’ve been riding through the snow this year so far in the Giro Section helmet.
Modeled after a skateboard helmet, Giro’s Section Helmet is a low-profile lid that costs just $45. It is made with an in-mold construction process that integrates the shell to the protective material. This design saves weight and lessens the bulk of the helmet.
On my scale, the size large Section weigh only 339 grams — the same weight as my two-year-old, vent-heavy road helmet from Rudy Project. Or in Bukowski measurements, it’s lighter than two empty bottles of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
Taking a page from the world of snow helmets, Giro optimized the front of this helmet to work with sunglasses and goggles. My Giro Filter glasses aren’t totally flush with the top of my test helmet. But it’s yet to be an issue, even on fast descents when the dreaded gap that produces the zero-calorie version of an ice cream headache is most likely.
So far the $45 helmet has performed well. I now use a light beanie hat under it in the cold morning. This helmet is ideal for folks who are looking for a new helmet or riders who only have high-end, super light race-type helmets that don’t work for the winter. There’s no good reason to wear a super vented $200+ helmet when it’s cold.
Another nice feature about the Section: It’s easy to tighten and loosen the straps, which is important when you’re constantly changing the amount of layers you wear underneath it on your (now warm) head. www.giro.com
—Stephen Krcmar lives in Mammoth Lakes, Calif.
