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The new Giro Prolight helmet will officially launch on stage 7 of the 2009 Tour de France (Friday 10 July), the first mountain stage of the race culminating in the 2240m Andore Arcalis.
Riders from Astana, Rabobank and Garmin who’ll get to use the new Prolight helmet will benefit from the lightest helmet the company has ever produced. It weighs just 175g. Giro’s Ionos helmet is hardly on the tardy side, but at 304g it isn’t the lightest around. The new Prolight is almost half the weight and is a whisker lighter than the Specialized 2D helmet, one of the lightest available.
To reduce the weight the biggest innovation is the new retention device, Roc Loc SL. It’s a far simpler design than Roc Loc 4 and is claimed to weigh just 5g. It uses lightweight fixed position webbing and a three-position snap basket in the temple area on each side of the helmet and is self-adjusting. 25 large wind tunnel designed vents ensure as well as being light that enough air reaches the head to keep cool on those long mountain ascents.
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Readers with good memories will of course remember the Prolight name. The first all-EPS foam helmet that Giro founder Jim Gentes created in 1986 went under the name.
“Working late nights in his garage, designer/bike racer Jim Gentes creates the first lightweight adult cycling helmet. Friends at NASA help tune the final helmet shape and vent placement. The result is the Giro Prolight, a helmet that’s better-looking than traditional designs, offers superior fit and still meets the industry’s toughest safety standards at half the weight of traditional helmets. Business booms. Jim expands production to his neighbour’s garage.”
The Giro Prolight will be available early 2010. Price TBC.
