The rear of the helmet is an aesthetic departure from the Air attack and features six vent exhaust ports as well as an aerodynamic ridge aimed at helping prevent eddies of air that cause drag. The front of the helmet features a sleek, round look typical of Giro’s other helmet offerings. Photo: Dan Cavallari | įour large vents up front help usher air through the helmet and over your head. Photo: Dan Cavallari | Ī Zeiss lens attaches magnetically of the front of the helmet and can be flipped and stowed when not in use. Giro says this creates a similar effect as a long-tailed TT helmet. The Transformair seam essentially kicks the air layer off the surface of the helmet so it flows more naturally off the rear of the helmet. The aim is to separate airflow from the helmet’s surface at a certain point to ensure it doesn’t form eddies of air behind the helmet. It’s something we’ve seen on other helmets in various iterations (Lazer’s Wasp Air is a prime example), but the execution here is unique. This dropoff is called Transformair and essentially acts as a boundary layer separation. The front of the helmet overlaps the rear slightly, forming a dropoff (Giro calls it an aerodynamic cliff). While the front and rear of the helmet differ aesthetically and create a dramatic appearance, this juxtaposition goes well beyond notable looks. The Roc Loc Air system works identically to previous iterations and holds just as securely.
Consequently, I had to size down from my typical size Large to a size Medium. That means the helmet isn’t nearly as bulky as other MIPS helmets that essentially had to upsize to make room for the additional material within. the Roc Loc Air system and a MIPS liner - the two components are integrated into one system. Rather than working two components into the fit system - i.e. Giro has also integrated a new MIPS system into the Roc Loc Air fit system, an integration we first saw on Bell’s Zephyr helmet. Luckily, you can wear your own eyewear and leave the visor at home if you’re expecting a hot and sweaty day. When you stow the visor, it blocks the vents almost entirely. The included Zeiss Vivid Road shield also presents something of a ventilation problem: The helmet is actually cooler when you’re wearing the visor rather than stowing it via the magnetic attachments at the front of the helmet. The system works quite well but the Vanquish won’t compete with the likes of the Synthe and other heavily vented helmets, so temper expectations here. Four large vents up front scoop air and shoot it over your head, releasing through the six rear vents. The Vanquish directly addresses one of the Air Attack’s major failings: ventilation. Once those goals were met, Giro’s industrial design team gave the helmet a more human touch to ensure it would be something people would actually want to wear. The engineers had carte blanche to design whatever would meet those goals, regardless of aesthetics. To reevaluate, Giro turned to its engineering team to create something faster, cooler, and more comfortable. The competition has certainly caught up, so it was time to re-think” what could be done with the Air Attack’s goals. The market’s changed, and we were forward observers. “We didn’t have the tools to design the shapes as we do now. “We had some instincts as to where the market was going,” says Eric Horton, Giro’s creative director.
While it still looks less sleek than a typical minimalist road helmet, it’s a gem compared to the Air Attack and many of its competitors in the aero-road category. The front is smooth and round, while the rear appears slightly boxier and angular. The front of the helmet sports a vastly different aesthetic than the rear, which somehow Giro has made to work well. And it’s much more than a simple rehash of the Air Attack’s features, with a bold look and exceptional fit. Like its predecessor, the Vanquish’s ultimate goal is speed, but with an added dose of ventilation and a much-needed infusion of style. LOCHAU, Austria (VN) - We spotted Giro’s new replacement for its Air Attack at the 2017 Tour de France on BMC Racing riders, and now we’ve got the details on the new lid dubbed the Vanquish. Don't miss a moment from Paris-Roubaix and Unbound Gravel, to the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, Vuelta a España, and everything in between when you