This is a quality road-specific lid that performs well and has good looks to boot. It is a little heavier than some of its close competitors but this isn’t really noticeable when you’re riding. The Trenta is also compatible with MET's clever clip-on light, which pumps out plenty of lumens where they matter yet doesn't interrupt the helmet's function or adjustments.

At almost any speed and head angle there's a remarkable through-flow of air. It also comes with plugs (for winter rides or even faster aerodynamics) that go into the five frontal ports. That means they work with ponytails and/or particularly bony skulls, and it's a really neat, genuinely comfort-boosting feature for the price. It also keeps weight down to a reasonable 294g (for the medium). The Giro Foray is a sleek, stylish road cycling helmet that offer great value. The tough In-Mould polycarbonate shell to offers the best protection as you ride. The RocLoc 5 twist retention system, which is also found on the Synthe, makes fitting and adjustment easy, even when riding with gloves on. As for the side straps these are fully adjustable but not as soft feeling as some. The ventilating aero mesh on either side of the silicone-edged sunglasses ports has been replaced by a finely ribbed plastic. The Giro logo and aero mesh covering the truncated tail's central port have gone too, and the only branding on the helmet is a single Rapha logo on the very top.Adding MIPS increases the weight — the large now weighs 282g — but the increase is just 20g more than the standard ARX. And frankly, low weight is not the first thing we look for when it comes to safety. The Z Alpha is less specific than some aero lids and all the better for it, with great ventilation and classy looks. You can opt to have MIPS or not, but a little extra outlay for enhanced head protection is a no-brainer in our book. Catlike Vacuum Our proprietary Super Fit™ sizing system is based on “human scale factors” data and over 25 years of handcrafting helmets. By creating helmet moulds in up to 4 adult sizes to match the human body’s form, our Super Fit™ sizes comfortably and securely fit riders, and feel like they are custom made just for you.

With its sweeping, almost conventional shape, and 22 sizeable vents, the Z Alpha looks very open for an aero helmet. The snap-on front cover is said to provide the biggest aero gains at over 40kph. It only hides the central four vents, but has a slot to channel some air through. Deep internal channels align with the large frontal vents to rush cooling air across your cranium, and the horizontal brow vents do a fine job of managing sweat and drying the front pad. It's very good for glasses storage when not wearing them too. Zero RH+ Z Alpha MIPS The MIPS system, or Multi- Directional Impact Protection System, employs a slim, flexible plastic cap that's perforated to match the helmet's vents, and four elastic fixings allow it to float within the inner EPS foam shell, creating a slip-plane, much like the brain's own, to slow or reduce rotational energy transfer. Kask Protone With a Cycling Weekly subscription you can improve your performance with our expert practical, nutritional and training tips

Our Verdict

With a Roc Loc 5 retention system at the rear, the Giro Foray is easy to adjust on the fly with a single hand. You also get height adjust offering an even better fit A continuous pad across the forehead is suspended slightly away from the wavy EPS inside of the helmet, allowing for a little ventilation and some conformity to various head shapes. The removable, antimicrobial pads do their job well. In days of sweaty riding without washing in between, the helmet never smelled bad. The Foray drafts off the bold design language of our premium Synthe helmet, and offers many of our key features including durable in-mould construction and the Roc Loc 5 fit system with two-way fit adjustment. The slim design is very light, offers great ventilation and is available in three Super Fit sizes so that you can get a helmet that looks, fits and feels like it was made for you. MIPS models are available with the Multi-Directional Impact Protection System. We believe MIPS can redirect energy and offer more protection in certain impacts. The in-mould construction means that the polycarbonate outer shell is fused to the EPS core for strength, but it doesn't extend to the underside.

The occipital cradle of Scott's Halo Fit System has three heights and circumference adjustment is via a rotary dial. A clever separator keeps the straps far apart so they don't clash with your ears, all helping to make the Cadence Plus one of the best fitting and most secure helmets we've tried recently. The price for a top-flight lid with MIPS [Multi-directional Impact Protection System] additional protective technology is good. Those vents gulp in air, creating a cooling flow over the top of the head, while the 11 rear vents (one fewer than the Synthe) vent out hot air generated by your efforts. Family resemblance is a funny old thing. My grandfather’s big nose, for example, skipped a generation and made my own face its next home, sparing my mother a lifetime of ‘keep your big nose out of it’ jibes. The Giro Foray Mips helmet, on the other hand, could – at a glance – be mistaken for its much more expensive predecessor – the Synthe. Le Foray reprend les codes esthétiques de notre audacieux casque haut de gamme Synthe et offre de nombreuses fonctionnalités clés. Notamment avec la construction In-Mold durable et le système d'ajustement Roc Loc 5. Le design fin est très léger offre une excellente ventilation. Il est disponible en trois tailles parfaitement ajustées afin que vous puissiez obtenir un casque qui a de l'allure et vous va comme s’il avait été fabriqué sur-mesure. Les modèles Mips® sont disponibles avec le système de diffusion des forces exercées sur le casque en cas d’impact. Giro helmets are developed utilizing our proprietary Wind Tunnel™ ventilation system. This elaborate design combines active vents in the helmet’s shell with exhaust channels inside the helmet that thrust fresh, cool air over and around the rider’s head while forcing heat and stale air out. It’s the most effective cooling system available, and a difference you can feel every time you ride.Finance is subject to application, financial circumstances and borrowing history. Performance Cycling Limited FRN: 720557 trading as Tredz are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. We are a credit broker not a lender – credit is subject to status and affordability and is provided by Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC. Terms & Conditions Apply. Chain reaction Cycles and CRC are trading names of Wiggle Ltd (In Administration) registered in the United Kingdom at 1000 Lakeside, Suite 310, Third Floor N E Wing, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO6 3EN,

The ARX Plus is particularly impressive at the front, where its large internal channels and a well-vented brow prevent the build up of sweat. Vertical adjustment may be limited to three press-studs offering 20mm of adjustability, but it proved perfectly adequate in practice. The small rear dial offers true micro-adjustment, which helps get a precise fit.Metropolis International Group Limited, 10th Floor, Southern House, Wellesley Grove, Croydon, CR0 1XG. The Giro Foray MIPS pays more than a nod to Giro's range-topping Synthe aero helmet, with a smooth, rounded compact shell and truncated rear to maintain efficiency in all head positions. There are 32 vents in total, ranging from large inline strip vents and boxy exhaust ports to small square vents that punctuate the diagonal arch architecture of the helmet and extensive internal channelling helps keeps fresh air flowing. Performance Aero road helmets have historically been an exercise in compromise: you could have a speedy shape, good ventilation, low weight, or sleek aesthetics but not all four. Giro broke that paradigm with the Synthe. Specialized has taken its ultra-aerodynamic S-Works Evade lid as the template for the Airnet, although it still has touches of the old leather ‘hairnet' helmets (hence the name) worn by racers from the 1970s.