Are Aero Helmets Worth it?
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- čas přidán 5. 09. 2024
- KASK Utopia Y - bit.ly/3WeLk2l
KASK Elemento - bit.ly/3WjGXTI
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Best reason for using aerohelmets: keeps bugs from getting stuck in your hair. Ever collected a bee on a descent? No bueno.
Eeyup!
I once got a bee stuck between my prescription glasses and my eye while descending. Luckily neither the bee nor myself panicked and I was able to come to a stop and release it, and we both lived to tell the tale
But once a bug gets stuck into your hair, it has no space to leave your helmet again
Love the video! No long drum role where we see you do the runs without any actual information like the GCN videos. Just one point: all test differences were within your error bars, so all results were insignificant.
Differences this small have inherent uncertainty when using the aerosensor which is sensitive to gusts of wind, minor changes in temperature, etc so that’s why I am constantly recalibrating and retesting but like anything it’s not 100% accurate hence the error bars. I show all the results on screen to be as transparent as possible
@@NorCalCycling It's not the data that is in question, but the final conclusion you draw from the data. (that said, I get far better quality inter-helmet data from the aerosensor with much smaller error bars and P-values less than 0.05) Your conclusion based of that data set is (most likely) simply wrong..... What is your statistical P-value between helmets?
Jeff, your production quality is elite on these videos. Love the content and the attention to detail on the production quality.
Glad you like them!
Ah! So this will be GCN’s next topic. Can’t wait to see their version of the thumbnail too
😂
🤣🤣🤣🤣
🎯💯
Observation: You used the same shot of you 'breaking away' to illustrate when the aero helmet may be a benefit. However, in that shot you were constantly moving your head (up, down, looking back). I have to think the aero helmet is only aero looking straight ahead.
I am sure you are not always moving that much, but you are obviously not just looking forward either. So, the helmet is only 'aero' 50% (???) of the time when it would be of most benefit?
Not a criticism. Just an interesting choice of shot to show 'aero benefits.'
I can see your point. I'd say that would make more of a difference if you were comparing the aero helmet riding in an aero position vs the aero helmet looking around. This test assumes same conditions with both helmets and the aero helmet has tested faster.
Obviously, it would be more ideal for both helmets most likely to ride in a more aero position.
Could say it’s more real world result ?
footage might not accurately represent the data.
Kudos on the Husky work bench / drawers, look very neat. Wind tunnel is great but real life testing out in the real world is always my preference. Thanks for the video!
I have one of their drawer toolboxes for bike tools and bits and really like it.
Why wouldn’t you use the Protone instead of the Elemento? I feel like there’s not as big a weight difference in other brands (like TREK) between their Aero vs All Purpose helmets
the elemento is pretty much the "new" protone, he's sponsored by them and they are trying to make everyone switch to this new overpriced thing. I love my protone
@@desmoMarco91my velocis weighs 225g and the ballista is like 245. Not as far apaet
Upgraded to a Utopia Y recently and was immediately surprised how light it is.
One may think you'd cook in it riding in the heat but the vents are actually quite big so airflow is substantial, better than my previous non-aero helmet at least.
i second that
Buy a simple temperature gun and measure before and after head temps with each.
Normally I’m ventilated for day and aero for night but also I would aero for buggy areas
I still feel the old protone may be one of the best designs for all rounder vents. Not a fan of the new design
Big fan of aero helmets. S-Works to be exact, especially since the new one has bigger more breathable vents cause I agree with the overall heat comment - their last gen was way too hot. Biggest surprise for me came from the weight difference! Great vid. Keep
What's more aero, riding with 2 bottle cages with 2 bottles, 2 bottle cages with 1 bottle, or 1 bottle cage with 1 bottle? These are the important questions we should be asking 😅
Generally roundish normal water bottles aren't that aero
Dylan Johnson did some aero tests on his gravel bike found that the larger the bottles you used the more aero. 2 bottle cages with 1 liter bottles saved more watts than no cages or bottles.
opinions of people who actually compete don't matter much to casuals that don't compete. If you're not competing, this vid is basically useless for you 😉
Haters always hate tho
Dylan did come to the conclusion though this is most likely due to the big 2.2 tires he’s running plus also the larger down tubes that gravel bikes have allow for more attachment of the air with a bottle. Aero road bikes and TT bikes don’t get this same benefit.
I'm glad you brought up the heat dissipation thing because that was my experience when I got an aero helmet. Wore it for one summer and never wore it again after just how poorly ventilated it was. Night and day difference for me. Still would wear the aero helmet in the colder months though!
Easy for me as I don't race, I use my aerohelmet when it's below about 15°c and everything above I use my allround helmet, the added bonus is that in lower temperatures there is more wind so the aerohelmet gives more gains.
I'm confused. You do ABAB testing, but just compare the first A and B. The second A and B were much closer to baseline. Maybe I'm missing something, as you skip through the results pretty quick... But the 8 (or 12?) watt difference that you talk about seems to be just run 1 and 2... ignoring run 3 and 4? Again, I believe you're smarter than me, so maybe you can explain it to me...but I don't see the point of doing ABAB if you don't average the runs?
Oh... it looks like it was actually ABBA... (the colours threw me off) which means the difference is even less when you average them out? I'm confused. Either way. Buy a Kask and go fast.
+1. I don't understand the right half of the graphs and why they don't seem to be included in the discussion
@ChinaCycling it looks to be a typo on his part as he did state an ABAB run. And you can tell by the picture with the Utopia helmet with the green bar graph. I don't think he averaged the runs. However, you get about 5 watts faster on the 2nd run with Utopia. With an average of approx 8 watts faster at 50kmh.
I assume the error bars are the experimental accuracy range of the repeats for each set. This data therefore suggests the readings for aero helmet are more consistent than the none aero, compare A to B aero, same average, tighter error for B, falling within range for A. There appears significant inter run differences for none aero. With all A and B runs averaged, and statistics compare, and standard deviations, very likely no significant difference between them, at the test conditions used. Extrapolating data bound to lead to confounding initial variation into ‘bigger’ differences.
Great comparison of Kask helmets, but what about their safety performance - that ultimately is their role!! Where do these helmets sit on the Virginia Tech helmet ratings??
The last time I saw a wind tunnel test of aero helmets, the aero helmet gave the rider an extra 10 watts. The problem, which you kind of touched on, is that for those of us who live in Florida, neither or those helmets are an option. Whatever wattage savings the aero helmet would provide would be lost ten times over in sheer suffering. We look for helmets that are more holes than helmet. Now during the winter, the aero helmet would be great, but who's going to buy a helmet for the 4 weeks of the year when it's below the melting point? If I lived in the upper half of the country and raced for a living, I'd have an aero helmet. For now though, I'll stick with what I have. Thanks for the review.
"Whatever wattage savings the aero helmet would provide would be lost ten times over in sheer suffering."
You think the extra heat caused by wearing an aero helmet would be equivalent to 100 watts lost over a non aero helmet?
@@RonBalone You think an aero helmet would save you 100 watts over a vented helmet? In which multiverse?
@@shepshape2585 What? No, that's what you said lol. You mentioned that an aero helmet saves 10 watts, then said that gain is lost 10x due to heat.
@@RonBalone No, I said the suffering would be ten fold. Meaning you'd save 10 actual watts but you'd be suffering 100 watts worth. Oh ffs man, you know exactly what I meant.
I have the elemento and love it, the fit and the way the air channels through the helmet. you can actually feel the air flowing through the air channels and come out the back. It’s the weirdest thing..different than my giro and Poc helmets. Damn expensive though..
How much drag is that goatee creating??
About three fiddy
Nice video, thanks! I was kinda hoping for a greater difference between the aero and non-aero helmet, but oh well.. marginal gains... I've been riding with the Kask Utopia for the past few years and apart from the vastly better strap design, I see no reason to upgrade to the new "Y" version. Also, I've never had any issues with overheating. In fact, I like to think that the aero design protects my head from direct sunlight. The excellent venting and white colour might keep my head even cooler than a darker colored allround helmet. Time for another test(?)!
You should do this comparison with a CORE body temperature sensor to see which is hotter.
Craig Alexander did this test with an actual ingested thermometer in preparation for the kona Ironman. Turns out it's mostly a matter of perception, didn't have a huge impact on core temp
Love your versus videos. Keep em coming you legend.
Now you have the cda instrument, would you consider measuring racing gear versus shorts and a regular t-shirt at various speeds?
I've always been curious how much of a penalty riding in casuals really incurs.
I've got a basic Smith helmet with tons of vents. I'm planning on doing a 400 mi time trial early next year and am thinking of getting a vinyl sticker to put over half of them. I imagine it will be 80% of the way there for about $1
I got a Kask Utopia(1/2 price sale) after a budget Giro Foray...certainly doesn't make a fat old bloke any faster but looks better and more importantly here in Scotland it keeps the bloody insects out better having much fewer vents....and less rain gets in lol
Wish manufacturers would install bug mesh as standard on all helmets, if you don't want or need it just cut it out but it's almost impossible to retrofit any effective mesh...tried a "gripGrab" mesh outer hair net thing, worked but zero ventilation!
just bought utopia few days ago, have the poc ventral (saved my life), kask protone (the plastic on the back of the head is so damn uncomfortable), some old rudy project... i know the utopia will have the same problem as the protone but it should be worth the trouble of replacing a couple of bits... love your videos, cheers from Zagreb!
Also love the vid, but it's hard to make a conclusion about aero helmets because the results sometimes only hold up for the one person. Also would've loved to see the poc procen air which is allegedly very aero and not yet discussed anywhere.
I have been using the Trek Balista for over a year and it is a fantastic helmet. Incredibly light and great cooling. Even if it was not a great aero helmet I would still choose it every time
Agreed. I had the original and it saved me from having any head injuries in a crash where my head hit the ground pretty hard. I immediately replaced it with the MIPS version and it has been great!
probably out for race rules, but i have a helmet with a snap on cover for extra aero benefit in the winter
Keep up the good work🎉🎉
Great, to the point, awesome content! News we can use. Keep it up, you are awesome!
Thanks again for another helpful video 👍
Looks like you didn't take into account the deviation of the data, the error bars overlapped almost entirely between aero vs allround. Better to show us the actual time difference on a set parcours with constant power output.
The Valegro is a way better option as an all-rounder than the Elemento.
Specialized S-Works Prevail II Vent
1:51 are we just glossing over those huge variance/error bars? Isn't the result that they are indistinguishable in this test? Ok ok the 2nd Utopia test result is technically outside the error bars for the 1st Elemento but it's all pretty close without more data.
4:30 This isn't shocking to me -- the HJC Furion aero helmet is super light. I weighed mine at 219g (vs claimed weight of 195+/-10g). My boring Specialized all-rounder was much heavier at 356g (although that is a low end model and the higher end ones are lighter, like 276g). But the HJC is much less expensive. It's remarkable how much better your neck feels on long rides carrying 150g less.
What I get from this: there's no real difference, go with the helmet that's most comfortable and you like the look of.
Pretty much the key takeaway, the difference isn’t big
The only thing I love about areo helmets are that they keep my head dry and water out of my eyes when it rains. My helmet was probably 1-2 watts faster at best.
Would be more interesting to use a older standard helmet
Wow Rapha has really gone against what looks good..
Great vid
The Elemento is an entry level helmet, not the allround,
Are you racing at Grit?!
LOL error bars
This is just putting brand new two 400 dollar helmets not even widely available against each other. I would've loved to see a 70 dollar helmet benchmark. Because a 400 dollar helmet is only worth it if you can spend 200 extra dollars for it.
Good luck finding a $70 aero helmet.
@jonathanwise47 according to Josh from Silca there's one. This decades old Giro helmet seems to be surprisingly aero and it's sold at around that price tag.
@@jonathanwise47 Kask Sintesi as a benchmark helmet, still keeps it sponsor-correct. And you can get cheaper ones on the market if you want. Sure it might not be "aero" but look at the price/watt saving and tell me that there isn't a better 200 dollar watt saving elsewhere.
@@Xhadp I won't disagree with you.
@@jonathanwise47a skateboard helmet lol
does not kask claim like 260g for the elemento
Where does the protone sit more aero than the elemento
I own the Utopia and I find the huge strap buckle sticking out from my face. How did you make it so flush with yours? I would not be able to eat and drink properly having it this tight.
Smith ignite?
A 2024 all round helmet is still more aero than normal helmets from 5,6,7 years ago.
Jus get a specialized won the best
Feel bad about being a peanut gallery critic, but this wasn't your best work. Seems rushed and a bit muddled.
How can I make it better next time? Always trying to improve over here
@@NorCalCycling No need. Watched a second time. It was my early morning grogginess, not anything wrong with this vid. 🤙
when aero comes up like this i'd be keenly interested in the "aero" helmet vs what the aero/tri/tt helmets have to offer. like is the 13 watt savings worth poaching a solid KOM or which rules can be bent entering a race?
epic video
Waste of money unless you're doing serious racing/TTs
I have multiple of each. It is all a wash. Everything matters on the speed you are going and also head wind or tail wind...Under 20mph your position does not matter and I usually go on hoods for comfort but if the speed is over 20mph than I get more aero benefits and get on drops. Also if you have head wind I like to get aero to cut into the head wind. If I have tail wind it does not matter as much. Again, speed and head or tail wind more than what helmet.
Aero makes you look cooler therefore faster 😈
Trying too hard to defend the all-around helmet that costs and weigh more. That extra weight on your head offsets any "cooling" that gel does lol.
It's like buying a new bike in 2024. Who on earth would go for a more expensive endurance bike w/ same components? No one, that's why they don't exist. Oh reach is too long for you or stack is too low? Upsize/downsize and/or shorten the sem.
I can’t wear my Utopia when it’s too cold out, it cools my head really effectively
Looks like you mixed up the helmet images under the graph. Or the leaders.
I don’t think so you might want to check it again
why do amateurs hide their Strava data? 😁😁😁😁 God bless.
Damn ugly! Just go with Specialized Propero. Aero, good vented, sexy and worth the price
New garage? 🤔🕵️♂️
No, same one. He used this angle multiple times in past videos.
@@Xhadp it’s a new garage. Look at the garage door. There’s no garage window in older videos with this angle. In this new video there is a window.
@@matthewsweat Good catch, could just be the same workbench then. Or even just getting a new garage door install.
New garage, new pain cave, new video once I’m all done ✅
@@NorCalCycling thought so. Sounds awesome! Congrats! Can’t wait. 🫡
aero helmets are not as safe as all rounder helmets.
Elaborate on that claim, please 😮
@@Endorfinjunkie check Virginia Tech bike helmet safety ratings. aero helmets need to be smaller to be aero so you have less of the mushroom effect.
Shit, those error bars.... I read somewhere this guy is a Geologist, they still do some statistical testing of data in Geology, yes...? Just stick to the racing analysis, it's an A+ for those videos....
I don’t think many people who are expecting a video about helmets would appreciate a rant about statistic principles so I usually need to restrain myself to appeal to the masses 😅. We get into the nitty gritty on the masterclass calls if that’s your thing 👍
@@NorCalCycling except that im pretty sure any statistical analysis of that particular data set would show no significant difference between the helmets, which would actually be what people would (hopefully) want to know from that data set, no?. But your conclusion is that the aero helmet is faster? If you care to give the raw data I can do a statistical analysis to (probably) confirm my positioning on that data set.. And that's before we even get into potential cal fac variability intra and inter helmet runs and if that was accounted for... :)
@@NorCalCycling I absolutely understand that you want to illustrate this principle for the masses and you did well at achieving that. Unfortunately, I think most of us with a statistics background will just look past your statements and see the lack of any real result with this. The error bars in datasets exist for a statistical reason and it does seem a bit dishonest to ignore them for a claim that may benefit your sponsors.