In this article I’m going to give my views on the lightest road bike helmets money can buy.
I can appreciate a road cyclist’s ambition to save grams from an already light setup, and looking to do so with a lightweight road bike helmet feels just as obvious. The average weight of a road bike helmet is around 280 grams. That’s not much weight to work with in a product where the majority basically consists of styrofoam.
And you see that reflected in the number of entries that sit far below that average weight. They are very few, and you might wonder if the reduction in weight has not been at the cost of reducing the helmets ability to do what’s most important, which is to protect you in case of a crash.
I weighed my old helmets that do not have the amount of protection you can find in the most premium helmets today. And my guess is that the proven technology, like MIPS Spherical, and polycarbonate reinforcement, adds about 60 to 70 grams to overall weight.
So if you’re looking for the best yet lightest road bike helmets, I would look for ones that weigh around 280 grams or less, yet still offer that added protection. Because that would mean that without the protection technology they would weigh 30 percent less than average, which I would consider lightweight.
With that in mind I created this overview of the best and lightest road bike helmets. And you can find a table overview at the end of the article to compare various features, including the weight.
Giro Aether Spherical
The Giro Aether Spherical is arguably a better value-for-money proposition than the far more expensive Aries Spherical.
That’s because it boasts the exact same crash technology in a slightly different package. MIPS Spherical crash technology to reduce rotational impact forces, a multi-density EPS liner, and a reinforced polycarbonate shell. All are the same.
The Roc Loc 5 Air fit system is also featured, ensuring a great fit of the helmet with multiple ways to adjust the padding, vertical height and circumference. To keep you cool, air is ingeniously guided along your head.
There are many colors to choose from to fit the rest of your outfit or your bike. All in all a no-brainer if you value safety and are willing to spend the money on a premium helmet such as this one.
- One of the best value-for-money helmets in the premium segment.
- Still pretty expensive
Giro Aries Spherical
The Giro Aries Spherical is one of the safest if not the safest helmet within its category. It also has the highest suggested retail price at 300 USD. On its product page Giro boasts the helmet having the lowest Virginia Tech helmet rating (lower is better), and you have to if you charge this price.
So what exactly do you get for the money? This is one of a couple of helmets offering the MIPS Spherical technology, which reduces rotational damage with a ball-in-socket helmet setup. Furthermore the polycarbonate shell is reinforced with twin bridges on each side, alongside a roll-cage-like reinforced band. It all makes for an incredibly strong helmet that doesn’t weigh more than your average similar helmet.
It has silicon beads so sweat doesn’t drip into your eyes, or runs down your glasses, which is a feature far more useful than you might think.
The helmet is tightened on your head with the Roc Loc 5 Air fit system, something featured in all of their premium models. And something that does a great job of keeping the lightweight lid in place.
- Virginia Tech's best-rated helmet in terms of safety
- The most expensive helmet within its category
Lazer G1 MIPS
The Lazer G1 MIPS is marketed as one of the lightest helmets in its category. And to be fair it is.
Yet I want to put the 235 grams of this helmet in perspective, because the average road bike helmet weighs 280 grams. That’s 45 grams heavier and something you will not notice while riding.
On the other hand, things like ventilation and fit are far more important things with respect to comfort than a couple of grams less. And luckily this helmet performs exceptionally well in that area. You get 2 different sets of padding to fully customize the fit.
Unlike your classic dial at the base of your skull you actually modify the fit with a wheel on top of the helmet. This non-indexed dial draws the helmet tight around your head around the entirety of its circumference.
Although it does a fantastic job of creating a superb fit, the two strings underneath the helmet look rather delicate. And I’m familiar with fit systems breaking with helmets being stuffed into bags. So that’s something you might want to keep in mind if you’re not the type of person who’s really careful with her/his material.
In terms of safety it offers MIPS technology and sits just behind Giro’s Aries Spherical, so its most important feature is taken care of. And a helmet cover is included to marginally increase aerodynamic properties or protect you from the rain.
- One of the both lightest and safest helmets.
- Delicate fit system. You pay a hefty price to safe a few grams.
Lazer Sphere MIPS
The Lazer Sphere MIPS is an excellent choice if you want a helmet with a proven track record in safety without paying an absurd price.
When looking at the catalog of helmet manufacturers you can see an exponential increase in price to obtain the latest technology or the lightest variants. The Lazer Sphere MIPS is an excellent example of this, where a decent price get’s you all the latest bells and whistles in a slightly heavier package than Lazer’s top dog.
MIPS technology, the ARS fit system with the non-indexed dial on top of the helmet, and a weight of 280 grams, which is the exact average for road bike helmets all make for a great package.
- Excellent value for money.
- Delicate fit system
Kask Valegro
The Kask Valegro is by far the lightest road bike helmet I could find, and the only one diving below 200 grams (for a size small that is).
At 180 grams it’s 35 percent lighter than the average weight of 280 grams. There are many things beside weight that add to the overall comfort of a helmet, but if you’re looking for a lightweight one this is definitely it.
The weight saving had to come from somewhere, and with the same Octo-fit fastening system used in other helmets it came from the minimal padding and what feels like less material in the EPS liner. It means you not only get a lightweight helmet you also get one which is less safe than other helmets that do not similarly compromise the liner.
The thing is airy enough and you probably don’t feel the minimal padding while riding, but the cost of the weight gain is not something I’d be willing to pay. And as far as price goes, the thing isn’t especially cheap, coming from a brand which supplies the pro peleton as well.
As far as looks go, I like the Kask Protone Icon better, but the Valegro is a very pretty helmet indeed. And it comes in enough colors to mix and match with your outfit and/or bike.
- Lightest helmet available
- Weight comes at the price of safety
Kask Protone Icon
The Kask Protone Icon stylish looks underwrites its premium nature as the best road bike helmet the brand has to offer.
Extremely lightweight at 230 grams, the helmet has huge intake vents which are reinforced. A well-chosen color-scheme provides a sharp contrast between the glossy or matt polycarbonate and the black reinforced EPS liner.
The amount of ventilation achieved, makes this one of the best helmets for hot and summer rides. And well-placed vents in the front alongside the CoolMax padding keep your head dry and prevent hot spots and sweat from going places where you don’t want it to go.
The Octo Fit system does a perfect job of fastening the helm evenly around your head, offering both vertical and horizontal adjustment.
Everything pro peloton riders use can be had for a small fortune, and the same goes for this helmet, which is incredibly expensive. But for that money you get an exceptionally well-designed, highly ventilated, and comfortable road bike helmet.
- Incredible levels of comfort and ventilation in one of the best-looking road bike helmets.
- Extremely expensive
POC Octal MIPS
I will not hide the fact that I’m a fan of the Swedish brand, and with the POC Octal MIPS they’ve created another fantastic-looking product to their already impressive lineup.
Always striving to cram their products with the best technology the Octal MIPS features the Integra version of this crash technology, which means the slip plane is customized to the specifics of this helmet. The helmet has a unibody build for enhanced structural integrity in case of a crash.
It’s touted as being extremely lightweight, with a stripped down EPS liner and fit system, but it isn’t really. 270 grams sits just below the average for a premium bike helmet such as this one, and if you really want the lightest helmet you have to look somewhere else.
Personally, I feel again that this helmet is the best-looking of the whole bunch, but am acutely aware of the subjectivity of that statement. And I have read a number of comments from people being less favorable about its above-average width. Nonetheless is the craftsmanship of this helmet undeniable, and it has a safety rating to match.
- Distinctive design, excellent fit.
- None
Specifications lightest road bike helmets
Name | Price | Technology | Shell | Liner | Visor | Fit | weight (gr) | eyewear port | rating | Buy at Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Giro Aether Spherical | 225 USD | MIPS Air/Spherical/Aura II | polycarbonate | Progressive Layering 3-layer EPS | none | Roc Loc 5 Air | 280 | yes | 12.51 | |
Giro Aries Spherical | 300 USD | MIPS Air/Spherical/Aura II | polycarbonate | Progressive Layering 3-layer EPS | none | Roc Loc 5 Air | 275 | yes | 8.4 | |
Lazer G1 MIPS | 250 USD | MIPS | polycarbonate | EPS | none | ARS | 235 | 9.23 | ||
Lazer Sphere MIPS | 160 USD | MIPS | polycarbonate | EPS | none | ARS | 280 | 10.23 | ||
Kask Valegro | 209 EUR | MIT | polycarbonate | EPS | none | Octo-fit | 180 | 19.57 | ||
Kask Protone Icon | 275 EUR | MIT/Inner Frame | polycarbonate | EPS | none | Octo-fit | 230 | |||
POC Octal MIPS | 200 EUR | MIPS Integra/Unibody | polycarbonate | EPS | none | lightweight system | 270 | yes | 10.59 |
Johan van Seijen
FoundeR Restoration.bike
Johan van Seijen is the founder of restoration.bike. His passion for cycling in general, and restoring older bikes turned into a website to share his knowledge with a broader audience. Starting out on his father’s road bike and riding classics as the Amstel Gold Race and Liege Bastogne Liege he has shifted his attention to trail, XC, and gravel riding since. No matter how much he loves writing about everything related to cycling, nothing beats actually using his ever-expanding bicycle collection.
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