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Giro Aries Spherical £289.99

Weight 275g

The Aries claims to be Giro's lightest and airiest helmet in its MIPS Spherical Technology line but also the safest with the highest safety rating from the esteemed Virginia Tech University. This World Tour-level lid unseats the Aether Spherical as Giro's top road offering in terms of performance, innovation as well as price point.

Rather than being an afterthought, the Aries was designed around the now prevalent MIPS technology, which is there to reduce the rotational forces transferred to the head in the event of a crash.

Rather than the typical thin plastic cradle inside the helmet Giro integrates the MIPS cradle in the brand's own ball-and-socket 'Spherical' design, which aids in redirecting impact forces. If you've never held a Spherical helmet before, the two parts of the helmet actually move independently of one another.

While at first glance the Aries looks similar in design to the well-loved Giro Synthe or Aether helmets, the Aries is actually more compact than previous models. The frontal surface area is smaller to reduce drag while bevelled edges and internal channelling help to improve the helmet's aerodynamics.

The Roc Loc 5+ Air fit system closure, carried over from previous models, is reliable and easy to adjust and, for those of you with long hair, has enough of a gap to pull a pony tail through.

The heart of winter isn't ideal when it comes to testing the coolness factor of a helmet, but the Aries Spherical sports an impressive 24 vents in total and stands out for its unobtrusive comfort. I felt no pressure spots and encountered no sweaty brows or hair snagging. In fact, I didn't feel much of anything, which is exactly what I want out of a good helmet.