Giro's New Helmet Keeps You Cool In Every Sense

Some people question the effectiveness of the bike helmet, suggesting that riding without one makes drivers and riders more cautious. Please do not listen to this. That said, let's look at Giro, the helmet-maker that never fails to surprise with innovation. After a heavy social media campaign in which they hinted at something special, they've let the cat out of the bag and announced their new lid—the Synthe.

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Since you're not a pro, you may not care that it's ultra lightweight and that Giro says the Synthe is faster in real-world conditions than pretty much every other road helmet available. But here's guessing you will care about the improved ventilation keeping your head cool and comfortable—like you're not wearing a helmet at all—while you maintain the safety of your skull and therefore your life. 

Giro likes to advertise that the new Synthe is two percent cooler than their ventilated Aeon helmet and certainly more than the Air Attack. In fact, Giro used a special proprietary system called a Therminator to figure that out. But we'd also like to point out an overlooked and identically-named metric that Giro hasn't mentioned: coolness. The Synthe, in our opinion, is 100 percent cooler-looking than its siblings. As you can see in the top photo, it doesn't look like a damn toadstool on Taylor Phinney's noggin. To get people to be safe and wear helmets, it doesn't hurt to look good. And yes, it comes in black.


Ethan Wolff-Mann is an editor at Supercompressor. He wears a helmet because his skull doesn't adequately protect his brain in the case of a tumble. Follow him on Twitter @ewolffmann.