Thanks for tuning in today we're going to be reviewing the Oakley ARO 3 Lite cycling helmet.
While Oakley is best known for their sunglasses they also have a full lineup of ARO
cycling helmets. The lineup consists of the highly ventilated ARO 3 which we have here,
the high performance ARO 5 and the aerodynamic ARO 7. This review will be looking at the latest
variation the more affordable and lightweight ARO 3 Lite. As you can see here the packaging
is also very simple you have the black packaging gives a nice premium look oakley glossy logo
and that's about it so it's very subtle and you can see just glossy logos on there.
That's about it so nothing else on the box it's a standard helmet box with a slide-out tray. So
we'll go ahead and open it up and go over the specs retail price on this is only $120.
It's about 50 or 60 dollars more affordable than the standard ARO 3 version. It is a non-MIPS
helmet and that's one reason why it's a little more affordable. It's been optimized for airflow
so large large air channels and internal air channels really funnel air through the helmet.
It has what they call x-static brow padding so nice soft plush padding here
that sits right in front of your head a nice comfortable fit.
You also have an eyewear dock so if you have Oakley sunglasses or other brands. You can see
these side vents are very well placed to allow you to place the temple arm through there and hold it
when you're not wearing the sunglasses. You have a BOA 360 dial so it's actually a BOA dial with the
ratcheting design and very lightweight cradle system to keep you comfortable
and nice form fitting. It's available in white and black matte and here you can see the matte white
version that we have. In terms of what comes with the helmet pretty simple you have a little boa
tag on the helmet and then if we take out the tray it has a little hidden
compartment in here. You actually get a fabric bag and that's really cool to see especially at this
price point most companies don't offer it. You get the Oakley logo so you can stick this on something
you have a little instruction manual and a lot of safety information,
A second pad here which is nice to have so a little more plush than the one that's in there
so you can all swap this in if this gets dirty or get damaged and then the fabric bag which is
a fabric bag with this mesh construction that's a great way to store the helmet
or to travel with it and prevent it from getting scratched. Now let's take a look at the weight of
the helmet obviously it has the word light in the product name so we do expect it to be light.
It's a couple grams lighter than the previous generation but they don't explain how.
So this comes in at 286 for the medium sized version
so at sub 300 it's something you'll forget you're wearing pretty quickly.
Now let's go over the fit and finish the ARO 3 Lite helmet. The ARO 3 is optimized for
ventilation and warm weather right in and you can see that with the really large vents up front.
With these Lite version there's no MIPS any other liners that would block the airflow. So you
have nice large channels down in the middle the helmet is only offered in this matte white as well
as a matte black option. You can get more color options with the standard ARO 3 with the MIPS
liner and a little bit more expensive price point though. You can see the front nice curves the
exposed foam on the inside and with this white and black color scheme as nice contrast. Nice
smooth curves almost a one piece design you can see the top portion and then this little
divider line with the bottom portion of the shell. You have air vents up the top and back through
a nice low profile design as well so it's not going to be very domey and i'll sit higher on your
head to accommodate larger sunglasses. You have the sunglass dock right here in the front so these two
vents are perfect spot to put in your temples or your sunglasses when you're all wearing them
you do have a semi-finished shell so you can see there's exposed foam here but they have
partially filled it in with the shell so it gives a little more premium look
until you look underneath. More expensive helmets this will be fully wrapped
and that's just one way to kind of reduce the cost and the weight of the helmet. On the rear this is
probably our favorite feature of the helmet it has very distinct styling, minimal branding
just Oakley on the side and then the back. This reminds me a lot of automotive designs looks like
an exotic sports car like an Aston Martin where this would be the taillights the exhaust would go
here. It's a very smooth curves and definitely stands out versus other helmets on the market.
You have that blunt trailing edge as well so nice and aerodynamic so
smooth front and then this kind of cut off on the rear. You have the BOA dial system here
so it's a dual dial direction dual direction dial that you can use adjust the fit the cradle itself.
It is fully adjustable as well so you have three positions here you just pop them out of the tab
to move it up and down. A nice wide plastic fairing on the back so you don't feel any pressure points
and being a lightweight helmet they've reduced some weight by using these lightweight wires
to connect the cradle to the front instead of thicker plastic. You can see it wraps all
the way through so as you tighten it it really wraps around your head for the nice safe fit.
You have nylon straps with these really wide Oakley branded side adjustments this is great
to adjust it to get it right underneath your ear and with the wide design you're not going to feel
it against your head. Standard plastic buckle no magnetic buckle here which definitely adds
a little bit of weight so very easy to use pop it in and out and it's just black on the inside
which is nice contrast. Again with the helmet big air channels down the center you can see it
really lets air up and through there's no MIPS liner or anything else that'll block the airflow.
You have the removable pads here as well so just velcro so pop out clean it and then
minimal padding here as well. You can pop that out and wash that as well.
Here you can see the ARO 3 helmet on the road we've actually paired it with the
new Oakley Kato sunglasses as well and they match really well. As you can see here the helmet has a
nice distinct look and even though it's not a very sunny day that white helmet stands out and
has nice smooth curves. You can see the large air channels up front and the back and it's very easy
to adjust the helmet as well with that BOA 360 dial on the back and the soft nylon straps on
the side. It also has that distinct styling with that almost automotive rear profile to it and
nice low profile design so it's not a big domey a mushroom style helmet. We do wish it came in more
colors but the white and black is a very classic color scheme that should match any kit you own.
Now it's a little comparison between the ARO 3 Lite and other helmets on the market.
One of the recent helmets reviewed is the Lazer Sphere and you can see nice smooth design. It has
large air vents as well down the center but a more traditional frame design so you have
these little side ribs that go up and to the back whereas the Oakley has a little bit more distinct
styling to it. You see similar size vents but the oakley just has less interference as there's
no MIPS line or anything else. The rear is where the Oakley is more distinct you can see again
very automotive styling rather than just large aggressive vents. Now Lazer does offer more
color options, we really like this stripes version as it stands out and has a color gradient so
it goes from blue to red in the back so it makes it stand out aside from the standard
matte black finish. More color options with Lazer as well versus the ARO 3 but
you can see same low profile design and the Oakley just looks a little bit more sleeker
with that profile. The Lazer is also a little bit more expensive than the Oakley due to the
MIPS liner. Now when you're talking about light helmet the lightest helmet that we've reviewed
on the market is the POC Ventral Lite it is a very expensive helmet at I believe $275 dollars
and you can see a lot more vents than the Oakley where these are blocked. The POC actually
has them all cut out so anywhere they could cut out they did to really reduce the weight you
have the exposed foam same as with the Oakley and they've actually gone more aggressive removing the
shell entirely from the rear. Finished bottom though which is unique to POC so you have
this accent color in the bottom and that's what I meant by more expensive helmets usually have
this covering makes it look more premium. You won't really notice it when you're riding but
when you take off the helmet you do see the edge whereas this one has the exposed foam but again
at $120 the Oakley is way more affordable than the POC. Same large air channels on both of them
and similar lightweight wire system so POC has a single wire while the Oakley has a dual dial
setup a dual wire setup with the dial in the back but very similar styling. They have that
same two-piece shell design with the little ear cut out that curves up and that blunt trailing
edge but i think Oakley offers very distinct color styling and at this price it's quite affordable.
Now let's go over the pros and cons for the ARO 3 Lite helmet. What we like about it is that has
an affordable price point at only 120 dollars you get the Oakley brand name as well as the
BOA branded rear dial which is pretty nice to see at this price point. It also has distinct
and simple styling with smooth curves and that almost automotive rear end styling on the back
of the helmet. It also has excellent airflow with the large air vents in front and internal channels
that really help suck air through the helmet and keep you cool on warm days or slow climbs.
Some of the cons for the helmet is the fact that they're limited color options
with the ARO 3 light. It's only offered in the white and black color version
you can get more colors with the more expensive ARO 3 which has MIPS. Speaking of MIPS it
is one downside of this helmet you don't get MIPS or any other safety features which is
something that's a lot more common even at the 100 price point. Taking everything into account
would give the ARO 3 Lite helmet an 8.3 out of 10. It's very light and simple helmet with good
styling and an affordable price point. Thanks for watching review don't forget to like and subscribe.
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