When it comes to picking, choosing
or using aero helmets one of the most common questions
we hear from triathletes and time trialists
is whether we should go visor or no visor.
And it's a very good question, is this more aero?
Or is this more practical?
Well we have teamed up with Oakley using their rather fancy
ARO7 helmet to answer those very questions and more.
(intense music)
Now the purpose of a cycling helmet is to protect your head,
and that is still the primary aim.
But over time, some watt-saving aero savvy riders realized
that with some clever shaping, a covered head could in fact
be faster through the air than a bare one.
So in 1985, we saw Scott Tinley more or less introduce
these cleverly shaped aero helmets to the triathlon world
when he donned one on his way to winning
the Ironman World Championships, and it's around this time
that kind of marked the beginning
of cycling's aero arms race.
But back then, these helmets were more or less just fairings
that smoothed out the airflow over a rider's head
and actually had very little in the way of consideration
and protection for the rider's heads.
The designs gradually evolved and changed.
We had some slightly longer tails coming out of this.
Visors were introduced, new rules were introduced
which required more protection for the riders heads
and with that came some slightly bulkier designs.
But since then, manufacturers understanding of aerodynamics
and real-world rider positions has improved considerably.
And this has brought about the reduction in tail size
of many helmets to reduce the drag
that could be generated by dropped or moving heads.
Some people tend to see it fare better
during lengthy bike legs within a triathlon.
But it is the visor that still seems to have people torn.
(upbeat music)
Now personally, I've raced both with and without visors
on my aero helmets over the years.
See, when I first stepped into the world of non-drafting,
longer distance triathlons, I got my first aero helmet.
I'll be honest, it was all a little alien to me.
I was unfamiliar with aero helmets.
I wasn't that sure on them and their looks,
particularly with a visor.
So I opted to go non-visor
and very often I would wear sunglasses underneath them,
as I'm doing right now.
And at the time, I thought this was
a rather practical option, I'm going to be running
in these sunglasses anyway, so it's just a case
of leaving my sun glasses on, taking my helmet off,
whacking my run shoes on, and off I go.
And I thought it's probably good for ventilation
in the helmet, too, and it seems that many people out there
also have very similar feelings too this.
And this is predominantly where that
visor versus no visor debate comes from.
(upbeat music)
Now mostly in my career and still today
I opt to use a visor.
I've learned a heck of a lot more about aerodynamics,
ways in which we can gain free speed or simply reduce
the amount of drag that we were previously making.
And an integrated visor like this one on the ARO7
is a perfect example of that.
In fact, you'll find most of the pro field now
are using visors with their aero helmets
even in hot conditions suck as those in Kona.
So what is it that makes these visors so great?
(mysterious music)
Well, firstly we have airflow across the helmet.
By having an integrated visor, the aim is to smoothen
out the airflow around the head that bit further.
In addition to this, what I found is that
it also gives you a greater field of view without
the frame of the sunglasses in the way.
This has allowed me to tuck my head down further,
allowing me to get into a more aerodynamic position
with my body without compromising my view
of the road ahead of me.
Well, the helmet designs have come leaps and bounds
over the years, even a simple aero helmet like this one
has very good ventilation, makes sure
that your head doesn't boil with inside the helmet,
and to prove my point, actually,
David McNamee wore this very helmet to a third place finish
at the Ironman World Championships
in the brutal conditions of Kona last year.
(upbeat music)
Okay, so the next big question is transition,
obviously having a visor on the helmet
does make things a little bit more tricky
when you're trying to get the helmet
on and off our head as we go through.
But it is still easily doable.
For some people it may take a couple of seconds longer
as you're going through transition.
But I would say that the aerodynamic benefits
of having a visor on your helmet
should outweigh those couple of second lost,
particularly over a longer distance triathlon.
Now conveniently, on a lot of aero helmets these days,
you're actually able to remove that visor
quickly and easily, and on some helmets actually able
to turn that visor around, snap it onto the top
of the helmet, which could be a good option
when you're going through transition.
On this ARO7, we've actually got a magnetic attachment
so we can just easily pull that visor off.
And then we can actually start playing around
with different visor options for different conditions.
So here I have the Prizm Road and Clear visor options.
Now unlike a lot of aero helmets and their visors,
these visors have certainly not been an afterthought.
Now we obviously all know Oakley for their sunglasses,
so unsurprisingly the same technology and expertise
has gone into these visors, I mean, the clarity is topnotch.
And this is so often overlooked with visors.
Where actually athletes, these have confidence
in their vision, there's no distortion,
their eyes aren't having to work harder
than they should be or being strained.
All their effort is going into racing.
So what Oakley have done with their Prizm lens
that I have here is that they've optimized
it for the specific conditions of cycling
out on the road, so obviously the lights and the colors
that we see when we're out on the roads cycling
are very different from say that of golf or baseball.
So they've analyzed the demands of each sport
in their environment and they've created this lens
that transmits the right wavelengths
for those specific conditions.
Pretty clever stuff, eh?
And that same technology in the Prizm lens
can be found also obviously within their sunglasses.
But bringing this back to the visor versus no visor debate,
obviously it is a case of personal preference,
do what you're happiest with.
Although I would recommend considering
the aerodynamic benefits of going with a visor.
That said, there have been very successful athletes
over the years going both with and without visors,
so don't worry if you'd actually like to start out
going non-visor and getting used to that
before opting to go with a visor.
Now if you have enjoyed today's video,
please do hit that thumbs up button.
And if you'd like to see more from GTN
just click on the globe and subscribe.
And if you'd like to see our comfort versus aero video,
you can see that just by clicking just up here.
And if you'd like to see our seven aero hacks to go fast,
you can see that by clicking just down there.