Giro Prolight
Being Giro’s new range-topping lid, you’d expect the Prolight to be more expensive than its predecessor, the £159.99 Ionos. But it’s not. It’s 10 quid cheaper. And you pay less, because you get less – weight that is.
The Prolight has been on a diet that’s so effective it barely troubles the 220 scales at a sylph-like 179g, two thirds of the weight of the 290g Ionos, which itself isn’t exactly a lump of lead. So what’s Giro’s slimming secret?
Put simply they’ve made it a lot more basic. The first thing to go was the carbon subframe. It was needed on the Ionos and Atmos to support those helmets’ massive vents. The Prolight has smaller vents (“optimised”, according to Giro), so the sub-frame’s extra reinforcement is no longer needed. Instead of sheer size, it’s now aggressive internal channelling that ensures your head doesn’t overheat.
Replacing the Roc Loc device with some elastic and using thinner fabric for the straps has saved further weight. You lose some adjustability, most notably at the clasps just below your ears, but the fit is among the most comfortable and secure available. The fit, coupled with the lightness, is almost enough to make you forget you’re wearing a helmet.
The worst you can say about this lid is that, when you’re not wearing it, the straps get tangled up more than the thicker ones on other Giro models – hardly a deal breaker.
Contact : www.madison.co.uk
Matt Baird
Editor of Cycling Plus magazine 
