Giro Eclipse Spherical helmet review
Giro has produced some fine aero helmets over the years. Is the Eclipse Spherical one of them? Here's our full review...
220 Triathlon verdict
A steep price, but a winning balance of comfort, speed, weight and ventilation. Score: 87%
Pros
- Brilliant integration of MIPS
- Fantastic ventilation
Cons
- Vents come at the expense of pure speed
- Price is high
Giro launched the aero road helmet genre back in 2012 with their Air Attack lid, and the latest Eclipse Spherical ensures the top American brand is still at the forefront over a decade later.
How we tested aero road helmets
The Giro Eclipse Spherical was part of our aero road helmet wind-tunnel test in which we ranked helmets according to their time over a 40km / 25mi time-trial. We also wore these helmets on the road to assess comfort, ventilation, features and value for money. For more details, see how we rate and test products.
Giro Eclipse Spherical fit and comfort
After the excess strap had been dispensed with, the Roc Loc 5 Air system’s slick retention dial and internal fitting mechanism swiftly found an ideal fit akin to my regular Giro Agilis MIPS lid.
The cradle slides up and down to fine-tune the fit and the dial offers easy adjustment.
The padding also has a luxurious feel to it and sits in the optimum place on the forehead, providing plenty of comfort and mopping up sweat.
It’s worth noting, though, that the straps aren’t removable for washing, and a chinstrap isn’t provided.
Giro Eclipse Spherical aerodynamics
The Eclipse Spherical’s aerodynamic abilities were tested in our independent wind-tunnel analysis of 11 aero road helmets at the Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub with The Bike Tailor.
Its performance over our baseline Decathlon helmet at a 7.5° yaw angle (simply, the amount of crosswind on your bike) with the rider on tri-bars were 11.4secs faster over a 25mi / 40km bike leg at 19mph / 30km/h, and just 0.2secs swifter when riding at 25mph / 40km/h.
The former result places it eighth in the placings, with the latter result seeing it come eighth again out of the 11 helmets tested.
Giro Eclipse Spherical ventilation
These results are satisfactory, but key to remember is that the Eclipse Spherical is one of the most vented aero road helmets on test.
The Eclipse’s design features six main vents at the front, concentrated on the left and right sides, with a smooth central strip.
There are also deep channels within the helmet to draw air through, and generously sized exhaust ports at the rear.
Giro Eclipse Spherical safety
The Eclipse is the latest Giro helmet to use the Spherical tech developed with MIPS.
It’s the most effective integration of MIPS I’ve experienced, with two EPS (expanded polystyrene) foam liners joined by elastomer ‘anchors’ in a ball and socket construction to rotate individually of each other.
The outer shell is also integrated smoothly into the EPS core to complete a smart and classy aesthetic.
The Ano Blue stands out the most on the roads, but there are also black and red; matte black; white and silver; charcoal and pink options available.
The inclusion of MIPS and those two EPS foam liners would suggest a weighty number, but the Eclipse Spherical comes in at 9.7oz / 275g on our scales for a medium, putting it in the mid-table of the aero road lids we’ve tested.
That $290 price tag can’t be ignored, however, but the Eclipse Spherical to me offers a happy medium between ventilation and drag-saving abilities.
Giro Eclipse Spherical helmet specs
| Price: | $290 / £239.99 |
| Weight: | 9.7oz / 275g |
| MIPS? | Yes |
| Vents: | 14 |
Matt Baird
Editor of Cycling Plus magazine 
