Giro Tyrant – The New Halfshell Helmet For Jumpers And Jibbers

Are you a bit of a jibber? Do you like to bust some phat airs? Then Giro has got a helmet for you – the Giro Tyrant.

Today, Giro is launching a helmet that, for a change, isn’t designed to go fast, or be super aero or which has removable bits and pieces (though it does have some super tech going on under the hood). No the new Tyrant is a helmet for riders who just like riding bikes and hanging out. As perhaps personified by Ratboy, who’s been seen wearing one in a few recent videos.

Giro says that it’s for ‘the next generation of mountain bike riders, and it serves up style to match the progression of riders like Ratboy, Loosedog, and Vero Sandler as they blaze new trails outside the racing tape.’

“Racers are still racing, but so much of the real energy in mountain biking is now out playing in the woods – building the ultimate lines and sessioning the best parts,” said Giro Marketing Director Dain Zaffke. “Tyrant is made for riders who are more likely to be wearing jeans than a number, but are still pushing boundaries with their riding. We wanted to give them a helmet that matches their style but still delivers the latest evolution in protection.”

Under the hood, so to speak is some very clever technology in the form of ‘MIPS Spherical’ which is best described as a sort of ball and socket joint in a helmet. You know a normal MIPS liner (that yellow plastic liner that moves within the helmet (so that your brain doesn’t have to in an impact) – well here Giro has made a thin, inner skull-cap of a helmet, made of Polypropylene, and that fits, ball and socket style into a regular EPS polystyrene outer helmet. This has been seen on Giro’s Aether road helmet and this is its first outing on a mountain bike helmet. It means that you can get your inner helmet fit just right and not have to worry about the rotation aspect of the helmet as that’s done out of sight. It’s really very cool (and we’re going to do a quick video to show you how it works as it’s easier to show than explain…)

There is, as you’d expect a visor with full goggle compatibility (and tool-free adjustment) with the Giro Tyrant, as well as a full in-mould design to keep the helmet in good shape even after being thrown into the back of your pickup truck. You do have a pickup truck, right?

The Giro Roc Loc Air DH system allows for a lot of fit tuning to keep the helmet on your head.

And then, of course, is the ear protection. This style has been seen in Giro’s recent Switchblade helmet (and in some helmets from other companies too) and it’s designed to protect the side of your head from impacts as well as conveying a very particular look. You can make your own mind up on that one. I reckon that the helmet will probably come with a questionnaire – ‘Are you under 30?’, ‘Can you clear those doubles? If you answered yes, then welcome to the club.’

While there’s no particular women’s sizing that we can see, there are three wide-ranging sizes. And each helmet comes with two sets of cheek pads to fine-tune fit.
Sizing is as follows:
● S 51–55cm
● M 55–59cm
● L 59–63cm

Price is unconfirmed in the UK but will be US$150, so expect something around that in Pounds.