Do you dig the look of a Star Wars Stormtrooper cadet out on their first parade?
- Brand: Giro
- Product: Montaro MIPS III helmet
- Price: £179.99
- From: Giro UK
- Tested by: Matt Letch for 6 months
Our rating
Trail helmets definitely seem to have beefed up over recent years. Perhaps with ‘Trail’ being such a wide term so that may include some silly steep stuff once in a while, and riding along the canal in others.
This helmet is crammed full of brain protecting technology. It’s also Giro’s first e-bike certified open face helmet. To jam all of this tech, there’s no denying the helmet’s voluminous nature. You do have to dig the look of a Star Wars Stormtrooper cadet out on their first parade. Giro are far from alone with this; helmets have just got bigger.
Externally the helmet has an adjustable peak with two heights, high and “wow, I’m far too high” (another odd feature of modern MTB lids). The two glass holder slots front and rear are excellent. The rubberised gripper on the back of the helmet to help keep goggles in place works as it should.
Holding the helmet attached to my head is a (new for me) Fidlock magnetic clasp, replacing the more traditional quick release type buckle. Initially a bit nonplussed as to why it needed changing, after one ride I was convinced. It’s way easier to take off and on. And not once have I caught my beard in the mechanism, making me walk around looking at the floor unable to lift my head up without wincing until my panicked hands have unclipped the clasp. Win.
For me, there are four requirements of a helmet.
- Do I want to pay that much for a helmet?
- Can I live with the way it looks?
- Is it comfortable?
- Can I smash my brain out but still make a cup of tea and kiss my loved ones?
Well it’s £179.00 which is a chunk of money, but it’s your head and potentially the rest of your life, and it feels incredibly well made. My last helmet was a few years old, and it feels insubstantial compared to this.
Lookswise, it is chunky but fits snuggly round my head, and looks less big when on.
It is superbly comfortable. For a reasonably hefty lid, you really don’t notice you’ve got it on once riding.
Overall
I haven’t gone and done the final test yet (crashing my brain out). For a general all-round riding (Trail?) helmet, I don’t think you could have much more protection in a package than this.
Giro Montaro MIPS III features
- Elevated safety with Mips Evolve Core
- Roc Loc Trail delivers micro-adjustable, precision fit
- 2-position one-hand adjustable visor
- Integrated sunglasses holders front and rear
- Seamless goggle integration with strap gripper
- Ionic+ anti-microbial moisture-wicking padding
- FIDLOCK magnetic buckle
- Certified CPSC/ CE and e-bike standard NTA 8776
- 450g. (size M)
- Certified CPSC/ CE and e-bike standard NTA 8776
For that sort of ££ you aren’t dragging me away from the excellent (although I apppreciate not everyone likes them) Fox Speedframe RS. Top rated for safety, looks far nicer (IMO) and can be found for less money, albeit the RRP is £234
Something about the styling is giving conehead vibes in the front view
Does it have the removable accessory mount thing? That was great for night riding with an exposure light, and I sorely miss it on my latest (first non Montaro for a while) helmet. Can’t see to find something similar on modern helmets.
Looks like a great helmet and appears to have all the necessary features, but why do all otherwise good helmets these days have to come with those awful high peaks on them? It puts me off buying so many otherwise decent helmets, and trying to find a nice quality, and probably quite expensive (to me) helmet with with a low peak is getting increasingly difficult.
“why do all otherwise good helmets these days have to come with those awful high peaks on them”
Agreed. Cycling home on my MTB today into the setting sun and the sensibly positioned peak on my current Giro helmet is the only reason I could see where I was going!