Bontrager Ballista helmet

The Bontrager Ballista helmet is a new aero road option with very good ventilation that keeps your head cool and comfortable as you ride.

Bontrager says the Ballista has less drag than any other aero road helmet out there. The brand doesn't put a figure on its claims – there's no spiel about the Ballista saving you a certain amount of time over a given distance – but it says that the helmet outperforms the Specialized Evade, Louis Garneau Course and Giro Air Attack, according to measurements in the wind tunnel. The other brands might well contest that.

We can't test the Ballista's aerodynamic efficiency, unfortunately, so you can either take Bontrager's word for it, or reject the claims.

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What I can tell you for sure is that the Ballista feels very cool in use. You get three very large vents up front and two more on the top of the helmet. These lead into deep channels in the EPS (expanded polystyrene) that run right over the top of your head and on to a series of exit ports at the back.

When you hit a fast descent you can feel cool air coming in at the front and moving over your head to keep you cool and dry – or, at least, cooler and drier than you would otherwise be. There are more airy standard helmets out there but the Ballista feels cool for an aero helmet.

Bontrager reckons that as well as being good for cooling, the design of the vents and channels reduces drag. The idea is that the air comes in the front, moves quickly over your head and then exits out the back efficiently, rather than the helmet simply catching air like a parachute and slowing you down.

The Ballista uses Bontrager's Headmaster II fit system which features a plastic cradle that attaches to the EPS at the temples and the rear. You get the choice of three different height positions at the back while a clicky wheel allows you to set the tension easily. You can fine-tune the fit one-handed while you're on the move. It's a very good design, similar in essentials to several others, that fits a wide variety of head shapes.

Bontrager's AgION padding is antimicrobial, which is good news for keeping nasty niffs at bay. I really like the fact that one section of padding goes right across your forehead so you don't find sweat dripping in your eyes unless you work really hard and saturate the fabric. That makes a big difference.

The straps are soft and lightweight rather than the thick, reluctant-to-bend variety, and the strap dividers lock down tightly when you set them to the right place.

The Ballista is a good weight too, ours hitting the road.cc Scales of Truth at 266g. That's not particularly light for a standard helmet – the Bontrager Velocis that we reviewed recently, for example, is 222g  but it's a decent weight for an aero option.

I'm not bothered about the difference that a few grams makes to speed, but a lighter helmet feels more comfortable. I certainly didn't feel that the Ballista's weight affected comfort, even towards the end of long rides.

In terms of looks, I'd say the Ballista is a medium ranker for an aero helmet. I guess it looks a bit Mekon, but you can make your own mind up on that. If this black version doesn't do it for you, it's also available in white/silver and visibility yellow.

One more important point: like other Bontrager helmets, the Ballista is backed by a crash replacement guarantee. That means you can claim a free replacement if it gets damaged in a crash within the first year of ownership.

Verdict

An aero road helmet with very good ventilation and a low weight; in use it feels almost like a standard, non-aero lid