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review

Uvex EDAero Helmet

6
£189.99

VERDICT:

6
10
Good quality aero lid with better-than-average ventilation, though weight and price mark it down
Weight: 
318g

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The Uvex EDAero lid is designed to be slippery in the wind but still keep you cool enough to use as an all-round helmet. It certainly succeeds at the latter, although the former was trickier to verify.

> Find your nearest dealer here

"The uvex EDAero cycling helmet combines the excellent aerodynamics of a drop-shaped time trial cycling helmet with ideal ventilation characteristics and a shape suitable for everyday use," says Uvex. As such, it's minimally vented. There are five vents across the front which force air through channels inside the helmet, and exhaust ports at the rear to let the hot air out. The rest of the helmet is smooth, for minimum disruption of the wind.

Uvex EDAero Helmet - back.jpg

There aren't many vents, but they do work. Other aero lids I've tried have left me feeling a bit hard boiled but the EDAero is good, especially at speed. If you're clipping along above 30kph on the chaingang or even faster in a race, there's plenty of airflow across your head. Once you hit a climb and your speed is reduced it's maybe a bit hotter than a fully vented lid, but I never found it uncomfortable.

Uvex EDAero Helmet - side.jpg

Talking of uncomfortable, it isn't. The pads are well positioned and the retention system, a collaboration with Boa, is really good. There's also a ratchet chin clip that allows you to loosen or tighten the helmet a bit without messing around with the straps, and if you do have to make adjustments then the quick release junctions make that an easy job too.

Uvex EDAero Helmet - BOA.jpg

There's even bug netting in the big vents to stop your TT being ruined by a wasp stinging your crown. Should your head encounter the tarmac rather than flying insects, the EN 1078, TÜV GS and CE ratings ensure that you're as well protected here as you would be anywhere else.

Uvex EDAero Helmet - inside.jpg

When I get an aero lid to try I usually rock up to our local closed circuit on a calm day, do a bunch of laps at different power outputs and then give them to someone cleverer than me to make a graph, benchmarked against my usual everyday helmet, a Lazer Z1 MIPS.

Screen Shot 2017-06-05 at 15.36.50.png

The results for this hat were inconclusive, really. It gave a bit of a power saving, but we're talking 3W at 44km/h, much less than the 16W at 38km/h that Uvex claims. Other aero hats – the Bolle One and the Giant Rivet, for example – fared a bit better in terms of measured gains using the same process. Also, it's a bit heavier than a vented helmet, although it's in the same ballpark as the Giant mentioned above and a fair bit less than the Scott Cadence MIPS we recently tested. There's just more material in an aero lid, what with there being fewer holes.

> Should you buy an aero helmet?

Overall, the EDAero put in a decent performance: it's comfy, the retention system is good and the ventilation works well in spite of the minimal holes. It's a bit on the weighty side both in terms of grams and pounds, and our real-world testing didn't uncover massive wattage savings to be made, and if just shaving the watts is your priority then some cheaper lids we've tried have fared better. But it's not going to hurt, and you'll look the part at the next crit race.

Verdict

Good quality aero lid with better-than-average ventilation, though weight and price mark it down

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Uvex EDAero Helmet

Size tested: 57-59 cm

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

From Uvex:

uvex EDAero: Keep cool you're the fastest

The uvex EDAero cycling helmet combines the excellent aerodynamics of a drop-shaped time trial cycling helmet with ideal ventilation characteristics and a shape suitable for everyday use. The heads responsible for the trend-setting racing helmet: The uvex-engineers and cycling professionals. The result is impressive: For example, energy-saving of up to 16 Watts or converted 1 minute 25 seconds on a stretch of 40 kilometres at a speed of 38 km/h is possible already solely by wearing the new EDAero. Impressive numbers that every race cyclist can convert into drive and performance increase immediately.

Computer optimized airflow

The new form of the uvex EDAero is the basis of the fast helmet concept; the heart however is the construction of the air channels: The airflow is led around and through the helmet in one flow. Turbulence is minimized. The vertical ventilation slots at the front of the EDAero direct the air straight into the helmet. This way the air resistance is minimized at the most important place, where the air hits the helmet straight on. An optimized system of eight ventilation channels redirects the air on the inside of the shell. This enables cooling and ventilation of the head, even though the helmet is nearly fully closed. This aerodynamically optimized synergy of ventilation and air resistance only works because the incoming air is led out with low turbulence levels, and forms a straight flow line at back of the head.

Fast shell, protective core

Of course the EDAero guarantees the protective function of the helmet without compromises and ideally protects the head against impact. All helmets have the "Double Inmould Technology" made by uvex. The advantage of Double Inmould: with a weight of 270g the helmet is light-weight and stable at the same time. The thin plastic hard shell encases the dampening interior EPS shell. Microscopically small air enclosures are located on the inside of the EPS plastic that are able to effectively dampen impacting forces. The helmet should always be adapted to ideally fit head shape and size.

BOA system specifically for cycling

In exclusive cooperation, uvex attuned the patented BOA adjustment system specifically to usage in cycling. The flexible individual parts can be ideally adapted to individual head shapes. In connection with the monomatic FAS lock system, the uvex EDAero is comfortable to wear without pressure points and safely stays in the right position in case of falls. As of spring of 2015, the EDAero is available in two shell sizes (53-57 cm/57-59 cm).

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

It's a good quality lid, this.

Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10

Nice to wear, not too hot in spite of minimal venting. Couldn't get much actual aero benefit out of it, though.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Wearing well.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
5/10

Heavy for a top-end lid, though others are heavier.

Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
8/10

Comfy in use, good retention and padding.

Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

Not cheap.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

It's a good race lid with a comfortable fit and excellent ventilation considering the design. We didn't notice a significant difference in aero performance over a standard lid though.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Good quality, comfortable.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

A bit heavy, aero gains seem to be minimal.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Probably not.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Probably not.

Use this box to explain your score

It's a well-made pro-level aero hat that's comfy and keeps you cooler than you'd think, but it's a bit heavy and aero gains didn't stack up in real-world testing.

Overall rating: 6/10

About the tester

Age: 43  Height: 189cm  Weight: 92kg

I usually ride: whatever I'm testing...  My best bike is: Kinesis Tripster ATR, Kinesis Aithein

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo-cross, commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mountain biking, Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling, track

Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.

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handlebarcam | 6 years ago
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Half of Daft Punk has let themselves go.

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