Middle Ground Doesn't Mean Middle of the Road Performance

WHAT: Giro Xen Helmet WHERE: giro.com HOW MUCH: $159

At first glance, I decided that I didn’t want to like Giro’s “somewhere in the middle” Xen helmet. It looked bigger and bulkier than ideal for my riding needs, and too puny for the full-face needs of the downhill set. But, on the other hand, Giro had sent out a snappy matte black test model – my favorite color, or lack thereof, in the whole wide world – and the weather hasn’t been the warmest. What the heck, thoughts I, why not give it a shot?

That was my first mistake – putting it on my head. See, this might just be the most comfortable bike helmet in the whole wide world. More comfy than anything else I’ve ever tried, at least. The lid sits well on most heads, and the added rear foam snugs around the skull in a friendly polystyrene embrace. The 4th generation Roc-Loc retention system is almost superfluous on the Xen, but using it makes for one supersnug, supersecure, supercomfy brain bucket. It is a really comfortable helmet.

Did I mention that it’s comfortable?

And, in spite of covering more skull than most helmets, the Xen does a pretty decent job of ventilation thanks to 17 big holes cut into it. That’s not to say it’s going to be the new standard for the x-c race circuit. While well ventilated, it is not as breezy as Giro’s Atmos, or Specialized’s Decibel, or most any high-end, race-oriented lid. The Xen also sports a few extra ounces of chub over these more svelte helmets. But it’s protective chub. The extra weight is all in the name of added impact protection, and here the Xen shines, offering more foam-depth around the rear half of the helmet than any of the lightweights out there.

It straddles an odd middle ground – not a superlight race lid, not a full-on carnage bucket – but it fits incredibly well onto a broad range of heads, and is well ventilated enough to work for most riders (but you WILL sweat more than in something lighter and breezier), most of the time. For my needs, the Xen is an ideal swing season helmet, my first pick for days with lots of rocky descending, or days when it won’t get too hot. Come midsummer, and long days of climbing, it’ll probably be staying at home. But the rest of the time, I’m loving it.