This piece has been created in association with Giro.
Giro has been manoeuvring through a complex dance for years now, attempting to find the most striking and effective balance between aerodynamic performance, light weight, venting and impact dissipation. The Eclipse helmet with MIPS Spherical protection has provided a dramatic climax to the dance, a fortissimo finale of all elements in fine balance.
It is, in fact, the fastest road helmet that Giro has ever created. But designers know fast is only one element of success when it comes to aerodynamic performance. That’s why the Eclipse is also the coolest aero helmet Giro has ever brought to market. Just to further sweeten the deal, the Eclipse is designed with some of Giro’s most innovative impact protection systems.
To ensure the Eclipse succeeded where so many other aero helmets have struggled, engineers used a ‘Therminator’ head form that measures cooling efficiency. Iterations of the Eclipse’s design were subjected to heat dissipation testing on the Therminator, and ultimately, the Eclipse in its final form is nearly as efficient at cooling as Giro’s best-in-class Aether Spherical helmet.
It takes 14 perfectly crafted vents to pull air from the front of the helmet over the rider’s head and out the back to ensure air flow can do its job even in toasty conditions.
One look at the Eclipse tells you everything you need to know about what Giro engineers were really after, though. The sleek lid has been tested in the wind tunnel, and Giro says it is faster than its nearest aero road helmet competitor by a full 14 seconds over 100 miles at 25 miles per hour. The Eclipse bests its predecessor, too: it’s a whopping minute faster than the Giro Vanquish.
Perhaps the coolest features of the Eclipse helmet are hidden almost entirely. Spherical technology, powered by MIPS, offers rotational force dissipation unlike any other design currently on the market. The Eclipse hides a ball-and-socket design made of an outer EPS foam shell, and an inner EPS foam shell that rotates freely within the outer shell.
On top of that, Giro uses progressive layering in its EPS foam construction. That means the layers of EPS foam differ in density depending on what types of impacts it will encounter. The outer shell features a denser EPS foam, while the inner one features a less dense construction. All that helps dissipate more force in the event of a crash – force that would otherwise transfer right to the rider.
As Giro’s top-of-the-line aero road helmet, the Eclipse gets treated with the excellent Roc Loc 5 Air fit system, which adjusts quickly with the turn of a dial and wraps snugly around your head with no pinch points.
All of that impressive technology gets packed into a 270-gramme (size medium) package. With five colours to choose from and three sizes, there’s an Eclipse ready and eager to complement your wardrobe, your race ambitions, and your hottest days climbing cols or tackling neighbourhood KOM segments.
