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Helmets
Giro Tempest Youth Helmet Giro Tempest Youth Helmet Giro Tempest Youth Helmet
Giro Tempest Youth Helmet

Giro Tempest Youth Helmet

8
by Caroline Dodgson
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published May 3, 2014

0
£39.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Easy to adjust helmet for children and young teens
Weight: 
259g
Contact: 
www.zyro.co.uk
How we test

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The Giro Tempest bills itself as a child's helmet with adult features. It is easy to adjust in all directions and looks more mature than its years.

As a parent, one of the longstanding problems with fitting children's helmets is the struggle to get the chin strap tight enough without clipping your child's skin at the same time. Giro have used a ratcheting buckle that's found in several newer children's helmets on the Tempest. This neatly does away with the worry. You can hear it click reassuringly into place and adjustment is easy and pain free. A pad would have been a nice touch to cushion skin from plastic.

Additional size adjustment is available using the side clips. Again these are very easy to use with a click into place system which has only recently begun to filter down from expensive adult helmets. At the back of the helmet there is a dial adjuster.

With a range of 50-57cm both our 8 year old and 12 year old testers fitted this lid. The overall dimensions and design (no fins or peak) make the Tempest seem smaller and therefore more proportionate on a child's head than other helmets we've tested.

Padding is pretty minimal for the cost of the helmet, with only two pads on top of the head and one quite thin pad around the forehead. Our tester did not complain about any loss of comfort but I felt this was an area that could be improved, especially as we are getting towards the sweaty summer ride season.

Twenty-two vents and an insect net put this lid in the higher quality bracket of children's helmets. A small reflective decal adds an additional safety feature to the helmet. The effect of this is pretty minimal and further decals would not have detracted from the helmet's overall look.

Available in quite 'grown up' colour schemes (black with detailing, ruby red, camo and our tester's silver on white), this gives your child options away from the usual bright pink or cartoon characters if that's not their thing. Overall, the Tempest closely resembles a mid-range adult helmet with child-sized proportions.

Verdict

Easy to adjust helmet for children and young teens

road.cc test report

Make and model: Giro Tempest Youth Helmet

Size tested: Uni Size 50-57cm, White/Silver

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?

THE KIDS' HELMET WITH A GROWN-UP HEART

When a little rider wants to wear what the big riders have on, the Tempest™ can help. This helmet features the same style and technologies found on our adult range, like the ease of Universal Fit™ sizing and one-handed adjustability of the Acu Dial™ system, and the rugged durability of In-Mold construction. And with plenty of ventilation to keep kids cool the Tempest™ is a sure, comfortable choice.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

FEATURES:

Full coverage shell; Reflective rear decal

CONSTRUCTION:

In-Mold polycarbonate shell with EPS liner

FIT SYSTEM:

Acu Dial™

VENTILATION:

22 vents

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

No worries with this well-respected brand.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

Thankfully, not tested in an accident situation.

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
9/10

Lighter than several other offerings for children.

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
8/10

Minimal padding but chin strap ratchet brings the score up.

Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

At the more expensive end of youth helmets, but this is reflected in the features.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The proportions - it doesn't look oversized on a child's head. Muted colours - unusual in a child's product.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Minimal padding.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Yes.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 36  Height: 5'7  Weight: size 16

I usually ride: Trek 7.5 WSD  My best bike is: Turquoise Cruiser

I've been riding for: Under 5 years  I ride: A few times a week  I would class myself as: Novice

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, general fitness riding, Leisure

 

Giro Tempest Youth Helmet
Giro

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