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TECH NEWS
Oakley Aro3 Lite 11Oakley quietly launches updated ARO3 road helmet... that is 5g lighter than the original
Oakley has, very quietly, released a new version of its ARO3 road helmet. The ARO3 Lite is claimed to be 5g lighter while still featuring the same fit and ‘optimised ventilation’ of the old model. The price for this Mips-equipped helmet is still a reasonable £99.
Within the world of cycling, it’s fair to say that Oakley is known best for its sunglasses. But the American eyewear brand has a decent range of cycling kit that includes clothing and helmets.
For the road market, Oakley has the ARO3 and the ARO5 helmets, the latter of which we have reviewed, finding it to offer good ventilation for an aero helmet.
While the ARO5 is designed to offer some aero savings, the ARO3 Lite is “engineered for those unforgiving climbs and blistering heat” and as such “is built with optimised ventilation to help keep you cool.”
The claimed weight saving of 5g probably isn't going to get weightweenies too excited, and Oakley doesn't specify where the saving has come from so we've asked for clarification on the figure.
We also liked the Boa retention system and that can also be found on the new ARO3 Lite. Oakley says that the “TX1 Lace lies flat against your head, allowing for seamless eyewear compatibility.”
In our review of the ARO5, we did have some issues with the retention system interfering with the arms of sunglasses so it will be interesting to see if the problem is shared on the ARO3 Lite.
Speaking of sunglasses, it’d be a bit strange for a sunglasses brand to not incorporate an eyewear dock for when you’re not wearing your shades. Oakley says that its eyewear dock allows you “to securely stow your shades and keep them handy for quick and easy access.”
The ARO3 Lite gets a MIPS system integrated into its design, allowing the helmet to twist on the head in the event of a crash. MIPS claims that this can reduce rotational forces acting on the brain, thus reducing brain injuries.
The helmet comes in small (52-56cm), medium (54-58cm) and large (56-60cm) sizes, is available now and costs £99.
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6 comments
I think the reason for the weight saving and the "Lite" designation is that this version of the helmet does not actually feature the MIPS system. The ARO3 is still the version with MIPS, whereas this version is essentially the same helmet without MIPS, therefore fractionally lighter, and at a lower price. Both versions are still currently on sale.
Sorry Liam but not your finest work here. The fixation on a 5 gram weight difference on the unspecified total weight of this helmet is pretty darn scary. I would call it a manufacturing rounding.
...which is probably why it says
Apologies, it's not the actual +/- 5 grams I care about , it astonished me that the author would seek =clarification= on such a tiny weight change.
Quote:
'The claimed weight saving of 5g probably isn't going to get weightweenies too excited, and Oakley doesn't specify where the saving has come from so we've asked for clarification on the figure.'
Why does a tiny 5 gram weight difference between two helmets require clarification?
I was reading that as mostly tongue-in-cheek / sardonic, as the reference in the headline seems to be.
I have an ARO5 and am perfectly happy with its design and fitting, however, the Oakley website and help desk seem not to know too much about anything other than spectacles as there is no replacement available for the X-STATIC® BROW PADDING (sweaty head relief) considered a feature rated above MIPS integration. Someone at Oakley seems aware that it's a disposable part of the helmet as they ship a secondary set of pads with each new purchase but my attempts to buy a third set has been fruitless.
£200 RRP for a helmet and I am left looking on eBay for an alternative pad set.