Best aero cycling helmets 2024 — invest in a road cycling lid that cuts drag without sacrificing comfort

The Met Manta Mips Aero Road is the helmet of choice for Tadej Pogačar and UAE Team Emirates, offering a good blend of aero performance and ventilation. It also impresses with its weight and comfort, and is nicely integrated with Mips protection. 

We can't verify the aero claims, but Met says there are up to "4W improvements at 33, 55 and 80 km/h in a wind tunnel." Interestingly, it seems that Met only tested it at zero degrees yaw, but did simulate riding both on the hoods and in the drops.

We don't have access to a wind tunnel, nor a sophisticated air convection test here at road.cc, but we were able to test it out on the road! Our reviewer Leon said, it was fast-feeling (compared to his lightweight climber's helmet) and surprisingly airy, with enough ventilation to regulate the temperature on a warm British summer's day. 

The HJC Furion 2.0 Semi-Aero Helmet is, as the name suggests, a 'semi-aero' road helmet that has a degree of ventilation. Weighing in at 218g on the road.cc scales of truth, it's very light for an aero helmet. If it's great ventilation you're after though, Ed who reviewed this helmet didn't find it to be the most well-ventilated aero helmet. 

What this helmet lacks in ventilation, it gains in comfort, weight, and aerodynamics. The Furion 2.0 features a Selfit securing mechanism which is an automatic self-adjusting fitting system so that once the helmet fit is set, it doesn't require further adjustment, even when your head is moving during a ride. 

HJC claims the Furion 2.0 saves 7% energy during your ride compared with the competition and tester Ed said the helmet felt pretty aerodynamic, though this is something we can't subjectively test. 

Trek's Ballista Mips aero helmet is the choice of Lidl-Trek's Mads Pedersen and it's a slimmed-down but similar sort of design to many time-trial aero helmets but offers impressive cooling for such a small amount of venting. 

Trek says the Ballista Mips is the "fastest, most aerodynamic helmet that will save big watts and shave crucial seconds". How fast? Well, without a wind tunnel that is pretty much impossible to say, but in use, tester Stu said, "When hunkered down in the drops as low as I could go, I did find the Ballista sat well, with the aero tail flat towards my back, and the front allowing good vision for looking forwards".

The retention system is also easily adjustable, giving a great fit, and you get the bonus of Mips tech too. The dial system for adjustment uses just a small plastic section at the back, as opposed to a band running all the way around the sides of your head like on most top-end helmets. Here the helmet has a Boa wire (just like the Boa system on your shoes) to adjust the fit, and it does that with no pressure at all which makes for good comfort, as well as plenty of adjustment.

Giro claims that the Eclipse Spherical road helmet is 163.5 seconds quicker than the Aether Spherical...over 100 miles...at 25mph... which is useful... You've got to love pro average speeds! Giro says that this is both the fastest road helmet and the coolest aero road helmet it has ever created, our only slight niggle is its compatibility with long-armed sunnies, we found that a few interfered.

Many aero helmets can suffer from poorer ventilation than non-aero designs, but the Giro Eclipse performs well on this front thanks to those large front vents and the Roc Loc 5 retention system that holds the helmet slightly above the skull.

Like many of the helmets featured here, the Eclipse Spherical helmet benefits from Mips technology for a claimed improvement in rotational protection. 

You’ll normally spot the Met Trenta 3K Carbon Mips with a few tufts of hair sticking out the top of it as Pogačar wins everything from classics to mountain top finishes wearing one.

Met says that the Trenta 3K Carbon Mips is "perfectly vented for hot conditions and extreme efforts while offering high performance aerodynamics and of course Mips safety". Met have recently added Mips to the Trenta and have managed to do so without adding tons of additional weight, in fact, just 3g and our size small weighed in at just 223g, that's lighter than many non-aero helmets. 

There is a cheaper, non-carbon version that offers the same aerodynamic claims, safety and ventilation but is slightly heavier.

Kask's Utopia Y is an aero helmet which still creates a decent airflow, while keeping the weight low. Tester Stu said, "the three front vents create a refreshing breeze over your head, while the 'scoops' let air flow around the sides. Warm air is ported out of the back". 

Kask says, "The original Utopia helmet raised the bar for optimised aerodynamics and ventilation, which remain central to the Utopia Y". The difference with this updated version being that is has the Octofit+ adjustment system which gives a good range of adjustment both up and down for the cradle.

Overall, the quality and fit of the Utopia Y is excellent. There are three sizes available, covering head sizes of 50cm to 62cm.