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review

Liv Rev Pro Mips helmet

8
£189.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Sleek and comfortable helmet that fits securely, with effective cooling and extra safety tech
Secure fit and easy adjustment
Well ventilated
Ponytail friendly
You can get similarly specced helmets for less
Weight: 
286g

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 Liv Rev Pro Mips Helmet is long-ride comfortable and well ventilated. It's not the cheapest or lightest lid out there, even compared with others featuring the extra safety tech layer, but if the shape suits you it's very good.

This top-end Liv lid is the same as the Giant Rev Pro Mips aside from its female-focused branding and sizing; the Giant is available in three sizes, the Liv only two – the smaller of the Giant's three – and caters to head sizes of between 51cm and 59cm.

> Buy now: Liv Rev Pro Mips Helmet for £189.99 from Liv

I tested the medium, which is designed to fit heads of 55cm-59cm circumference, and found the shape and size spot on for my pretty average shaped head. The adjustment cradle cupped the base of my skull nicely, meaning that the helmet sat securely even before I'd fastened and adjusted the straps. It's ponytail friendly, too, if that's a concern.

2021 Liv Rev Pro Mips helmet - tension system.jpg

There was no pinching at any point, and the low-profile TransTextura Plus pads are soft and comfortable (alternative pads are provided as standard).

2021 Liv Rev Pro Mips helmet - inside 2.jpg

In its long list of features, Liv makes mention of the helmet's wind tunnel designed ventilation, and I have to say it does channel airflow well, preventing my head getting too sweaty. It has 21 vents, and the broad central channel is really good, with the larger vents positioned to draw air in as you're in a stretched-out position on the drops.

It felt similar to the Kask Mojito that I normally wear, a helmet that's very ventilated and cooling in all conditions. The Liv is heavier than the Kask, possibly because of the Mips tech.

2021 Liv Rev Pro Mips helmet - Mips.jpg

More and more helmets are featuring this safety layer. If you haven't come across it before, it stands for Multi-directional Impact Protection and is designed to help reduce rotational energies otherwise transferred to the head during an impact or crash. I confess I didn't test its abilities.

> All you need to know about Mips

The straps are easy to adjust, and a lighter gauge 'ribbon' than some. There also seemed to be less in the way of annoying extraneous strap dangling than you get with some lids.

2021 Liv Rev Pro Mips helmet - clip.jpg

I found it an extremely comfortable helmet to wear, with no movement and no pressure anywhere on the head.

Value and conclusion

On road.cc we judge value for money on how something compares with similar-priced products, and though this helmet looks pretty expensive against some low-weight and Mips-enabled road helmets, such as the Met Rivale MIPS at £140 (and 236g), it's a little cheaper than others – the Lazer Z1 MIPS, for example, is £209.99, but also 26g lighter.

> Buyer’s Guide: 10 of the best high-performance helmets

Overall, if the shape suits your head – it did mine – and you want a comfortable and cooling helmet, with the added peace of mind of Mips, it's well worth considering. Even more so if you ride a Liv bike and like your helmet branding to match that of your bike – here you go. It even comes with its own drawstring cloth bag.

Verdict

Sleek and comfortable helmet that fits securely, with effective cooling and extra safety tech

road.cc test report

Make and model: Liv Rev Pro Mips helmet

Size tested: Medium 55-59cm

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?

Liv says: "VENT ON THE FAST ROAD. Designed for the tastes of the peloton, Liv Rev Pro contains only what is necessary for optimal ventilation, safety and comfort at the lowest weight. That means your head will stay cool even on those hot summer climbs out of the saddle. The sleek design and ACE proven ventilation system plus supreme safety make it the choice for performance-minded female road riders who know their brain is worth it."

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

Liv lists these features:

Advanced styling incorporating latest vented road profiles

State-of-the-art defining highest ventilation and cooling

Lightest weight available with MIPS with 5-position rear adjustment with ponytail-friendly design

ACE Wind tunnel-proven optimized internal ventilation airflow

Highest level comfort and stability

Simple strap divider & strap system adjustment

LiteForm™ webbing for enhanced comfort and performance

21-vent configuration for optimal airflow and top-of-the-head ventilation

Giant CINCH Pro MIPS™ fit system for simple and easy head-hugging comfort

Proprietary TransTextura PLUS™ anti-microbial fast-wicking pad technology

MIPS low friction layer between the head and the helmet that provides added protection with respect to angled impacts

Direct Flow Cooling guides airflow into ultra-deep internal channels optimising ventilation at high and low speeds

In-mould all-in-one construction for impact-absorbing strength, ultimate durability and crash protection

Low and high speed impact-tuned construction with optimised EPS density and super-tough polycarbonate shell

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

Very well finished.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

Very comfortable and secure on the head, with no pressure points and good ventilation.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
7/10

There are lighter helmets available for less money, but it's no heavyweight.

Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
9/10

Extremely comfortable.

Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Very well.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The comfortable and secure fit, easy adjustment and ventilation.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

It's a bit pricey compared with some.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

It's cheaper than some – the Lazer Z1 MIPS, which is also 26g lighter, has gone up to £209.99 since we tested it in 2020 – but the Met Rivale MIPS we reviewed in 2021 is still only £140, and 236g. 

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes, very much.

Would you consider buying the product? Possibly

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes, particularly one who owns a Liv bike.

Use this box to explain your overall score

It's very good – well made and nicely finished, really comfortable on long rides and with the extra safety aspect of Mips technology.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 48  Height: 1.65m  Weight: 77kg

I usually ride: Liv Invite  My best bike is: Specialized Ruby Elite

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, touring, sportives, general fitness riding, mtb,

Lara has been riding bikes for longer than she'd care to admit, and writing about them nearly as long. Since 2009 she has been working as part of the road.cc review team whilst championing women's cycling on the side, most notably via two years as editor of the, sadly now defunct, UK's first and only women's cycling mag, erm, Women's Cycling. 

Believing fervently that cycling will save the world, she wishes that more people would just ride a bike and be pleasant to each other. 

She will ride anything with two wheels, occasionally likes to go fast, definitely likes to go far and is always up for a bit of exploring somewhere new and exciting. 

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