Giro Montaro MIPS Helmet, Unisex

Product Information

Cons: I cannot come up with a con for this helmet. It fits great, is lightweight, and very breathable. I had read somewhere that in cold conditions perhaps there is too much venting, but I have not found myself yet in this position. The helmet is also equipped with MIPS (Multi-directional Impact Protection System), a thin plastic liner that sits between a rider's head and the inner portion of the helmet. In the event of a crash, the liner is designed to allow the helmet to slide along it, a movement that's claimed to reduce the amount of rotational energy that reaches the brain. As far as the actual construction of the Montaro goes, a polycarbonate, in-mold shell is formed around an EPS liner with Giro's Roll-Cage reinforcement, an internal skeleton that's used to add extra strength to the finished product.

Who’ Shouldn’t Buy: If you ride a couple of times a year, and prefer the rails to trails, you likely don’t need the Mips technology, or the amount of thought and design that has gone into this helmet. The Montaro, being the top-tier helmet has been kitted out with a few features. It has an integrated breakaway camera mount. So, if you want to catch some cool footage of you shredding, but you’re worried about the safety implications of having a camera on your head, this is a great feature for you! Non-integrated camera mounts are not considered as safe as they generally do not have a breakaway feature if they come under pressure (see more on helmets with camera’s here). Finance is subject to application, financial circumstances and borrowing history. Performance Cycling Limited FRN: 720557 trading as Tredz are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. We are a credit broker not a lender – credit is subject to status and affordability and is provided by Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC. Terms & Conditions Apply.If you are after a top tier trail helmet that is not only safe and durable but also comfortable to wear, both the Giro Montaro and Giro Source will exceed your expectations. The Montaro features MIPS technology. MIPS stands for Multi-directional Impact Protection System, which is a slip plane between your head the helmet. The MIPS liner significantly reduces the possibility of brain damage to the rider in a crash. I found that the Montaro sits a bit higher on my head than the Source. As you can see in these photos, the Source sat deeper on my head while the Montaro sits quite high. The Montaro isn’t exactly as light as you would expect for its price, coming in at 400 g. The Chronicle weighs in at roughly 30 g less. While the majority of riders will never notice this weight difference, you do wonder where this extra weight on the Montaro comes from, given that it has slightly less coverage of the head! Features The Giro Montaro aims to do a lot with its various features, and it succeeds in most arenas. The Montaro’s safety and bonus features all pay off, but some aspects of its comfort could use workshopping. Ventilation could be improved for hot days, and the Roc Loc 5 Air system for head-height fit has shortcomings.

Other than that issue, the Montaro is quite comfortable. The padding is low-profile and amazingly absorbent. I climbed up Bellingham’s Galbraith mountain trails on many 80-90 degree days this summer, and was very pleased with how well it kept the sweat off my face. After all those sweaty days, everyone near me can be glad that the padding is antimicrobial. The helmet also accommodates a variety of sunglasses and safety glasses quite comfortably (the latter of which I wear in the forest in spring for bugs’ sake, for those who may be curious). The arms of the glasses fit underneath the helmet’s front strap quite naturally in fact, and the helmet doesn’t put any undue pressure on them. The Montaro in action on prime dirt. Both the Montaro and the Source are constructed using in-mold technology. What this means is the outer shell is molded to the EPS foam (Expanded Polystyrene) to increase the strength and durability of the helmet without increasing the weight. Giro helmets are developed utilizing our proprietary Wind Tunnel™ ventilation system. This elaborate design combines active vents in the helmet’s shell with exhaust channels inside the helmet that thrust fresh, cool air over and around the rider’s head while forcing heat and stale air out. It’s the most effective cooling system available, and a difference you can feel every time you ride.For the casual cyclist, who doesn’t spend more than a few hours per week out on the bike, the Chronicle will more than suffice. All of the basic features are there, it is a very safe helmet, and you will not be unhappy with the choice!

The Montaro MIPS helmet has 16 vents which are all generously sized and strategically placed. There are 3 vents placed below the visor, and the shape of the visor directs the air into these vents. Another 7 angled vents cover the top of the helmet, and 6 exhaust vents at the rear of the helmet. While the color schemes of the Source are nice (I particularly like the Grey color pictured here), the Montaro does have a greater range of color choices. There are so many options for the Montaro that you are bound to find one that you like or one to match your bike. There are also women’s specific coloring for both (the female version of the Montaro is called the Montara), and if you want to read more on women’s specific helmets, see here. Safety Comparison All Giro helmets are designed to reduce as much energy as possible while meeting and exceeding stringent safety standards. The goal of Giro’s MIPS-equipped helmets is to reduce rotational forces. Giro believes that helmets equipped with this technology can reduce the amount of rotational force that may be transferred to rider’s brain in certain impacts. Learn more about MIPS in the video above. When you tighten the Roc Loc 5 Air system, you can clearly see and feel the retention system tighten evenly around the head. It doesn’t just tighten the rear of the helmet but closes in around the front, sides, and rear equally. It does so in very small increments, so you can really fine-tune the fit. Agreed. You're seeing the top end companies... like Bell/Giro/Kali/6D releasing their data points. So it's going in the right direction. I think you'll start to see more of the industry start to adapt this over time until it's made in to a standard. This technology is still in it's infancy and so is the testing. I think another thing you'll see is publications taking multiple helmets to an independent lab and doing their own testing so those results... even if slightly different from the manufacturer results... are all on an even playing field against one another. I think that's what you'll start to see more of.Helmets in the same price range as the Giro Source include the Fox Speedframe MIPS or the Bell 4Forty MIPS. All three helmets have MIPS rotational protection, have adjustable visors and fit retention systems. The Montaro has integrated goggle grippers to prevent the goggles from slipping down. The goggle grippers are tiny rubberized pads on the rear of the helmet, which you dont notice until you can feel them. In-Mold Construction fuses a tough polycarbonate outer shell with the helmet's impact-absorbing foam liner. The fusion process allows for better ventilation systems, making in-mold helmets lighter and cooler than traditional helmets.

While the Montaro is highly regarded for its protection, it doesn't provide the same level of coverage as the "full cut" Giro Tyrant or Fox Dropframe. We also found that the Montaro's less-expensive sibling, the Chronicle provides a bit more coverage at a lower price, though it doesn't include the same molded roll cage technology. The Montaro scored equally in this metric to other helmets with similar levels of head coverage and protective features like the Smith Session, Oakley DRT5, and Bell 4Forty MIPS. Comfort The Montaro weighs around 370g for a size medium, while the Source weighs a little less at 340g for a size medium. Considering the price and target market of the Montaro, it does weigh a fair bit more than it should. The Source, on the other hand, is reasonably lightweight, consider the additional coverage it supplies, and its price. The ventilation of the Source is somewhat mid-range. While it is better than the Chronicle, the 16 vents don’t quite compare with the breezy Montaro. However, it does have internal channeling, which helps flow the air over the rider’s head to keep them cool. Visor Review After the accident I realized how important it is to get the right helmet. I tried on every helmet I could and got the one that fit best which for me was the poc trabec race. I really wanted a full face but it just can't work for my xc style riding. I took my family to the same stores for an excruciating full afternoon of helmet fitting. Kids and wife all ended up strongly preferring the TLD (which was too small for me so not a candidate.) Both have the same safety features, MIPS, EPS foam and a polycarbonate outer shell. The Chronicle has the advantage of more coverage, but that does interfere with the ventilation a little. So which one is better?It does so by providing a separation between the rider’s head and the EPS foam liner of the helmet so that it can rotate relative to the rider’s head. This dissipates the energy from the angled impact, reducing the force felt by the brain. We consider slip-plane technology, such as MIPS, essential in helmets these days.