Giro E2 Bike Helmet
May 1, 2009
I admit that I didn’t put a ton of thought into purchasing a new bike helmet when I saw that my old one was broken. It was the first gorgeous day of the year, I was on my way to go riding, and didn’t have a lot of time to shop. Heck, I NEVER take a lot of time to shop. I went to the bike shop, grabbed a few boxes from the “on sale” section and looked through until I found one that fit and had a visor: the Giro E2. My broken helmet went to the trash and I went straight to the trailhead to go riding.
Luckily for me, this snap decision worked out great. I love the E2, and not because it’s pink. OK, not JUST because it’s pink. It’s light and airy, with TONS of ventilation – nice when it’s a sweltering 65 Alaskan degrees outside. Seriously, for Alaskans, 65 is pretty warm. The visor protects my eyes from that weird yellow thing in the sky, and the full-coverage back protects my head from impact, should I fall backwards. And with as much as I crash, that is a real possibility.
I’m used to using a complicated system of bandannas, ponytails, and sunglasses to keep my riding headgear in place, so it’s been a bit of a transition to the E2, which doesn’t have enough room in the harness in back to pull my ponytail through. I’m not super keen on the ratchet system, which never quite seems to work right. It’s kind of a weird process by which you have to push (or pull? I can never remember) these two buttons to tighten. It doesn’t work well so I just end up pushing on the harness to ratchet it tighter. Then you are supposed to be able to pull (or push? it doesn’t work, so I can’t tell) the buttons to release. That works a little better, but it’s not ideal. I miss the wheel-dial my old helmet had. Next time I buy a helmet, I will look for that type of harness. That’s the only flaw in the E2 from what I can see.
Other than that, the E2 is great. It’s cute, highly visible, well-ventilated, and light. Best of all, it’s not broken, so my head is safe, at least until my next crash.
Comments
Got something to say?
