A while back, Louis Garneau sent one of their Course Helmets over for Bikeworldnews.com to review. I’ve started writing this review at least five times between then and now, but I’m glad I waited until now to finish it. I went from not liking it all that much, to making it my go to helmet for road and cross, to being heart broken by one of the most minute details. Read on to find out why.
At first, I will admit, I loved the looks, but it just didn’t seem to fit right. At the time, my go–to helmet was a Rudy Project Sterling. I had ridden it for a few years as my team helmet, and it fit. There wasn’t much I could complain about. I don’t really know how to explain it, but the Course just didn’t fit my head. After forcing myself to wear it and playing around with the straps a bit, I was finally able to find that sweet spot. Suddenly, the clouds parted, the sun shone through, and the angels began to sing. Well, maybe not quite that, but it was a great ride. Since then, it has seen plenty of miles on dirt and road, and I didn’t feel tempted by newer and shinier helmets.
There are a lot of things to love about it. First off, it actually looks good, due to the fact that it is not an all-out aero helmet. With that statement in mind, Louis Garneau does claim the helmet has some great aerodynamic properties, but more to come on that. About the same time I received the Course, Giro sent over the Air Attack Shield helmet. Compared to the Air Attack, about anything looks normal, but even when comparing it to my Sterling and other helmets that I’ve collected on the shelf over the years, it actually had an understated class to it. No crazy vent shapes, no swoopy tails, just vertical vents with some horizontal splitters to control the air. These vents and splitters are what help bring the air in over your head, and some large vents on the back push out the heat. The vents easily hold a pair of sunglasses pretty well when it is time to go uphill, and the splitters also add to the rigidity of the helmet to help protect you in a crash. Luckily, I haven’t had to test this part out.
Upon further inspection, inside you’ll see plenty of internal X-Static XT2 padding to keep things comfortable, and an easily adjustable Spiderlock Pro II retention system. The padding helps to cushion the EPS inner liner and makes for a very comfortable fit. The Spiderlock Pro II dial is very easy to use, even with the thickest of riding gloves in the dead of winter. Even better, with the optional Spiderlock Vision rear blinking light attached by hook-and-loop to the dial, you have a bigger target to grab on to. The light is actually one of my favorite features of the helmet, and has been made famous by David Guttenplan lighting it up during many twilight criteriums across the country (although I think it is against USA Cycling rules – fight the power Gut!). It’s small and unobtrusive, yet very bright and functional with two blinking settings and one solid. This is something I wish all helmet makers would offer, and some already do. Another nice finishing touch is what Garneau calls Super MSB Technology. It’s essentially a lower shell added to the helmet to protect the underside of the EPS liner of the helmet. Many brands run their shells to the bottom edge, and leave the EPS exposed, but the Course helmet actually wraps fully around and even slightly into the inside of the helmet, offering increased protection and support to the EPS liner.
So back to those aero claims. When Louis Garneau set out to design the Course helmet, they weren’t just out to make the most aerodynamic helmet out there. If you want that, grab a TT lid. What they were looking to make is a helmet that is aerodynamic, well ventilated, and lightweight, while also offering solid protection for the rider in case of a crash. The shape of the helmet was optimized in the wind tunnel with a rider in a position that is approximately a 30 degree angle to the ground between their hip and back of the neck, and eyes looking forward at a 20 degree downward angle. Using Computational Fluid Dynmics (CFD), they were able to design the helmet as if it was on a rider’s head. During the development of the Vorttice aero helmet, Garneau designed several tests while in the wind tunnel to understand the relationship between the high pressure zone at the front of the helmet and channeling that air through for ventilation. This testing led to the design of the individual front vents to reduce the frontal air pressure, moving it through the helmet, and out the back with the heat coming from your head.
While by no means a scientific test, I took the previously mentioned Rudy Project Sterling, Giro Air Attack, and Louis Garneau Course out on a 35 mile rolling course with some long, straight, flat stretches, over a period of three days, under similar conditions. All three days saw similar, windy conditions, making for a significant head wind throughout the straightaways. While the Air Attack Shield was the fastest of the bunch, it was only 0.4 mph average faster than the Course. The two year old Sterling was a full half mile an hour slower than the Course, and almost one MPHÂ slower than the Air Attack. The Course was noticeably cooler than the Air Attack though, something that is very welcome during the peak of the summer.
I continued to ride the Course helmet exclusively for a number of months. It fit, it was light, a bit more aero than most other helmets I had available, and again, I love the rear light. Combined with the ICEdot Crash Sensor I continue to use, it was a solid set up. During cross season, I raced it with a cycling cap underneath to provide some additional warmth on some really cold days. Everything was going well, until it happened.
I’m being a bit dramatic about it, but at the time, it was a big deal. This one small piece of plastic failed, making the helmet unsafe to use until it was replaced. That small piece was the plastic clip that adjusts the straps below your ear, the Pro-lock Divider. I reached out to Louis Garneau, and they happily sent me two new clips. Replacing the broken clip wasn’t too hard, but did take some time. The straps are actually only two strips of fabric. One side goes down from the front, through the first clip, then down to the chin buckle, back up to the clip, and to the back of the helmet. There are two small holes where the strap goes from the inside of the helmet, out back, and then back inside. Next, it goes through the second clip, where it meets up with a shorter strip of fabric, and down to the chin. It was relatively easy to change the clip out, but not something you would expect to have to do on a top tier helmet. It took a while to get everything adjusted back to normal, and about that time, the other clip broke. Within another few weeks, the first clip broke again. Unfortunately, this has been an issue that other users have reported to me, so it wasn’t just my helmet. Louis Garneau does stand behind the product though, has offered to send replacement clips upon request. Instead, I took clips from a retired Giro helmet, and swapped them in for a more durable solution.
Overall, the Course helmet has turned out to be a great solution for riders looking to go fast with a lightweight and well ventilated helmet. With more and more entrants into this sub-genera of the market, it still is one of the better looking lids.
$239.99
Heckling Editor, Image Taker, Crash Test Dummy, and Beard Master at Bikeworldnews.com
~Veggie Powered Athlete~
Location – Lancaster, PA
Current Testing Rigs – 2024 Van Dessel Arch65, 2019 Van Dessel Full Tilt Boogie, 2018 Van Dessel Motivus Maximus LTD, 2016 Van Dessel Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, 2015 Bianchi Sempre Pro, 1978 Trek TX900
Dream Bike – I’ll tell you when they make it
Discipline – Cyclocross, gravel, road and duathlons (ride/run)
Favorite Rides – Quiet country roads of Amish Country, some of the best roads around.
Food of Choice – Sweet potato roll
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Bourbon of Choice – Widow Jane 10 Year