Helmets have evolved from the days of the original Giro Prolight, the Bell Razor Pump, and the Specialized Air Piranha. Back then, you had a helmet. You didn’t have an aero road helmet, a lightweight helmet, a ventilated helmet, or a time trial helmet, just a helmet. Cycling has become so specialized, that we now have bikes, kits, and accessories for every niche category.
Bollé shied away from this trend though, and created The One helmet. If you are riding on a budget, the Road Premium version could be the perfect do-it-all helmet for you. How does it hold up against its category specific competitors?
The One comes in three versions: the One Standard, the One Mountain, and the One Premium. The Standard and the Mountain are the same helmet, just different graphics on the shell. The Premium mirrors the Standard in looks, but adds the two piece removable aero covers. More on those covers later.
The name of the helmet clearly states what Bollé intends for the helmet to be. Ventilated helmet, check. Aero helmet, check. Cold or foul weather helmet, check. Commuter helmet, check. Mountain helmet, why not, check. The helmet holds its own in a lot of these categories, but unfortunately is not a leader in any. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though.
Before we get into how it compares with other helmets in the various categories, let’s talk about everything you get with the helmet. First off, the helmet. From the side, it almost reminds me of a bulldog with a major under bite. The bottom of the front of the helmet sticks out a bit from the rest of the helmet. The vents are centralized down the middle of the helmet, with completely sealed sides. The aero covers clip on and close off the all of the forward facing center vents, except for the sunglass garage ports. You also get a rear blinky light that clips into the back of the helmet. If that’s not your thing, there is a plastic cover to keep the polished look. Both swap out with a push from something like a pen from inside the helmet. For the colder months, there is a winter liner that replaces the summer pads and comes down over your ears to keep you warm. On the safety side, there is a QR sticker that can be used in case of a crash. If you want to go off-road and prefer a visor, there is a detachable visor included. Finally, there is a handy bag to carry it in. The black carbon color way is the stealthiest of the bunch, with other options in black/red, black/blue, and white/black/purple. At Interbike, additional colors in white were added, including white/mint and white/orange.
Let’s get back to how the One compares to other helmets.
Ventilation – The helmet has 31 vents, 20 forward facing and 11 in the rear. Air flows pretty freely from front to rear, but it does lack some of the internal channeling that other highly ventilated helmets have. Even on hot days though, enough air flows through to keep your head cool. With the aero covers on, the air flow is definitely decreased, but felt comparable to the Giro Air Attack. Luckily, if the covers are too hot, you can easily popped them off. Hopefully you’ll have someone to hand them off too though, because they aren’t really easy to store, unless you are carrying a back pack.
Weight – The size medium has a label inside the helmet saying 280 grams. When I put the One on the scale without the covers or light, it came in an 270 grams. In this configuration, compared to other traditional helmets that can cost up to twice as much, it actually holds it own. The Giro Synthe has a claimed weight of 270 grams and the Lazer Z1, Louis Garneau Course and Smith Overtake MIPS all have a claimed weight of 250 grams. The POC Octal AVIS MIPS comes in at a claimed 195 grams, but at twice the cost. The aero covers add an extra 70 grams, taking it up to 340 grams. That’s where the One starts to fall behind. The Bell Star Pro comes in at a claimed 280 grams, the Specialized S-Works Evade at 278 grams, the Giro Air Attack at 264 grams, the Kask Infinity at 260 grams, and the POC Octal Aero Raceday at 195 grams.
Aerodynamics – This is one area where I have to be more subjective. The fans in the BWN wind tunnel are down at the moment, so we don’t have any actual data to provide. From looks and feel, with the covers on, it feels pretty aero. The round shell is similar in shape to the Air Attack, with a few extra edges on the back side of the helmet. For a privateer rider, the versatility of the helmet makes up for any minor aerodynamic losses to other helmets.
Fit – The One uses a Click-To-Fit dial system that is pretty standard to many other systems on the market. The retention system has two adjustable heights, and is pony tail compatible. The helmet is stable, and the padding inside the helmet and on the rear cradle is comfortable. The padding also does a great job wicking sweat and keeping it out from your eyes. Generally, the One is an overall comfortable helmet.
Beyond weight, there isn’t much I can really fault with the helmet. I can’t say it is my favorite helmet when I look at it with the covers off, but that’s just my personal feeling. For some reason though, I keep grabbing it when I’m heading out for a ride. On bad weather days, the covers helped keep my head dry. On hotter days, I can take one or both covers off to balance aerodynamics and ventilation. For evening commutes, the rear blinky light isn’t terribly bright, but it is enough to be seen. The sunglass garage also does a great job holding sunglasses of all kinds in place. All of that (and more) at $169.99? That is going to be a tough deal to beat.
Bollé The One Premium Road Helmet – $169.99
http://www.bolle.com
Heckling Editor, Image Taker, Crash Test Dummy, and Beard Master at Bikeworldnews.com
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