Early last month, we reported on an unreleased helmet from Ekoï that was spotted on riders leading up to the Tour de France. As riders rolled out on Stage One from Bilbao, Spain, we got our first glimpse of the official collaboration between Ekoï and the famed Italian design house of Pininfarina, the new Aerodinamica helmet.
The collaboration between the brands is a first for Pininfarina in designing a cycling helmet. The name historically ties to the first car that Battista Pinin Farina designed, the Lancia Aprilia Aerodinamica in 1936. The design started with a family car platform, and created an aerodynamic racing machine, with recessed headlights, swooping lines, and a teardrop roofline that blends into the back of the car, similar to the Corvette Stingray that appeared almost 30 years later.
Ekoï could have just designed a new helmet and move on to the next project, but they wanted more. The goal of the partnership was to create more than just a performance-focused helmet, but also something elegant. Think about how we all swoon over bikes from Pinarello, Cinelli, and small makers like Sarto, and their beautiful lines. Why can’t we also have that with the rest of our gear?
The helmet doesn’t just look good, but it is also designed to perform, and protect.
Ekoï engineers worked with Pininfarina designers to create an overall shape that is optimized for speed. The concept was proven in the design house’s wind tunnel in Italy, before making its appearance out on the road and in spring races using the geometric camouflage that you often see on cars. Giacomo Nizzolo and Caleb Ewan have already used it to take wins at Tro Bro Léon and the Van Merksteijn Fences Classic respectively. At the Tour, you’ll find it used by riders from Israel-Premier Tech, Lotto-Dstny, Arkéa-Samsic, and Cofidis.
The helmet features a one-piece polycarbonate shell with a cap around the bottom of the inside liner to protect it from dings and give it a polished look. The front of the helmet features three, tall, but narrow ports along the front and a single exhaust port out the back. For days when ventilation is not critical, you can insert plugs into the vents to create a completely sealed aero shape or use them to customize how much ventilation you want.
On the inside, the Aerodinamica uses four Koroyd panels to help absorb impacts. While molded EPS foam is solid, Koroyd uses a honeycomb structure of tubes that are heat welded together. These extremely light panels of tubes help air circulate through the helmet, instead of being blocked by EPS. In an impact, the tubes collapse evenly and help absorb 48% more force than standard EPS. While it is not the first time we have seen Koroyd used in helmets, Smith has used it often over the years, the Aerodinamica is the only helmet being used at this year’s Tour de France with the material.
Along with a mix of two front and two side Koroyd panels, Ekoï uses EPS foam to complete the rest of the inner structure. Internal channels help move air through for cooling. To secure the helmet, they use a height-adjustable cage with an ATOP dial to customize the fit around the head. The straps use v-shaped adjustment buckles to customize the fit under the ears and connect using a Fidlock buckle, a really nice touch.
No weight or size information is available at this time, but initial color options will be a racing-inspired white and red, along with an understated black with a red stripe along the top. Personally, I would love to see the geometric black-and-white camouflage. Pricing is set at 249.99 Euros, but no word on USD pricing yet. Availability will be later this year.
Heckling Editor, Image Taker, Crash Test Dummy, and Beard Master at Bikeworldnews.com
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