Ekoï AR14, Premium90 – All-Around Aero From French Brand

At the beginning of the Tour, we reported on a new top-of-the-line aero road helmet from Ekoï that is part of a partnership with Pininfarina, the Aerodinamica. We’ve seen select riders using it at the Tour, but the main helmet that has taken the fast stage wins with Cofidis and Israel-Premier Tech so far has been the AR14. The previous range-topping helmet, the AR14 is an all-around, aero-road helmet, and we’ve been riding it into the summer heat with a pair of the Premium 90 sunglasses. Both are available as part of Ekoï’s custom program, with stock options available for the helmet.

The AR14 (AR=Aero Road) is the update for Ekoï’s AR13. The next-generation helmet uses a polycarbonate shell with just 4 frontal vents and two scoop vents along the top to create a sleek profile with just enough ventilation coming through. For teams like Cofidis, Arkea-Samsic, Israel-Premier Tech, and Lotto-DSTNY, it has become their go-to helmet for all but the highest climbing stages, as riders are seeing the advantage of an aero road helmet over a standard helmet. When the road starts to climb for big days in the mountain, they move to the Gara or the unreleased Stradale, where ventilation matters more.

Starting from the outside and going in, the AR14 is a pretty standard helmet. Ekoï uses a polycarbonate shell with in-molded EPS foam. The shape reminds me more of the ABUS GameChanger than other, more elongated aero road helmets out there. This gives it an all-around feel and should work well at various head angles. The shell wraps around the bottom of the helmet, which helps protect it from bumps and gives the helmet a polished look. Inside, the EPS is shaped to create channels for the air coming in the four front ports to flow through to cool you down. Hot air is moved out the back through two side ports and the four main ports in the center. The top two intake scoop ports help to accelerate the air out the back, and also act as a great place to splash some water in on hot days where it will flow down the back of your head and neck, and not drip onto your glasses.

Inside, Coolmax pads help keep everything comfortable and wick sweat away. Ekoï actually includes three different sets (black, grey, and red) that are all different thicknesses, so you can customize the fit of the helmet, with options to mix and match as you like. There is also a Coolmax chin strap pad as well.

The fitting system inside uses an ATOP dial to customize the fit in millimeter increments. You’ll see ATOP mentioned in our upcoming Ekoï shoe review as well, as it is the dial of choice for the French brand. It works a little differently than other dials I’ve previously used from brands like BOA. Turning the dial to the right will pull the cable in to tighten while turning the dial to the left will only go a quarter turn before it stops and releases the cable to allow you to pull and loosen. The cradle can also be adjusted vertically to customize the fit on the back of your head. When lowered, the opening will allow long hair out of the back. The straps are fairly minimalistic with a small adjustable plastic splitter and run down to a magnetic buckle and chin pad. Ekoï also includes a nice mesh storage bag to protect it from scratches but also allows for airflow to help the pads dry after use.

Now, we haven’t talked much about the glasses yet, the Premium 90. The lens is a shatterproof polycarbonate made in Italy, with a mirror tint coating on the outside. The temples and nose piece are made from Grilamid, a type of nylon that you find in many sunglasses these days. The nose piece and rubber parts on the end of the temples add grip, especially when wet, and the nose piece is flexible to provide a custom fit. The box doubles as a case, and it comes with a microfiber bag and a spray bottle of cleaning solution.

On The Road

With Ekoï sponsoring pro teams over the years, I have seen the name but never had a chance to really try any of their products out. The brand is big in Europe and has expanded to Asia, but is still working on getting more recognition here in the US. Their direct-to-consumer model means you probably won’t see them at your local bike shop, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be considered with other brands like Giro, Bell, Specialized, or Bontrager. We’ll have a range of reviews coming soon for kits and a pair of shoes too. So far though, I’m pretty impressed.

The Fit of the AR14 is quite good. I tend to not have much of an issue with helmets, though I prefer a more oval shape than round helmets. The AR14 fits well without much excess gap on the sides of the helmet, giving it a fitted look. It fits well around the temples in front and back, providing plenty of coverage in the event that you’d actually need it. The ATOP dial for the retention system took a ride or two to get used to. The micro-adjustment to tighten the helmet was familiar, but the quarter turn to unlock was different but became second nature quickly. It never felt like there were any pressure points or hot spots.

The straps are comfortable and sat well against my head, and even though they are stitched together in place of an adjustable splitter, they sat comfortably below my ears. Chinstrap length is usually my biggest complaint on helmets, but the AR14 was just long enough, and the Coolmax pad sat comfortably under my chin/beard. The magnetic buckle is also a nice, premium touch.

The Premium 90 disappears on your face. At 29g, it comfortably sits on your nose with the adjustable nose piece allowing me to adjust it to the width of my nose. The fit was very nice for a frameless lens. They felt more sturdy than the Oakley EV Zero, with a tighter fit than the Tifosi Rail.

The polycarbonate lens provides plenty of coverage and the well-placed vents on the 90 help to keep them fog free on long climbs. Clarity is on par with other top brands I have reviewed, and the gold mirror with a bronze tint provided plenty of shade under bright conditions. The contrast was good for road or shaded trails. Replacement lenses are available if you want to maybe swap to a clear lens for overcast days, and you can easily swap between the 70, 80, and 90 lens shapes with the same temples.

Ventilation is something that is always a challenge with aero road helmets. To get the aero advantage, the front of the helmet is typically closed off as much as possible to reduce drag. This also reduces ventilation. On the AR14, the front four vents provided enough ventilation to keep me cool on all but the hottest rides. During a recent heatwave in Pennsylvania, there were a few times on slower climbs that I might have wanted the Gara instead, but overall, I was pretty happy when thinking about other aero road helmets I’ve tried. Everything was comfortable, and there was minimal dripping from the front of the helmet, thanks to the layout of the pads across the brow.

Aerodynamics is hard to quantify without a wind tunnel, but I can say it didn’t feel like it was slowing me down. I was able to put in some solid efforts that helped nab some Strava segments along the way. The helmet was quiet, which makes me feel like there are at least some aero gains. Overall though, I was very happy with the helmet and the Premium 90 sunglasses. With some of my other go-to aero helmets starting to hit their 5-year expiration dates, the AR14 will definitely take the place in my rotation.

Tocsen Crash Alert Sensor

Ekoï has chosen to work with Tocsen for their crash alert sensor, something we are starting to see other brands like Smith adopt as well. The small micro-USB charged device attaches to your helmet and connects to your phone, similar to Specialized’s ANGi or the old ICEdot sensors. In the event of a crash, the sensor will provide your coordinates to emergency contacts you have programmed into the app.

Unlike ANGi, Tocsen’s sensor lets you connect to a network of users. You can turn your sensor off, to standby, or on, and when you are in the latter of the two settings, if another Tocsen user near you crashes, it can send you a notification, allowing you to try and help the user. Luckily, I never had to use the app, but it is always better to have it and not need it.

Custom Options

Both our AR14 and Premium 90 sunglasses came through the custom program. Ekoï offers this as a way to create options to match your kit, bike, or give that custom look you are looking for.

For the AR14, I added blue accents, a US flag, and my name. The accent color gets added down the center of the helmet and also in line with the front vents. On the back, there is also an accent added around the rear center vent. A flag and your name can also be added. A range of colors is available, including a cool oil slick option. These accents are adhesive vinyl, and can be peeled off later on, but can pull up the painted color underneath, so be careful if you do.

For the glasses, there were a few more choices. I started with the lens shape. The shape is generally the same, but the ventilation ports change up a bit. The 70 is the shortest at 61.4mm, but also the widest at 131.7mm. The 80 is the tallest at 63mm but sits in the middle at 131.4mm wide. The 90 is 61.6mm tall and 127.6mm wide. The 90 seems to be the most ventilated towards the center of the face, while the 70’s vents sit wider on the lens. The 80, Caleb Ewan’s choice, is the least ventilated. Based on the dimensions and vent locations, I went with the 90 to provide some ventilation when I’m climbing slowly up hills.

From there, it is all about choosing colors. For the lens, I went with the gold mirrored lens with a bronze backing. I love the look and the bronze tint provides a good contrast on the road. Next, you have five pieces of the frame to customize, the nose piece, three pieces on the temple, and the ear rubbers. There is a range of colors that you can mix and match, and I went with a mix of black and carbon fiber on the temples and black rubbers. For the engraving, you can do two characters on the lens and up to eight on the temples, so 90 and PREMIUM worked great.

There is an upcharge for the custom options. For the AR14, the custom is about $100 more. The Premium 90 has a few stock options available at $134.99, with the custom adding up to $65 more, depending on if you add engraving.

Even More Custom

If you have seen some of my other reviews, I like to customize shoes and sunglasses. I’m not a professional by any means, but I enjoy seeing what I can come up with. I had never tried a helmet before, so after a little research, and knowing I needed to make sure I’m only painting the shell and protecting the EPS foam, I peeled off the blue and began masking the helmet and plugging the vents. When everything was all set, I used a very fine sandpaper (800 grit) to lightly scuff up the shell. After a wipedown with alcohol and water, painting began. I started with a grey primer and then added light layers of different colors with a light wet sanding with 1000 grit in between. Eventually, when I got to my top coat, I began wet sanding again to sand back through some of the layers to give it that worn look. When I was happy, I finished it with multiple layers of clear coat, and lightly wet sanding with 1300 grit in between. While it might not be perfect from the factory, or even professional custom quality, I’m pretty happy with how it turned out.

Now, before you all go and start spray painting your helmets, be sure to do research on it to make sure you are using the right products and know that it will void any warranty you may have.

If you decide to go stock on the AR14, you’ll have a range of colors to choose from with black and white bases. Three sizes have you covered from 52 to 61CM. At $184.99, it’s not a bad price for what you are getting. Custom options are around $281.99 and there are also special edition Star LTD Chrome options that wrap the helmet in a shiny vinyl at the same price, and team edition helmets for Cofidis, Israel-PremierTech, and French National colors at $369.98.

Overall, for the first products we’ve reviewed from Ekoï, I’m very impressed. Build quality is top-notch, and everything feels high-quality. I might skip the custom helmet option as the price difference seems a bit high for what you get, but the base helmets offer great value for what you get. The custom option for the sunglasses, on the other hand, is a great option. If you skip the engraving, or only go with one, the upcharge to get the custom colors you want is very reasonable. As I mentioned before, the AR14 will definitely become part of my helmet rotation going forward, with the Premium 90’s to match.

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