Giro Montaro MIPS Helmet, Unisex

Product Information

Overall, the ventilation is good, but not great. Helmets such as the Fox Speedframe, Troy Lee Designs A2, or the 100% Altec do have better ventilation systems, but it still beats the Troy Lee Designs A1 out of the park! I personally didn’t find the limited ventilation much of a problem (and I have a fair bit of hair!) so it is up to personal preference, or where you ride for this one. How it Looks The revolutionary Roc Loc ® Air Fit System has the same outstanding features as the Roc Loc ® 5, but in addition to that, it dramatically increases airflow and ventilation inside the helmet. The unique design creates a small air cushion between the helmet shell and the head, so that the wind can flow and cool without disturbing the ride without sacrificing fit and comfort. A new level of fit, comfort and ventilation that can only come from Giro. This revolutionary fit system adds a new dimension to helmet performance by enhancing cooling, as well as fit comfort and stability. Using a patented design that suspends the helmet just slightly off the top of the skull, Roc Loc® Air allows cool airflow to pass directly over your head, further enhancing the performance of vents and internal channelling that exhaust heat out of the helmet. Fit and feel adjustments mimic the Roc Loc® 5, allowing you to easily custom tune fit tension and fore-aft tilt of the helmet in seconds using a single hand.

Finance is subject to application, financial circumstances and borrowing history. Performance Cycling Limited FRN: 720557 trading as Tredz are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. We are a credit broker not a lender – credit is subject to status and affordability and is provided by Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC. Terms & Conditions Apply.Both helmets feature the slip-plane technology MIPS. MIPS stands for Multi directional Impact Protection System, which reduces the possibility of brain damage occurring to the rider following an angled impact. The visor on the Montaro is a little longer than your standard helmet visor. This comes in use when you are descending in open areas, and the sun is low. It is also quite useful if you are hitting trails in dense bush and need the visor to protect your eyes. The fitting system of both helmets is REALLY good when considering the Giro Montaro vs Giro Source. The Montaro uses the slightly higher spec model of Giro’s Roc Loc system, called the Roc Loc 5 Air. This differs from the Source’s Roc Loc 5 as it keeps the shell of the helmet slightly away from the fitting system. This is done to allow air to flow over the top of the rider’s head and give a bit more flexibility in sizing as there is room to move between the retention system and the shell. Testers found the Montaro to be a relatively comfortable helmet. Again, it scored well in this metric but was bested by several other competitors. Its comfort starts with its fit, and Giro seems to know how to shape a helmet after all these years. It's offered in four sizes, Small, Medium, Large, and Extra Large, to fit a huge range of head sizes. Assuming you get the correct size, the width and length seem pretty average and should please a huge range of head shapes. Our review determined that the Giro Montaro is a popular helmet for a reason. It is well equipped as a trail helmet in terms of safety features but also performs well with good ventilation and comfort. It also isn’t as expensive as other similar helmets, such as the POC Tectal Race SPIN or the Specialized Ambush Comp.

From long climbs to rowdy, technical descents, the Montaro™ MIPS helmet inspires your ride no matter where the trail takes you. Its compact shape offers deep, confident coverage, and the Roc Loc® Air fit system boosts ventilation while improving fit. When you tighten the Roc Loc 5 Air system, you can clearly see and feel the retention system tighten evenly around the head. It doesn’t just tighten the rear of the helmet but closes in around the front, sides, and rear equally. It does so in very small increments, so you can really fine-tune the fit. If I'd been wearing a Bell Super2R with the face guard the side of my head would have been protected. BUT that helmet doesn't have anything close to adequate ventilation for me. Yeah the facebar is removable but I was riding in a flat section when I fell. Several of the Montaro's features have already been mentioned in our protection and comfort sections above. These include the MIPS liner, adjustable straps, anti-microbial and hydrophilic padding, and the Roc Loc 5 Air fit system. The Montaro also has features intended to make the helmet-compatible with goggles which include an adjustable visor and goggle strap grippers integrated into the design of the helmet. Both visors are adjustable, but there is a difference. The Montaro visor moves in incremented steps. So, there are 3 set positions, while the Source doesn’t have incremented steps but has infinite positions. I prefer the Source visor as it allows you complete freedom around where the visor is placed, and it is much easier to adjust using one hand. I found adjusting the visor while riding with the Montaro not all that easy (although I suppose it could become easier as the incremented notches wear down a little).Huge bump, concussion, out of work for 3 days, etc, etc. The damage from a low speed fall was a wake up for sure. All Giro helmets are designed to reduce as much energy as possible while meeting and exceeding stringent safety standards. The goal of Giro’s MIPS-equipped helmets is to reduce rotational forces. Giro believes that helmets equipped with this technology can reduce the amount of rotational force that may be transferred to rider’s brain in certain impacts. Learn more about MIPS in the video above. With so much going on you could almost forgive the Tyrant's slightly awkward fit as is the case with many deep-dish helmets. Apart from the extended shell twanging off your ears on the way in though the fit is fantastic straight away. The big padded cradle holds it super secure with even light tension so the chin strap is almost a formality. Every tester who tried it said the same too, which is super rare given the variety of head shapes we have on the team. There’s no obvious extra wobble, creak or rattle from the twin shell design either. There’s enough space between the over-ear sections and your actual lugs to cut down wind noise enough for a calming ‘zen’ effect but shouted warnings or sharings of stoke from other riders still come through loud and clear.

The visor on the Montaro is a little longer than the visor on the Source. This isn’t really a good nor bad thing, so it is really up to personal preference as to whether you like the look or not ( see our post on visors here).The benefits of having a longer visor include having greater protection from the sun or low hanging branches, but it does catch a little more wind if you were worried about being aero! Fit Comparison The Montaro, being the top-tier helmet has been kitted out with a few features. It has an integrated breakaway camera mount. So, if you want to catch some cool footage of you shredding, but you’re worried about the safety implications of having a camera on your head, this is a great feature for you! Non-integrated camera mounts are not considered as safe as they generally do not have a breakaway feature if they come under pressure (see more on helmets with camera’s here).The Montaro also only has three positions for the visor, but the length of the visor is shorter than that of the Chronicle. This means it doesn’t hinder your vision when it is in the lowest setting, though it doesn’t really make much of a difference, and is really up to personal preference on this one. Safety Comparison And secondly, the extended rear coverage of the helmet means your head will be much more protected if you come off. You can tell just by looking at the helmets that the Montaro has had more design put into it. It is more complex and looks a little more streamlined. The Chronicle is bigger and chunkier, with fewer vents. The Giro Montaro aims to do a lot with its various features, and it succeeds in most arenas. The Montaro’s safety and bonus features all pay off, but some aspects of its comfort could use workshopping. Ventilation could be improved for hot days, and the Roc Loc 5 Air system for head-height fit has shortcomings.

In-Mold Construction fuses a tough polycarbonate outer shell with the helmet's impact-absorbing foam liner. The fusion process allows for better ventilation systems, making in-mold helmets lighter and cooler than traditional helmets.

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The visor is adjustable, so if you do find the visor being a bit long, you can always tilt the visor up and out of the way. The other main feature of the Montaro that makes it a step above more basic helmets is the roll cage reinforcement. The reinforcement is embedded into the EPS foam (so you can’t see it), but it holds the helmet together in case of a high energy impact. The helmet will not crush or cave in if you happen to hit the ground really hard, which keeps your head better protected. Visor and Eyewear Compatibility The ventilation of the Source is somewhat mid-range. While it is better than the Chronicle, the 16 vents don’t quite compare with the breezy Montaro. However, it does have internal channeling, which helps flow the air over the rider’s head to keep them cool. Visor Review