My head , somewhat like a softened rectangle rather than round, has alway fit better in Giro helmets (Atmos, Aeon) rather than Bell helmets. The Aether maintains that same feel. Unsure about the real value of MIPS when my head would always slide around a little inside the helmet anyway and would be much more comfortable paying $100 less but the helmet feels great.
Pros: Well ventilated, cutting-edge MIPS, good looks, great straps and adjustments
Cons: Difficult to fit versus prior Giros, allows sweat down the forehead.
I used the sizing chart as recommended given the different MIPS design and it said medium. Medium felt tight at the rear sides of my head -- like a flat spot pushing against the helmet. Tried large but it was HUGE on my head. I ended up with the medium -- very snug, almost too tight, but when I ride I do not notice this. I wear large in other helmets with no issues. The fit of this one is DIFFERENT, so hopefully it fits you better than me.
The front padding is from temple to temple which is nice but it is very thin. It takes very little sweating to saturate the pad and have sweat running down your forehead even with wearing a thicker skullcap such as Headsweats. This is much more of a problem with this helmet than any of my other helmets.
Summary: nice looking helmet with great tech and features, but the fit is more difficult and the front padding is not as absorbent and allows more sweat down the forehead -- perhaps a function of the tighter fit of the helmet on my head.
This is truly an awesome helmet. I was involved a bad bike crash on 1/25/20. I hit my head on the ground at high speed. Luckily, I did not have any serious head injuries, thanks to the helmet. I have 8 other helmets including POC, KASK and LAZER but this is my go-to helmet. Looks like I will have to buy another one from WesternBikeWorks.
The technology in this helmet is incredible. It is also extremely uncomfortable. The problem for me is it is cut about half an inch longer than other helmets. It pushes hard on the stems and bridge of my sunglasses and pushes them down on my nose. Because of the longer skirt it also digs into the back of my neck when I am looking up from riding on the drops. No adjustments cure this ... in my case. I would love to have this state of the art protection, but I am not willing to ride without my Oakleys and I cant tolerate the discomfort.
Not as comfortable as previous Giro helmets for me - I have an oval headshape and this one is a little more round than oval in shape. Lightweight, great airflow, loving the upgraded straps. Overall, a very nice helmet with leading edge technology when purchased at a sale price.
Helmet looks great, and I also have the Synthe model. The plastic piece that rises and lowers at the back pinches my skin and is quite uncomfortable. I've adjusted up and down, but still pinches. Also, the exterior plastic decal keeps peeling off at front. I previously returned one due to this, but second helmet also had the same problem. Would not recommend, and may go back to another Synthe.
I've been riding Giro helmets since 1998. I've always been happy with them. I tend to go to the high end helmets for the ventilation as I over heat easily. I have had Pneumo, and Atmos in the past. I ordered the same size for my new Aether and it is snug before cinching.
Unlike a previous comment, the helmet fits great and it allows me to wear my Oakleys without pushing down on my nose and it is very comfortable in a super tuck position. By the way it looks great.
I've been wearing Lance era Giros since uh, Lance. They've always fit great compared to other brands so I've stuck with them. This is the first "different" model for me, and holy cow! It fits soooo much better than my last Giro. I've had broken retention systems in the past, called them, and replacement parts sent to me no hassle. Good company and great products!
It's like my heads too round for it or the size small helmet design has changed. The thin sweat rag I have to wear in summer seems to soften the discomfort experienced. Maybe with cooler temps my head won't expand as much and the Giro comfort will return.
I am a recreational road rider, with most rides in the 20 to 30 mile range, and occasionally twice that. I like the lightness, ventilation, and compactness of this helmet. Even on sale, it is not cheap, but it looks great and fits my head very well. Over the last 15 years, I have used both high end Giro helmets and Laser Helmets. For a number of years Laser had a definite edge in fit and comfort, but now I prefer the Aether. I think the big difference is how the helmets handle the MIPs technology. I find that many MIPs helmets exert a wierd torque on my hair. Aether does not.
I have used Giro helmets for years, the recent being an Atmos. I really like the Aether. The adjustments are very good and easy to make. It is very comfortable and light. I like the new safety features, which is why I upgraded...it had been about 8 years since I had a new helmet and my wife was suggesting I get up to speed with the new technology to protect my head.
I would highly recommend this helmet. Expensive, but when one considers the importance of head and brain safety, it was worth the spend!
This helmet is high quality and fits really well. If you havent used a MIPS helmet it's a tad larger on the sides than the older style Giro I had for years, but it looks great and is not noticeably different in size while riding. It sits lower around the brow area so it can apply slight pressure to your riding glasses, but not a big deal at all after adjusting for it. Now other riders helmets appear to sit too high on the head I have noticed. Great rubber grippy spot to put your riding glasses if out near dark. I would purchase this helmet again.
