How much for a pointy hat? £400. You heard right, the Alpina Venga is very much at the expensive end of time trial kit. Its main attraction is its light weight: our medium weighed just 262g, which puts it at the top of its class.
It’s made from a basic foam safety lid with a light, enclosed carbon fibre shell, which curves so as to better fit your back. There’s a little padding for your ears and head, and the straps are adjustable so you can play around with the tilt.
We found that, because of the closed-in tail, we couldn’t get it to sit flush on our back without contorting our neck more than was comfortable, so it could be hard to stay in the optimum aero position. Ventilation is discrete – although there are 17 vents, they’re small.
This article was originally published in Triathlon Plus magazine, available on Zinio.
