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Giro Montaro MIPS helmet review

Well-rounded and comfortable brain box

Our rating 
4.0 out of 5 star rating 4.0
GBP £130.00 RRP | USD $150.00

Our review

Giro’s latest lid looks great, feels good and is packed with some really well-considered features
Buy if, You want a sweet-looking lid that makes no compromises on safety
Pros: Advanced mips protection, comfy, well-vented and good-looking
Cons: Slightly fiddly light/camera mount
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Giro’s new flagship trail helmet comes packed with some great practical and safety features. At the top of the list is the MIPS brain protection system – a thin plastic layer between the liner and pads, designed to reduce rotational forces in the event of an angled impact.

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The MIPS system goes unnoticed when riding and adds little extra weight to the Montaro, which tips the scales at 378g. The dropped rear boosts safety further.

The lengthy peak can be pushed up out of your eye line, leaving enough space below to sit a pair of goggles. We tried the Montaro with a variety of glasses too, and had no fit issues with any of them. There’s also a camera/light mount that snaps into the central vent up top. Ours was fiddly to fit but secure enough once in place, yet tricky to then remove again.

Giro’s proven Roc Loc cradle makes it easy to get the fit right, the minimal padding provides a deceptive amount of comfort. The 16 vents keep the Montaro relatively well-ventilated, though we’ve tested better vented lids in the trail category, including Giant’s Rail helmet.

One shortcoming of the ‘Matte Flame’ colourway our US editor tested is that the high-visibility plastic is fades very easily. After four days of riding in bright sunlightthe helmet lost a lot of its fluorescent luster. Colour fade is often a problem with fluorescent paints and plastics. We’ve encountered no issues with any of the other seven colourways.

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The high viz ‘matte flame’ colourway, is prone to fading. the helmet at on the left faded significantly after four days of riding in bright sunlight.: the high viz ‘matte flame’ colourway, is prone to fading. the helmet at on the left faded significantly after four days of riding in bright sunlight.

Our test helmet at left after four days of riding in bright sunlight compared to a new Montaro at right — maybe sunscreen is the answer?

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Fading issues aside, the Montaro does its job comfortably. And while looks may be subjective, we reckon the Montaro is one of the best looking trail lids out there.

Product Specifications

Product

Name Name, 0, 10, Name, Montaro MIPS helmet
Brand Brand, 0, 20, Brand, Giro

Vented Vented, 2, 0, Vented, Yes
Shell Material Shell Material, 2, 0, Shell Material, In-Mold Polycarbonate Shell
No of Vents No of Vents, 2, 0, No of Vents, 16
Visor included Visor included, 2, 0, Visor included, Yes
Helmet Sizes Available Helmet Sizes Available, 2, 0, Helmet Sizes Available, Large 59-63cm Medium 55-59cm Small 51-55cm