Bollé Avio Mips helmet

The Bollé Avio Mips is its latest top-end road helmet, and as well as being very light it also offers impressive cooling and an easily adjustable fit. MIPS is included too, as you can guess from the name. Compared with some models it looks a little on the bulky side, though it doesn't feel it when on your head, but if you like a minimalist 'stack' height then it might not be for you.

Check out more options in our guide to the best cycling helmets.

> Buy now: Bollé Avio Mips for £235 from Bollé

The Avio is light at 255g for this medium 55-59cm size (it's also available in small and large, covering 52cm to 62cm), so once it is on your head you can barely feel it.

It has quite a round shape to it internally; I usually prefer something a little more elongated, but on the whole I found the Avio comfortable.

Adjustment is taken care of by a dial at the rear, which adjusts a thin strip around about 80 per cent of the helmet rather than just a few ratchet clicks at the rear. The only place where you can't tweak the fit is right at the front, but as for the rest of the helmet you can get things to fit snugly with nothing in the way of pressure points.

On freezing cold days I was using the Avio with a winter hat underneath and it remained comfortable then, too.

The rear of the cradle is designed to accept a ponytail passing through, although there is no vertical adjustment for it like there is on quite a few helmets. It's not something I ever really play around with, but if your head shape requires it, you might miss it.

Compared with something like the Specialized S-Works Prevail 3, which I tested last year and still wear a lot, the Avio feels a little more on the bulky side, and sits quite a bit higher than the Spesh. Helmet fit is very subjective, though, and the Avio might work absolutely fine for you.

Mips

Mips, if you haven't come across it before, is a low-friction layer that sits between the padding and the EPS (expanded polystyrene) of the helmet and allows movement of 10-15mm, which can lower rotational forces found on impact. The Avio uses Mips' lightest Air system and is completely unobtrusive, and you'll never know it's there when wearing the helmet. You can read more about it in our feature All you need to know about Mips.

We see it on much cheaper helmets these days, so it is almost expected at this price point.

Airflow and venting

Compared with some helmets, the Avio doesn't have a huge number of vents, but they are quite large, which makes up for it. The bulk of the openings use rib sections to bridge the gaps and make sure that strength and integrity is maintained.

Airflow is quite well controlled. I could feel the wind being directed over all sections of my head while riding, which bodes well for the summer as there shouldn't be any hotspots. Even on the climbs airflow doesn't feel restricted, and because of the size of the vents heat escapes quickly.

Value

I mentioned the S-Works Prevail earlier, and though the Avio isn't cheap, at £235, it is still £40 less than the Prevail. It's also £45 less than the Met Trenta 3K Carbon Mips, which Jamie reviewed last year and thought was excellent.

Those two rivals both use various materials in their construction, though – carbon fibre in the Met and aramid in the Specialized, which might go some way to justifying the price. The Avio looks to be a standard EPS shell with a polycarbonate cover over the top, so seems a bit expensive in comparison.

Conclusion

Overall, if the shape fits you then the Avio is a comfortable and breathable helmet. The price is steep, but as you can see by the opposition, this sort of cost isn't exactly unheard of.

Verdict

Well finished, comfortable and with good airflow, though the price is high