Trek Velocis Mips Road Bike Helmet

The Trek Velocis Mips helmet is excellent, impressively light with good ventilation and a very comfortable Mips system. This all comes at a high price – but not as high as some rivals.

For more options, check out our guide to the best cycling helmets.

> Buy now: Trek Velocis Mips Road Bike Helmet for £229.99 from Trek

I've reviewed several high-quality helmets this year, but the Trek Velocis is much more striking than any of them. I'm not a massive car guy, but when you see the front of this helmet it is eerily reminiscent of a Ferrari 458.

I don't know if this was a deliberate move by Trek, but the similarities are there, even down to the shape of the vents – helped, admittedly, by the Ferrari red colour of the version I tested.

It's a thing of beauty, with sharp angles on the vents and a low profile across the top of the head. The central skeleton is made from OCLV Carbon; I don't know how much weight this saves, but it gives it a striking look.

Anyway, enough about aesthetics, because this helmet is so much more than just looks. Trek's tagline for it is 'Cool is fast', because this helmet is designed for both aerodynamics and ventilation.

Trek claims that the helmet is faster than the previous version, but that's not something we can test. As for the 'cool' element, though, I can say that it's impressive, with the wind noticeably blowing through my hair as I was riding and my head staying nice and cool. Trek has used computational fluid dynamic (CFD) modelling and windtunnel testing to optimise airflow for the helmet, which seems to have done wonders.

Shaun looked at the last iteration of the Velocis in 2017 and at that time commented on how impressive its ventilation was. According to Trek the newer version is 38% cooler, which isn't a stretch to believe given how impressive it is in this department.

Fit

Getting a good fit is very simple thanks to a 360-degree Boa system, which tightens and loosens with a dial on the back of the harness and a Boa lace running around the entire circumference of the head. The Boa dial allows for micro-adjustment quickly, too, with a small amount of movement between each click.

The harness sits much lower than others, and with only a single anchor point on the helmet it is much more supple, too, and sits more comfortably on the back of your head; it feels more like it's cradling your head than being pressed against it.

Mips Air

Mips stands for Multi-directional Impact Protection System, which reduces damage from rotational impact, and this helmet uses the new Mips Air system, which is essentially the safety tech built into the helmet pads. You can read more about the technology in our feature All you need to know about Mips.

I confess I didn't test the effectiveness of the system in a crash, on its own or against the traditional Mips system. However, according to Mips the key element to the system working properly is a 10-15mm allowance for relative movement, which this system provides, so I have no reason to believe it won't be as effective as other Mips variations.

One thing this system helps with is both integration within the helmet and with ventilation, as it avoids any vent obstruction. It's practically invisible, both in appearance and feel on the head, so combined with the very good fitting system it's something you can wear for hours in hot conditions without any irritation at all.

The straps sit nicely against the head, too, with easy-to-move separators that have a lever to tighten or loosen them and slide them up or down, and a traditional chin clip that's simple to use.

The only slightly annoying thing is the length of the excess on the straps, which you need to tuck under a provided loop. Yes you can trim them, but for my fit I had over 10cm of excess, which seems unnecessary.

Weight & value

The helmet hit the road.cc Scales of Truth at a very respectable 235g. It isn't the absolute lightest we've tested, but is definitely amongst the lighter helmets we've seen around this price.

The Rapha + POC Ventral Lite that Dave tested earlier this year weighed 188g but costs £10 more (though it's currently half price) and lacks the adjustability of the Velocis, plus it doesn't come with any Mips tech.

The closest lid I think we've seen recently is the Met Trenta 3K Carbon Mips that Jamie tested last year, which uses the same Mips Air system, is 12g lighter, but costs £60 more.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that £229.99 for a helmet is a hefty price tag, but in the context of top-line helmets it sizes up well to its competition. Helmet fit is always slightly subjective, but having used a lot of high-end helmets over the years I would say this is the most comfortable, both in terms of ventilation and fit.

All in, I think this helmet is a fantastic package. It is light, comfortable, and has excellent ventilation to boot. The only thing I could think of as a negative is the excess on the straps, which rather says it all. Okay, it's not cheap, but it really is an excellent helmet, and it makes it look like you're wearing a Ferrari on your head too.

Verdict

Very comfortable and well-ventilated helmet, and it looks like a Ferrari!