Giro
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'm a fast recreational rider, 2-2.5K miles a year, typically ride in the A group. Was running an aero helmet, because I'm all about aero (even my water bottles are aero!) But on hot says I suffered way too much and it impacted my performance. This combined with having gone down a couple times last year meant I needed a cooler helmet and one that provided the best protection I could get. Can't train with a brain injury!
The Giro has proved to have much better with ventilation for those KOM efforts. And I feel better going all out when I know that I have the latest in protection.
I found that the manifest is one of the most ventilated mountain bike helmets i have ever used. And the retention system is very comfortable, even on very long rides. The only downside is that it rides very low on my brow, and pushes my glasses down my nose, (it is only noticeable with big sunglasses, but nowadays, it seems like every brand is going for the biggest ones they can fit on your face)even adjusting the retention straps to it's higher setting.
I found these while shopping for a non padded glove for grip and bar "feel." The price was shockingly low, so I bit. Found the strap free wrist desirable, personally. These are very tight and almost surgeon-like to pull on. The touch screen sensitive pointer finger and thumb are an excellent plus. I don't expect these to last forever, but they've already added a bit more "feel" with my bars and certainly more confidence in the drops or the air.
