This helmets debut was 9 July 2009 on the first true mountain stage of the 2009 Tour de France, all Giro team riders (Astana, Rabobank, Garmin, Caisse d’Epargne) raced with the new 175 gram Giro Prolight, the lightest production helmet on the market.
A two year long project, by intelligently using the lightest materials possible, and by rethinking what riders truly need in a helmet, Giro engineers were able to break the 200 gram threshold.
“This was a ground-up, no-compromise project. Our primary objective was to build the lightest helmet in the world, but we also made sure it was very well ventilated and super comfortable. Being able to rely on many of our proven technologies like Wind Tunnel ventilation and Superfit, we not only met, but exceeded our goals in developing a truly revolutionary helmet”, said Mike Lowe, Vice President of Research and Development at Giro.
One key, weight saving feature on the Prolight is thenew fit system, Roc Loc SL. Built from lightweight, supple webbing material, the self-adjusting system is devoid of unnecessary components. The unique and patented system allows the rider to adjust the helmet in just one simple step.
Levi Leipheimer (Astana) summed the Prolight up in one word; “unreal”. Other riders have commented that it feels lighter than a baseball hat and that it’s easy to forget that you’re even wearing a helmet at all.
Prolight Features & Specifications:
1) 25 WINDTUNNEL VENTS – A cool rider is a fresh rider. Our Windtunnel? ventilation system helps keep your head cool, a proven and important performance benefit.
2) FULLY OPTIMIZED INTERNAL CHANNELING – A key part of our Windtunnel? ventilation system, we focused a lot of attention on carving the deepest, most effective channels possible into the Prolight. This helps exhaust hot and stale air out of the back of the helmet.
3) ROC LOC SL? – Minimal, simple, incredibly comfortable. With one quick adjustment of the webbing system, our Roc Loc SL self-adjusts to provide a comfortable, secure fit.
4) TRI-POSITION ROC LOC SL FORE + AFT ADJUSTMENT – To provide an even more precise fit of our Roc Loc SL, we’ve engineered a 3-position fore/aft fit system adjustment. This is a simple, one-time adjustment.
5) FEATHERWEIGHT WEBBING – Maximum comfort and minimum weight. This new Italian-made material is so supple that you almost don’t even notice it against your cheek or chin. It also wicks sweat very well and cleans up nicely.
6) XSTATIC PADDING – In addition to being very comfortable, our X-Static pads provide anti-microbial properties to help keep your helmet fresher, longer. The pads are also machine washable.
7) SUPERFIT SIZING – Our proprietary three-size Super Fit system is based on “human scale factors” data and over 20 years of crafting helmets for the best bike riders in the world. The result is a helmet that fits 98% of the worlds population, right out of the box.
8) In-Mold construction – Giro’s proprietary in-mold construction process fuses the helmet’s poly carbonate shell with its impact-absorbing EPS liner during the molding process, making the shell a structural part of the helmet. This fusion process reinforces areas around vents and ribs, creating an ‘exoskeleton’ that allows the helmet to be lighter, more durable, and better ventilated than traditional designs.
