In one of my older posts regarding bicycle helmets and their pricing, I touched briefly on my old cycling helmet, my Bell Ukon II and mentioned that it was well past time that I looked for a new helmet. well, the wait is over, here it is, the Bontrager Ballista aero helmet.
Right off the bat, let me just say that while I do partake in some cycling events and I do have a competitive side to my character, I put very little weight on the number of seconds I save over X number of kilometers or at X kilometers per hour when I bought this helmet. Despite it being more aero and technically 'faster' than a conventional helmet, I feel that for a general consumer, other factors play more crucial roles in determining a helmet's worth, even if it's an aero helmet. Any number of seconds saved are just added bonuses.
Some quick specs, this helmet weighs 262g, lighter than my 314g Bell and is a size Medium. it came with a beautiful matte black finish with some gloss accents at the sides.
It uses Bontrager's 'Headmaster 2' system which allows for circumferential adjustments via a quick-wheel at the rear as well as a small amount of height adjustment for the rear adjuster portion of the helmet, similar to but not as adjustable as certain Kask helmets.
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| Adjusted UP |
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| Adjusted DOWN |
Along with the removable inner padding, all these factors put together make it a tad bit more comfortable than my older helmet.
This helmet was originally priced at RM679 which is a competitive price for an aero helmet once you take into account the more well known ones like the Giro Synthe, Kask Protone or the Specialized Evade, but with the end of a year comes clearance sales. As a result, I was fortunate enough to pick this up for 30% off at RM472 from Treknology 3 in Kota Damansara during their clearance sale, which is fantastic value for money for most helmets in general.
The helmet comes in the white box shown below as well as a draw string helmet bag in which to keep your expensive helmet so it doesn't get all scratched up and an extra set of foam padding which I'll get to in a bit.
Ideally, I would've gone with a more eye catching colour like white so as to be more visible on the road, but the only 2 colours left were this and a fluoro green model that was just a little too extreme for me. So I opted for the more subtle black instead, matches my bike's paint scheme a little better too.
Aesthetically speaking, it's an aggressive looking helmet without being gimmicky. Say what you want about looks, but I'm willing to bet most of us, either consciously or subconsciously place a larger emphasis on the looks of our gear than we'd like to admit, which is why I have to address the appearance of the helmet. It balances itself well between conventional-looks and aerodynamic-aggression. The 3 large front vents add a practical appeal to the helmet while the clean sides remind you that it's meant to go fast. Add the matter black paint scheme and you've got yourself a helmet Batman would use.
Other than that, what made this helmet very appealing to me were the tons of glowing reviews online regarding this helmet. So far, they've definitely proven right. The 3 vents at the front are more than sufficient at keeping my head cool as ventilation is definitely on par with my older, more ventilated helmet.
On the inside, these 3 front vents channel air through internal grooves in the helmet and out the back. Whether or not this was how the helmet was designed to work or if it's purely aesthetics, it certainly does the job at keeping your head cool. One gripe I have about ventilation is that when the front vents aren't directed forwards, such as when you flex your neck to look down or side to side, the ventilation or air flow is noticeably decreased. This isn't a deal breaker for me but for someone who wants a middle ground between aero and ventilation or thinks that the vents on this helmet facilitate air flow as well as a more ventilated helmet, he or she would be better off looking for something else.
The straps on the helmet are thin and relatively light, making them quite comfortable but I don't know of too many helmets with heavy straps. A gripe I have with them, despite countless attempts at adjusting the helmet, is there not being enough room between the straps and my ears. Now, they aren't uncomfortable or over lie my ears, it's just that I've gotten so used to the amount of clearance between the straps on my old helmet and my ears that I would prefer to have the same sensation of comfort with this new helmet, especially considering the fact it's almost 3 times the price. Although, to be fair, my ears are a little more everted than that of a normal human being, so this isn't so much an issue as it is a nit pick.
In short, there's very little not to like about this helmet. It looks cool, it's well ventilated, comfortable, light weight and for the price I paid, has terrific value for money. I'd definitely recommend this helmet to anyone looking at picking up a new helmet or want a more aero lid over their heads. The latest Ballista with the new MIPS system hasn't reached our shores just yet and I'm not too sure how much it'll be going for here seeing as how our poor Ringgit isn't doing so well and with the possibility of newer aero helmets coming out next, I can't confidently tell you to wait for that model, but if it's anything similar to it's predecessor in terms of price and performance, you probably won't go too wrong with your purchase.
