Giro

Who or what is Giro?

Giro (officially Giro Sport Design) is a Californian maker of helmets, goggles, shoes and gloves for cycling and snow sports. The brand is one of the names that shaped the modern bike helmet – from road through trail and enduro to kids' and city helmets. The company is based in Irvine, California.

Who founded Giro?

Giro was founded in 1985 by industrial designer and cyclist Jim Gentes in Scotts Valley, California. His first helmet, the Prolight, was radically light and ventilated at a time when helmets were mostly heavy and hot. In 1989 Greg LeMond won the Tour de France in the closing time trial by eight seconds, wearing a Giro time trial helmet. In 1996 Giro joined Bell Sports; Bell and Giro belong to the same group to this day.

What does Giro stand for?

Giro stands for the combination of protection, fit and ventilation. A helmet that pinches or traps heat gets taken off – and then protects nothing at all. That is why Giro puts as much development into the retention system and the airflow as into the shell itself.

What makes Giro helmets special?

• Roc Loc: the in-house fit system, adjusting the cradle for width and height with one hand.
• MIPS: a movable layer that reduces rotational forces in an angled impact – found across much of the Giro range.
• Spherical Technology: two shells nested inside one another that can rotate against each other; here the MIPS effect is built into the helmet rather than added as a liner.
• Convertible full-face helmets such as the Switchblade, where the chin bar comes off for the climb.

What does Giro mainly make?

• MTB helmets: half shell, convertible and full face – Montaro, Manifest, Source, Radix, Fixture, Insurgent or Switchblade.
• Road and gravel helmets: Aries, Helios, Eclipse, Syntax, Agilis, Cielo, Aerohead.
• Urban and everyday helmets, some with an integrated LED rear light (Caden, Evoke, Escape, Bexley, Hoxton).
• Dirt and BMX helmets in hard shell form (Quarter FS, Dime FS) plus kids' helmets (Scamp).
• Goggles for MTB and dirt, plus gloves and MTB shoes for flat and clipless pedals.

Who are Giro products for?

Giro covers just about every discipline in the shop: the trail helmet with deep rear coverage, the light summer helmet for the road, the everyday helmet with a light, and a child's first helmet. If you want to compare alternatives, look at TSG, Leatt and Bell.

What should you watch for on sizing?

Giro sizes by head circumference; measure horizontally around the head, roughly a finger's width above the ears. A correctly fitted helmet does not wobble when you shake your head without the retention ring having to be cranked tight – the ring only holds the helmet in place, the shell does the fitting.

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