Giro Flak Review

Giro are pretty much at the top of the league as for producing the most protective helmets. At one point in time I'm sure most of you have owned a Giro or two.

Giro have one of the best crash replacement policies going, you crash they replace with a discounted one simple as that. Also and more importantly for me at least is they are one of the few manufacturers who produce a helmet which fits my gigantic melon like head well. The model I'm reviewing is the Giro flak it's been around a few years now with minimal updates apart from graphics (If its not broken don't fix it).

The Flak is a simple affair. An inner polystyrene shell is surrounded by a plastic ABS outer shell. Padding is minimal but effective with only three pads, which fit at the back, front and top of the helmet. They come in three different thicknesses, which do substantially differ the size of the helmets interior.

It has a simple clip based attachment system, which is adjustable. The helmet exemplifies simplicity. This includes the matt black colour scheme interrupted with only a small giro logo off centre on the front left hand side. However if you don't want it in black it comes in an assortment of other colours and designs.

In use the helmet's great, its relatively lightweight and the minimalist style means that it doesn't get in the way and it wraps round your head instead of perching on top of it. It's also surprisingly cool for a pee pot helmet. The vents actually do a very good job of cooling you down, though it's not an XC helmet by far.

It's a great helmet with two minor issues. The first being the pads are held in very poorly by tiny circles of Velcro, so in use the pads are pretty much held in place by the pressure of your head. Instead of the Velcro, this can be fixed easily by affixing more Velcro pads, but it should have been recognized originally as a minor flaw. Also the pads don't last long and fall apart relatively quickly, minor issue and they are readily available as spares anyway at a reasonable price of around £4-£5

Overall the helmet is cheap simple and does what it's meant to with very few issues. And at the price of £20 it's not out of anyone's budget. So if you need a cheap lid for general riding a Giro Flak would be a great choice.