Ok, I catch some grief from time to time to time for getting excited about all the wrong products. Read the buzz in the cycling world and you will see people hopping up and down and drooling about the latest bit of carbon fiber, titanium or scandium. Small variations in products that produce weight savings with a value of about $1.50/g. Don't get me wrong, it is not that I don't love high end gizmos, its just that when you are talking about bikes that run over $3500, I just expect them to be nice. If you drop $1000 into a wheelset it would be really more surprising if they weren't crazy light and packing ceramic bearings. What gets me excited is when an inexpensive product steps up and turns out to be more than you should expect. So now that the guys at the shop are used to me rambling on about budget products I guess I will subject my blog readers to the same.
This years little surprise is Vigors Nox helmet.
For the past 4 or 5 years I have basically using the Nox as a jump off product for selling products. Basically I would throw it out there as an option for someone who just wanted a safe head for as little cash as possible. So I was a little caught off guard when I was in the middle of my "let me show you why I don't like this helmet" speil when I discovered that all the things I was about to point out had dissapeared.
For 2012 Vigor has finally done away with what could only be described as a cheesy retention system which basicaly jut pushed against the back of your head and hoped it stayed snug. The new sysem is the same as what they use on their higher end helmets (also the same as used on the even higher end Spiuk helmets). The retention/fit system is basically a band that wrapps around the back of the head with two little ratcheting clips that allow the band to be snugged up to your head and locked in. Small buttons on the ratchets allow them to be released and moved out in the event that you put on a hat or share your helmet with a friend. Adjustment time is less than a second.
In addition to the new retention system Vigor has also added 3 more vents (up to 16 vents now) Which allow greater airflow. design team has also added a little more style to the color scheme so they have a nice look rather than a plain solid color.
So while the Next helmet up the line (FastTraxx) still has better airflow and is marginally lighter. The improvements to the Nox are great enough that I am no longer sure the upgrade is worth it. So if you are in the market for an helmet but don't want to shell out three digits for a pro level helmet, have another look at the Nox. It is just unheard of to have a helmet that fits this well clock in at less than $40.
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