Limar launches Air Pro Volcanic helmet

Helmet used by Astana team for the Etna stage of the Giro

Limar says that it’s brought forward the launch of the new Air Pro helmet, originally planned for the Tour de France, to this stage of the Giro d’Italia to satisfy the demands of Astana’s riders.

The new Air Pro incorporates carbon fibre into the side ribs of the shell, which Limar says allows it to meet its safety, aerodynamics and ventilation objectives. It says that it wind tunnel tested the design at Magny Cours in France, as well as using computational simulations.

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Limar says that its tests show a 1 second advantage for the Air Pro over its Ultralight helmet over 10km

The carbon fibre content allowed it to reduce the thickness of the lateral ribs, for improved airflow and aerodynamics. It found that the shape of the longitudinal ribs reduced air pressure over the helmet and hence drag. In addition, Limar says that the Air Pro’s extended tail helps prevent turbulence at the rear of the helmet.

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Limar says that the Air Pro is 20% more aero efficient than its Ultralight helmet, with claimed benefits of up to 1 second over 10km. In addition, it says that it’s developed a new Air Fit retention system, designed to be compact, thin and light. There are 20 vents and eight longitudinal channels to move air over the head –useful on the Giro’s long, hot climbs.

It’s Limar’s second new helmet this year, with the Air Speed launched in January put to good effect by the Astana team on the heads of Miguel Angel Lopez and Michael Valgren amongst others already this season.

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Limar offers the Air Pro in sizes Medium and Large, with claimed weights of 230g and 270g respectively.

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Paul Norman

Paul started writing for Cycling Weekly in 2015, covering cycling tech, new bikes and product testing. Since then, he’s reviewed hundreds of bikes and thousands of other pieces of cycling equipment for the magazine and the Cycling Weekly website.

He’s been cycling for a lot longer than that though and his travels by bike have taken him all around Europe and to California. He’s been riding gravel since before gravel bikes existed too, riding a cyclocross bike through the Chilterns and along the South Downs.