Romain Bardet wears retro style Ekoi Legende helmet at the Tour de France

In the days before helmets became high tech items and obligatory for racing, most pros rode with bare heads. The helmets which were used were leather “hairnet” style.

Now Ekoi has launched the Legende, a modern helmet that harks back to that old-style headgear and is made in Italy to the French brand’s exclusive design. Only Romain Bardet on the AG2R La Mondiale team is wearing the new helmet.

The main feature of the Legende helmet is its raised, curved section longitudinal ribs, with thin lateral connectors that fit close to the head. Ekoi says that it has 28 vents and has been wind tunnel tested. Weight is claimed to be 230 grams.

>>> Helmet buyer's guide

Modern features include full in-mould construction, with an internal polypropylene cage. There’s three way strap adjustment and a magnetic buckle closure.

Ekoi includes three sets of foam inserts with different thicknesses as well as a removable bug net. Keeping up the retro theme, there’s a leather carrying bag too. Ekoi offers a five year warranty on the new helmet, part of its Premium line.

Ekoi lets you select from nine different colour options, including national colours as well as white, black, gold and AG2R team replica. The Ekoi Legende is available through the brand’s direct sales web site and priced at £178.48. Unlike its normal range, Ekoi says that it does not discount its Premium range products on its site.