BBB Icarus helmet review
The BBB Icarus seems to offer all the attributes of a good all-round helmet, but will it fly or plummet to earth…?

The BBB Icarus is a good helmet that offers excellent ventilation for summer rides. Fit and comfort are both good, although we felt the Icarus could have offered a little more adjustability.
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Great ventilation
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Comfortable fit
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Decent weight
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Easy to adjust
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Could offer more adjustability
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Fragile under-ear clips
You can trust Cycling Weekly.
The BBB Icarus helmet has been around since 2012, but after a couple of seasons in the Pro Continental ranks adorning the heads of Synergy-Baku and Wanty-Groupe Gobert, will be making the step up to the World Tour courtesy of the Dutch manufacturer’s partnership with FDJ.
Unfortunately for our testers riding this helmet through the coldest weeks of the British winter, the BBB Icarus comes with excellent ventilation. 29 air vents, six more than the identically-priced Giro Fathom, mean good airflow over your head, with large rear vents allowing hot air to escape. With the temperature recently struggling to haul itself above freezing, this hasn’t been something we’ve particularly enjoyed, but come summer the benefits will definitely be felt.
The BBB Icarus is also comfortable to wear, with a slim fit and plenty of foam padding covering the inner shell of the helmet. The padding is also anti-bacterial and can be removed for washing. Comfort is aided by BBB’s dial-closure system which comes with a large dial that is easy to adjust on the fly even with bulky gloves. Our only complaint was that we would have liked to see a little more adjustment on offer, as things were a little tight when wearing a winter cap underneath.
>>> New aero helmets on show at Tour Down Under
The only other problem we had with the BBB Icarus was with the little clips used to attach the chin straps just below the ear on each side. These little pieces of plastic looked fragile as soon as we lifted the helmet out of the box, so it was no surprise that one snapped off after just a couple of rides. Admittedly the helmet was still comfy and fitted well, but it was still an annoyance.
In terms of weight, the Icarus hit the CW scales at 260g, comparing favourably with more expensive lids such as the Smith Overtake. Still, it’s not exactly super-light, but not bad considering the fairly reasonable price tag, and the decent fit means you shouldn’t be too inconvenienced by the extra few grams.
For more details visit the Windwave website.
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Henry Robertshaw began his time at Cycling Weekly working with the tech team, writing reviews, buying guides and appearing in videos advising on how to dress for the seasons. He later moved over to the news team, where his work focused on the professional peloton as well as legislation and provision for cycling. He's since moved his career in a new direction, with a role at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
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