Giro has released a new full-face helmet designed to cover all gravity disciplines from enduro to freeride. The completely new design sees a bunch of new features which are claimed to improve safety as well as ventilation.
The new Insurgent Spherical takes over as Giro's best full-face MTB helmet thanks to the addition of the Mips Spherical Technology, which up until now has only been featured on the brands open face helmets like the Giro Manifest trail helmet and the enduro Giro Tyrant lid.
The design of the Mips Spherical Technology creates a ball and socket joint using two foam layers to redirect crash forces with the goal of reducing rotational forces on the brain. The outer layer is made from EPS to absorb high-speed impacts while the inner layer is a lower density EPP foam with rebound characteristics which is better suited to handling low-speed, tumble-down the trail-type injuries. The fixed chin bar is also made from EPP with a pre-preg fiberglass shell, and along the bottom edge there is a patent pending Flex Gasket section to reduce the role full-face helmets can play with broken collar bones.
Unlike the recent influx of lightweight full-face helmets like POC's Otocon, Specialized Gambit, or Dainese Linea 01 the Insurgent doesn't put as much priority on low weight as it does protection and ventilation. The Insurgent Spherical weighs in at 1,040g in size M/L, 200g lighter than Giro's Disciple Mips, and on par with current dedicated downhill full-face benchmarks.
While downhill and freeride focus on maximum protection, crossing over to enduro mountain biking puts increased demand on a helmet's ventilation. Stack ventilation features 20 vents with internal channeling pathways and exhaust ports to move air through the Spherical layers and across the head. Giro used its own proprietary in-house Therminator heat-sensing head form and claims the new helmet is 50 percent cooler than the old Disciple Mips and other leading helmets (cooling measured from 100 degrees starting temperature and a 25 mph wind speed).
Giro has specced the Insurgent Spherical MIPS with an adjustable moto-style screw-in visor which has space underneath for an action camera, there are tool-free-breakaway bolts too. The helmet is secured with Giro's ROC LOC AIR DH cradle and a D-Loop buckle and has a directional snap system for removable cheek pads. The helmet will be shipped with two sets of cheek pads for variable thickness adjustability to tune the fit.
The Giro Insurgent Spherical MIPS helmet comes in three sizes (XS/S, M/L, XL/XXL), four colors (Matte Black, Matte Harbor Blue, Matte Metallic Black/Ano Lime, Matte White/Ano Blue) and is available now for $350 / €389.95 / £349.
