Steve Thomas
As used by Caleb Ewan and countless other top pro’s the EKOI Aero 14 is a distinctive looking helmet, and one which is gaining attention in Australia. How does it stack up?
If you follow pro road racing then you’ve most likely seen the EKOI brand being strutted by some of the biggest names in the sport over the last few years, and maybe you even headed down to the local bike shop to see if they have any of those slink lids as worn by the likes of Caleb Ewan, and if you did you may well have pulled up short.
EKOI is a French brand, and one that’s been around for almost 22 years now, and the reason those of us riding outside of Europe may be a little less aware of their growing prominence is probably because they are consumer direct. In fact, they were bold in being one of the first in the bike industry to adapt this business model.
“…your head is a significant part of the aerodynamic equation…”
The Aero 14 helmet was my first ever test product from EKOI, and so I was interested to see what this curiously named brand was all about.
First up was the ordering process, which was remarkably simple – for Australian prices simply click the flag at the bottom of the page and then browse away, and all quoted prices include international shipping and all import duties, which we all know can be a bane of online shopping from across the water.
On reaching the helmet page I was lured in by the customisation tab; depending on the model there is a certain amount of customisation that can be done, and in the case of the Aero 14 that comes down to the helmet colour choice and having your name and chosen flag on the side (no Aussie flag available just yet), and in a few seconds and for a few extra bucks it was all sorted, simple.
Delivery, even with the customisation, took around a week, which was impressive.
The helmet comes in a nice thick drawstring bag and has three sets of pads, which is a blessing, as finding the right replacements is rarely easy – plus, they come in different thicknesses, which was just as well as I perhaps ordered a size too big (do check the sizing charts).
The first thing I noticed was the weight – this is a pretty light lid, especially for an aero helmet. The top shell has four front vents, two rear top, two rear side and a larger rear cluster ventilation grille, while the shell also wraps neatly around the helmet inner to give it a clean line.
The strap system has a mesh base, which means that it does not gather sweat like many others, and the buckle is magnetic, making it a breeze to take on and off, while the tensioning is done via a rear rachet dial system.
In use it’s a very light and comfortable feeling helmet, and while I was concerned about the lack of ventilation, that doesn’t seem to be too much of an issue, and although I have been riding it in toasty and humid road and gravel conditions without issues, I would say that the AR14 is more of a performance road helmet.
Although it’s hard to put any numbers on its aero performance, do keep in mind that your head is a significant part of the aerodynamic equation, and logic points to it being more effective on that score when compared to a regular helmet, and with its design the AR14 manages to balance out well as a general road performance helmet too, which is not the case with many dedicated aero helmets.
Overall, this is a great product at a very good price point, plus adding your name and chosen banner in-house does give it that “special feel.” 
For further details or to order visit https://www.ekoi.com/
