HJC Furion aero road helmet review
Although the Korean brand HJC is one of the largest helmet manufacturers in the world, they only entered the cycling market in 2016. But a partnership with the Lotto Soudal pro team along with a highly sophisticated R&D process, which includes aero testing in their own wind tunnel, has seen the helmets appearing more and more on the heads of road riders and triathletes.
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The Furion is HJC’s aero road helmet. The shape they’ve given it is aesthetically pleasing – there’s nothing too bulbous on it – and it has five vents at the front and numerous smaller ones at the back for the air to pass through. The rear cradle is adjustable and the control dial is big enough to adjust on the fly. The padding over the EPS foam has silver chloride particles inside, which are antibacterial to stop it from whiffing after hot days in the saddle. It’s a feature that came in handy because the ventilation isn’t fantastic on the Furion – we felt hot in temps above 20°c.
It’s light for an aero road helmet, though – our M/L came in at 215g (HJC claim the XS/S is under 200g) – so light you can barely feel it on your head, which does make up for the slightly underwhelming ventilation. But that said, when you hit an incline it can’t help but feel hotter than other more airy aero lids we’ve tried, such as the MET Manta. Despite its ventilation issue, the Furion is relatively good value and offers plenty of adjustability to fit most head shapes, making it a good all-round option for training and racing.
Verdict: well-designed sensibly-priced racing lid, but not the coolest. 81%
Buy from www.wiggle.co.uk