Limar Air King TT helmet review
The Limar Air King is the result of extensive research and development with input from the Astana pro cycling team, and the Italian brand are confident they’ve created the fasted TT helmet money can buy.
It first debuted at the Tour de France way back in the summer of 2018, and since then has been through numerous refinements and tweaks to arrive at the finished product that the public can finally buy for the princely sum of £299.99.
Astana tested the Air King at the Magny Cours F1 facility in France before it underwent further wind-tunnel analysis. Limar claim the latest results show it outperformed two other renowned TT helmets at a 2.5° yaw angle over 50, 60 and 70km/h, and they’ll be further testing at more yaw angles in the future.
Limar also say the Air King was designed to be optimally ventilated as well as fast, with pro Ironman triathlete Caroline Livesey using it at a brutally hot Ironman Latin American Championships in Mexico recently. Three vents at the front are positioned to grab the maximum amount of air, while at the rear a port at the back of the tail allows air to pass through.
Practically, the Air King has a pretty straightforward and simple construction. There’s no fancy adjustment or retention system, just a standard buckle at the chin and an average-sized dial at the rear to tighten and loosen, plus a vertical adjustment strap. Limar’s Air Fit retention system is designed to be light and minimal, which explains why they’ve foregone anything more complex. This tester appreciated the familiarity compared to standard road helmets, and found it easy to get on with. Inside there’s plenty of comfortable padding (that’s also washable) and, although it’s not exactly light at 421g for a size medium on our scales, the Air King sat nicely on our head and didn’t feel too cumbersome.
A tinted magnetic visor is supplied (a clear version is also available), and we were impressed that it didn’t steam up even on misty, chilly days. While the temperatures we tested in weren’t warm enough to fully push the cooling features to the max, we couldn’t help but feel the minimal venting left our head too sweaty inside. And this would be our only real criticism, as we’ve tried other high-end TT lids, such as Met’s Codatronca, that have larger ports for air to pass through at the back.
If you can afford it and want one of the fastest helmets there is for tri, then the Air King comes highly recommended. But if you’re prone to overheating, you might be better off with their Air Speed aero road lid with more venting for long-course racing in hot conditions.
Verdict: Expensive, but a fast and comfortable TT lid that’s up there with the best 88%
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