SubscribeI recently had the opportunity to get up close and personal with the new Rudy Project Wing57 aero helmet.
The Wing57 is RudyProject’s newest and most advanced player in the aero ft-helmet category and I have to say it’s pretty amazing. The first thing you’ll notice about the Wing57 when you lift it up is how crazy light it is. It weighs in at just 300g that’s a full 50g lighter than the wingspan TT helmet. It feels so light that I found myself amazed that it’d actually protect the noodle, but it’s passed the european safety standards and is in process for the US certification, so concerns assuaged 🙂
The Wing57 comes in a robust and nicely designed storage case.
The helmet comes with the usual Rudy Project vent inserts so you can run with the vent plugged, filtered or wide open
One of the visible ways that the Wing57 has made great improvements is with the internal air channels off the venting. The pictures here don’t really do it justice, but there are deep channels running from the front vent, to the rear vents that would move cool air over the rider’s head helping to reduce overheating on the bike. Many pros were wearing the Wing57 at Kona in 2013 and they all reported that these channels definitely helped keep their heads cool in the Kona heat and humidity. Good stuff!
The Wing57 was born and bred in the wind tunnel in a partnership with aerodynamics Guru John Cobb.
The tuning done in the tunnel was done to optimize the helmet’s performance, not just straight into the wind but at yaw angles more realistic to real world racing. The helmet has a detachable magnetically-mounted rear fin to better direct air-flow depending on the rider’s body shape and riding geometry.
Now all this probably sounds great, and in fact it is pretty amazing stuff, but the real question outstanding is: How does it ride and how does it perform? Well, unfortunately, as I’m writing this it’s December (nearly January) and Toronto has already had one of our worst winters in decades. Given the conditions outside, the idea of taking my TT-bike out for a time-trial is really a non-starter.
I did, however, have a metabolic testing session recently and… well…
Yea, ok… totally tongue in cheek but had to have at least one image on a bike with it… suppose I could have taken a pick in the snow on a fat bike… 🙂
If things go according to schedule, I’ll have one of these beauties in my hands for IM70.3 New Orleans in April and I’ll be able to give you some 1st hand data on how it handles in a hot and humid race.
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