Seen at SIA: Giro

Jan 23, 2007  ·  02:40 PM  ·  permalink

This afternoon I took a tour of the Giro product lineup, which includes helmets, goggles and, new this season, shoes.

Jezeil gave me a tour of the goggle and shoes. In the google world, Giro is coming out with a swappable-lense system called “Pop-Top” that, unlike predeccesors, allows you to handle the lens without touching the surface via a little handle release on top. Pictured here in the Manifest goggle.

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Jezeil also showed me Giro’s first entry into the shoe field and, I must say, I’m impressed. The shoes look durable, comfortable, and stylish, in a kind of futuro-retro way. I like!

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Last, I met with Phil to talk helmets. Giro has been very instrumental in helping ghrow helmet use as they were one of the first manufacturers to introduce a durable, good-looking, and truly light product. They’re clearly leading the way in technology—their shells are thermally bonded to the underlying foam substrance—not glued or rivetted—and their full line is be reengineered with an advanced fit system that will be familiar to wearers of Giro bike helmets.

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But what got me excited was Phil’s demonstration of one of their venting system which allows precise control of individual zones in the helmet.

The mechanics don’t just look cool (sorry, the movie isn’t super great), Phil told me how they form the interior of the helmet to channel air across the wearer’s head. For me, goood, flexible venting is key, or else I end up a disgusting, sweaty mop of hair by the end of a ski day.