REASONS TO BUY
Comfortable
Adjustable
High-end style
REASONS TO AVOID
Less aero
May be warm in hot weather
Fastener could be finicky
Giro Cinder MIPS Review
A comfortable mid-range offering that will keep the dome safe
Credit: Backcountry
RELATED: Best Road Bike Helmet
Our Verdict
The great strength of the Giro Cinder MIPS is that it delivers excellent performance at a reasonable price-point. It carves away some of the premium materials found some comparable higher-end models but still retains a good deal of the lightweight protection, comfort, and classy style. With its solid design and consistent performance across most of our measures, this is a good choice for the rider looking to settle into a mid-range helmet and keep it for many years. It has sufficient ventilation to keep you cool in most conditions and enough adjustability to accommodate headwear in cooler weather.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Giro Cinder MIPS | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  | | |||
| Price | $159.95 at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers | $120 List Check Price at Backcountry | $64.98 at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers | $47.93 at REI Compare at 2 sellers | $85 List |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Comfortable, adjustable, high-end style | Great ventilation, comfortable, durable | Lightweight, cool, moves sweat away from eyes, uses MIPS | Very comfortable, great style, good for all disciplines | Inexpensive, large micro adjust dial |
| Cons | Less aero, may be warm in hot weather, fastener could be finicky | Heavy, bulky | Buckles might break, straps could loosen, less aerodynamic | Less adjustable than some, middling ventilation, narrow at the temple | Difficult to adjust cradle, bulky, heavy |
| Bottom Line | A comfortable mid-range offering that will keep the dome safe | A comfortable and very well-ventilated helmet that is a bit heavy and bulky | A comfortable, dependable road helmet that will keep you safe out on the road | This stylish, well-built helmet packs in comfort and features at a lower price point than most | This classically styled somewhat bulky helmet provides MIPS protection for a low price |
| Rating Categories | Giro Cinder MIPS | Specialized Airnet... | Bell Stratus MIPS | Smith Persist MIPS | Lazer Tonic MIPS |
| Comfort (25%) | |||||
| Ventilation (25%) | |||||
| Adjustability (20%) | |||||
| Weight (15%) | |||||
| Style (7.5%) | |||||
| Durability (7.5%) | |||||
| Specs | Giro Cinder MIPS | Specialized Airnet... | Bell Stratus MIPS | Smith Persist MIPS | Lazer Tonic MIPS |
| Measured Weight | 345 g (size L) | 364 g (size L) | 296 g (size M) | 326 g (Size L) | 350 g (Size L) |
| Size Range | 59-63 cm (size L) | 59-63 cm (size L) | 52-62 cm (size M) | 59-62 cm (size L) | 58-61 cm (size L) |
| Number of Vents | 26 | 22 | 18 | 21 | 28 |
| MIPS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sizes | S, M, L | S, M, L | S, M, L | S, M , L, XL | S, M, L |
Show full specification detailsHide full specification details
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Cinder receives decent scores across the board. While it doesn't quite reach the top of any category, it performs consistently well and does so without siphoning off your excess cash.
Performance Comparison
The Cinder is one of Giro's mid-range offers that benefits from many of the same features of their higher-end models.
Credit: Nick Bruckbauer
Comfort
The Cinder derives most of its comfort from its shape and the MIPS liner that hugs the skull and helps alleviate some of the direct contact with the EPS foam liner. It could use a bit more of its XStatic padding, but the padding it does use is well placed along the front of the forehead and temples and another set of pads straddling the top of the head. That said, we found the Cinder to be pretty comfortable on both long and short rides in a variety of weather conditions.
The Cinder's X-Static padding is very comfortable and well-placed.
Credit: Nick Bruckbauer
Ventilation
Twenty-six Wind Tunnel vents course through this helmet, making it a respectable aerator and earning our appreciation on the muggy mornings that turn into windy, blazing afternoons. The internal channeling seems to be effective, and the built-in MIPS liner is perfectly trimmed to align with the vents. Overall, there are several models that offer better ventilation with larger vents, but the Cinder provides respectable breathability for most riding conditions.
Adjustability
The Cinder uses Giro's Roc Loc 5 fit system to achieve a good degree of adjustability. At the rear is a two-way adjustable dial with fine grip to allow easier handling in the rain or after the sweat and oil starts taking over late in the ride. The headband system also allows a couple of centimeters of fore and aft adjustment to help fit more head shapes. It also uses standard adjustable Y-straps to secure the chinstrap buckle below the chin. The strap system can also be fed from side to side through a slot in the rear of the helmet, allowing additional flexibility for achieving a perfect
The Roc Loc 5 fit system provides plenty of adjustability.
Credit: Nick Bruckbauer
Weight
The Cinder sits at a measured 345 grams in a men's size Large. While this is definitely on the heavier side for high-performance road helmets, keep in mind that this is a less wispy mid-range offering meant to last for several seasons. That said, if you are in the market for a lighter helmet, there are certainly quite a few options that provide similar performance in a lighter package.
While slightly heavier than most top-tier helmets, the Cinder provides a good blend of comfort, ventilation, and value.
Credit: Nick Bruckbauer
Style
Our testers agree that this is a sharp-looking helmet. With its classic, flowing design, it carries a lot of the same design features that have trickled down from many of Giro's high-end offerings, but does so at nearly half the price. It also comes in several color options that allow riders to coordinate the color scheme with their kits, bikes, and the rest. We recognize that this is a subjective exercise, but if you are looking for a classic helmet with high-end style without the high0end price, the Cinder is a great choice.
Durability
One of the tradeoffs Giro makes here is providing improved durability by adding more structural support to the helmet while sacrificing a bit of ventilation. However, the Cinder receives overall average scores in the rating metric due to the amount of EPS foam that is exposed around the brim of the helmet. EPS foam is a more delicate material that the protective polycarbonate shell, and is vulnerable to bumps and scrapes if not properly cared for.
Value
The Cinder's list price is towards the lower end of our lineup. This is a solid mid-range helmet with excellent performance and comfort that provides good protection and ventilation and is versatile enough to use for many rides over many years. Overall, it provides a great value.
Conclusion
While it doesn't win any of our top awards, the Giro Cinder MIPS is certainly a respectable contender across the board. It's also not a bad looker and comes in nine different colors, making it easier to coordinate with your bike, kit, helmet, and shoes. It also offers generous comfort for longer rides and a range of adjustability options for even the most finicky rider. No, it's not the top helmet, but it's an above-average mid-range product, and we think most riders would be pleased with this offering.
—
Nick Bruckbauer & Ryan Baham
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