Worth: £189.99 / €229.90
Weight: 287 grams – (S-M)
Sizes: S-M / L-XL
MIPS: No
Colors: White / Crimson-Black / Black / Pink fluro-Black / Blue Steel Metallic
The Rudy Venture Nytron was launched in 2021 after being noticed on the heads of the Bahrain Victorious riders. It has since been utilized by the crew and helped contribute to monument and grand tour stage wins.
At £189.99 / €229.90, it’s on the extra inexpensive finish of the aero highway helmets scale, which are usually above £200 / €250 these days, however it’s nonetheless extra in competitors with the market’s finest highway bike helmets than these in our finances bike helmets information.
Developed together with Swiss aero specialists Swiss Aspect, the co-developers of the brand new Continental aero tyre, the model states it was engineered and designed utilizing wind tunnel evaluation and testing. We put it to the take a look at in our personal wind tunnel helmets group take a look at towards all of the aero helmets we may get our palms on to see how this wind tunnel R&D helped it carry out.
There may be after all extra to an aero helmet than simply aero efficiency, with consolation and air flow different key concerns. With particularly designed giant frontal vents, plus inside channels and enormous exhausts to spice up airflow, the Nytron goals to carry out in terms of air flow as properly.
Security it doesn’t function any particular anti-rotational impression safety applied sciences equivalent to MIPS, nevertheless it passes each the business’s ISO customary and separate impartial testing protocol designed by WG11.
Design and specs
With a main aim of aerodynamic efficiency, Rudy enlisted the assistance of Swiss Aspect, a widely known model in biking and motorsport in terms of helping with aerodynamic improvement and efficiency. To do that, the model seemed to give attention to airflow route and administration. The 2 important methods of controlling airflow are to regulate the way it strikes across the helmet, and the way it strikes by the helmet.
A bullet-shaped TT helmet will information the air round like an aerofoil – assume the large Visma Lease a Bike Giro TT helmet with no vents designed to regulate airflow across the helmet. Nonetheless, this compromises air flow and Rudy Venture wished to keep up that facet of efficiency. This led the model to give attention to inside channelling and airflow, utilising the Venturi Impact.
To briefly clarify the Venturi Impact: A big quantity of air is channelled right into a smaller passage, which speeds the circulation of the air and creates a low-pressure space. This low strain takes high-pressure air from across the helmet and directs it rearwards and reduces the possibility of turbulence. That is what led to Rudy Venture having the big frontal forehead venting which is break up into channels internally, plus a entrance vent, two facet vents, and a big array of exhausts on the rear.
Internally, across the airflow channels, a considerable amount of padding is in place to spice up rider consolation. In whole eight completely different pads are used from the brow to the temples and throughout the highest. That is mixed with a reasonably adjustable retention system to maintain the helmet in place. The rear cradle permits for vertical adjustment with an easy-to-use slider, whereas the cradle extends alongside the temple to the sting of the forehead with an easy-to-use adjustment dial. The webbing straps have splitters for adjustment across the ear, whereas the strap makes use of a rubber slider to cease any flapping of extra materials. A reasonably customary three-pronged buckle is used to clip this all collectively.
As for defense, the Nytron doesn’t function any particular security options, equivalent to MIPS, past the polycarbonate shell which is bonded to the froth interior. What the Nytron does function is a go on the Working Group 11 (WG11) rotational impression safety take a look at. Dimension smart, only a Small/Medium and Giant choice can be found, with no claimed weight, nonetheless our medium got here in at 287g. 5 color choices can be found from pretty plain white and black, to standout fluro pink.
Efficiency
The Rudy Venture Nytron is a helmet of two halves. In essentially the most measurable of efficiency metrics, our wind tunnel testing, the Nytron merely didn’t carry out very properly in comparison with different aero highway helmets. It’s after all price noting that aerodynamics are advanced, and a distinct head place or completely different rider may have altered the outcomes.
On the finish of the day the Nytron, ending twenty first out of 25 checks, was 7.24w slower than the quickest helmet at 40km/h, however nonetheless 5.51w sooner than the slowest. This reveals that aero helmets are pretty shut to one another and it doesn’t take a lot to swing issues in favour of 1 to a different.
However, basing purely from this take a look at and our information, the Nytron just isn’t a very quick aero highway helmet, overwhelmed in truth by some devoted cooling-focussed fashions. Given the helmet was designed together with Swiss Aspect, that is barely shocking to see given its lengthy standing credentials as aero specialists. Nonetheless there was one other key focus to this helmet.
Air flow is an space the place the Nytron performs strongly. The forehead of the helmet options a big array of 5 vents plus one other vent simply above that. These then channel airflow by the helmet and out the rear exhausts, with just a little enter from some facet vents. The channels are usually not massively deep, however there are such a lot of of them and so they’re slender, which appears to stop hair from filling them up an excessive amount of and impacting airflow. It’s fascinating to notice that these vents have been designed to supply air flow with out hindering aerodynamic efficiency.
Curiously although, Rudy gives one other variant of the Nytron, the Nytron Professional. On this mannequin, the entrance vents have been stuffed to go away two small slits on the entrance and a smaller exhaust within the pursuit of aero efficiency over air flow. This hints that the vents do hinder total aero efficiency, and the Bahrain Victorious crew have been seen on this helmet. Nonetheless, that has been uncommon, which means that air flow is a crucial efficiency consideration for world tour athletes, a lot in order that they’re keen to forgo the aero advantages.
Conjecture apart, whereas using with the Nytron, I used to be genuinely impressed with the air flow, because it was considerably higher than most aero highway helmets I’ve used. Present autumn temperatures have been fairly delicate; good for testing air flow in mid-teens whereas kitted up heat and doing efforts, so loads of extra warmth is being produced. The forehead vent is the primary star of the present, funnelling a number of air into the helmet, however the shock profit have been the highest vents. When dipping my head down, they gave a nice rush of cool air onto the highest of my head, which was appreciated throughout some tougher efforts. The large exhaust additionally seems to extract heat air properly from the top, even with parts of the cradle crossing over it internally.
Match is one other space the place the Nytron performs properly. The retention of the helmet covers a big proportion of the top, stretching from between the temple and brow all the way in which again and round to present round 300 diploma protection. Retention itself is handled a rear dial in a metallic encompass which is plastic, however provides just a little bit of glitz. This dial options small studs throughout it, making it simple to grip and modify with a nice click on to tighten. Nonetheless to launch it’s a bit much less tactile and feels to have a little bit of give at wherever you launch it. This rear cradle is adjustable vertically too, so you may tailor the place the cradle cups your head. It has six positions in whole, and could be very simple to regulate by simply pulling or pushing all the cradle, however gained’t modify unintentionally like on the Kask Utopia Y.
As for the straps, these are pretty customary webbing of 15mm large, with a barely clunky trying splitter for changes across the ear. The buckle is only a easy three pronged click on and launch, nevertheless it’s a design that I’ve by no means had subject with, whereas changes on this design have confirmed variable of their efficiency, once more the Kask Utopia Y. What is sweet is that the chin strap makes use of a rubber encompass the preserve any extra strap materials from flapping round, giving a cleaner look.
Security is after all one other key consideration in terms of helmets. The Nytron differs from a variety of fashionable helmets which include particular anti-rotational impression safety programs like MIPS, Kineticore or KOROYD. Nonetheless it does go rotational impression testing from Working Group 11 (WG11) which is the take a look at protocol that Kask additionally use to certify its helmets. It is also price noting that WG11 take a look at go helmets have additionally scored 5 star scores on the Virginia Tech Helmet (VTH) scores, as produce other Rudy Venture helmets which have additionally been WG11 authorised.
Worth
When it comes down purely to cost, the Nytron is a powerful competitor being one of many few helmets to drop beneath the £200 mark in our aero helmet group take a look at. This places it in the identical kind of bracket because the Julbo Dash and Carnac EVO. Each of those helmets carried out higher within the wind tunnel, the Carnac solely ever so barely. Nonetheless there’s much more to a helmet than simply aero efficiency. The Julbo didn’t carry out anyplace close to in addition to the Nytron in both air flow or consolation, and didn’t function any impartial crash security scores.
Given the Nytron is such a powerful performer in terms of consolation and air flow, it’s considerably higher worth than equally priced opponents. The air flow can also be higher than dearer choices, so it turns into a stability of value, air flow, and aero efficiency for many individuals aero highway helmets.
That aero efficiency can also be after all primarily based on our take a look at, with one rider, in a single place. It nonetheless provides an concept of efficiency of aero highway helmets, particularly within the place that the majority of us will preserve on rides, however it’s not gospel. Match is after all additionally subjective, and solely two sizes being out there does restrict that barely. Nonetheless for these wanting a helmet that’s properly ventilated, is snug to put on, and options an aero benefit over most extra vented helmets whereas being cheaper, the Nytron might be price contemplating.
Verdict
The Rudy Venture Nytron is an fascinating aero highway helmet. In our wind tunnel testing, it got here out as one of many slowest aero helmets on take a look at, overwhelmed even by some air flow focussed opponents. Nonetheless, aerodynamics are advanced, and this doesn’t imply it’s going to carry out as badly on completely different riders in numerous positions.
The place is does carry out properly on a extra goal scale, is air flow and value level. The Nytron has higher cooling than most aero highway helmets I’ve tried, whereas value is considerably decrease than many different choices. Match is one other space that this helmet performs properly in, though once more extra subjective and smaller head sizes could also be restricted by the Small/Medium or Giant choices solely.
| Design and Aethetics | Top quality end that appears smooth, the entrance vents could divide opinion | 8/10 |
| Consolation | Very snug with or with no cap, simple to regulate as properly | 9/10 |
| Air flow | Not as cool as a full vented helmet, however considerably higher than different aero choices | 8/10 |
| Security | Passes WG11 testing protocol for rotational impression safety | 8/10 |
| Aero Performnce | One of many worst performing aero helmets in our aero testing | 2/10 |
| Worth | Good high quality, snug, properly vented and properly priced. However missing velocity | 8/10 |
| Row 6 – Cell 0 | Row 6 – Cell 1 | 43/60 |
