Rudy Project wants to butt heads with the helmet giants, with two new offerings this fall.
- By Zack Vestal
- Published Oct. 20, 2009
With the introduction of two new helmets for 2010, Rudy Project is taking a stab at the top of the helmet hierarchy, and hoping riders will take notice.
“In essence, we’re calling 2010 the ‘year of the helmet,’” said Paul Craig, Rudy Project’s North America CEO. “It’s the culmination of two to three years of research, development, and testing which has allowed us to leapfrog, in our eyes, other helmet technology.”
Craig makes no argument about who is at the top of the food chain of cycling helmets in America. But he says that as soon as Giro started making sunglasses, essentially stepping into Rudy’s turf, Rudy Project decided to ramp up their own helmet development. He quipped, “They decided to go into eyewear, so we thought we’d return the favor.”
Rudy Project has actually been making cycling helmets for years, but until now, they’ve not been a major focus for the company. Much of the helmet line was available principally in Europe, and never received the attention that Rudy’s Italian-inspired sunglass line garnered. One notable exception might have been the flashy silver 1996 “Sweeto” TT helmet shell that Indurain used in the Tour de France. But by Craig’s admission, helmets were more of a side business for Rudy Project until about 2001 or 2002.
“But since 2003 through 2009, the last six years, we’ve invested a ton of money in helmet R&D,” he said. “Now you can see we started signing teams for both helmets and glasses, including Colavita, Tibco, and Jelly Belly.” Craig says that in addition to the marketing benefits of high-profile team sponsorships, the athletes give valuable product feedback.
Fly farther and faster with the right Wingspan
Although Rudy Project North America didn’t display at this year’s Interbike show in Las Vegas, we visited their Denver headquarters ahead of time to get the scoop. We also scored some photos at the Eurobike show. And as it turns out, the “scoop” is actually built right in to their two new helmets.
The new Wingspan time trial helmet is built not just for aerodynamics, but also with an acute awareness that many athletes wearing this particular model will potentially be competing in extreme heat. Hence, a large air scoop is molded in the front for ventilation.
That’s not to say that aerodynamic efficiency was left out of the equation. In fact, aero specialist John Cobb was enlisted to ensure specifically the opposite. While the tail of the helmet is not as long as traditional TT helmets, it is built realistically for riders who might drop their heads or occasionally turn to the side — situations in which a long-tail helmet is actually more of a hindrance than an aide.
Additionally, “(Cobb) helped us look at what were the common problems faced by cyclists doing either triathlon, who need aerodynamics but at the same time don’t want to fry like an egg in Kona, down to a prologue time trial, which is short and sweet and requires maximum aerodynamics,” said Craig.
What’s unique about the Wingspan is the amount of versatility built in. For short events that don’t require great ventilation, the air scoop can be completely blocked off with a vent cover. For events that do require good airflow, the vent can be fitted with a plastic grid insert (or “Cadillac grille,” as Craig jokingly refers to it) that acts as a bug shield without restricting ventilation. Along the same lines, there’s also a removable tail cover that either permits hot air to exhaust out the rear of the helmet (when removed), or dams airflow for best aerodynamics (when in place).
All this, and the Wingspan is light with an average weight of 260 grams and fully featured, with a one-touch retention dial that adjusts up and down in addition to cinching around the occipital lobe. A Wingspan helmet will cost $300, and comes in a single shell size.
New Sterling helmet gets added exposure
Rudy’s other new helmet for 2010 is the $225 Sterling. Several features stand out on this helmet, most notably the internal frame, which quite literally “stands out” of the helmet shell. Rudy Project helmets, like many modern skid lids, have plastic or carbon fiber internal frames or grid which help maintain their structural integrity in the event of a crash. But with the new Sterling, Rudy opted to let the internal frame show through, rather than trying to style and engineer the overall shape of the EPS foam shell to conceal it.
“To lighten the weight a little, and give it an aesthetic quality which is unique, we decided to expose the grid,” said Craig. “We think it looks kind of cool.” Exposing the grid opened up the opportunity to enlarge the vents, so airflow is improved. The exposed internal frame material also adds an opportunity for styling, with different color options available to complement or contrast with the shell colors.
Finally, as an added bonus, the grid was specifically shaped to hold sunglasses (from any brand, not just Rudy Project). The “eyewear dock” solves the problem of oddly shaped or ill-positioned helmet vents not providing a secure hold on sunglasses.
The other unique aspect to the Sterling is a cloth bug net incorporated with the helmet pads. Rather than a screen molded into the front vents, the cloth bug net is removable for washing, or for hot days when it might be deemed too restrictive of airflow. Sterling helmets come with complete pad sets for use when the bug net is removed.
The key features of Rudy helmets remain, including the rotary retention dial and a mount for a visor. “We feel that this helmet is as good or better than anything from Giro or Specialized,” said Craig.
Weight, weight, don’t tell me
While weight is not entirely removed from the Rudy Project helmet equation, it’s not a central focus. Craig makes the point that in all of Rudy’s products, safety is the principal consideration.
“Here’s our stance on weight: everyone is fighting for weight, weight, weight,” said Craig. “I would rather ride with an extra 25 grams and live to ride another day. We’ve always leaned toward safety versus weight.” He makes the point that Rudy Project helmets are far from overbuilt and heavy, but don’t sacrifice safety or features for the sake of winning a weight war.
The new helmets are certainly competitively light (the Sterling weighs around 250 grams), but they are not anorexic — and that’s not a problem for Rudy Project. “Always for us with helmets, the questions are: does it fit, and does it feel comfortable,” said Craig.
Clearly, Rudy Project is poised take flight on the heads of riders everywhere. In the months to come, look for new Rudy Project helmets in a neighborhood near you. And stay tuned: we’ve got a Sterling helmet on test, along with the Noyz sunglasses, so look for a review.
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Zack Vestal
Zack joined VeloNews in 2009, bringing 15 years of industry experience to the Tech Editor position. Most recently manager and mechanic for the Trek-VW mountain bike team (2004-08), he has an unused geology degree from Whitman College (and a well-worn Ph.D. from the school of hard knocks). Vestal covers the latest in cycling gear online, and brings in-depth perspective to the magazine.